Mick Hubert -- the unmistakable “Voice of the Gators” who has excited Florida fans for more than three decades with his signature “Oh, my!” -- is retiring.
The announcement was made Thursday morning that Hubert, 68, was stepping down after calling more than 2,500 Florida games -- including national championships and iconic plays like “Doering’s got a touchdown” -- over 33 years.
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In fact, Hubert does consider his call of Danny Wuerffel’s touchdown pass to receiver Chris Doering in the final seconds of the win at Kentucky in 1993 as the one that “put him on the map” in Gator Nation, according to FloridaGators.com senior writer Scott Carter.
After 33 years of being the voice of the Gators, Mick Hubert is signing off.
— Florida Gators (@FloridaGators) May 19, 2022
Thank you for your dedication to telling the Gators story, OH MY you will be missed🎙https://t.co/Lcxoz0kSBP#GoGators
Hubert’s last game as Florida’s play-by-play announcer will be Saturday when he calls the final matchup in the three-game baseball series between Florida and South Carolina in Gainesville.
He reportedly informed Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin earlier this week of his retirement plans.
Hubert said there wasn’t a specific moment when he decided to step away from behind the mic, where he called every Florida football game since the season opener in 1989 -- the year he was hired by Florida. Those games include the Gators’ first football national title (1996), as well as the 2006 and 2008 national championships. Instead, Hubert said, it was more of a feeling.
“That’s going to be it,’’ Hubert said to Carter. “This wasn’t the end of a five-year plan. I don’t know if I can explain how I knew, but I knew. I had been considering this for a little while. I just had to do some praying about it and enjoy every game.”
Carter reports Hubert and his wife Judi sold their Gainesville home recently and will be staying in Florida but relocating to Sarasota.
The University Athletic Association is set to recognize Hubert’s career, which has been filled with monumental moments and awards, during this weekend’s baseball series. There are also plans to honor him at a football game this fall.
His replacement was not immediately announced.
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