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MIAMI – Eddie and Carlos Hondal have always been on the same team.
When the Miami Dolphins play, both brothers are in the stands cheering for their home team. When Eddie Hondal’s Golden Panthers face off against an opponent on the football field, both brothers support his alma mater, FIU. And when Carlos Hondal’s Florida Gators hit the field, the brothers are there to cheer for the University of Florida, his alma mater.
But what happens this Saturday, when UF plays against FIU?
“We’re in trouble,” said Eddie Hondal ’88, MS ’00, who is a member of FIU’s alumni board. “We’ve never been in this situation.”
The Hondal brothers—Eddie, 45, and Carlos, 49—won’t be the only ones with a house divided on Saturday. Florida International University’s face off against UF—the first in history—will pit more than 110,000 Golden Panther students and alumni against about 40,000 UF alumni living in South Florida.
FIU (3-7) will face off against the No. 1 Gators this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in Gainesville.
“I have no illusions of how this game will turn out,” said Eddie Hondal, a diehard Golden Panthers fan who served as FIU’s alumni director for eight years. “My brother’s not one to rub it in, so he understands both programs are not at the same level.”
Still, an upset is possible.
“If FIU wins, immediate medication would have to be given to me because I would be out of control,” Eddie Hondal said.
“It would be really ugly for me,” responded Carlos Hondal.
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This is a riot. My family has three Gators among several siblings, and assorted Seminoles among the spouses and kids. That's our big household rivalry. One of my nieces even turned down the Gators to become a Seminole. A period of mourning was observed in several family households (including mine) when that news became public. Just as Eddie and Carlos do, we support each others' teams — until they play one another. I'm torn with this game — I'm a Gator but have come to love FIU since working here. My young daughter actually asked me, "Who do we want to win?" I told her, "I'm a Gator but FIU needs my support more than UF. I'm rooting for FIU on this one." Hope it's a great game!
Go FIU. Pull the miracle so the BCS can be busted and we can have a playoff system. Gators suck. Go TCU, Boise State. Anyone from a non-BCS conference. Enough favoritism to the elite schools.
Like many others I am completely torn, I am both a Gator and Panther Alumni and hold both dear to my heart. I cheered on the Gators for so long that it seems unnatural to cheer for anyone else. I look forward to the game and have decided that I’ll still wear my Gator jersey but this time I’ll also wear my FIU pin close to my heart. Either way, I’m still shocked that FIU is playing UF.