Florida’s Jeremy Foley is one of the few athletic directors most college football fans know by name.

Following a 25-year run of unprecedented success, Foley announced Monday he will retire from his position effective Oct. 1. He started as an intern in the ticket office four decades ago and never left Gainesville.

RELATED: Top 10 reasons HBC should be named Head Athletic Director

While UF always has been and always will be a football school, Foley fielded winners across all sports.

The football team won three national championships with two coaches: Steve Spurrier (1996) and Urban Meyer (2006, 2008). More often than not, the Gators have been a powerhouse under Foley’s watch.

On the basketball court, Billy Donovan — a Foley hire — secured back-to-back national titles in 2006-07.

Having just won men’s outdoor track-and-field, Foley now has 27 national championships in 13 disciplines. And before his arrival? Florida had a grand total of nine dating back to the dawn of the 20th century.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, one of the SEC gurus, called Foley “the best AD in the nation” on Twitter.

Screen Shot 2016-06-13 at 3.14.24 PM

“You always want to leave an organization in good shape,” Foley said Monday at the school’s official site for athletics. “Right now, we obviously have a great group of coaches, we have had a good year and we’ve got things moving in the right direction. I just think that makes it a good time to transition.”

Foley is the only AD in history to win it all for both football and basketball in the same year (2006). Few universities have had more consistent success in the two legitimate revenue sports than the Gators.

“I want to do what’s right for Florida,” Foley said. “That’s why I have spent a lot of time thinking it through, and I want to make sure everyone understands this is my decision. I’m not sick. I’m not dissatisfied. I’m not getting pushed. It happens to all of us. The time comes.”

Sure, make Ron Zook jokes. But Foley’s batting average hiring coaches — sans search firm — is strong.

“I believe what will be the hardest to replace with Foley is his ability to find the niche coaches for the different sports,” said Bob Redman, who covers Florida for FightinGators.com. “I believe it takes a fit at Florida and in the SEC, and there is no denying he has been very successful at doing that in just about every sport on campus.”

Unlike when football coaches get the axe, it’s difficult to come up with an immediate list of potential candidates to replace an athletic director. After all, with what he’s done, Foley might be irreplaceable.

Add in all the upgrades to facilities currently in the works, and his orange-and-blue legacy is secure.

Does McElwain have any reason to worry?

Moving from Meyer to Will Muschamp may have gone bust, but current coach Jim McElwain had a great Year 1.

Inheriting a team with an incredible defense but suspect offense, McElwain won 10 games and the SEC East title. While the division was a bit watered down, Muschamp won 10 games total his final two campaigns.

Additionally, his gentlemanly style was a refreshing change from Muschamp’s habitual sideline meltdowns.

Nevertheless, much like an NFL general manager is more loyal to a hire he makes than a hire he inherits, it’s fair to wonder — no matter who the new AD is — if McElwain has to coach for his job all over again.

Dec 6, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain shares as laugh as he sits next to athletic director Jeremy Foley before he is introduced as head coach during a press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to forget just how brutal the Gators looked, admittedly without Will Grier, during a three-game losing streak to end the season.

Florida State came to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and delivered a 27-2 shellacking. UF then traveled for the SEC Championship Game and lost a 29-15 decision to Alabama that was more lopsided than the score suggests.

An invite to the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day resulted in another pummeling, this time 41-7 to Michigan.

But even if the Gators take a step back in Year 2 under McElwain, he seems like a solid long-term option. Like Muschamp, he needs to figure out the quarterback position post-Tim Tebow. It’s been a real struggle. The Gators thought they had one in Grier, but now are searching again.

Still, there are reasons to believe that Florida can make another trip to Atlanta for the SEC title game.

On the schedule in the East, UF gets Kentucky, Missouri and South Carolina at home, as well as Georgia in its home away from home: Jacksonville. At Tennessee on Sept. 24 could very well decide the division early.

The Volunteers have invented spectacular ways to lose to the Gators recently, like 2015’s 4th-and-14.

If the Vols fail to live up to the hype, the rest of the East is questionable. Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina are all breaking in fresh coaches. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are, well, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

So long as McElwain is manning a contender in the SEC, no AD will make a change just for change’s sake.

“McElwain carved his own place at Florida in my opinion,” Redman said. “Getting to the SEC Championship Game in Year 1 when it was unexpected would buy a lot of time for any coach. I think he has a true vision for the football program as a whole and can’t see anyone else trying to derail that.”

Could the HBC become Head Athletic Director?

Faster than you can toss a visor, fans started to speculate that Steve Spurrier could take over for Foley.

The Head Ball Coach’s 11-year run at South Carolina that ended so abruptly last season apparently didn’t faze the decision makers in orange and blue. Florida Field was just renamed Steve Spurrier-Florida Field.

Maybe the 71-year-old Gators legend doesn’t have what it takes to call the shots on the sideline anymore.

However, might he be interested in running an entire athletic department? Not only would he no longer have to go out on the recruiting trail, but surely there are plenty of opportunities to play golf with donors.

Still, it’s tough to envision Spurrier, eight years older than the outgoing Foley, as a genuine candidate.

Spurrier is an all-time Gator, no question about it — there’s already a bronze statue of him outside the field that now bears his name. His press conferences would be as entertaining as ever, that’s for certain.

But when he left the Gamecocks, there was a certain finality about it. He wasn’t seeking a fresh start.

“I think it is pretty insane to think Steve Spurrier would step in, honestly,” Redman said. “Not because he isn’t capable. More so, I know he loves Florida but really wouldn’t want to deal with all the stuff that goes on with being an athletic director. His age would likely get in the way, as well.”

There’s no reason to believe Spurrier is qualified to be an AD anyway, particularly for one of the premier such jobs in the nation. Foley has a master’s in sports management and got his start in the ticket office.

He’d get the media’s vote, but the media isn’t charged with making what will be a crucial hiring decision.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South. Email him at jcrist@saturdaydownsouth.com. Follow him on Twitter @SaturdayJC.