Oct. 17, 2006
Off the Field with Bryan Gabourel
Senior defensive tackle Bryan Gabourel is in second and final year at UCF. A year ago, he played in all 12 games for the Golden Knights, recording 14 total tackles. Prior to attending UCF, Gabourel spent one year at the City College of San Francisco. The Oakland, Calif. native recently sat down with the UCF Athletics Communications staff to talk about his interesting path to Orlando, what he has learned from playing the sport and the future of the UCF football program.
Do you enjoy living in Florida or are you more of a fan of living on the West Coast?
BG:I am a west coast guy since I am from California. That is where I am from. I like the beaches and bridges. It is not as humid; it is just home.
Despite being six-foot-three, 310 pounds, you have only played football for three years. What caused you to play the game?
BG:I figured it would be an easier way to get my last two years of college paid for, plus when I started playing, my junior college coaches said I had a talent. I decided to take my god-given talents and go with it.
What were you doing before you before you started playing football?
BG:I was just going to school and being with friends. I was also drawing which is something I like to do.
What have you learned from the sport?
BG:I have learned responsibility, being accountable and handling your business as man. There are so many things I have learned from this game and just being at this level of playing Division I football, it really helps you with the process of going into the real world and dealing with people.
How tough is it being so far from home?
BG:I am by myself out here [in Florida], and I would say my first semester was probably the hardest thing I have ever done, being away from my family, friends and everything I know. As time has moved on, I have met people. However, I am focused more. I am not worried about being home. I know that this is my job here and I have to handle business here first.
Do you talk to your family quite often?
BG:I keep contact with my family. I talk to my mom everyday as well as my father, sister and little brother.
How difficult has it been transitioning from City College of San Francisco into UCF?
BG:I would say the hardest part of the transition was doing the meetings. In junior college, we would have practice but we would not have as many meetings. Because I have not been around the game for too long, I am still not used to the game. The more you do it, the more you start to understand it is what has to be done in order to get a win.
How did you enjoy travelling to Hawaii for the bowl game last year?
BG:It was a great experience. It is very hard to get there. We still practiced hard to get out there. Being in a different state with a lot of different people, it was an unbelievable experience that you will probably only get once. Television media boosts it up a little bit, but it was still a lot of fun. We (the players) were on scooters so that was a lot of fun too.
Where do you see this program heading in the next 10 years under head coach George O'Leary's guidance?
BG:I see this program heading up. With his focus and his discipline, there is no way this program can go down. I see the program on the rise. It is a young team and there is time to mold. They have time to grow up and mature and become better players every year.
What do you like to do with your time away from football?
BG:I draw in my spare time. I like to go the movies, hang out with my teammates, shoot pool, or go bowling.
What are your plans for after college?
BG:I want to teach. If I am blessed enough to play on the next level, I would do that first. If not, I would stay out here for a year because I am starting to like it out here. I would like to do a few internships with different schools and get into the program and teach around here. I would have to learn the game more, but I would like to coach defensive line for football. Spending more time with the game is something I would like. It is a good motivation for kids just like it was for me.