Longtime UF Equipment Manager

Longtime Florida equipment manager Bud Fernandez, a favorite among players and coaches for more than 30 years, died Friday. He was 86.Get more news about uf equipment producer,you can vist our website!

Nicknamed "Uncle Bud," Fernandez was the head equipment manager at Florida from 1971-92 before becoming an assistant athletic director in charge of the equipment department.

He worked in that capacity until retiring in 2003. Even then, he stayed close to the football program, guarding the entry gate at nearly every practice. He was there Wednesday.
The Tennessee Volunteers closed spring practice Saturday showing some improvement, but coach Phillip Fulmer said the team needs to climb a bit farther "to get back to where we want to be."

The coaches have promised a more exciting offense with more scoring, but the Vols showed little of that during the annual Orange and White game. The defense also was held back from blitzing. The White won 34-7, but the score wasn't very important to Fulmer.

The Vols open the 2006 season on Sept. 2 by hosting California.

Some good news for Tennessee is that Erik Ainge has solidified the starting quarterback job after rotating last year with Rick Clausen and struggling at times.
South Carolina's annual spring game brought out only about a third of the fans that watched last year, but part of that could be blamed on the rainy conditions Saturday.Redshirt freshman Cade Thompson led the Garnet squad, completing 10 of 13 passes for 136 yards and two scores.

Another redshirt freshman, Freddie Brown, was the game's top receiver, catching four passes for 75 yards, including a 6-yard scoring pass on the game's first drive. Brown also caught a 56yard touchdown pass from senior walk-on Brett Nichols to cap the Garnet squad's scoring.Junior Cory Boyd, who sat out all of last season after a violation of team rules, was the games top rusher with five carriers for 87 yards, including a 71-yard run up the middle for a touchdown.

On a day where more touchdowns were scored on interception returns than on offense, expectations for a quarterback showdown in Georgia's G-Day spring scrimmage fell flat Saturday.