David Williams played under Galen Hall from 1985 to 1988, earning the starting job his freshman year while racking up accolades alongside the "Great Wall of Florida" en route to induction as a. You can help by adding to it. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. "They've got a hell of a football team," said Rebel defensive coordinator Robert Henry. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. [3], The 1985 college football season was the second for Galen Hall as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team, having coached the 1984 Gators' final eight games as their interim coach. Sign up for the Gators Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 9/26/2008. Then came a Heisman Trophy winner (1996s Danny Wuerffel) who started games in four different seasons (1993-96) and won four SEC titles, along with a natty in his final game versus treated rival Florida State. Compiled a 135.0 passer rating, his best in any season as a starter. The official 1999 Football Roster for the Florida Gators Gators. The following is the Clarion-Ledger's account of the events of Sept. 9, 1989. Hall's 1988 Florida Gators finished with a 75 overall record and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 43, tying for fourth place among the ten SEC teams. FLA Emmitt Smith 2-yard run (John David Francis kick). They repeated the boos at the start of each Gator possession the rest of the afternoon. Ticket Office Student Tickets Baseball Tickets Men's Basketball Tickets Women's Basketball Tickets Football Tickets Gymnastics Tickets Softball Tickets Volleyball Tickets Gator Boosters Manage My Account . Lito Sheppard was not just one of the best corners to play for Florida, he was also a fine kick returner, tallying 87 tackles and eight interceptions while returning 27 kickoffs for 472 yards during his three-year career. Hall's 1987 Florida Gators posted a 66 overall record and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 33, placing sixth among ten SEC teams. Florida star Emmit Smith put on an offensive showcase, but it would not be enough against the opportunistic Rebel defense. Two national championship rings and a Heisman Trophy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. NCAA Tournament: We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. I don't think there's anything wrong.". Emailed daily. Florida football has earned renown in recent years on the offensive side of the ball thanks to Steve Spurriers Fun-and-Gun offense, but many often forget the forces of nature who have dug in on defense for the Gators. Check out our other College Wire all-time defenses: Alabama / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC. "We've had (the play) in always," Brewer said. Copyright 2023 YB Media, LLC. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Gators have had 15 different starters since 2010, zero SEC titles, their first losing season since 1979 (2013 season, with 2017, 2021, and 2022 also being sub-.500 campaigns), seven seasons outside of the Top 25 at the end of the year, and two seasons (2013 and 2017) without a bowl game. Starters are marked with an asterisk (*). American Football Database is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. "I credit Ole Miss for taking advantage of our mistakes and credit us with making mistakes that cost us the football game.". Long Photography-USA TODAY Sports. Or is it something else? Tony Bennett recovered for Ole Miss. MISS Randy Baldwin 9-yard pass from John Darnell (Greg Hogue kick). Read more about the Orange and Blue atGators Wire. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Even Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer had a hard time comprehending his team's shocking 24-19 nationally-televised victory Saturday over Florida. "We were getting stronger defensively.". Ole Miss countered with a lot of heart and three gigantic plays that quieted the Florida crowd of 76,014 in the Gators' opener. "That's probably the poorest game we ever played on offense," Darnell said. Danny Wuerffel led Florida to its first national championship and second Heisman Trophy since Steve Spurrier. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. But Vaughn, who played running back at Lafayette County High, still managed to get behind Billins and make the catch. We already presented our starting lineups along with our second team selections for the all-time greatest Florida football team on both offense and defense, which leaves the glue that holds the two together remaining: special teams and the coaching staff. FRIDAY FLASHBACK rewinds to some of the memorable Ole Miss games from this week's all-time series. And for the third time in four seasons, the Rebels pulled a major upset on the road and on TV. Take a look at the numbers from Trey Dean III's scouting combine performance. The Orlando Guardians have three former Florida football players on the team, safety Matt Elam, running back Kelvin Taylor and punter Johnny Townsend. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? The Gators led 25-9 in first downs and 379-128 in total offense. Hall's 1986 Florida Gators compiled a 65 overall record and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 24, tying for seventh place among the ten SEC teams. Ellis Johnson played at the beginning of the Head Ball Coachs tenure with the Gators, earning a first-team All-SEC selection, an honorable mention All-American and CNNs National Defensive Player of the Year his senior season. RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports. See the all-time coaches and special teams here. Inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a Gator Great in 2009, Ike Hilliard was also honored as an SEC Legend in 2011. Latest Kurti Designs and Lehengas College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Not too much later, a Heisman runner-up (Rex Grossman) graced the roster, another four-year starter Chris Leak came along and won a national title in his final game, and then that 20-year period came to an end with the Tim Tebow era (enough said, no need to give his resume). Join our linker program. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In fact, there was even a time prior to when the Gainesville gang was known for its stand-out defense. All rights reserved. You know, the Duke Blue Devils. Take a look at the numbers from Trey Dean III's scouting combine performance. It truly does seem like the Gators have been cursed. Do you have a blog? Kevin Carter was a first-team All-SEC selection and a consensus first-team All-American during his senior year and was later anointed as a Gator Great in 2004. The 1989 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. Since then, three Heisman Trophies have arrived in Gainesville while another UF alumnus earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After the Gators began the season as a 111 team under Pell, Hall's 1984 Florida Gators posted a 911 overall record and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 501 (800 and 400, respectively, under Hall), finishing first among ten SEC teams,[2] and were recognized as the SEC champions. Check out our other College Wire all-time lineups: Alabama /Arkansas /Auburn /Clemson /Colorado /Georgia /Iowa /LSU /Michigan /Michigan State /Nebraska /North Carolina /Notre Dame /Ohio State /Oklahoma /Oregon /Penn State /Rutgers /Tennessee /Texas /Texas A&M /USC /Wisconsin. (); : Joe Haden was a standout under Meyer whose defense was key in Floridas second national title win. Roster includes most starters and key reserves. The 1980 college football season was the Florida Gators football team's second season under new head coach Charles B. February 19, 2023 7:06 pm ET. A four-year SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree, Lawrence Wright was inducted as a Gator Great after finishing his career with 331 tackles, five interceptions, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith carried a huge load on his shoulders during the late 1980s. The Rebel defense, which spent 36 minutes and 86 plays on the field, had the motivation it needed to preserve. The last Gator possession started at the Ole Miss 45 with 30 seconds left. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. We didn't block anybody. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? If not "I was repeating to myself, Billy, you're either going to look good or you're a real dummy,'" Brewer said. Another defender inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, Mike Peterson earned a healthy heaping of honors as a player, including first-team selections, team captain and MVP by his peers. He also went on to have a successful broadcast career. Godwin's first interception gave the Rebels the ball at the 15. Errict Rhett holds the all-time record for most career yards rushing in a Gators uniform. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. [2], The 1982 college football season was the fourth for Charley Pell as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Ralph Ortega played during the early 1970s, finishing with 357 tackles, 12 forced fumbles and five interceptions while earning multiple first-team honors and a spot as a Gator Great in the universitys athletic Hall of Fame. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Punter Charles Childers threw a 28-yard pass to Gerald Vaughn. Darnell completed 6 of 14 passes for 48 yards, one touchdown and one interception. https://gatorswire.usatoday.com/lists/florida-football-all-time-roster-defensive-starters-and-backups/, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:41AM. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. GridironHeroics College Football Coverage. Florida never recovered. Read more about our data coverage. In the other locker room, the Gators were trying to figure out how they lost. Count it: Seven victories in the SEC Title game (eight titles if you agree with Spurrier that 1990 was actually a title year despite the probation from the previous regime), 13 SEC East titles, three national titles, and two Heismans. One fourth-and-2, Morris badly overthrew Stacey Simmons in the end zone. The first Florida drive of the second half went to the Ole Miss 29 before Morris pitched the ball high and behind Willie McClendon. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. During the 1980s, the Gators were coached by Charles B. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. By any traditional measure, Florida dominated. "Charley" Pell, and marked a remarkable one-year turnaround for the Gators from their 0101 record in 1979. It was 24-12. Over the years, there have been other players who made an indelible mark on the Gators as well despite the changes in eras. Please check your email for a confirmation. August 26, 2022 12:55 pm ET. Childers said Ole Miss meant to try the fake earlier but called it off because of a change in Florida's alignment. Pittsburgh Steelers David Little (50). The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Three plays later, Baldwin caught a 9-yard touchdown pass. Do you have a blog? Kyle Pitts became the highest-picked tight end in NFL draft history back in 2021 after being named a unanimous All-American and winning the John Mackey Award during his junior campaign. Steve Spurrier came back to his alma mater, the University of Florida, in Dec. 1989. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. David Williams played under Galen Hall from 1985 to 1988, earning the starting job his freshman year while racking up accolades alongside the Great Wall of Florida en route to induction as a Gator Great in 1999. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? (); : "Charley" Pell (19791984), Galen S. Hall (19841989) and Gary B. Darnell (1989). [2] The 1983 season was the first in which Florida was ranked among the top ten teams in the final Associated Press (AP) poll and was only the second time that the Gators were ranked in every weekly AP Poll throughout the season (1975 being the first). FLA John David Francis 34-yard field goal. "Anytime you can let them drive the football and not get any point on the board, that took a lot out of them," Brewer said. The retroactive vacating of the 1984 championship, six months after the 1984 football season ended, drew an angry response from University of Florida president Marshall Criser, as well as Gators coaches, players and fans due to the retroactive nature of the decision and its perceived unfairness. The possible devilish explanation goes back many centuries (tongue in cheek).