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The real McCoy: Being a Gator has special meaning to UF lineman

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[Tim Casey/UAA Communications]

It just means more.

No, we’re not talking about the slogan the SEC’s marketing department has come up with to promote the league’s self-perceived superiority.

We’re talking about center T.J. McCoy and his very existence on the Florida football team.

It really does mean more to him.

It means more to be a Gator, to run out of the tunnel and play in The Swamp, and more than anything else, to play for his father, former UF defensive tackle Tony McCoy, who has been battling leukemia.

“He talked about (what it means to play in The Swamp) quite often when I was growing up,” said McCoy, whose father played at UF from 1987-91.