Todd Golden pokes fun at his "first pitch" moment from Chicago Cubs' matchup: "It's not my specialty"
Florida coach Todd Golden poked fun at the ceremonial first pitch he threw before the Chicago Cubs-Florida Marlins MLB clash at Wrigley Field last Tuesday.
Golden described the feeling of throwing the first pitch in front of baseball fans at Wrigley Field on the program "Run It Back" with Michelle Beadle, Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams. The pitch was slightly off the plate, and the 39-year-old coach admitted he was nervous.
"This wasn’t awesome. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t that bad either," Golden said (Timestamp 0:19). "I’m catching a lot of slack over this. It was in the right-handed batter’s box. But I’m telling you — no warm-ups, no nothing. It’s not my specialty. Alright, I got it there. It is nerve-wracking."
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Golden is a lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs thanks to his father, Scott, who took him to Cubs spring training games in Mesa.
The first pitch experience was a sidelight to his official business. He was in the Windy City to support his former players — Walter Clayton Jr, Alex Condon, Will Richard, Rueben Chinyelu and Alijah Martin — who were taking part in the NBA draft combine (per the Gainesville Sun).
Florida coach Todd Golden vows to focus on defending the national title
Florida coach Todd Golden is setting his sights on winning back-to-back national titles for the Gators, just like former bench tactician Billy Donovan.
Golden, who signed a six-year, $40.5-million contract extension that will keep him with the Gainesville-based program through the 2030-31 season, admitted it is his goal next season to run it back and sustain the success it had in the recently concluded NCAA Tournament.
The 39-year-old coach pointed out that he's locked in at Florida to help the team remain relevant in the 2025-26 college basketball season despite a series of key players leaving due to the NBA draft.
Golden and his staff pushed hard during the transfer portal and added Ohio's AJ Brown and Princeton playmaker Xaivian Lee. The Gators also recruited four-star recruits CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd in the hopes of restoring the expected losses in the backcourt.
Florida will have one sure player returning next season — forward Thomas Haugh — and he hopes more players will come back to strengthen its frontcourt.
All eyes will be on the Gators and Todd Golden next season as the team is in the tough Southeastern Conference. The pressure is on to win back-to-back national titles, but the coach is focused and ready to go.