"We had no workout clothes": Urban Meyer recalls disappointing state of affairs at Bowling Green

Urban Meyer had a prolific college coaching career. Although he is best known for winning the national championship with Florida and Ohio State during his tenures with those teams, he also had stints at lesser-known schools like Bowling Green.

So, on Wednesday when he was on "The Triple Option" podcast and they were discussing the NCAA trying to get an agreement with schools to make things more equitable, he had a funny story about his time at Bowling Green. He spoke about how his players did not even have workout clothes provided for them despite being a Division I program.

"I kid you not Mark, when I went to Bowling Green we had no workout clothes for our players," Meyer said. "Subway came and asked me to speak to our leadership group. They paid me $2500 or I can't remember what it was. I called Adidas and I sent away and I got their workout clothes. We had no workout shoes and T-shirts. They said OK, they wanted to work with us.

"They worked with me. They came back blue and grey. Our colors are orange and brown. But our players loved it. That was the first time in my college career, I handed them shoes. They didn't fit, but that's what we're dealing with. Maybe not now because times have changed. It's just so different from the top to the bottom. From the middle to the top it's a gigantic step."

Meyer began his coaching career with the Falcons, leading them from 2001 to 2002 and going 17-6 in his two seasons.

Urban Meyer set to join College Football Hall of Fame in 2025

Urban Meyer was announced as one of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame inductees in mid-January. He will be inducted alongside four other coaches, including legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban, and 18 players. The ceremony will take place on Dec. 9.

National Football Foundation Chairman Archie Manning made the announcement.

"We are thrilled to announce the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class," Manning said in a statement. "Each of these legends ranks among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to adding their incredible accomplishments to those permanently enshrined in the Hall of Fame."

Manning is a Hall of Famer himself from the Class of 1989. Urban Meyer last coached in 2021 as the Jacksonville Jaguars coach. However, he has not coached at the college level since his tenure with Ohio State ended in 2018.