Will Muschamp, who was hired by the South Carolina this offseason to replace legendary coach Steve Spurrier, went 28-21 in four years as the head coach for Florida; he was let go by UF, however, after finishing a combined 10-13 in his final two seasons (2013-14).

But getting fired by the Gators wasn’t the first time he had been knocked down. Muschamp took some time to write a column for SI.com’s “Campus Rush” — which was published on Monday morning — where he detailed some of his past encounters with defeat and how he managed to overcome them.

Muschamp talks about a gruesome injury he suffered while playing baseball for his high school team and how his first thought was that his dream of playing college football had come to an abrupt end. “Would I even be able to run again?” he asked himself.

But it was his father who provided Muschamp’s fuel to not give up and work even harder to reach his goals.

“But my father taught me that you’ve just got to get back up and work, and after months of intense rehabilitation, I managed to walk on at Georgia, where I earned a scholarship as a redshirt freshman and was named captain my senior year, in 1994,” he wrote. “So you see: I’d been knocked down and then gotten back up long before Florida dismissed me as its coach in 2014.”

Muschamp went on to describe his ups and downs while at Florida, and how an inpet offense led to his demise. He takes responsibility for the Gators’ failures; he also knows that he has another outstanding opportunity to “get back up” with the Gamecocks.

“Those injuries taught me to control the things you can,” he said. “You can control your mind‑set and, as a coach, the mind‑set of your team. That’s why on the wall in my office I’ve got the 17-inch rod that once helped heal my leg. It’s a reminder that I’ve been knocked down before. But know this: I will get back up.”

Muschamp will make his debut as South Carolina’s coach when the Gamecocks travel to Vanderbilt for the Week 1 opener on Thursday, September 1.