Center of attention: Degory drawing notice in final season

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) The young boy at the Halloween party wore a No. 68 Florida Gators jersey, a glued-on scraggly beard and a curly, partially balding hairpiece.<br> <br> Had the kid been 6 feet, 6 inches tall and about 300 pounds, he would have been a dead ringer for center Mike Degory.<br> <br> Even then, few people may have recognized him.<br> <br> That&#39;s fine with Degory.<br> <br> Florida&#39;s most experienced offensive lineman prefers to stay out of the limelight, leaving the fame to quarterback Chris Leak and a trio of talented receivers. Nonetheless, Degory is as important as any of them to the team&#39;s success this season.<br> <br> ``The whole thing, everything we do on offense, is based around the center,&#39;&#39; offensive line coach John Hevesy said. ``He directs a lot what we do, and his experience is priceless.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> A fifth-year senior from Palm Bay, Degory has started 38 consecutive games and emerged as a silent leader for No. 10 Florida, which opens the season Saturday against Wyoming.<br> <br> Under former coach Ron Zook, Degory made all the line calls and helped Leak recognize blitzes and defenses.<br> <br> New coach Urban Meyer has reduced Degory&#39;s role a bit, making Leak more responsible for audibles that get the Gators in better plays against certain schemes.<br> <br> ``You are going to have to make adjustments during a game and that&#39;s why you have to be on the same page as your center,&#39;&#39; Leak said. ``He can see the adjustments and can make those adjustments. That makes things easier in the long run.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Degory&#39;s role might have changed, but he still plays a pivotal part for the Gators. In fact, he was unanimously voted a team captain last month.<br> <br> That wasn&#39;t surprising considering the tremendously respect his teammates have for him, even though they often joke about his bushy beard and hairdo.<br> <br> Some call him ``Mountain Man.&#39;&#39; Others call him ``Grizzly.&#39;&#39; Most recently, they refer to him as ``Ogre,&#39;&#39; the beer-guzzling, fire-starting, nerd-bashing character in the 1984 movie ``Revenge of the Nerds.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Degory and ``Ogre&#39;&#39; have vastly different personalities, but even the laid-back, rarely-in-your-face lineman sees the resemblance.<br> <br> ``It started about two years ago, once the hair got long enough,&#39;&#39; Degory said. ``It&#39;s fun. Everybody has their little nicknames.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Meyer also has jumped on the bandwagon.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s always getting on me about shaving my head or beard,&#39;&#39; Degory said. ``It will probably have to go here in a little bit. I&#39;m getting too many nicknames and comments.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Degory has another label, too: future NFL starter. He is widely considered one of the best centers in the country, and because of his size, could play any of the three interior line positions at the next level.<br> <br> A successful NFL career wouldn&#39;t surprise anyone who has seen him play, even when he was younger.<br> <br> ``He started every year he was here and dominated pretty much from the beginning,&#39;&#39; Palm Bay High coach Dan Burke said. ``He was very coachable. He didn&#39;t use his size to get by. He used his brain.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Degory&#39;s playing style hasn&#39;t changed. He still dominates at an often ignored and under-appreciated position.<br> <br> His appearance? Well, that&#39;s another story.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s got his own look, that&#39;s for sure,&#39;&#39; Hevesy said. ``But that&#39;s fine as long as keeps playing like he has. His role for us is huge. He&#39;s kind of a coach on the field. He knows what&#39;s going on. He helps not only the guys around him, but the whole offense in general.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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