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Via ESPN:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Urban Meyer, who was admitted to a hospital because of chest pains following the Southeastern Conference championship game, is stepping down because of health concerns.
Meyer resigned Saturday, calling it quits after five seasons in Gainesville and two national titles. He goes into the bowl game with a 56-10 record at Florida that includes a 32-8 mark in league play and a school-record 22-game winning streak ended early this month against Alabama.
[h4]HISTORIC RUN[/h4]
Urban Meyer is stepping down at Florida after the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and he goes out on top among current FBS coaches. His win percentage is the highest among active coaches with at least five years experience.
[table][tr][th=""]Coach[/th] [th=""]School[/th] [th=""]Record[/th] [th=""]Win pct.[/th] [/tr][tr][td]Urban Meyer[/td] [td]Florida[/td] [td]95-18[/td] [td].841[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Pete Carroll[/td] [td]USC[/td] [td]96-19[/td] [td].835[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Bob Stoops[/td] [td]Oklahoma[/td] [td]116-29[/td] [td].800[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Mark Richt[/td] [td]Georgia[/td] [td]89-27[/td] [td].767[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Gary Patterson[/td] [td]TCU[/td] [td]85-27[/td] [td].759[/td] [/tr][/table]
Meyer, 45, says he consulted with his family, his doctors, school president Bernie Machen and athletic director Jeremy Foley before deciding it is in his best interest to focus on his health and family.
Meyer has been to the hospital at least twice since suffering chest pains after the SEC title game, a Florida source told ESPN. [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]He has been diagnosed with a heart valve muscle defect, the source said.[/color]
The problem is not life threatening, a Florida source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. The same source said Meyer will remain in Gainesville in a non-coaching role to be defined later.
Meyer will hold a news conference in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon and will coach his final game in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati on New Year's Day.
"I have given my heart and soul to coaching college football and mentoring young men for the last 24-plus years and I have dedicated most of my waking moments the last five years to the Gator football program," Meyer said in a statement. "I have ignored my health for years, but recent developments have forced me to reevaluate my priorities of faith and family.
"After consulting with my family, Dr. Machen, Jeremy Foley and my doctors, I believe it is in my best interest to step aside and focus on my health and family."
"Coach Meyer and I have talked this through and I realize how hard this was for him to reach this decision," Foley said in a statement. "But, the bottom line is that Coach Meyer needed to make a choice that is in the best interest of his well being and his family. I certainly appreciate what he has meant to the University of Florida, our football program and the Gator Nation. I have never seen anyone more committed to his players, his family and his program. Above all, I appreciate our friendship."
Meyer helped the Gators win two national titles in five years at Florida. He is the only coach to win two BCS titles.
A three-time national coach of the year, Meyer is 95-18 in nine seasons.
Meyer came to Florida from Utah, where he closed out his stint with 16 consecutive wins. He began his head coaching career at Bowling Green in 2001, where he engineered the top turnaround in NCAA Division I-A football, showing a six-win improvement from the previous season. The Falcons rebounded from a 2-9 record with their first winning season (8-3) since 1994.
Potential successors to Meyer could include Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, Arkansas' Bobby Petrino, who was the other top candidate in 2004 when Meyer got the job, former Florida Gator and Super Bowl-winning NFL coach Mike Shanahan and former Meyer assistants Dan Mullen and Charlie Strong. Former Florida offensive coordinator Mullen just finished his first season as head coach at Mississippi State. Defensive coordinator Strong was named the head coach at Louisville earlier this month.
Louisville media relations director Rocco Gasparro said Saturday night that Strong had signed a term sheet with the school, but not a formal contract. It is unclear whether the term sheet would be a sticking point should the Gators turn to Strong to replace Meyer.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4772952
Update 12/27:AP source: Florida's Meyer could return as coach
By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer
Posted: 12/27/2009 11:44:43 AM PST
Updated: 12/27/2009 11:47:16 AM PST
Click photo to enlarge
FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2009 file photo, Florida football... ((AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File))
NEW ORLEANS-Less than 24 hours after he resigned, Florida coach Urban Meyer is instead taking an indefinite leave of absence that opens the door for his return to the Gators.
A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Sunday that Meyer has changed his mind. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made by the school.
Meyer is to speak at a news conference in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday night, Meyer said he was stepping down after five seasons as Gators coach because of health concerns.
The University of Florida student newspaper, The New York Times and ESPN.com first reported Meyer's change of plans.
The person familiar with Meyer's decision said the coach woke up Sunday morning, got around his players at a short practice on campus and realized he wasn't quite ready to call it quits.
"There's no guarantees here," the person said. "He could still walk away. He's got some significant concerns about his health and his tank and his family. But instead of cutting the cord, he's going to take a step back and see how he feels."
There was no immediate word on how Florida planned to handle coaching duties after the Sugar Bowl. But Florida officials surely know Meyer could decide to walk away this summer and leave the program with an awkward mess.
"That's a chance he's willing to take and one Florida is willing to take," the person said.
