Look: Jim McElwain's press conference have generally been more colorful than Will Muschamp's, even the ones given a more relaxed and sharp-elbowed Muschamp when things were going fairly well for his Gators. They're both folksy — Muschamp is peanut-stand folksy; McElwain is fly-fishing folksy — but McElwain, 53, has lived a bit more life than his predecessor, who turned 44 in August, and thus has some slightly different touchstones.
This week, in previewing Florida's game against Missouri, McElwain told the tale of his 1972 Ford Pinto — which he also used as a metaphor for the importance of handling the responsibilities related to ownership of something important in talking to ESPN's Holly Rowe prior to Florida's meeting with Mississippi — in explaining that he doesn't "own" any of his motivational tactics, and compared the Gators' tenuous status as a nascent contender to "one-hit wonder" The Cyrkle, and their 1966 hit "Red Rubber Ball."
While I've never been in the room for a Florida press conference — part of my attempt to maintain at least some of the distance that I think matters for capturing the perspective of a fan — I have listened to almost all of the ones given by Muschamp and McElwain since 2011, when I assumed my current role at Alligator Army. The Cyrkle — which McElwain helpfully spelled out for what I'm guessing were a handful of bewildered scribes in attendance — is the single most obscure reference I've heard out of either coach. And it's not close.
The Pinto exchange begins at about 19:25. The tangent about The Cyrkle is at about 32:00. Listen and enjoy.