“I haven’t, Scott,” Hubert said, using the question as an on-ramp to a address a different matter. “And that’s something I wanted to talk to you about … .”
Five days later, the iconic “Voice of the Gators” signed off for the last time, following a Florida-South Carolina baseball game, and waded into retirement.
In the weeks and months that followed, Stricklin reached out to Hubert with an invitation to come back, take a bow at a Florida football game and let 90,000 fans echo their appreciation for his three-plus decades of bringing Florida sports to life on the airwaves. Each time, Hubert declined, even turning down an offer to be the ceremonial “Mr. Two Bits” for the much-anticipated season-opener — and Billy Napier debut — against Utah.
No thank you, was his answer.
“I wanted them to get on with the season without me,” Hubert said Tuesday. “I didn’t want it to look like I was just hanging around.”
It wouldn’t have, of course, but that’s not the point. Hubert, now 68, spent 33 years (from 1989-2022) calling Florida football, basketball and baseball. He forever will be associated with the Gators, so it was only a matter of time before he was coaxed into the yellow shirt and khaki pants made famous by George Edmondson to execute the traditional pregame chant. That time will come Saturday night when UF (4-2, 1-2) takes on LSU (4-2, 2-1) in their Southeastern Conference clash at Spurrier/Florida Field.
Biggest home SEC game of the season. Yeah, that seems about right.
Hubert and his wife of 43 years, Judy, moved last spring to Sarasota, an area where they’d often vacationed the last 20-plus years. The two have spent the last few months basically getting settled and getting, well, retired. That meant finding new friends, but also new doctors, dentists, insurance (both personal and property), all the while becoming heavily involved in their new church.
It’s a change, obviously, but the Huberts have been delighted with the move so far. It was the…
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