A TRIBUTE TO THE "NATURE BOY" RIC FLAIR

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WE GOT 2 ARTICLES TALKING ABOUT WHAT "NATURE BOY" RIC FLAIR HAS DONE RECENTLY FOR THE FLORIDA GATORS BASKETBALL TEAM. HERE THEY ARE BELOW, READ AND ENJOY!

Elite educator: Flair fires up Florida 

After this past weekend, Carlito isn’t the only person Ric Flair has taken as his protégé. "The Nature Boy" can now add the entire Florida Gators men’s NCAA basketball team to the list of those he has taken under his wing.

Flair paid a visit to the team after his friend, Gators Head Coach Billy Donovan, asked him to. The two have known each other for 11 years.

"They played that promo of me and Carlito for the team all week before I came," Flair said.

Donovan has brought in several people to speak to the team for inspiration, but Flair’s visit still came as a surprise.

"They were all pretty shocked," Flair said. "They’re all big WWE fans."

Along with his trademark "Wooo!" Flair gave a speech about passion. Afterward, he watched from behind the Florida bench as the Gators advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. On Sunday, they defeated Oregon for a trip to the Final Four and a chance to repeat as champions.

LEGENDARY WRESTLER RIC FLAIR PUMPS UP FLORIDA GATORS TEAM

Billy Donovan turned to an old friend to provide some motivation before Florida's victory against Butler in the NCAA tournament.

The Gators' coach asked wrestling star Ric Flair to speak to the Gators before Friday's game. Flair, who once appeared at Florida's "Midnight Madness," strutted through the locker room and did his well-known "Woooo!"

"We were up, we were energized," Florida forward Corey Brewer said.

The Gators needed an extra boost to beat Butler, 65-57, and advance to the Midwest Regional final against Oregon today.

"That was a big kick," Florida guard Lee Humphrey said of Flair's visit. "I wasn't a huge wrestling fan growing up, but some of my buddies were big fans. I would watch it occasionally. I remember when we kids, some of my buddies had those dolls and we used to beat up on the dolls - Macho Man [Randy Savage] and Lex Luger and Ric Flair. That was pretty cool to know that he was there supporting us."

Flair sat in the stands right behind the bench and cheered alongside Taurean Green's father, Sidney, and Al Horford's dad, Tito.

His visit also left a lasting impression - and several impersonations.

Humphrey, Brewer and Donovan each imitated Flair's famed catchphrase "Woooo" yesterday. Humphrey's was clearly the best, but only after a weak first attempt.