As I write my byline one final time, I can’t help but get misty-eyed. I cannot believe my time at The Alligator is coming to a close.
But here we are. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I don’t do well expressing sad or sentimental feelings, so I’ll go ahead and give you some of my favorite memories while working at this paper.
I was hired by former editors Adam Lichtenstein and Landon Watnick, who in January 2014 saw my tweets from the Under Armour Combine. Without you two, I literally wouldn’t be writing this.
When I was hired, it was about a month before National Signing Day, so the content I was writing was typically stories about kids verbally committing and decommitting, breaking down what the year’s recruiting class needs.
So on Signing Day, I was the only recruiting beat writer on staff — the beat was all mine. But that also meant that that day in February was probably one of the busiest of my professional career.
From 7 a.m. until about 9:30 p.m. that Wednesday I sat at my desk and cranked out story after story. I was a machine. As soon as a letter of intent was signed, a commitment or decommitment happened, I was right there single-handedly pumping out all the recruiting content for the paper’s website and in the paper that next day.
As one of many outnumbered women in this industry, getting an opportunity and responsibility like that is huge. It was tremendous, and a huge resume and name booster for me. The recruiting cycle wound down during the spring, but I started showing up to things like Pro Day and Spring football practices and continued to write further for the Alligator, even though Florida Football wasn’t technically my beat — yet.
Having proved myself that spring with recruiting and more football, I was put on the Florida football beat for the 2014-15 school year. I was so pumped to be able to cover the team, and even more so when I found out our staff would include Richard Johnson, a colleague and friend who I already admired so much. Also on the team was Jonathan Czupryn and Jordan McPherson as our editor. Jordan at his age is a prodigy, in my opinion, and my writing wouldn’t be the same without him.
Frankly Zoop, I had no idea who you were at the time. But that’s alright because a semester of bonding later, I now call you a great friend.
Our team’s first big assignment came with Southeastern Conference Media Days in July. In both Hoover, Alabama, and back at the sports office, we absolutely killed the coverage. As probably the youngest journalists who were there, it was a tremendous experience for all of us.
Now for some of my favorite memories during the season.
The triple overtime game against Kentucky was such a horrible, sloppy game that every five minutes or so I would turn to Richard uncontrollably laughing and say "This team goes to Tuscaloosa in a week!" over and over again.
But the Tuscaloosa road trip to me, was the most fun one, and probably the most interesting, too. For the trip, all we could afford was a Motel 6 in Bessemer, Alabama. Yes, it is exactly as horrible and sketchy as you’re thinking.
Nevertheless that trip was hands down my favorite. Getting to walk around campus, standing in the shadows of Bear Bryant’s statue and hearing Bryant Denny at its loudest right before a 3:30 kickoff — I’ll never, ever forget it.
The Monday after Tennessee week, our staff buckled down and did an incredible job covering the Treon Harris alleged sexual assault incident. We worked both independently and collectively as a team to ensure we provided informative, and journalistically sound content.
The Alligator allowed me to tell so many stories about football — the sport that I love more than a lot of things in this world —in a way that I never saw possible. From player features to game previews and matchup breakdowns. I never once felt like it was work.
I grew exponentially as a writer, and became a better journalist under the Alligator’s strict unbiased, objective philosophy. I was able to praise and criticize, analyze the game and its players and assert my opinion. This allowed me to truly find my voice as an author — something that some writers are never able to find on their own.
To anyone who has ever read, shared, edited or critiqued one of my stories, I am eternally grateful. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
If all goes according to plan, no matter how "big" I get in the sports media world, I will never forget the ways that the Alligator helped me along the way.
Follow Morgan Moriarty on Twitter @Morgan_Moriarty
