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The Sports Network
(Sports Network) - By this point, it's really no secret.
All the headlines, sports-talk blathering and desperate Rick Perry co-opts
over the past few weeks have merely confirmed the obvious.
This is Tim Tebow's world and we're all just, well...squirrels.
But in Gainesville, Fla., that's not nearly a new arrangement.
Though the No. 15 phenomenon might still be novelty in places like Denver, Des
Moines and Doylestown, it's been more than half a decade since shaggy hair and
Biblical eye-black became a fashion statement for the cool folks in the
university town two hours northwest of Disney.
Gator Nation had exclusive rights to freshman Tebow as a Wildcat alternative
to Chris Leak during a 2006 BCS title run, then slowly ceded possession when
he won the Heisman as a sophomore and delivered the tearful "Promise" speech
on the way to another national championship in 2008.
Incidentally, that speech, given to media after No. 4 Florida lost to unranked
Mississippi in its SEC home opener, is now commemorated on an exterior plaque
just a few steps from the football offices.
And interestingly, on the bench as Tebow's backup that day - Cam Newton.
"To the fans and everybody in Gator Nation, I'm sorry. I'm extremely sorry. We
were hoping for an undefeated season. That was my goal, something Florida has
never done here.
"I promise you one thing. A lot of good will come out of this. You will never
see any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of
the season. You will never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I
will push everybody the rest of the season.
"You will never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season.
God bless."
The Gators won 22 straight after the loss, and by the time Tebow closed his
senior year at 13-1 in the Sugar Bowl the word was officially out -- leading
even some experts to breathlessly label him "the greatest college football
player of all time."
And in the two years since - well, the societal icon evidence is clear.
Still, the epicenter of all things Gator considers him a local hero first.
Need proof? Just ask Marbella Sifontes-Ospino.
A trade association editor at an area publishing company, the giddy 25-year-
old spends much of her free time primping, preening and planning for an
upcoming April wedding. But while she admits to not knowing a zone blitz from
a Coach purse, into even her life a little Tebow must fall.
"Of course I watched it," she said of last week's OT playoff win over
Pittsburgh, in which a 20-yard crossing pattern-turned-80-yard touchdown
landed the QB on Letterman's Top 10 a few days later. "It doesn't matter who
they're playing, I'll pay attention if he's there."
As emphasis, in a cubicle stacked with photos, bridal books and workflow
calendars, she motioned toward two desktop screen savers - one showing a
helmeted Tebow's bulging left arm in mid-throw, and another with the buff 24-
year-old shirtless and smiling after a workout.
"What can I tell you, he's beautiful," she said, with a laugh. "My fiance
knows. If Tim ever gets my number, we're probably going to delay the wedding a
while."
Elsewhere in town, the vigor runs similar.
Though it was worn this year by anonymous freshman cornerback Loucheiz
Purifoy, the blue-and-orange No. 15 made famous over Tebow's four Florida
seasons remains a hot ticket in myriad sports shops and department stores
across Gainesville, not to mention en masse in the Swamp on game days.
Outside the stadium, just an arm's length from fellow Gator legends Steve
Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel, the bronze statue of Tebow unveiled last spring
draws an overwhelming majority of pre-game photography traffic from fans -
both home and visiting.
And a signature sight after the school's summer or winter commencement
ceremonies: Diploma-toting graduates, still clad in caps and gowns, kneeling
at the statue's base for photos that let Tebow share in their big-day
memories.
Par for the course, says local sales executive Drew Jasinski.
And while some outsiders cringe at the devotion, to him it's all good.
"It's awesome how big the phenomenon has become. To me, he represents
everything you want in a leader - someone you want to root for, not
criticize," the 2004 graduate said. "He is part of the Gator Nation and the
people who live in Gainesville. He is like family to all of us.
"I tell my wife all the time it is like watching my little brother play every
Sunday."
Their hero's next chance at a miracle comes Saturday night in Foxborough,
where most people are convinced he'll need exactly that to help the Broncos
defeat their top-seeded opponents in the AFC playoffs - Tom Brady and the New
England Patriots.
Even Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, who saw Tebow's mastery first-
hand during the Gators' glory years, concedes the task this weekend is a
particularly tough one.
"I like 15, but 12's (Brady) pretty good." he said, admitting Tebow's pass to
Demaryius Thomas against Pittsburgh last week had him "just shakin' my head."
"They let him play how he plays," Foley said. "Throwing the ball on first
down, things like that. That's what he did when he was here. You didn't see
that with him before (in Denver). It works."
Las Vegas remains unswayed, with odds-makers generally viewing the Pats as a
two-touchdown favorite on the eve of the Gillette Stadium showdown, which
rewards the winner with an AFC title-game berth.
Of course, the true believers will point out the Steelers were nine-point
picks last week.
And some, like Sifontes-Ospino, will be prepared either way.
"If he wins, that'll be great. Because I'll to watch him play for another
week," she said. "But if they lose, it won't be so bad. If he comes back to
Gainesville, I'll be happy to give him a hug."
Lyle Fitzsimmons can be reached at fitzbitz@msn.com.
The Sports Network