Your first sultry kiss of another's lips gives you goosebumps. It's exciting, nerve-wracking, but still an experience unlike any other. It's more memorable than that third one for sure, even if that third time around you were much better at the art of lip smacking.
There wasn't much national historical significance about UF's '96 national title, the football program's first championship. They were a great team led by a Heisman-winning quarterback in Danny Wuerffel. That's happened many times before.
However, when Tim Tebow approached the podium and made a promise that he would not be outworked for 10 more games - he left an imprint on college football history.
This championship, that speech, will be remembered as one of the most remarkable moments in college football history.
But it's not the best championship in UF history. That's still 12 years ago, when Wuerffel was throwing lasers to Jacquez Green and Reidel Anthony, while Lawrence Wright was knocking the poop out of opponent's receivers.
If there was no '96 title, there is no title in '08. The first is still the best, and it should always be that way. That's what my somewhat esteemed colleague Phil on the Hill has forgotten.
These two teams took similar paths. They had disappointing bowl losses from the year before and then, the following year, had a group of leaders come together who swore that wouldn't happen again. It didn't - for either team. They had stretches where they were as dominant as a football team can be.
Wuerffel and his gang did something that hadn't been done here before, and that deserves brownie points. Greatness was expected in 2008 in large part because of what happened in 1996. Have you ever seen a movie where the sequel is significantly better than the first one? There aren't too many. Sequels are made because the first one was successful.
When the history of UF football is talked about in 20 years, the conversation still starts with Wuerffel, Steve Spurrier and 1996. It leads into Tebow, Urban Meyer and 2008.
This is just another chapter in what's becoming a great novel. But you don't get to the middle of the book unless you read the introduction.
