Decked out as Darth Vader, Florida coach Dan Mullen cast aside suggestions he was a villain while clearly embracing a dark side following the Gators’ win on Halloween night in the Swamp.
During his team’s SEC showdown with Missouri, Mullen whipped the crowd into a frenzy like a WWE SmackDown star after putting himself at the center of a benches-clearing brawl, earning him a $25,000 fine two days later from the conference.
By then, Mullen had swapped his signature visor for the proverbial black hat. He would wear it well amid an unpredictable, unprecedented season.
Mullen’s missteps included calls to pack the Swamp amid a pandemic, criticism of the NCAA for canceling all practices so players could vote on Election Day and defense of veteran Marco Wilson after a costly shoe toss penalty contributed to a crippling loss to LSU.