Like the Gators football team in 2006 and 2008, Netflix’s four-part documentary was No. 1 — at least among the streaming service’s shows in August. Pat Dooley, who’s featured in the series, shares its surprises, un-surprises and things left out.

by Pat Dooley (BSJ ’76)

If you see me walking around campus in a “Swamp Kings” T-shirt, I’m bragging. Mr. Hollywood (me) got it from the producers of the new Netflix documentary about Urban Meyer’s years in Gainesville. My concern is I didn’t get an “as himself” credit at the end of the series.

I kid, of course. Filming took place more than a year ago, and my best scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. (Say it with me: “WHERE THEY BELONGED.”)

The documentary itself was years in the making, even before filming began, with players initially turning down requests to be interviewed, worried how they’d be portrayed. That changed when Meyer jumped in to talk about the Gators’ dominance of college football during his tenure here. When Tim Tebow also said yes, it was full speed ahead.

“We wanted to tell our story,” All-American strong safety Ahmad Black said. “We didn’t want it all to be about Aaron Hernandez and stuff like that.”

The four-part documentary isn’t perfect. But it is fun to watch and remember the best of times at UF. Let’s break it down with the five biggest surprises, five things that weren’t surprising and five things left out:

Biggest Surprises

1. Brandon Spikes-Tebow spat
We’d heard rumors about an angry locker room when the Gators traveled to Starkville in 2009 to face Dan Mullen’s Mississippi State team. Tebow wasn’t playing well that game and ended up throwing two Pick 6s. Spikes — who was out for the game with an injury — and Tebow got into a near-brawl at halftime.

At the time, we were told Tebow wouldn’t be speaking to the press after the game because he wanted to visit Mullen. Now, we know the real reason he, for the only time in his career, didn’t talk to reporters.

2. Workout videos
“Swamp Kings” director Katharine English was overjoyed to find hundreds of tapes under a desk in the athletic department. The workouts — some at midnight — were intense and amazing. I kept saying to myself, “How did they get these videos?” The mat drills are worth a series unto themselves.

3. Brandon Siler’s story
Linebacker Brandon Siler is one of the stars of the doc. His tale about Meyer meeting his parents is something else — I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the documentary yet.

4. Dan Mullen in the locker room
My daughter asked, “Where was that guy when he was head coach here?” I asked the same thing. In “Swamp Kings,” he’s amped up and may have broken some cursing records.

5. Not much Percy
According to Black, Percy Harvin agreed to be part of the series, but kind of disappeared from conference calls. Too bad. I’d like to have heard what he had to say.

Not a Surprise

1. Tebow is the real deal
It was hardly a surprise that Timmy was Timmy, and that he’s the leading man in the doc. Spikes’ stories about trying to get Tebow to crack are hilarious.

2. Meyer was tough …
We’d heard stories from Bowling Green and Utah, Meyer’s previous coaching stints, about players throwing up in trashcans, so it was no surprise he kicked players out of the locker room in Gainesville and wouldn’t let them wear Gator stuff. In fact, I once convinced fellow Gainesville Sun sportswriter Robbie Andreu to talk to some players who were working out. Meyer wasn’t happy.

3. … and troubled
We know about Meyer texting recruits while in church and players going out for the night and seeing the lights on in the coaches’ offices. Meyer worried too much. At one point, he wanted food brought in for a road trip to Tallahassee because he feared it might be tainted.

4. Fans’ reaction
“Swamp Kings” brings back incredible memories. Some Gator fans think Billy Napier should show it to his team as a lesson on the commitment it takes to get to the top. It’ll be interesting to see if the documentary changes opinions on Meyer’s place in UF’s Ring of Honor. He’s the only eligible person right now who isn’t in it.

5. Media reaction
I told everyone this wouldn’t be an expose that some media folks (and fan websites) were hoping for. They wanted warts. But that’s not the direction “Swamp Kings” went. Sorry.

Left Out

1. Reggie Nelson
I have a soft spot for Nelson. He was the soul of the 2006 defensive unit. After watching the documentary, you’d think he never played for the Gators.

2. The ‘Braveheart Game’
The biggest omission in the story of the 2008 season is the FSU game, when Tebow was covered with mud and crimson field paint. There’s little hint of Florida State in the entire series.

3. The basketball team
During filming, every time I tried to interject something about our hoops run of two straight national titles during the Meyer-Tebow-Spikes years, “Swamp Kings” producers would tell me, “No, this is about football.” But how can you tell those stories separately? At the very least, there should have been a mention about the basketball team’s championships.

4. How Meyer broke
There was no reference to the 9-1-1 call or an explanation on why Meyer resigned three weeks after the Alabama game. Instead, that whole thing felt rushed, and just like that he was gone.

5. The obvious
One reason Gator fans — and players — like “Swamp Kings” is the documentary for the most part stayed away from negative stories, such as Carlos Dunlap’s suspension for the SEC Title Game loss to Alabama. Then again, that’s the kind of stuff players interviewed insisted not be the focal point.

Sportswriter Pat Dooley (BSJ ’76) covered the Gators for The Gainesville Sun for 33 years until his retirement in 2020. He still shares his love for Gator sports through his podcast, “Another Dooley Noted,” and WRUF radio program, “Dooley’s Back 9.” His Gator Nation News column does not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Florida.