My Gator World

Complete History Of The 2001 Florida Gators Football Team

admin — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The 2001 Florida Gators were led by legendary coach Steve Spurrier, who would leave for the NFL after the season. Led by quarterback Rex Grossman, and wide receivers Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell, the Gators went on to a 10-2 record and crushed the Maryland Terrapins (#6, AP Poll) in the 2002 Orange Bowl by a score of 56-23. The Gators finished the season ranked third in the country in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls.

Ben Hill Griffith Stadium was kind to the Gators in 2001, seeing the team accumulate a 5-1 record at home, with their only loss coming to the Tennessee Volunteers in a 34-32 nail-biter. Florida’s only other loss of the season came in a 23-20 defeat on the road against the Auburn Tigers. Obviously this Gators team always came prepared to play, whether in the triumph of victory or the pain of defeat.

The most lopsided victory of the season came in a home game against the Vanderbilt Commodores, who were mauled by the Gators 71-13. Grossman finished the season with 4,144 passing yards, 38 touchdown passes, and only 12 passes intercepted. He eventually went on to a stellar NFL career, leading the Chicago Bears to an NFC Championship and appearance in Super Bowl XLI.

Complete History Of The 2000 Florida Gators Football Team

admin — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The 2000 Florida Gators football team was led by passionate unapologetic coach Steve Spurrier, who built the program into a powerhouse over the course of the 1990s. Going with Jesse Palmer at quarterback, Spurrier put together a very formidable squad that was able to finish the season with 10 wins and only three losses.

They hammered two non-conference opponents before feasting on the SEC, including convincing wins over the Auburn Tigers in midseason and in the conference championship game. The Mississippi State Bulldogs and Florida State Seminoles were the only teams able to best the Gators in the regular season, and Florida ran into a talented and angry Miami Hurricanes team in the Sugar Bowl on January 2, 2001, losing 21 â€“ 37.

Standouts who made a big impact on the success of the team include sophomore wide receiver Taylor Jacobs, junior tackle Kenyatta Walker and sophomore cornerback Lito Sheppard. The offensive-minded Spurrier put together a game plan that often resulted in a large handful of touchdowns. The team scored no less than 34 points in its first five games, and eclipsed 40 points five separate times during that span. Additionally, the Gators won all six of their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the 2000 season.

Complete History Of The 1999 Florida Gators Football Team

admin — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The University of Florida Gators football team is one of the most powerful dynasties in college sports.

In 1999, coach Steve Spurrier was in his tenth season of his tenure as the Gators’ head coach. The Gators started the season with a four game winning streak, handily defeating Western Michigan, Central Florida, and Kentucky while pulling out a two point victory against #2 Tennessee. Their first loss came on October 2nd to #21 Alabama, where they were defeated in an overtime thriller. The Gators’ ranking dropped from #3 to #8 following that loss. The Gators then rallied with a five game win streak, but finished the season with 3 losses, including a loss to #9 Michigan State in the Citrus Bowl.

Doug Johnson led the team at quarterback, throwing twenty touchdowns and boasting a 56.4% completion record. He would not be drafted, but later signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent. The Gators would have five draft picks emerge in the 2000 draft after their 1999 season completed: Wide receiver Travis Taylor at #10, tight end Erron Kinney at #68, wide receiver Darrell Jackson at #80, offensive guard Cooper Carlisle at #112, and linebacker Eugene McCaslin at #249.

Complete History Of The 1998 Florida Gators Football Team

admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Florida Gators were one of the most dominant teams in college football in the 1990s. They had a world class coach and world class talent that helped them win. During this time they were coached by former Heisman Trophy winning Florida Gators Quarterback Steve Spurrier. They won 6 conference championships in the SEC and one National Championship during this time.

1998 was a very successful year for the Gators. They went 7-1 in the conference and 10-2 overall.Additional information can be found at http://bleacherreport.com/articles/777645-2011-florida-gators-football-7-games-that-could-be-blowouts. They started off the season with a warm up game against The Citadel with a huge win of 49-10 they also won their second game quite handily against Northeast Louisiana. They lost their first game of the year in week 3 against arch rival Tennessee at Tennessee. They then had a very successful run winning their next 7 games against conference foes like Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and LSU. Three of these wins came against ranked opponents.

The only other loss of the season came in the last regular season game of the year against arch rival Florida State University. FSU was ranked 5 in the nation at the time of the match-up. The Gators were ranked 4 at the time and lost by a score of 12-27 on the road in Doak Campbell stadium in Tallahassee. They they went on to win the Orange Bowl in Miami against 18 Syracuse to finish their season 10-2 and ranked 7 in the nation.

Complete History Of The 1997 Florida Gators Football Team

admin — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Fresh off a National Championship the previous year, the 1997 Florida Gators began the season ranked 2 in the country. In head coach Steve Spurrier’s eighth season, the Gators started strong winning its first five games by an average of 36 points. As a result of their early dominance, the Gators were working on their third week in a row of being the 1 team in the country when they played SEC rival LSU. Florida ended up losing a close game on the road 28-21 and its top ranking.

Florida would lose again two weeks later in the game known as “The Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”. The Gators lost 37-17 to the Georgia Bulldogs. The Gators would then pull together and win its next three games, including a 32-29 nail biter against its inner state rival, the Florida State Seminoles, which was ranked 2 at the time.

With the victory over Florida St, the Gators ended the season with a record of 9-2, which was good enough to earn a trip to the Florida Citrus Bowl to play Penn St. The Gators would win the game 21-6 to end the season with a 10-2 record and ranked 6 in the country.

Complete History Of The 1996 Florida Gators Football Team

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The 1996 Gators were led by head coach Steve Spurrier to their first consensus National Championship. It was one of the University of Florida’s most thrilling seasons. They only lost one game to non-conference rival the 2 ranked Florida State Seminoles. It was the final regular season game and the Gators lost by just three points. The loss was avenged in the Sugar Bowl as the Gators defeated the then 1 ranked Seminoles to claim the National Championship. Senior Quarterback Danny Wuerffel guided the team on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. His two favorite targets were Reidel Anthony and Ike Hilliard. Both would be first round picks in the NFL amateur draft after combining for nearly 2200 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns. Running backs Elijah Williams and Fred Taylor, both Juniors, rushed for over 1300 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Gators dominated the competition on their way to winning the Southeasten Conference Championship. Wins included an early season romp over 2 ranked Tennessee. Other conference victories over 12 LSU and 16 Auburn made the Gators a solid 1 ranked team in the country. Overall the Gators would outscore opponents 559 to 201 while averaging over 500 yards of offense per game.

Florida’s Biggest SEC Opponents for 2011

mrice — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Gators have been strong the last few years, so strong in fact that you haven’t had to tune into a direct.tv satellite channel to watch them – they’re on basic cable! But this year’s going to be a tough year and some of the SEC’s other teams are shaping up nicely. Here’s a look at some of the Gator’s biggest competitors to watch in the SEC…
Georgia Bulldogs – One of the oldest and strongest rivalries in football the GA/FL game is set to be another doozie this time in October. The Bulldogs have floundered the last couple of years but with this being Richt’s make or break season you can bet they’re going to bring their A game to the field.
Auburn – Auburn showed Florida who was boss last year when they beat them out for the SEC Championship. They’re likely going to do it again this year if Florida can’t learn to contain the Tiger’s formidable offensive game.
Ole Miss – The consummate underdog, the Rebs are shaping up to be a decidedly strong team this year. Florida typically missteps with underestimated teams and Ol’ Miss may just be that team this year.

Weighing in on Will Muschamp

www.mygatorworld.com — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The success for Florida coaches over the past 2 decades is well documented, save for the less than prosperous Ron Zook era. With the unfortunate news for Gator fans that Urban Meyer is stepping down (the second time in two years such an announcement has been made), a new age of Gator football is set to begin. After evaluating potential candidates to take over one of the most sought after gigs in the country, the University of Florida decided to hire Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, already named as Mac Browns eventual successor would he have waited out the clock in Austin.What’s Good About This Hire?Having played football at the University of Georgia in the early 90′s, then served successful stints as defensive coordinator at LSU and Auburn, Muschamp is very familiar with the SEC brand of football. He knows what it takes to play and coach in the toughest conference in the country. Not to mention, it also says a lot about the state of the Florida program that Muschamp, firmly entrenched as a high paid assistant and coach-in-waiting at Texas would be willing to leave another of the nation’s top football schools in its own right. With that said, Mack Brown is expected to be in charge in Texas for some time (though perhaps less if he endures more years like this one), so whether Muschamp truly feels Florida is a better opportunity or was merely subject to wearing patience is open to interpretation. After all, it wasn’t long ago Muschamp called the Texas Longhorn head coaching job “THE elite job in the country,” a statement that either excites Florida fans about their ability to lure him away or paints Muschamp in the likeness of Bobby Petrino, Benedict Arnold, Judas, and other self-driven scumbags in history.Question Marks?Unlike Meyer, a BCS tested head coach upon his arrival in the swamp, Muschamp, for all his success as a D coordinator, has zero head coaching experience. There will likely be at least some learning curve, making it difficult for the new ball coach to operate at full capacity early on. Furthermore, Muschamp might not be on top of his game at the moment, considering his Texas team has been sitting at home on their hands since late November, failing to even qualify for a bowl after losing 5 of their last 6 games, giving up 28, 30, 39, and 33 points to Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, respectively. Granted, it was a rebuilding year coming off a National Championship appearance, with athletes like the Longhorns recruits, there’s no excuse for not going bowling at all over the Holidays.

Big ‘Gator Shoes’ to Fill

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:05:53 +0000

As the 40,000 some-odd students plan to head back to classes in Gainesville this fall, one young man entering his 4^th year of college probably has more butterflies in his stomach than the collective legion of aspiring sorority girls lined up on Norman Field come bid day. For most students, by the 4^th year of college, they’ve established at least somewhat of a routine, whether it be waking up at noon on the basement couch of a can & bottle-littered fraternity house or perhaps swinging by a local coffee house to get a fresh cup of joe before heading over to your morning lab. Whatever the case, by year 4, it’s not likely to expect a large scale shift in normalcy. For John Brantley, however, life is about to change, not in a winter to spring type shift, more of a universe-shaping big bang lifestyle realignment.As a redshirt junior (read: 3^rd year of eligibility, 4th actual year for more casual fans), Brantley inherits arguably the most high profile quarterback job college football has ever seen. Sure there was Tee Martin taking over for Peyton Manning in 1998, who won a National Championship for the Volunteers by the way, but few quarterbacks have ever been so beloved by the local community or such the infatuation of mainstream media as the recently NFL-bound Tim Tebow. Can you name another 25^th overall draft pick to set a draft record for jersey sales or pace the entire NFL in jersey sales the month after draft day? Not since Johnny Moxon took over for an injured Lance Harbor for the West Canaan Coyotes has one player been thrust into a more direct spotlight from a backup role.In limited time, Brantley has performed well for the Gators, though his Saturdays will certainly be a little more pressure filled than the mostly mop-up duty he’s worked in recent years. Still, the 6’3” gunslinger out of Ocala/Trinity Catholic has made good on his top 3 recruit billing thus far, completing 71.1 of his passes in over the last 2 years on his way to 10 touchdowns and just one interception. After all, it won’t be the first time Brantley’s name has replaced Tebow’s on a list, as Brantley edged out Tebow’s shared high school state record for TD passes by the narrow margin of 99 to 98.

SEC Preview

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:53:48 +0000

With the Gators making an almost predetermined appearance in the SEC title game in 3 of the last 4 seasons, the SEC is anticipating a conference wide shakeup going into the 2010 season, particularly in the East where no team stands on confidently solid ground. Here’s a look at how the conference could play out over the course of the season, with the top spot undisputedly going to defending national champsAlabama (2009 conference record: 8-0) Returning not only a BCS Championship Trophy but a Heisman Trophy to further clutter the well-decorated shelves down in Tuscaloosa (actually the Heisman is the first of its variety for the Crimson Tide), Mark Ingram and company look to once again wreak havoc on opposing front lines trying to tackle the freight train style offense Alabama greases the tracks for up the middle. As long as quarterback Greg McElroy can manage to hand off the ball and throw the occasional long ball in the general direction Julio Jones (don’t worry, he’ll catch it), he should once again enjoy the easiest starting gig in quarterback history.Arkansas (2009: 3-5) It’s almost laughable that the Razorbacks are among the top billed team from historically the nation’s premiere conference, but so goes a down year for the SEC. The Razorback’s do feature Ryan Mallett, the top rated quarterback in the conference, who could prove to follow in the footsteps of former Bulldog Matt Stafford on his way to a lofty draft status.Georgia (2009: 4-4) Speaking of the Dawgs, the Athens faithful have less a sure thing at QB than even the Gators do, but the talent surrounding first-year signal caller Aaron Murray could be enough to beat any team not wearing crimson. With Washaun Ealey and Caleb King forming arguably the best emerging RB duo in the nation, not to mention A.J. Green split wide, even Brock Berlin could conceivably quarterback this bunch to a 9-win season.Darkhorses: Florida and Ole Miss, with the transfer acquisition of Oregon sendoff and Heisman candidate Jeremiah Masoli, lead a pack of potential contenders in what is sure to be a wide open race for second place in the conference standings.