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Florida Gators football

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Florida Gators football
2024 Florida Gators football team
First season1906; 118 years ago
Athletic directorScott Stricklin
Head coachBilly Napier
3rd season, 17–19 (.472)
StadiumBen Hill Griffin Stadium
(capacity: 88,548)
FieldSteve Spurrier–Florida Field
Field surfaceGrass
LocationGainesville, Florida
NCAA divisionDivision I FBS
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Past conferencesIndependent (1906–1911)
SIAA (1912–1921)
SoCon (1922–1932)
All-time record760–447–40 (.626)
Bowl record24–24 (.500)
Claimed national titles3 (1996, 2006, 2008)
Unclaimed national titles2 (1984, 1985)
National finalist4 (1995, 1996, 2006, 2008)
Conference titles8 (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2006, 2008)
Division titles15 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2020)
RivalriesAlabama (rivalry)
Auburn (rivalry)
Florida State (rivalry)
Georgia (rivalry)
Kentucky (rivalry)
LSU (rivalry)
Miami (rivalry)
Tennessee (rivalry)
Heisman winnersSteve Spurrier – 1966
Danny Wuerffel – 1996
Tim Tebow – 2007
Consensus All-Americans34[note 1]
Current uniform
ColorsOrange and blue[1]
   
Fight song"The Orange and Blue"
MascotAlbert and Alberta
Marching bandPride of the Sunshine
OutfitterJordan Brand[2]
WebsiteFloridaGators.com

The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) They play their home games on Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville campus.

Florida's football program was established along with the university in 1906. It took on the "Gators" nickname in 1911, began playing in newly constructed Florida Field in 1930, and joined the Southeastern Conference as a founding member in 1932. On the field, the Gators found intermittent success during the first half of the 20th century, with a highlight being the 1928 squad that went 8–1 and led the nation in scoring. Florida football enjoyed its first sustained success in the 1960s under head coach Ray Graves. After having appeared in only two sanctioned bowl games up to that time, Grave's Gators won four during the decade, and quarterback Steve Spurrier became the school's first Heisman Trophy winner in 1966.

Spurrier returned to his alma mater as the Gators' "head ball coach" in 1990, and the program has been among the top in college football since then. Since 1990, Florida has won three national championships (in 1996 under Spurrier and in 2006 and 2008 under Urban Meyer), eight conference titles, fifteen SEC East division titles, and sixteen bowl games, and Florida squads have finished the season ranked in the top-10 fifteen times. In addition, quarterbacks Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow won the Heisman in 1996 and 2007, respectively.

History

[edit]
Main article: History of Florida Gators football
See also: History of the University of Florida and List of Florida Gators football seasons
Team photo, with players in dress suits
1907 UF football team

The University of Florida was established in Gainesville in 1906 and fielded its first official varsity football team that fall. Since then, Florida Gator football squads have played in over 40 bowl games; won three national championships (1996, 2006 and 2008) and eight Southeastern Conference championships (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2006 and 2008) and have produced three Heisman Trophy winners, over 90 first-team All-Americans and 50 National Football League (NFL) first-round draft choices.

Discounting interim coaches, there have been twenty-five head coaches in program history, including three who were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for their coaching success. Florida's first head coach was Pee Wee Forsythe, and the current coach is Billy Napier.

Celebration following the 2009 BCS National Championship Game

Conference affiliations

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Florida competed for its first several seasons as an independent before joining the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1912. They moved to the Southern Conference in 1922, then joined with a dozen other schools to establish the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1932, where it has remained ever since.

Yearly schedule

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The SEC allowed considerable leeway with regard to conference schedules for several decades after its founded in 1932. Like most members, Florida played a few conference foes every season but would not play other schools for several years at a time until the conference attempted to balance schedules by establishing a rotation of sorts in the late 1960s.

Schedules were further standardized in 1992 when the SEC expanded to twelve teams, established two divisions, and set eight team conference schedule plus a championship game between the two division winners. Florida was placed in the SEC Eastern Division and played every division foe every season. From 2012 until 2023, the Gators' annual conference slate consisted of Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt along with permanent Western Division opponent LSU plus another Western Division team on a rotating schedule.

In 2024, the SEC expanded to 16 schools and abolished divisions, though it kept the eight game conference slate and retained most annual rivalries for at least one season as member schools worked to establish a new scheduling system.[3]

Historically, Florida's key conference rivals include Georgia (played in Jacksonville usually around Halloween), Tennessee (historically played in mid-September), and LSU, though other conference rivalries have resulted in memorable games over the years.

Florida has played in-state rival Florida State every year since 1958 except for the pandemic-altered 2020 season. The Gators and Seminoles have faced off around Thankgiving since the 1970s, and their emergence as perennial football powers during the 1990s helped build the Florida–Florida State rivalry into a game that often had national-title implications. In-state rival Miami was once another annual opponent. However, the rivalry was dropped when the SEC expanded its yearly schedule in the late 1980s, and the Florida–Miami rivalry has been renewed on an infrequent basis since then. The remaining dates on Florida's regular schedule are filled by non-conference opponents which vary from year to year.

Home fields

[edit]
Main article: Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

The University of Florida's campus did not include sports facilities when it opened in 1906, so UF's first several football and baseball squads played their home games at The Ballpark, a primitive municipal facility near downtown Gainesville. In 1911, the school purchased the bleachers from the city and moved them to University Athletic Field, a newly-cleared patch of land on the west side of campus along University Avenue. Larger bleachers were installed in 1915, when the facility was renamed Fleming Field.[4]

The football program first gained national recognition in the late 1920s, prompting UF president John J. Tigert to initiate plans for a modern stadium. A shallow ravine just south of Fleming Field was the chosen site, and 20,000 seat Florida Field opened in 1930. The facility underwent major expansions in the mid-1960s, early 1980s, and early 1990s to increase stadium capacity to about 90,000, the largest in the state.[5] Its name was extended to "Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium" in 1989 to honor UF benefactor Ben Hill Griffin, and the field was rechristened "Steve Spurrier-Florida Field" in 2016 to honor Gator player and coach Steve Spurrier. Spurrier also coined the stadium's nickname of "The Swamp" in 1992, early in his tenure as head football coach.[6]

Conference affiliations

[edit]

Florida's football program is a charter member of the Southeastern Conference, which began play in 1933. Before that, the Gators were affiliated with two different conferences after having founded the program without a conference affiliation.[7][8][9][10]

Championships

[edit]

National championships

[edit]

The Florida Gators have been named national champions five times by NCAA-designated major selectors.[11]

Claimed national championships

[edit]

Florida claims three national championships, for the 1996, 2006 and 2008 seasons. At the end of each season the Gators were ranked No. 1 in both the final AP and Coaches polls and were recognized as consensus national champions after winning a designated national championship bowl game.

Year Coach Selector Record Bowl Opponent Result Final AP Final Coaches
1996 Steve Spurrier AP, Coaches 12–1 Sugar Bowl (Bowl Alliance National Championship Game) Florida State W 52–20[12] No. 1 No. 1
2006 Urban Meyer AP, Coaches, BCS 13–1 BCS National Championship Game Ohio State W 41–14[13] No. 1 No. 1
2008 13–1 BCS National Championship Game Oklahoma W 24–14[14] No. 1 No. 1

Unclaimed national championships

[edit]

Florida has been named national champion by NCAA-designated "major selectors" in two additional years, 1984 and 1985. Partially because the football program was on NCAA probation in the mid-1980s, the university has never claimed a share of the national championship for either season.[15]

Year Coach Selector Record Final AP Final Coaches
1984 Charley Pell, Galen Hall DeS, DuS, MGR, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR 9–1–1 No. 3 No. 7
1985 Galen Hall SR 9–1–1 No. 5

Conference championships

[edit]

Florida has won eight officially recognized SEC football championships. The Gators won their first championship with a conference record of 5–0–1 in 1984, but the title was vacated several months after the season by the SEC university presidents because of NCAA infractions by the Florida coaching staff under Charley Pell. The 1985 and 1990 teams also finished atop the standings with conference records of 5–1 and 6–1, respectively, but Florida was ineligible for the championship due to its NCAA probation for rule violations by previous coaching staffs. The Gators won their first official SEC football championship in 1991.[16]

Season Conference Coach Overall Record Conference Record
1991 SEC Steve Spurrier 10–2 7–0[17]
1993 11–2 7–1[18]
1994 10–2–1 7–1[19]
1995 12–1 8–0[20]
1996 12–1 8–0[12]
2000 10–3 7–1[21]
2006 Urban Meyer 13–1 7–1[13]
2008 13–1 7–1[14]

Division championships

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With the addition of Arkansas and South Carolina to the Southeastern Conference in 1992, the conference split into eastern and western divisions and a game between the division winners determined the SEC champion. Florida has made thirteen appearances in the SEC Championship Game, most recently in 2020. The Gators have a 7–6 record all-time in SEC Championship Games as of 2020. With the additions of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC in 2024, the conference eliminated divisions that year.

Season Division Coach Opponent CG result
1992† SEC
East		 Steve Spurrier Alabama L 21–28[22]
1993 Alabama W 28–13[18]
1994 Alabama W 24–23[19]
1995 Arkansas W 34–3[20]
1996 Alabama W 45–30[12]
1999 Alabama L 7–34[23]
2000 Auburn W 28–6[21]
2003† Ron Zook – – [24]
2006 Urban Meyer Arkansas W 38–28[13]
2008 Alabama W 31–20[14]
2009 Alabama L 13–32[25]
2012† Will Muschamp – – [26]
2015 Jim McElwain Alabama L 15–29[27]
2016 Alabama L 16–54[28]
2020 Dan Mullen Alabama L 46–52

†Florida tied with Georgia atop the SEC east during the 1992 season and played in the 1992 SEC Championship Game by virtue of its head-to-head victory. Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee ended the regular season in a 3-way tie in 2003, but Georgia advanced to the 2003 SEC Championship Game due to its higher BCS ranking. Florida and Georgia again tied atop the SEC East in 2012 but Georgia advanced to the 2012 SEC Championship Game by virtue of its head-to-head victory.

Coaching staff

[edit]
Florida Gators
Name Position Consecutive season at Florida in current position Previous position
Rob Sale Co-offensive coordinator / offensive line 3rd New York Giants – Offensive line (2021)
Austin Armstrong Defensive coordinator 2nd Southern Mississippi – Defensive coordinator / inside linebackers (2021- 2022)
Gerald Chatman Defensive line 1st Tulane – Defensive line (2023)
Jabbar Juluke Associate head coach for offense / running backs 3rd Louisiana – Assistant head coach / running backs (2018–2021)
Will Harris Secondary 1st

Los Angeles Chargers – Assistant secondary coach(2023)

Jonathan Decoster Assistant Offensive line coach 1st Cleveland Browns – Offensive assistant (2022-2023)
Billy Gonzales Wide receivers 2nd

FAU – Wide receivers (2022)

Russ Callaway Co-offensive coordinator / Tight ends 1st

New York Giants – Offensive Assistant (2021)

Mike Peterson Outside linebackers 3rd

South Carolina – Outside linebackers (2016–2021)

Ron Roberts Executive Head Coach / Co-Defensive coordinator / Inside linebackers 1st

Auburn – Defensive coordinator (2023)

Tyler Miles Director of Football Strength and Conditioning 1st Duke – Assistant Director of Sports Performance (2022)
Reference:[29]

Head coaches

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Years Coached Name Record
1911 - 1913 G.E. Pyle 14-5-2
1914 - 1916 C.J. McCoy 9-10-0
1917 - 1919 Al Buser 7-8-0
1920 - 1922 William Kline 18-8-2
1923 - 1924 James Van Fleet 12-3-4
1925 - 1927 Tom Sebring 17-11-2
1928 - 1932 Charlie Bachman 27-18-3
1933 - 1935 Dutch Stanley 14-13-2
1936 - 1939 Josh Cody 17-24-2
1940 - 1945 Tom Lieb 20-26-1
1946 - 1949 Raymond Wolf 13-24-2
1950 - 1959 Bob Woodruff 53-42-6
1960 - 1969 Ray Graves 70-31-4
1970 - 1978 Doug Dickey 58-43-2
1979 - 1984 Charley Pell 33-26-3
1984 - 1989 Galen Hall 40-18-1
1989 - 1989 Gary Darnell* 3-4-0
1990 - 2001 Steve Spurrier 122-27-1
2002 - 2004 Ron Zook 23-14-0
2004 - 2004 Charlie Strong* 0-1-0
2005 - 2010 Urban Meyer 65-15-0
2011 - 2014 Will Muschamp 28-21-0
2014 - 2014 D.J. Durkin* 1-0-0
2015 - 2017 Jim McElwain 22-12-0
2017 - 2017 Randy Shannon* 1-3-0
2018 - 2021 Dan Mullen 34-15-0
2021 - 2021 Greg Knox* 1-1-0
2022–present Billy Napier 14-17-0
*Acting Head Coach
reference

Bowl games

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Ray Graves, on his players' shoulders
Ray Graves is carried from the field by his players after the 1967 Orange Bowl victory.

Florida has appeared in 48 NCAA-sanctioned bowl games, garnering a 24–24 record. This includes a streak of 22 consecutive bowl-game appearances from 1991 through 2012, the fifth-longest in college football history.[30] Four of their bowl games were for a National Championship, with two under the Bowl Alliance and two in the Bowl Championship Series. Florida is 3–1 in national championship games.

Season Coach Bowl Opponent Result
1912 George E. Pyle Bacardi Bowl† Vedado Athletic Club W 28–0[31]
1952 Bob Woodruff Gator Bowl Tulsa W 14–13[32]
1958 Gator Bowl Mississippi L 3–7[33]
1960 Ray Graves Gator Bowl Baylor W 13–12[34]
1962 Gator Bowl Penn State W 17–7[35]
1965 Sugar Bowl Missouri L 18–20[36]
1966 Orange Bowl Georgia Tech W 27–12[37]
1969 Gator Bowl Tennessee W 14–13[38]
1973 Doug Dickey Tangerine Bowl Miami (OH) L 7–16[39]
1974 Sugar Bowl Nebraska L 10–13[40]
1975 Gator Bowl Maryland L 0–13[41]
1976 Sun Bowl Texas A&M L 14–37[42]
1980 Charley Pell Tangerine Bowl Maryland W 35–20[43]
1981 Peach Bowl West Virginia L 6–26[44]
1982 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl Arkansas L 24–28[45]
1983 Gator Bowl Iowa W 14–6[46]
1987 Galen Hall Aloha Bowl UCLA L 16–20[47]
1988 All-American Bowl Illinois W 14–10[48]
1989 Gary Darnell Freedom Bowl Washington L 7–34[49]
1991 Steve Spurrier Sugar Bowl‡ Notre Dame L 28–39[17]
1992 Gator Bowl NC State W 27–10[22]
1993 Sugar Bowl‡ West Virginia W 41–7[18]
1994 Sugar Bowl‡ Florida State L 17–23[19]
1995 Fiesta Bowl‡ Nebraska L 24–62[20]
1996 Sugar Bowl‡ Florida State W 52–20[12]
1997 Florida Citrus Bowl Penn State W 21–6[50]
1998 Orange Bowl‡ Syracuse W 31–10[51]
1999 Florida Citrus Bowl Michigan State L 34–37[23]
2000 Sugar Bowl‡ Miami (FL) L 20–37[21]
2001 Orange Bowl‡ Maryland W 56–23[52]
2002 Ron Zook Outback Bowl Michigan L 30–38[53]
2003 Outback Bowl Iowa L 17–37[24]
2004 Charlie Strong (interim) Peach Bowl Miami (FL) L 10–27[54]
2005 Urban Meyer Outback Bowl Iowa W 31–24[55]
2006 BCS National Championship Game‡ Ohio State W 41–14[13]
2007 Capital One Bowl Michigan L 35–41[56]
2008 BCS National Championship Game‡ Oklahoma W 24–14[14]
2009 Sugar Bowl‡ Cincinnati W 51–24[25]
2010 Outback Bowl Penn State W 37–24[57]
2011 Will Muschamp Gator Bowl Ohio State W 24–17[58]
2012 Sugar Bowl‡ Louisville L 23–33[26]
2014 D. J. Durkin (interim) Birmingham Bowl East Carolina W 28–20[59]
2015 Jim McElwain Citrus Bowl Michigan L 7–41[27]
2016 Outback Bowl Iowa W 30–3
2018 Dan Mullen Peach Bowl‡ Michigan W 41–15
2019 Orange Bowl‡ Virginia W 36–28
2020 Cotton Bowl‡ Oklahoma L 20–55
2021 Greg Knox (interim) Gasparilla Bowl UCF L 17–29
2022 Billy Napier Las Vegas Bowl Oregon State L 3–30

† The 1912 Bacardi Bowl held in Havana, Cuba was not sanctioned by the NCAA and was intended to be one half of a two-game event which was not completed due to a dispute over the rules of the game. As such, the University of Florida Athletic Association does not include the contest in the Gators' official bowl record.[16]
‡ Coalition, Alliance, BCS or New Year's Six Bowl game.

Records by Bowl Game
Bowl Record Appearances Last appearance Winning %
All-American Bowl 1–0 1 1988 1.000
Aloha Bowl 0–1 1 1987 .000
Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl 0–1 1 1982 .000
BCS National Championship Game 2–0 2 2008 1.000
Birmingham Bowl 1–0 1 2014 1.000
Citrus Bowl (Capital One Bowl) 2–4 6 2015 .333
Cotton Bowl 0–1 1 2020 .000
Fiesta Bowl 0–1 1 1995 .000
Freedom Bowl 0–1 1 1989 .000
Gasparilla Bowl 0–1 1 2021 .000
Gator Bowl 7–2 9 2011 .778
Las Vegas Bowl 0–1 1 2022 –
Outback Bowl 3–2 5 2016 .600
Orange Bowl 4–0 4 2019 1.000
Peach Bowl 1–2 3 2018 .333
Sugar Bowl 3–6 9 2012 .333
Sun Bowl 0–1 1 1976 .000

Records against SEC and in-state opponents

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[failed verification]

Florida's season records are from the record books of the university's athletic association. Through the end of the 2022 season, Florida has compiled an overall record of 784 wins, 469 losses, and 37 ties (including post-season bowl games).[60]

All-time record against current SEC teams

[edit]
Opponent Won Lost Tied Percentage Streak First Last Next
Alabama 14 28 0 .333 Lost 9 1916 2021[61] TBD
Arkansas 10 3 0 .769 Lost 1 1982 2023[62] TBD
Auburn 39 43 2 .476 Won 1 1912 2019[63] TBD
Georgia 44 55 2 .446 Lost 3 1915 2023[64] 2024
Kentucky 53 21 0 .716 Lost 3 1917 2023[65] 2024
LSU 33 34 3 .493 Lost 4 1937 2022[66] 2024
Mississippi State 34 19 2 .636 Won 1 1923 2018[67] 2024
Missouri 6 7 0 .462 Lost 1 1966 2023[68] TBD
Oklahoma 1 1 0 .500 Lost 1 2009 2020[69] TBD
Ole Miss 12 12 1 .500 Won 2 1926 2020[70] 2024
South Carolina 31 10 3 .739 Won 1 1911 2023[71] TBD
Tennessee 32 21 0 .604 Won 1 1916 2023[72] 2024
Texas 0 2 1 .167 Lost 2 1924 1940[73] 2024
Texas A&M 3 4 0 .429 Lost 1 1962 2024[74] TBD
Vanderbilt 44 11 2 .789 Won 1 1945 2023[75] TBD
Totals 356 271 16 .566

Florida traditionally played SEC East opponents Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Georgia, and South Carolina along with SEC West foe LSU on an annual basis. The other SEC West teams were played on a six-year rotation, with the added possibility of meeting in the SEC Championship Game. Beginning in the 2024 season, the SEC will abolish the east and west division format.[76]

All-time record against in-state opponents

[edit]

The University of Florida's athletic program operated with a limited budget for the first several years after its establishment in 1906. To reduce travel costs, early Florida football teams played limited slates of games, mostly against squads from nearby schools. Local scheduling resulted in the development of gridiron rivalries with several in-state private colleges, most notably Stetson, Florida Southern, and Rollins. Of those early opponents, Florida Southern and Rollins no longer sponsor intercollegiate football programs and, after dropping the sport for half a century, the Stetson Hatters compete in a lower division of college football. Florida also scheduled occasional games against teams organized by local athletic clubs or nearby military bases during the first half of the 20th century, particularly during the two world wars. However, the Gators have not played a non-collegiate squad since 1945.[60]

In more modern times, Florida began an annual rivalry with the University of Miami Hurricanes in 1938 that continued uninterrupted until 1987. The teams have met on an occasional basis since then and are still considered rivals. Florida State (FSU) established a football program in 1947 and first faced Florida in 1958, beginning a series that was uninterrupted until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 resulted in both schools playing conference-only schedules. The Gators have also scheduled occasional contests against several Florida schools with newer football programs, usually in Gainesville.

Opponent Won Lost Tied Percentage Streak First Last Next
Central Florida 2 1 0 .667 Lost 1 1999 2021 2024
Florida Atlantic 4 0 0 1.000 Won 4 2007 2021 N/A
Florida A&M 1 0 0 1.000 Won 1 2003 2003 2025
Florida Southern 13 1 0 .929 Won 7 1913 1930 N/A
Florida State 37 28 2 .567 Lost 2 1958 2023 2024
Florida International 1 0 0 1.000 Won 1 2009 2009 N/A
Miami 27 30 0 .474 Lost 1 1938 2024 2025
Rollins 13 2 1 .868 Won 11 1906 1948 N/A
South Florida 4 0 0 1.000 Won 3 2010 2022 2025
Stetson 19 15 2 .559 Won 3 1908 1953 N/A
Tampa 5 0 0 1.000 Won 5 1938 1942 N/A
Totals 121 73 5 .621

All records accurate as of the conclusion of the 2021 season[60]

Rivalries

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Alabama

[edit]
Main article: Alabama–Florida football rivalry

Although the series started in 1916, many consider the rivalry between Florida and Alabama to have started in 1992, with the advent of the SEC Championship Game.[77] Florida has appeared in 13 of the 30 conference championship games with Alabama appearing in 14. 10 of those matches were against each other, the most common matchup so far. Alabama leads the conference championship match-up 6–4, following the most recent match-up between both programs, the 2020 SEC Championship Game, which saw Alabama beat Florida 52–46.[78]

Alabama leads the series 28–14 since the end of the 2021 season.[79]

Auburn

[edit]
Main article: Auburn–Florida football rivalry

Auburn and Florida played annually from 1945 to 2002.[63] In the overall series won-lost record, Auburn is Florida's most evenly-matched SEC opponent. Beginning in the 1980s, one team was usually highly ranked coming into the game and it had conference- and national-title implications.[80][81] The series has had several notable upsets. Auburn defeated previously-unbeaten Florida teams in 1993, 1994, 2001, 2006 and 2007, although the Gators won SEC championships in 1993, 1994 and 2006.[16]

The annual series ended in 2002, when the SEC adjusted its football schedules so each team played one permanent and two rotating opponents from the opposite SEC division every year (instead of one rotating and two permanent teams).[82] When Texas A&M and Missouri joined the conference in 2012, the schedule was changed again; each team played one permanent and one rotating opponent from the opposite division every year. LSU was designated as Florida's annual SEC Western Division opponent, and Florida and Auburn play two regular-season games every 12 years. Auburn leads the series 43–39–2 through the 2023 season.[83]

Florida State

[edit]
Main article: Florida–Florida State football rivalry
Teams in formation near the end zone
2007 Florida State game

The University of Florida and the Florida State College for Women became co-educational in 1947.[84] The new Florida State Seminoles football team began playing small colleges, moving up to the major-college ranks in 1955.[85] Almost immediately, Florida State students and supporters called for the teams of Florida's two largest universities to play each other annually.[86]

Contrary to popular belief, Florida's state legislature did not decree that Florida and Florida State should meet on the field; a bill mandating the game was rejected by the Florida Senate.[87] Prodding by Florida governor LeRoy Collins facilitated an agreement between the two universities to begin an annual series in 1958.[88] Due to Florida State's smaller stadium, the first six games were played at Florida Field. The series has alternated between the campuses since 1964, when Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee was expanded.[89] The Florida–Florida State game has had national-championship implications since 1990, and both teams have entered the game with top-10 rankings thirteen times.[90] Among these was the Sugar Bowl rematch at the end of the 1996 season, when Florida avenged its only regular-season loss and won its first national championship 52–20.[91]

Florida dominated the early series with a 16–2–1 record through 1976. Both teams have produced significant winning streaks, and the series is nearly tied over the past four decades; Florida State holds a 21–20–1 advantage since 1980. Since 2000, the teams share 10-10 records against one another. Florida leads the all-time series 37–28–2 through the 2023 season.[92]

Georgia

[edit]
Main article: Florida–Georgia football rivalry
Steve Spurrier under center v. Georgia, 1966

Historically, Florida's most hated and fierce rival has been the Georgia Bulldogs. Previously known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party," and now most commonly called the "Florida–Georgia game" by Gator fans, this rivalry often decides the SEC East and has national implications.[93] The game is held at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, usually on the last Saturday in October or the first Saturday in November.[94] The designated "home" team alternates, with ticket distribution split evenly between the schools.[95] Since 2009, the Okefenokee Oar has been awarded to the winner of the Florida-Georgia game.[96]

In the rivalry's early years, games rotated among locations in Savannah, Tampa, Jacksonville and, occasionally, Gainesville and Athens.[97] Since 1933 the game has been played in Jacksonville, except for 1994 and 1995 (when the teams played a pair of home-and-home games at their respective stadiums).[97] Georgia had early success in the rivalry, winning the first six games and holding a 21–5–1 series lead before 1950.[97] After the 2018 game Florida has won 21 out of the most-recent 29 games, and holds a 38–30–1 advantage in the series since 1950.[97] Georgia lead the series overall 56–44–2 through the 2024 season.[98]

Kentucky

[edit]
Main article: Florida–Kentucky rivalry § Football
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the 2008 Florida–Kentucky game in which Florida would win 63–5.

When the Southeastern Conference split into geographical divisions in 1992,[99] Florida and Kentucky were both placed in the SEC East. This guarantees that both teams play each other every season, which they have done consecutively since 1967. The Gators and Wildcats will meet in 2024 despite the end of SEC divisions after the 2023 season.[100] The two teams have played 74 times, with Florida holding a 53–21 lead in the series. From 1987 to 2017, Florida won every single game between the two schools. This 31-year streak was the third longest in FBS history, and the longest in the Southeastern Conference's history. Since 2017, the series has become incredibly competitive with a 4–3 split between the two teams with the winning margin being 11.4 points on average. Because of these factors, this rivalry is relatively new even though the series dates back to 1917.

Former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier was notable for having a particular disdain for Kentucky. During his tenure at Florida, he was known for running up the score in non-competitive games. In his 12 years coaching the Gators, Spurrier never lost to Kentucky, winning by an average score of 32.7 points. Spurrier was famous for the comments he made about his opponents (often referred to as "Spurrierisms")[101][102] but he poked fun at Kentucky the most.[103] Even after leaving Florida, Steve Spurrier would go out of his way to make comments at Kentucky's expense. In November 2004, Steve Spurrier accepted the head coaching job at the University of South Carolina.[104][105] In 2006, the South Carolina Gamecocks upset their rival, the Clemson Tigers. In the following week, Clemson would go on to lose to Kentucky in the 2006 Music City Bowl. Following the bowl game, Steve Spurrier said" "We thought we had done something good beating Clemson. And then Kentucky beat 'em."[106]

LSU

[edit]
Main article: Florida–LSU football rivalry

Florida and LSU first met on the football field in 1937, and have been annual opponents since 1971.[66] Since 1992, LSU has been Florida's permanent inter-divisional rival from the SEC Western Division. The winner of the Florida–LSU game went on to win the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national championship game in the 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2019 seasons. This rivalry has been known recently for close games, with both teams highly ranked. Florida leads the all-time series 34–31–3 through the 2024 season. Three LSU wins were vacated in 2023.[107]

Miami

[edit]
Main article: Florida–Miami football rivalry

Miami is Florida's only pre-World War II in-state rival that still plays major college football. The schools first met on the gridiron in 1938 and again every season until 1987, when the SEC's expansion of its conference schedule to seven games precluded the annual matchup.[108] A contract to renew the annual rivalry in the 1990s fell through when the SEC expanded its schedule again to eight games, and the Florida and Miami did not play again until the 2001 Sugar Bowl.[109] The home and home series briefly resumed in 2002 and 2003, and they played again in the 2004 Peach Bowl.[110] Since then, the schools have played intermittently during the regular season, with home and home series split across several years.

Miami leads the series 30–27 through the 2024 season.[111] The next scheduled matchup between the schools will be in Miami Gardens on September 20, 2025.

Tennessee

[edit]
Main article: Florida–Tennessee football rivalry
Tim Tebow in the spread v. Tennessee, 2007

Although Florida and Tennessee are charter members of the SEC, irregular conference scheduling resulted in the teams meeting infrequently for many years. Tennessee won the first ten games between 1916 and 1954, when Florida finally defeated the Volunteers.[112] In 1969, Florida hired Tennessee head coach (and former Florida quarterback) Doug Dickey to replace the retiring Ray Graves immediately after their teams met in the Gator Bowl.[113]

The rivalry reached a peak during the 1990s. In 1992, the SEC expanded to twelve schools and split into two divisions.[114][115] Florida and Tennessee (in the Eastern Division) have met every year since, usually in mid-September for both teams' first conference game of the season.[112] Led by coaches Steve Spurrier and Phillip Fulmer and featuring players such as Danny Wuerffel and Peyton Manning, both teams were regularly ranked in the top 10 when they met, giving the rivalry conference and national title implications. Florida and Tennessee combined to win six SEC titles and two national championships during the 1990s.[116]

Since becoming annual opponents in 1992, the Gators and Volunteers have combined to represent the Eastern Division in the SEC Championship Game 16 times. Florida had an 11-game winning streak against Tennessee (2005–2015) and leads the series 31–20 following the 2021 season.[117]

Individual award winners

[edit]

College Football Hall of Fame members

[edit]

Thirteen people associated with Florida have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, four as head coaches and ten as players.

Name Position Florida years Inducted Ref.
Carlos Alvarez WR 1969–1971 2011 [136]
Charlie Bachman Coach 1928–1932 1978 [137]
Lomas Brown OT 1981–1984 2020
Wes Chandler WR 1974–1977 2015 [138]
Doug Dickey Coach 1970–1978 2003 [139]
Ray Graves Coach 1960–1969 1990 [140]
Marcelino Huerta Coach 1947–1949 2002 [141]
Wilber Marshall LB 1980–1983 2008 [142]
Emmitt Smith RB 1987–1989 2006 [143]
Steve Spurrier QB,
Coach 		1963–1966
1990–2001 		1986
2017 		[144]
Dale Van Sickel End 1927–1929 1975 [145]
Tim Tebow QB 2006-2009 2023 [146]
Danny Wuerffel QB 1993–1996 2013 [147]
Jack Youngblood DE 1967–1970 1992 [148]

All-Americans

[edit]
Main article: List of Florida Gators football All-Americans

Since Florida's first season in 1906, 89 players have received one or more selections as first-team All-Americans.[16] This includes 32 consensus All-Americans, of which six were unanimous.[150] The first Florida first-team All-American was end Dale Van Sickel, a member of the 1928 team.[151] Florida's first consensus All-American was quarterback Steve Spurrier, the winner of the Heisman Trophy for the 1966 Gators.[16][152]

SEC Legends

[edit]
Main article: SEC Football Legends

Since 1994, the Southeastern Conference has annually designated one former football player from each SEC member school as an "SEC Legend." Through 2023, the following Gators have been named SEC Legends:

Fergie Ferguson Award

[edit]
Main article: Fergie Ferguson Award

The Fergie Ferguson Award is given in memory of one of the University of Florida's finest athletes, Forest K. Ferguson. Ferguson was an All-SEC end for Florida in 1941 and state boxing champion in 1942. Subsequently, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he led an infantry platoon during the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944.[153] Ferguson helped clear the way for his troops to advance on the Axis position, and was severely wounded leading his men in the assault.[153] A recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions,[153] he died from war-related injuries in 1954. The award, a trophy, is given to the senior football player who most displays "leadership, character, and courage."[154]

Ring of Honor

[edit]

The University of Florida Athletic Association established the Florida Football Ring of Honor in 2006 to recognize the program's greatest players and coaches during the 100th year of Gator football. (The Gators do not have any retired jersey numbers. Although Steve Spurrier's (11) and Scot Brantley's (55) numbers were retired in the 1970s, Spurrier reissued them when he was Florida's head coach, and numbers worn by all members of the Ring of Honor are available for use by current players.)[155]

Originally, members of the Ring of Honor had their jersey painted on the endzone facade at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. When expanded video screens were installed in that location a few years later, inductees were each recognized with an 18-foot wide sign perched atop the north endzone grandstand.[156] Five honorees were inducted in 2006 and 2007, with Tim Tebow added in 2018.[157] To date, the only person who meets the Ring of Honor criteria and has not yet been inducted is two-time national championship winning former head coach Urban Meyer.[158]

Name Position No. Florida years Inducted
Emmitt Smith RB 22 1987–1989 2006
Steve Spurrier QB 11 1964–1966 (player)
1990–2001 (coach) 		2006
Danny Wuerffel QB 7 1993–1996 2006
Jack Youngblood DE 74 1967–1970 2006
Wilber Marshall LB 88 1980–1983 2007
Tim Tebow QB 15 2006–2009 2018

To be considered for induction into the Ring of Honor, a former player or coach must be absent from the university for five seasons, be in good standing, and meet at least one of the following criteria:[159]

  • Heisman Trophy winner (Spurrier, Wuerffel, Tebow)
  • Former All-Americans inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as players (Smith, Youngblood)
  • Former All-Americans who are NFL career category leaders (Smith)
  • College-career category leaders (Tebow)
  • Coaches with one or more national championship (Spurrier)
  • Coaches with three or more SEC championships (Spurrier)
  • Players with two or more consensus All-America honors who were also named national offensive or defensive player of the year (Marshall, Tebow)

All-Time teams

[edit]

A Florida Football All-Time Team was compiled by the Florida Alumnus, the official publication of the Florida alumni, in 1927.[160]

Another University of Florida all-time team was chosen by the Miami Herald according to a fan vote in August 1983.[not specific enough to verify]

All-Century Team

[edit]

The Florida Football All-Century Team, chosen by Gator fans, was compiled by The Gainesville Sun in the fall of 1999.[161]

100th-Anniversary Team

[edit]

The 100th-Anniversary Florida Team was selected in 2006 to celebrate a century of Florida football. Fans voted by mail and online.[162]

Uniforms

[edit]
Gators (in blue and white) and Florida Atlantic Owls (in white)
Florida's most common home uniform since 1990
Florida's "Swamp green" alternative uniforms, October 2017

The Florida football team has worn a home uniform of blue jerseys (usually a variation of royal blue) with white pants for most of the program's history. The most notable exception was a decade-long period from 1979 until 1989, when at the suggestion of coach Charlie Pell, the Gators switched to orange home jerseys.[163] For road games, Florida wears white jerseys with blue, orange, or white pants, depending on the colors of the opponent or the choice of the players that week.

Steve Spurrier restored the home blue jerseys when he became the Gators' head ball coach in 1990.[164] From 1990 until 2014, Florida's primary home uniforms were blue jerseys with white pants, with blue pants an option for high-profile games, especially at night. Former coach Jim McElwain usually allowed his senior players to decide which uniform combination the team wore for each game. Since this practice began during the 2015 season, the Gators have worn many different combinations of blue or orange jerseys along with blue, orange, or white pants.[165][166]

Florida has occasionally worn alternative uniforms, which are usually similar to current or former uniforms and used an orange and blue color scheme. One exception were the "swamp green" uniforms used at a home game against Texas A&M in October 2017. These used a dark green theme for the entire uniform from shoes to helmet that was inspired by the appearance of actual alligators. The uniform marked the 25th anniversary of former coach Steve Spurrier introducing the Swamp nickname for Florida Field.[167]

For the first time in program history, Florida debuted an all black uniform on November 4th, 2023 in its contest against the Arkansas Razorbacks to honor members of the armed forces, veterans and local first responders. In lieu of their names, each player's nameplate displayed one of five words that are "synonymous with the principles embodied by those who serve." The five words were Commitment, Courage, Excellence, Honor and Integrity.

Helmets

[edit]

Florida has had a number of helmet designs, especially early in the program's history. Since the end of the leather helmet era, base colors have alternated between orange, white, and (occasionally) blue, and logos have included the “Gators” script font, an interlocking "UF", a simple "F", and the player number.[168]

From 1979 until 2006, Florida wore orange helmets with a script "Gators" logo in all contests. To commemorate the 100th year of the football program in 2006, the Gators played one game wearing throwback uniforms modeled after their mid-1960s uniforms which included white helmets with a simple "F" logo.[169] In 2009 the Gators participated in Nike's Pro Combat uniform campaign, wearing specially-designed blue uniforms and white helmets with a slant-F logo.[170] These uniforms were worn for the last regular-season game against Florida State, and the white helmets were worn again the following week against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game with white jerseys and pants.[171] Florida introduced a different white alternative helmet in 2015 which featured the script "Gators" logo on one side and the slant-F logo on the other, and in 2018 replaced the slant-F with script "Gators" on both sides. In 2017, the Gators wore "swamp green" helmets for one game. These dark green helmets featured a color-altered Gator head logo on one side and the player's number in orange on the other.

For the 2019 homecoming game versus Auburn, Florida wore the same mid-1960s throwback uniforms, including the white helmets with the blue "F" logo within an orange circular outline. The Gators wore the blue helmets for two games in 2020: the tweaked 1960s version with the orange "F" logo within an orange circular outline for their home game against Missouri, and the traditional version with the "Gators" script in orange font for their road game at Tennessee. The team wore the 1960s throwback uniforms again for their 2021 homecoming game versus Vanderbilt, but with orange helmets including the interlocking "UF" logo.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Gators wore white helmets with the red, white, and blue American flag styled "Gators" script for their 2021 road contest at the University of South Florida.

Team logos

[edit]
  • Gator helmet logo during the mid-1960s
    Gator helmet logo during the mid-1960s
  • Primary helmet logo since 1979
    Primary helmet logo since 1979
  • Alternate Florida Athletics logo since the early 2000s
    Alternate Florida Athletics logo since the early 2000s

Future opponents

[edit]

Conference opponents

[edit]

From 1992 to 2023, Florida played in the East Division of the SEC and played each opponent in the division each year along with several teams from the West Division. The SEC will expand the conference to 16 teams and will eliminate its two divisions in 2024, causing a new scheduling format for the Gators to play against the other members of the conference.[172] Only the 2024 conference schedule was announced on June 14, 2023, while the conference still considers a new format for the future.[173]

2024 Conference Schedule

[edit]
OpponentSiteResult
vs. Georgia
Kentucky
LSU
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
at Mississippi State
Ole Miss
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
at Tennessee
at Texas
Texas A&M
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL

Non-conference opponents

[edit]

Florida has played a continuous series against in-state rival Florida State (FSU) since 1958. While the eight game SEC slate plus the annual matchup with FSU are set years in advance, the schedule allows for two or three additional non-conference games against various opponents that are usually played in Gainesville for revenue purposes. In recent years, Florida has been also invited to participate in several season opening non-conference neutral-site games which do not count against the NCAA cap on regular season games.

Announced opponents and dates are as of August 4, 2024.[174]

2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033
South Florida
Sep 6 		at NC State
Sep 5 		Colorado
Sep 9 		at Colorado
Sep 8 		at UCF
Sep 14 		Arizona State
Sep 13 		Notre Dame
Sep 11 		UCF
Sep 3
at Miami (FL)
Sep 20 		Campbell
Sep 12 		at Arizona State
Sep 16 		at Notre Dame
Nov 15 		NC State
Oct 16
Florida A&M
Oct 11
Florida State
Nov 29 		at Florida State
Nov 28 		Florida State
Nov 27 		at Florida State
Nov 25 		Florida State
Nov 24 		at Florida State
Nov 30 		Florida State
Nov 29 		at Florida State
Nov 27 		Florida State
Nov 26
  • Texas, along with fellow Big 12 rival Oklahoma, are slated to join the SEC in 2024.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The NCAA records for "consensus" All-Americans do not reflect the total number of All-American honors received by Gators football players, only those players who received a majority of the various first-team All-American selections at their position in any given season. The Gators' first consensus All-American was quarterback Steve Spurrier in 1966; the thirty-fourth and most recent was offensive guard O'Cyrus Torrence in 2022.

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Further reading

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  • 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida (2015).
  • Carlson, Norm (2007). University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators. Atlanta, Georgia: Whitman Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-0-7948-2298-9.
  • Golenbock, Peter (2002). Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory. St. Petersburg, Florida: Legends Publishing, LLC. ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
  • Graham, Klein. History of the University of Florida.
  • Hairston, Jack (2002). Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing, LLC. ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
  • Horne, Larry E. (2012). Florida Gators IQ. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1-4499-8947-7.
  • Kabat, Ric A. (July 1991). "Before the Seminoles: Football at Florida State College, 1902–1904". Florida Historical Quarterly. 70 (1): 20–37. JSTOR 30148092.
  • McCarthy, Kevin M (2000). Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
  • McEwen, Tom (1974). The Gators: A Story of Florida Football. Huntsville, Alabama: The Strode Publishers. ISBN 0-87397-025-X.
  • Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.
  • Pleasants, Julian M. (2006). Gator Tales: An Oral History of the University of Florida. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida.
  • Proctor, Samuel, & Wright Langley, Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida, South Star Publishing Company, Gainesville, Florida (1986). ISBN 0-938637-00-2.
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