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[continued below]

Credited Source: jacksonville.com 1/14/07

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Several players - wide receivers Dallas Baker and Jemalle Cornelius, linebackers Brandon Siler and Earl Everett, and
safety Reggie Nelson, among them - spoke, as did Bernie Machen, the Florida president, and Mike Slive, the
Southeastern Conference commissioner and BCS coordinator.

Several former players, including Tony George, Jeremy Mincey, Dwayne Thomas and Terry Jackson, also attended the
event.

The highlight of the day, however, was former Gators quarterback Danny Wuerffel's surprise appearance. The 1996
Heisman Trophy winner, who quarterbacked Florida's only other national championship team, presented Leak with the
BCS national title game Offensive MVP award.

"When Danny Wuerffel walked out of that tunnel - they told me last night [Wuerffel was going to be there] and I got kind of
choked up - I lost it a little bit when he did that," Meyer said. "Danny Wuerffel handing the MVP trophy to Chris Leak -
that's college football right there. That's Gator football."

Wuerffel riled the crowd up even further by taking a not-so-subtle shot at Florida State.

"Monday night was probably the most dominant football game I've ever seen," he said. "I've seen a lot of dominating
games. I've been in a few - just ask Florida State."

Leak said he was honored to have Wuerffel present him the Offensive MVP trophy.

"He's a class act, a great person," Leak said. "It means a lot. I feel real thankful and real blessed. I can't say enough
about how much I appreciated that."

The fans showed their appreciation for Leak and the rest of the Gators with a standing ovation when the tarps covering the
freshly painted list of SEC and national championships were removed.

"That was awesome," Meyer said.

Leak's moment was just a small part of Saturday's celebration. To kick off
the event, the 41-14 victory over Ohio State in the BCS national
championship name was replayed on the stadium's two huge scoreboards,
and the final statistics from the game were prominently displayed on the
north end-zone scoreboard.

Fans gave the team a standing ovation and chanted "Ur-ban!" after coach
Urban Meyer was introduced. Sixteen of the 21 seniors were present, and
each received cheers when introduced. Cornerback Reggie Lewis, center
Steve Rissler and defensive tackle Joe Cohen were in Hawaii for the Hula
Bowl all-star game. Running back DeShawn Wynn was missing because
of what Meyer said was a family issue. Wide receiver Kenneth Tookes
also wasn't there, but Meyer said he wasn't sure why.

Florida's #1, Reggie Nelson celebrates with fans as he holds a shirt with
the image of his mother, Mary Lakes who passed away December 21,
2006.

UF News - 1/14/07

Swamped by cheers

Chris Leak nearly cried.

As he stood on the temporary stage near Florida Field's south end zone
Saturday afternoon, the senior quarterback needed a moment to compose
himself before he could say anything to the estimated 50,000 fans who had
gathered to celebrate the Gators' national football championship.

Twice, Leak began to speak but had to stop.

The reason for his hesitation was the warm reception he received from fans
and the fact he was surrounded by his teammates. It also was because it
finally hit Leak that Florida was the national champion.

"It was a great feeling," Leak said. "I think when it's really going to hit me is
when I go off and after a couple years when I come back and I still see the
2006 national champs on that stadium wall. That's going to mean a lot to
me."