Tim Tebow spent Friday night flipping a 450-pound tire across Florida Field.
Percy Harvin threw a 45-pound medicine ball over his head, and Chris Rainey dashed his way through an obstacle course.
Teammates watched as freshman Omar Hunter held on to a pair of 160-pound torpedoes like they were made of marshmallows and Cameron Newton spun himself around on a dizzy-bat.
"You got to watch out for the bat," said a slightly dazed Newton in an interview over the stadium loudspeaker.
In front of a crowd of more than 1,800, the UF football team lifted, pushed, flipped, threw and ran their way to raising $6,000 in the inaugural edition of the Gator Charity Challenge.
The strongman competition, which is typically the crescendo of the team's summer strength and conditioning program, was made open to the public for the first time after senior long snapper James Smith suggested that the event could be used to raise money for charity.
The squad was split into six different teams, each competing for a charity of their choice.
"Anytime you can do something like this and raise money for people in need, it's a good thing," Smith said. "I think we're going to make this a yearly event."
Offensive tackle Jason Watkins, who made pink bandanas trendy for the night, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation team, took home the victory after knocking off Tebow and the Children's Miracle Network in an event-ending match of tug of war.
The challenge marks the end of an off-season that Smith said was the toughest since he has been at UF.
"Coach Mick (Marotti) says this past summer has been the hardest since he's been a strength coach, and he's been one for 25 years," Smith said.
The exhausted athletes, who started their day by running stadiums at 6 a.m., walked off the field with sweat-soaked T-shirts.
"We touched every step," Smith said.
Urban Meyer made a brief appearance before the competition to say hello to parents and sign a few autographs.
No one seemed to be happier to see him than the family of sophomore cornerback Joe Haden.
There was a hug for mom and a handshake for dad.
Boston College-bound little brother Josh got a few fake punches and a high five from the happy Meyer.
Not even cloudy skies could dampen the mood of the generous evening.
"When you get out and do things other than football as a team, it just brings everyone that much closer together," Smith said.
