January 8, 2007: The University of Florida's Unique Double

January 8, 2007: Florida beats Ohio State 41-17, at the University of Phoenix Stadium (now State Farm Stadium) in Glendale, Arizona. The Gators win the National Championship.

In so doing, the University of Florida becomes the 1st school ever to hold the National Championship in football and basketball at the same time.

Urban Meyer had become coach the season before, replacing the much-mocked Ron Zook, who had succeeded UF's greatest figure, Steve Spurrier. Cliché Alert: You don't want to be the guy who succeeds the legend, you want to be the guy who succeeds the guy who succeeds the legend.

Meyer's quarterback was Chris Leak, who was frequently spelled by a lefthanded freshman, Tim Tebow. Leak and Tebow passing to All-American receiver Percy Harvin gave the Gators the top offensive attack in the country. They had a defense that featured linebacker Brandon Siler, cornerback Ryan Smith, and safety Reggie Nelson.

In the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game, Ohio State scored first, leading 7-0. But Florida scored the next 3 touchdowns. Ohio State got to within 21-14, but did not score again, and Florida pulled away.

To take it a step further, less than 3 months later, Florida repeats as National Champions in basketball. The team they beat in the Final? Ohio State.

Meyer went on to lead Florida to another National Championship in 2008. In 2014, he won another National Championship -- with Ohio State.

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January 8, 2007 was a Monday. Baseball was out of season. The NFL was between rounds of its Playoffs. There were 3 games played in the NBA:

* The Houston Rockets beat the Chicago Bulls, 84-77 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, 100-90 at the Ford Center (now the Paycom Center) in Oklahoma City. As a result of their having to vacate New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, they made a deal to play most of their home games in Oklahoma City for 2 years.

* And the Denver Nuggets beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 104-92 at the Pepsi Center (now the Ball Arena) in Denver.

There was only 1 game in the NHL: The Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. Jan Heida scored the winning goal, with 3:46 left in overtime.