Gator Country

The Gator Country Team

Welcome to Gator Country - The Insider Authority on Gator Sports!

Gator Country, founded in 1996, has always put together a top-notch staff to bring you unparalleled coverage not matched anywhere!  We are also the only Gator media outlet 100% owned and operated by Florida Gators! Here’s our “Dream” team:

COLUMNISTS:

Buddy Martin

Buddy Martin is a veteran, Florida-born-and-raised journalist who has won more than 150 awards during his distinguished journalism career.  “The Boys From Old Florida: Inside Gator Nation” is his seventh book and third book on Florida football. He also co-authored the autobiographies of two Hall of Fame athletes: Terry Bradshaw, “Looking Deep,” and Dan Issel, “Parting Shots.” Martin’s columns appear regularly in the Charlotte (Fla.) Sun, on GatorCountry.com and his Web site, buddymartin.org.  He is a product of the UF Journalism School and the former sports editor of Florida Today, The St. Petersburg Times, New York Daily News and Denver Post. He won an Emmy as an associate producer for “The NFL Today Show” on CBS. Buddy is also a long-time radio talk show host and commentator in Colorado and in Florida. He is also co-creator of “The Sports Journalism Summit” at The Poynter Media Institute in St. Petersburg. You can e-mail him at .

Brady Ackerman

Brady Ackerman is a former running back at the University of Florida from 1987-1991. He is currently a college football analyst on Sun Sports and you can hear his radio show “The Brady Ackerman Show” in Orlando on Espn AM 1080 and the Space Coast on Espn AM 1060. His radio show is Monday-Friday 3-6pm and you can listen on-line at http://www.espnflorida.com. He also serves as a studio analyst for Sun Sports during college football season ,as well as the Post Game analyst on all University of Florida Football games. In addition to his studio role Brady serves as the color analyst at Sun Sports for all Florida High School Football Finals games. To find out more about Brady check out http://www.bradyackerman.com or email him at

Scot Brantley

Brantley was one of the greatest high school linebackers in Florida history at Ocala Forest, where he led the Wildcats to two straight state championships. As a junior he is also remembered for a bottom of the seventh inning game winning home run at Tinker Field in Orlando that won the state title for the Wildcats. He also He was a two-time Parade All-American, personally recruited by coaches such as Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Vince Dooley, Frank Broyles, Joe Paterno and John Robinson. The subject of an intense recruiting battle, he decided that his heart had always been in Gainesville and he was a Gator. He signed with Doug Dickey and the Gators, started as a true freshman and went on to make first team All-SEC two years in a row (1977-78). Brantley has worked as a radio analyst on the Tampa Bay Bucs and Florida Gators networks and he does pre-game analysis on the Gator Radio Network in the fall.

Lauren Anderson

A Gainesville native, Lauren was a scholarship basketball player at Jacksonville University until she had a bout with mononucleosis. She gave up basketball, returned home to Gainesville where she majored in animal biology at the University of Florida. She’s remained an active sports fan and even though her acting career keeps her in Los Angeles most of the time, she’s back in Gainesville every chance she gets, especially if the Gators are playing. Anderson is pursuing an acting career in Los Angeles but when she’s got free time, she’s either at a ball game or on the sofa with the television tuned in to some sort of sporting event.

STAFF:

Raymond Hines III - Heart and Soul of Gator Country (Founding Publisher & Owner)

Back when I was a wee one I had to decide if I wanted to live dangerously and become a computer hacker or start a website devoted to the Gators. I chose the Gators instead of the daily thrill of knowing my next meal might be at Leavenworth. No regrets, however. The Gators have been and will continue to be my addiction. What makes this so much fun is that the more addicted I become to the Florida Gators, the more fun I have doing innovative things to help bring all the Gator news that is news (and some that isn’t) to Gator fans around the world. Andy Warhol said we all have our 15 minutes of fame. Thanks to Gator Country, I’m working on a half hour. Thanks to an understanding wife and a daughter that can’t decide if she’s going to be the female version of Einstein, Miss Universe, President of the United States or a princess, I get to spend my days doing what I’ve done since Gus Garcia and I founded Gator Country back in 1996. Has it really been 11 years now? Oh my gosh! That means I’m almost 40!

Franz Beard - Managing Editor

Years ago, when I was in high school and writing for Jack Hairston at the Jacksonville Journal, one of my teachers told me that I needed to give up writing sports and discover the real world. “You’ll be a fine adult someday,” she told me. Now, some 38 years later, I’m still wondering what life will be like when I become a fine adult. I still write sports although I was sidetracked for a few years. I coached basketball for a couple of years and discovered the art of the technical foul.  I taught high school English in Taiwan and learned to never ask what it is you’re eating until dinner is over. I taught English and religion at a university in Korea where I discovered kimchi mixed with a certain kind of chili sauce will set you free. I lived in London and discovered that everything you’ve heard about the lack of a good bottle of wine or a decent restaurant is true. I discovered that most women in Paris shave their legs and under their arms. In Germany I met the son of Hitler’s secretary. He had photos of him sitting on Adolph’s knee. Living in Costa Rica, I discovered that the nine iron is the perfect club on the fourth hole at Cariari Country Club. I never stopped writing while I was seeing the world but it wasn’t until Gator Country came along that I got back to my real roots and started writing sports full time again. Gator Country is my perfect fit because it gives me a chance to write about the only team that has ever mattered, the Florida Gators. I’m 55 and I never have outgrown my love for the Gators. My first game was Florida 18, Georgia Tech 17 in 1960. I hope my last Florida game is years and years away.

Bob Redman - Recruiting Coordinator & Associate Editor

One day while standing at the top of a tower overlooking the University of Florida football practice field, filming the Gators hard at work, James Bates began to serenade the whole team. He looked up at me and put his hands on his heart, never missing a note as he belted out “My Way”. It was at that point and in that place that I pondered the meaning of life. Was Steve Spurrier really Steve Superior? Was Luther Ogle really just James Bates’ alter-ego or was it the real Batesy, kind of like the crazy uncle that my family has kept in the attic all these years? Did God really smile on the Gators and if he did, does that mean he actually told Coach Spurrier he was going to do it? After the Spurrier years I found myself wondering if I, too, could make four hours of sleep the equivalent of eight if only I slept fast.  After two years of working for Ron Zook, I never mastered the art of sleeping fast but I did learn plenty about game planning, scouting, breaking down and grading performance on the field. That led me to my fork in the road in life and I chose Gator Country, where I get to write football 365 days of the year, mostly about recruiting, which is indeed an addiction. It’s either write about football or break out the old tuba that I used to play when I marched in the Pride of the Sunshine Band and see if I can get a late night gig on Letterman. My wife says there is an art to playing great tuba. I think there is an art to recruiting the top football class in the country every year. For now, at least, the tuba’s locked away in the attic with the crazy uncle and I’m banging out recruiting info at Gator Country. It’s nice work if you can get it.

Mark McLeod - ESPN Gator Country Radio Show Host & Senior Columnist

Growing up near the shores of “The World’s Most Beautiful Beaches” in the 1970’s afforded our own Mark McLeod to see proud Alabama fans wave the colors of the Crimson Tide after they had undoubtedly just captured another Southeastern Conference title. Ever the rebellious one, Mark had no interest in getting on that train. He was proud to be from Florida and felt the flagship university should be prominently displayed along the Miracle Mile and throughout The Sunshine State. As fate would have it, Mark and his family soon spent much of their time in Gainesville. His Dad, a Navy veteran, required a kidney transplant as a result of a service related injury. The wonderful hospital staff at Shands and the VA Hospital coupled with the community convinced the entire family to become die-hard Gators.  Mark has been with Gator Country since the spring of 1997, the longest of any of our staff. He began our traditional football practice reports, football, basketball, baseball, and recruiting. He continues to wear a lot of hats covering the Gators football team, recruiting, and writes for Gator Country Magazine. Mark is the producer/host of “The Gator Country Radio Show”, which airs on ESPN 1230 WGGG (Gainesville) and 900 WMOP (Ocala) daily from 8-10am. He also speaks to Gator clubs around the state where the flagship colors are indeed prominently and properly displayed. The Gators rule in Florida. 

Timothy Casey - Photography Editor

Tim Casey had his first photo published in fifth grade. He’s come a long way from Long Valley (NJ) Middle School’s yearbook, having covered the 2007 BCS Championship Game, 2007 Final Four and 2005 College World Series. He’s had photos published in Sporting News magazine, GQ magazine and nearly every newspaper in the state of Florida. Tim is one of the few people that recalls his athletic experiences by saying he was undersized and terrible. The highlight of his baseball career was driving in the tying run of a 12-year old Little League championship game by getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. Tim’s “Morristown Pathology Associates” sponsored-team went on to win in extra innings with Tim nursing his bruised ribs on the bench. Realizing that the best way for him to stay close to the sidelines was to be looking through a lens, Tim spent his high school years focused on photography and becoming an Eagle Scout before graduating in 1995. Tim transferred to UF in 2004 to take a second crack at college and finish his degree. He had moved to Jacksonville in August of 2001 from northwest New Jersey. At UF, he was the photo editor of the Alligator for two semesters. At Montclair State University in NJ, Tim was a Fine Arts major with a minor in Journalism, then served as editor of the newspaper following two years as photo editor. He was also president of Theta Xi fraternity for a full year in addition to working as a wedding photographer for five years. Tim is still learning the finer points of collegiate athletics, which aren’t anywhere near as popular in the northeast. In fact, Tim wore a Nebraska sweatshirt during the 1995 Fiesta Bowl in support of his mother’s alma mater. Never refer to him as a Yankee, since he’s a Red Sox fan and might take offense. Tim will happily discuss ice hockey, something that still hasn’t captured the attention of most Floridians, or the Buffalo Bills run of four consecutive Super Bowls. Tim also swears that Pearl Jam is the greatest American band ever and U2 is the best band since the Beatles.

Richard “Swampie” Retey - Video/Film Specialist & Columnist

My family moved to Eustis, Florida, when I was six months old.  Played little league there, graduated from Eustis High School in 1968 where I played football and baseball, I ended each career as a linebacker and third baseman.  Got an AA degree from Santa Fe CC, in Gainesville in 1971, a BS from Saint Leo College, Saint Leo, Florida, in 1995.  Always wanted to be involved in sports was an avid bowler when I was younger averaging in the 180s one league I averaged 190 for the summer.  Got to a four to five handicap in golf and used to play a lot of chess and bridge.  Got hooked on recruiting back when I went to see John L. Williams play Gainesville Eastside in the playoffs at Palatka.  Worked a news letter for a few years from 1989 thru 1990 and then started Swampie’s Rumor Mill back in December of 1995 for the Gainesville Sun.  In 1997 moved to Gator Country 1999 to Sunshine Network and now back to where I belong at Gator Country.  Have gone to Gator games for 39 years.

Matthew Zemek - Instant Analysis & Columns

Matt Zemek has written for Gator Country from 2000-2003 and from 2005 to the present day. A native of Phoenix and a current resident of Seattle, Mr. Zemek has worked as an Internet sports columnist since 1999. In 2001, he covered the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for the defunct website HoopNation.com. Later that year, he became a national staff columnist for CollegeFootballNews.com, a position he still holds today. Outside of sportswriting, Mr. Zemek, 31, has authored a political book, “Liberalism the Right Way” (Booklocker.com Inc., 2003). He has also contributed a number of guest op-eds to the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer, dating back to 2002. Mr. Zemek also worked at the Family Kitchen, a Seattle soup kitchen, from 2004 to May of 2007.

Cody Jones - Reporter

I was born in February 1988 and was raised in Daytona Beach, Florida. I played baseball all throughout my life, however had an interest in watching all sports I possibly could. I graduated from Spruce Creek High School in 2006 from the International Baccalaureate program, which is currently rated the #1 IB program in North America and #4 in the world. I am now beginning my sophomore year of studying journalism at the University of Florida.

Ryan Moss - Reporter

Ryan is a senior marketing major at UF from Northern Virginia. He was born in Southern California and also lived in New Jersey. Ryan is a former journalism major who has an extensive background in sports journalism. He was editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper, interned at a local Virginia paper for four years and had a brief stint with The Alligator.

David Shepherd - Customer Service Manager

David was born in Jacksonville, FL and has been a Waycross, GA resident for over 20 years. He is married to his wife Donna (33 years) and they have two children, Scott (wife Traci) and Joshua. Scott and Traci have given David & Donna three grandchildren, Jordan, Iris and Gideon. David retired from CSX in 2000 after he was diagnosed with epilepsy. He now enjoys his retirement with his wife. and is a stringer for the Waycross Journal Herald and is a weekly contributor to WareOpEdNews.com

James Irvine - Sales Manager

I remember the day like it was yesterday.  First game of season, Labor Day weekend, 1988.  The Gators, led by the incredible Emmitt Smith, destroyed Montana State 66-0 as I recall.  It was my freshman year at UF and the first Gator game that I had witnessed in person.  I looked around the stadium and soaked up the atmosphere.  The crowd, the energy, the excitement.  Two-Bits, “We are the Boys”, an occasional “crowd wave” passing by.  The cheerleaders, Albert, and of course the Gators playing winning college football, the greatest sport in the world.  I knew right then that this was it.  I found my lifelong passion.  The Florida Gators. Ever since that day I dreamed of my career being involved somehow with the Gators.  I majored in Telecommunications with the thought of being the video man for UF.  However, that job was already taken and I ended up in sales for many years. This took me to far away places like Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and then to New York where I ran an online company selling martial arts gear.  Finally with this experience I was able to reach my dream when Ray welcomed me to the GatorCountry team.  Now Gainesville is my home again and I don’t plan on leaving ever again. :)

TEAM Network

Gator Country is proud to be a founding member and board member of the TEAM Sports Network, which is also in a partnership with ESPN.  The TEAM Sports Network is a fledgling network of collegiate sports websites much like ours that get to keep their independent spirit and yet are bound together by a common bond—bringing the absolute best sports coverage of your favorite sports teams to you!

Hines Corporation

Our website was built and designed by the folks behind Hines Corporation. The company also owns and operates GatorCountry.com, among others.