The Gators head coach honors SEC legends and embraces deep-rooted state ties after securing a momentous first conference victory on the turf where he once idolized coaching icons.
Earlier in the week, Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall said any of his relatives that would cheer for Auburn to win on Saturday wasn't his family.
Sumrall has strong ties to Auburn. The Tigers were targeting Sumrall to become their next head coach last year before he chose Florida. He has a ton of respect for Auburn, telling reporters after the Gators' 44-39 win over Auburn that winning his first SEC game at Jordan-Hare Stadium was special.
"As a kid, there was there was a couple people I always watched, and one of his name was on this field, Pat Dye," Sumrall said, via video posted by Gainesville.com "Like I got a ton of respect for Pat Dye, God rest his soul. And then the other two across the state, Gene Stallings and Bear Bryant.
"Like I watched those guys my whole life, and Bear Bryant died basically when I was born. But I've idolized the great coaches of coaching the state, and for our first SEC win as a program with me as (a) head coach, to do it on Pat Dye Field, I can't tell you what that means to me personally."
Sumrall earned the win over first-year Auburn head coach Alex Golesh. Golesh joked earlier in the week that the two weren't friends this week as they prepared to go head-to-head on Saturday.
"He said we were friends?" Golesh said. "Not this week; we're not. I got a ton of respect for Jon. We were both assistants in this league at the same time, and he did a great job at Troy, high end job at Troy, did a high end job at Tulane.
"Got a ton of respect for how he works, A ton of respect for who he is. I think he does it the right way, competes like crazy. I got a lot of respect for him. This week, don't care."
Surmall earned bragging rights from this year's matchup. But it's clear that Golesh is building a competitive team at Auburn.
For Sumrall, a new challenge awaits for the Gators. Florida will host No. 8 Ole Miss in Week 4. The Rebels knocked off No. 7 LSU on Saturday night 32-24.
That win would mean a lot for Florida.
