Last week, ESPN announced it would be releasing a new documentary in its 30 for 30 series centered around the five students who were murdered in Gainesville in 1990. The documentary would explore the parallel timeline of fear and chaos in Gainesville as Steve Spurrier prepared for his first year as head coach of the Gators.
And while ESPN has plenty of problems as a whole, the documentary released last night was a reminder that ESPN is still capable of strong and compelling storytelling when they allow themselves to.
14 Days in Gainesville recaps the chaos for Steve Spurrier’s debut
The documentary does a commendable job of capturing the dual storylines. We are introduced to Spurrier as he took over the head coaching job in Gainesville after a successful run with Duke. Among the players from that team included in the documentary are Brad Culpepper, Jerry Odom, and Shane Matthews. For Matthews in particular, it explores his rise through the depth chart en route to being named the starting QB ahead of the 1990 season.
Chris Doering also had a prominent role in the documentary, which is a bit odd considering he wasn’t on the 1990 team (he joined in 1991), but he is a Gainesville native, and he does help bridge the gap to the parallel storyline…