GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Born and raised in Mississippi, and with stops at Auburn and Kentucky on his resume, Scott Stricklin has spent more than two decades in the Southeastern Conference.He knows the league inside and out, and has witnessed pretty much everything during his career. So he understands the daunting task of following Jeremy Foley. He also welcomes the opportunity.Florida hired Stricklin as its athletic director Tuesday, giving him a six-year deal worth $1.076 million annually to succeed Foley. Stricklin is leaving his alma mater, Mississippi State, and taking on a massive facilities upgrade in Gainesville. The bigger challenge just might be replacing Foley, one of the most successful college sports leaders in the country.I admire so much what has happened here, Stricklin said. So it was much more excitement than it was trepidation. Its much better starting off from a position of a place thats accustomed to success, knows how to exhibit that success, have the right people in place. ... Im going to benefit from all the work hes done. So I see it as nothing but a positive.Foley had been scheduled to retire Saturday after 40 years with the Gators, including the last 25 as athletic director. During Foleys tenure, the Gators won 27 national championships in 10 sports and 130 SEC titles. He now will remain in place until Nov. 1, creating a little extra transition time.Foley has the option of serving as emeritus AD and senior adviser to the university president for five years after his retirement, either full or part time. He also can choose to be an adviser to Stricklin.Ill be very respectful, Foley said. Im not trying to be the AD behind the curtain. ... Hes not going to fail. All of us are going to do everything we can to make him not fail, and Im going to do my part in that. Ill respect him, respect the decision hes made and I want to do all I can to help him. Thats going to determine where he wants me.Stricklin has been the Bulldogs AD since 2010. He has a background in fundraising, which will serve him well at Florida.Foley unveiled plans two weeks ago to spend $100 million to bring Floridas athletics program up to date, including building a 100,000-square-foot, stand-alone football facility.Stricklin spearheaded more than $140 million in facility improvements during his time at Mississippi State. He also oversaw significant increases in booster club membership and donations.Florida first contacted Stricklin about the opening in June. They talked on and off for a couple of months before negotiations heated up in August. The sides agreed to the deal last week, and it became official when the University Athletic Associations board of trustees unanimously approved the hire Tuesday.For Stricklin, the decision was a no-brainer. He said repeatedly that Florida is the only job he would have left Mississippi State to take.The only constant in life is change, Stricklin said. So we have two choices, right? We can either sit back, kind of let everything move around us, or we can keep pushing forward and making sure Florida maintains its position as the pre-eminent athletic department in the country.To do that, we have to be innovative. We have to be creative. We have to be progressive. We have to continue to push the envelope in all the right ways to make sure Florida maintains its advantage that its had for so many years.Florida has built a reputation as a strong academic institution and has a winning tradition few schools can match. Stricklin can earn up to $200,000 a year in performance bonuses tied to academic and athletic success.Its the best job in college athletics, said Stricklin, who also spent time at Tulane and Baylor.Its certainly in the conversation. The Gators have won the SECs All-Sports Trophy 24 of the last 25 years.Stricklins wife and two daughters, Abby and Sophie, joined him at the introductory news conference. One was born in Waco, Texas; the other in Lexington, Kentucky. They have moved with their father and switched allegiances a few times already. Not surprisingly then, they seemed comfortable decked out in orange and blue.You finally got the best colors in the SEC, Foley told them.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org http://www.authenticfootballshopsaints.com/Youth-Ryan-Ramczyk-Elite-Jersey/ . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Larry Warford Jersey .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. http://www.authenticfootballshopsaints.com/Youth-Drew-Brees-Elite-Jersey/ . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. Bobby Hebert Jersey . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Delvin Breaux Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley would readily court a rival AFL player again - so long as it stayed secret.Buckley said he has sympathy for Lin Jong after it emerged last week that the Magpies had given the Western Bulldogs midfielder a tour of their facilities.Jong is out of contract at the end of this season.The Western Bulldogs tried to make light of the controversy, cheekily presenting Jong in the last few days with a Collingwood guernsey.But Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said he also felt for Jong.In the wake of the news about Jong, Buckley said late last week that he would do something similar again.Beveridge then said after Saturday nights win over Richmond that he wondered if Buckley really felt that way.The Collingwood coach made it abundantly clear that is exactly the case.Would I meet a player in the glass house (Collingwoods headquarters)? Yes I would, Buckley told Triple M.Would that player end up having to walk through our facility to go from the car park, where no one was going to see him, to the glass house, where no one was going to see him - would we do that?Absolutely we would.dddddddddddd.Buckley said everyone regretted Jongs visit becoming public knowledge.If we knew it was going to be played out publicly we wouldnt have done it, Buckley said.You dont want to be in that situation.Beveridge said the revelation about the visit and its aftermath had not affected his relationship with Buckley.The Collingwood coach contacted Beveridge once Jongs visit became public knowledge.It was just surprising that they would think theyd be able to pull it off, Beveridge told 3AW.If youre going to talk to a player, the priority needs to be secrecy. 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