Just like the snap of a Florida alligator, the University of Florida Gators football history began in 1906 with a bang when coach James Forsythe racked up three winning seasons. Throughout the 1910s, the Gators operated as an independent team and played a number of reputable opponents, including their first game against South Carolina in 1911.
In 1912, the Gators became part of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, facing Auburn University for the first time and meeting up with Georgia in 1915. In 1922, Florida joined the Southern Conference from 1922 to 1932, finding a permanent home with the SEC in 1933.
The first flash of long-term Gators dominance came in the middle of the 1960s, when Ray Graves boasted a team record of 70 wins. The 1966 team (led by Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier) is considered one of the best teams in Florida history.
During this same time, the school gained outside interest as Florida researchers developed a sports drink that would later become a very popular beverage:
Gatorade. That’s right, “Gatorade” got its name because it was developed at the University of Florida.
Check out these links for your Florida Gators merchandise and apparel, tickets, and baseball caps.
Stadium History
When the University of Florida stadium was first built in 1930, it was known as Florida Field. In 1989, it was renamed to pay tribute to a college benefactor by the name of Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. During the 1990s, the nickname “the Swamp” was given to the stadium by former head coach Steve Spurrier.
University of Florida’s “Florida Field” Thanks to bjsmith at flickr.com for the picture.
Over the years, the seating capacity of the stadium has increased from 21,769 to more than 90,000, which eventually made it the largest stadium in the state of Florida. From 1971 to 1989, the playing surface was made of artificial turf until it was replaced with grass for the 1990 season.
The bright colors of orange and blue decorate Ben Hill Griffin Stadium as the mascot, Albert E. Gator, pumps up the crowd to the Pride of the Sunshine marching band. On the days and moments leading to game time, one of the largest student-run pep rallies in the world—the Gator Growl—erupts into a full-blown party. Inside the stadium, chants of “ORANGE” and “BLUE” fill the air.
Notable Florida Gators Football Seasons and Players
996 was a very good year for the Gators. That was the season Florida earned their first ever national title. During that same year, quarterback Danny Wuerffel also won the Heisman Trophy. Anthony Reidel set the record for the SEC player to score the most points (18) and touchdowns (3) during a championship game. Read more about that at the 1996 Florida Gators Football Team.
Then there was the 2006–2007 season, when the Gators won their second national championship, this time under head coach Urban Meyer. The Gators’ QB in that game was Chris Leak. Tim Tebow was the backup. Read about that at the 2007 BCS Championship Game.
Of course, Tebow followed that up by winning the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and then leading the Gators to their third national championship in the 2008–2009
season. You can read more about these exciting chapters in Florida Gators football history at the 2007 Tebow Heisman Trophy and the 2009 BCS Championship Game.
Thanks to atlassb at flikr.com for this shot of Tim Tebow in the Orange Bowl jumbotron during the 2009 College Football BCS National Championship game.
Other Florida Gator football graduates who have gone on to the pros include Carlos Alverez (all-American wide receiver); Scot Brantley (former all-SEC linebacker); and Lomas Brown (Super Bowl Champion and seven-time Pro Bowl selection).
Retired Numbers
Retiring a number is commonplace with college and professional football teams. However, Florida currently does not uphold this tradition. It is true that the numbers of players, Steve Spurrier (11) and Jack Youngblood (74) were retired in the past. However, both were reissued to players during the years that Spurrier served as head coach.
Instead of retiring numbers, Florida established the Gator Football Ring of Honor to pay homage to former players and coaches. Since its creation in 2006, inductees include Emmitt Smith (1987–1989), Steve Spurrier (1990–2001), Danny Wuerffel (1993–1996), and Jack Youngblood (1967–1971).
SEC Distinctions, Games and Rivalries
Over the years, the Gators have established strong rivalries with the Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes, and Tennessee Volunteers.
Everyone knows the 1996 Gators won the National Championship. But it is less known that in 1995, the Gators went undefeated during the regular season for the first and only time.
However, they let the National Championship slip from their grasp in a 62-24 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Fiesta Bowl. The outcome was so bad that the game was later dubbed the Fiasco Bowl.
Florida is known for winning a total of ten SEC football conference championships. However, only nine are recorded as being official. Due to NCAA violations, the Gators were officially stripped of their 1984 SEC championship.
Although the 1985 and 1990 teams finished best in the SEC, they were ineligible to compete for the conference championship because of NCAA violations that the previous coaching staff had committed.
When it comes to SEC championship games, Florida holds a handful of SEC records. In 1996, Florida scored the most points (45). As for regular-season games, Florida also holds the record for scoring the most touchdowns (nine vs. Central Michigan in 1997). Good old Steve Spurrier! Gotta love him (if you are his mom or a Gators fan).
Did you know?
On October 13th, 1934, Florida Field was dedicated to the memory of servicemen who lost their lives in World War I.
If you are looking for a great book about the history of Florida Gators football, I think I’ve found one. Just released in July 2009 is a new book by Kevin McCarthy with the best selection of old Florida Gators football pictures I’ve ever seen. In fact, unless you have visited the UF or Florida Department of State Archives, you likely would never have seen many of them.
The book is titled Historic Photos of University of Florida Football. I read it last night and found it a quick, fun, and informative read. I found out many things I never knew and found myself telling my wife over and over,
“Wow, college football, and especially Florida Gators football, has sure come a long way.” It is really something to see those early photos of CFB’s humble beginnings. Here’s a couple:
Florida football fans watch the Gators beat Jacksonville’s Riverside Athletic Club. UF won 4-0. In 1908, both TD’s and FG’s scored 4 points.
With the stock market crash in October, 1929 was a depressing year. But at least Florida college football fans could cheer on their 8-2 team that beat a West Coast team (Oregon) for the first time ever.
The book also has interesting pictures about modern-day aspects of Gator (and SEC) football. For instance, check out this picture from the book:
Yep, that’s Steve Spurrier in the 1965 Sugar Bowl, where he broke six bowl records and was named the MVP, despite the Gators losing to Missouri 20-18.
That was the first time a player from the losing team was named MVP of the Sugar Bowl. In the book, you’ll also see a picture of Stever Spurrier—the punter! One of the reasons Spurrier won the 1966 Heisman Trophy was that not only was he a great quarterback, but he was also a good punter and kicker. In fact, it was his game-winning
40-yard field goal against Auburn that probably clinched him the Heisman.
You’ll read about (and see) lots of similar interesting pieces of Florida Gators football history throughout the 202 pages of Historic Photos of University of Florida Football.
Florida Gators football
| Florida Gators football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
 |
|||
| First season | 1906 (117 years ago) | ||
| Athletic director | Scott Stricklin | ||
| Head coach | Billy Napier 2nd season, 11–12 (.478) |
||
| Stadium | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (capacity: 88,548) |
||
| Field | Steve Spurrier-Florida Field | ||
| Field surface | Grass | ||
| Location | Gainesville, Florida | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FBS | ||
| Conference | Southeastern Conference | ||
| Division | East | ||
| Past conferences | Independent (1906–1911) SIAA (1912–1921) SoCon (1922–1932) |
||
| All-time record | 755–438–40 (.629) | ||
| Bowl record | 24–24 (.500) | ||
| Claimed national titles | 3 (1996, 2006, 2008) | ||
| Unclaimed national titles | 2 (1984, 1985) | ||
| National finalist | 4 (1995, 1996, 2006, 2008) | ||
| Conference titles | 8 (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2006, 2008) | ||
| Division titles | 15 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2020) | ||
| Rivalries | Alabama (rivalry) Auburn (rivalry) Florida State (rivalry) Georgia (rivalry) Kentucky (rivalry) LSU (rivalry) Miami (rivalry) Tennessee (rivalry) |
||
| Heisman winners | Steve Spurrier, 1966 Danny Wuerffel, 1996 Tim Tebow, 2007 |
||
| Consensus All-Americans | 34[note 1] | ||
| Current uniform | |||
 |
|||
| Colors | Orange and blue[1] |
||
| Fight song | “The Orange and Blue” | ||
| Mascot | Albert and Alberta | ||
| Marching band | Pride of the Sunshine | ||
| Outfitter | Jordan Brand[2] | ||
| Website | FloridaGators.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 Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) They play their home games at 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]
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 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.
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.
Florida is one of fourteen member institutions in the SEC, and the football team has competed in the SEC Eastern Division since the league began divisional play in 1992.
Florida plays an eight-game SEC schedule, with six games against the other Eastern Division teams: Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Vanderbilt.
The schedule is filled out with an annual game against Louisiana State and a rotating SEC Western Division team. Until 2003, the Gators also played Auburn every season, but contests in the rivalry are now infrequent events as part of the SEC’s rotating opponent system.
Key conference rivalries include the annual Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville, Florida (usually around Halloween), the Florida-Tennessee rivalry (usually mid-September), and the inter-divisional Florida-LSU
rivalry with their permanent SEC Western Division foe (usually in October).
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 in the last game of the regular season 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 again an 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]
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.
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.
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 “The Swamp” in 1992, early in his tenure as head football coach.
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.
- Independent (1906–1911)
- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1912–1921)
- Southern Conference (1922–1932)
- Southeastern Conference (1933–present)
Championships[edit]
National championships[edit]
The Florida Gators have been named national champions five times by NCAA-designated major selectors.
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 coach 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 | No. 1 | No. 1 |
| 2006 | Urban Meyer | AP, Coaches, BCS | 13–1 | BCS National Championship Game | Ohio State | W 41–14 | No. 1 | No. 1 |
| 2008 | 13–1 | BCS National Championship Game | Oklahoma | W 24–14 | 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.
| 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 5-1 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.
| Season | Conference | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | SEC | Steve Spurrier | 10–2 | 7–0 |
| 1993 | 11–2 | 7–1 | ||
| 1994 | 10–2–1 | 7–1 | ||
| 1995 | 12–1 | 8–0 | ||
| 1996 | 12–1 | 8–0 | ||
| 2000 | 10–3 | 7–1 | ||
| 2006 | Urban Meyer | 13–1 | 7–1 | |
| 2008 | 13–1 | 7–1 |
Division championships[edit]
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 will eliminate divisions that year.
| Season | Division | Coach | Opponent | CG result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992† | SEC East |
Steve Spurrier | Alabama | L 21–28 |
| 1993 | Alabama | W 28–13 | ||
| 1994 | Alabama | W 24–23 | ||
| 1995 | Arkansas | W 34–3 | ||
| 1996 | Alabama | W 45–30 | ||
| 1999 | Alabama | L 7–34 | ||
| 2000 | Auburn | W 28–6 | ||
| 2003† | Ron Zook | – | – | |
| 2006 | Urban Meyer | Arkansas | W 38–28 | |
| 2008 | Alabama | W 31–20 | ||
| 2009 | Alabama | L 13–32 | ||
| 2012† | Will Muschamp | – | – | |
| 2015 | Jim McElwain | Alabama | L 15–29 | |
| 2016 | Alabama | L 16–54 | ||
| 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 | Offensive coordinator / offensive line | 1st | New York Giants – Offensive line (2021) |
| Patrick Toney | Co–defensive coordinator / safeties | 1st | Louisiana – Defensive coordinator / outside linebackers (2021) |
| Sean Spencer | Co–defensive coordinator & defensive line | 1st | New York Giants – Defensive line (2020–2021) |
| Jabbar Juluke | Associate head coach for offense / running backs | 1st | Louisiana – Assistant head coach / running backs (2018–2021) |
| Corey Raymond | Assistant head coach for defense / cornerbacks | 1st | LSU – Cornerbacks / recruiting coordinator (2020–2021) |
| Darnell Stapleton | Offensive line | 1st | Louisiana – Assistant offensive line (2021) |
| Keary Colbert | Wide receivers | 1st | USC – Wide receivers (2019–2021) |
| William Peagler | Tight ends | 1st | Michigan State – Running backs (2020–2021) |
| Mike Peterson | Outside linebackers | 1st | South Carolina – Outside linebackers (2016–2021) |
| Jay Bateman | Inside linebackers | 1st | North Carolina – Co–defensive coordinator / safeties (2019–2021) |
| Mark Hocke | Associate head coach / director of football strength & conditioning | 1st | Louisiana – Director of football strength & conditioning (2018–2021) |
| Reference: | |||
Head coaches[edit]
| Years Coached | Name | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 – 1913 | G.E. Pyle | |
| 1914 – 1916 | C.J. McCoy | |
| 1917 – 1919 | Al Buser | |
| 1920 – 1922 | William Kline | |
| 1923 – 1924 | J.A. Van Fleet | |
| 1925 – 1927 | Tom Sebring | |
| 1928 – 1932 | Charlie Bachman | |
| 1933 – 1935 | Dutch Stanley | |
| 1936 – 1939 | Josh Cody | |
| 1940 – 1945 | Tom Lieb | |
| 1946 – 1949 | Raymond Wolf | |
| 1950 – 1959 | Bob Woodruff | |
| 1960 – 1969 | Ray Graves | |
| 1970 – 1978 | Doug Dickey | |
| 1979 – 1984 | Charley Pell | |
| 1984 – 1989 | Galen Hall | |
| 1989 – 1989 | Gary Darnell | |
| 1990 – 2001 | Steve Spurrier | |
| 2002 – 2004 | Ron Zook | |
| 2004 – 2004 | Charlie Strong | |
| 2005 – 2010 | Urban Meyer | |
| 2011 – 2014 | Will Muschamp | |
| 2014 – 2014 | D.J. Durkin | |
| 2015 – 2017 | Jim McElwain | |
| 2017 – 2017 | Randy Shannon | |
| 2018 – 2021 | Dan Mullen | |
| 2022–present | Billy Napier | |
| reference | ||
Bowl games[edit]
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.[29] 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 |
| 1952 | Bob Woodruff | Gator Bowl | Tulsa | W 14–13 |
| 1958 | Gator Bowl | Mississippi | L 3–7 | |
| 1960 | Ray Graves | Gator Bowl | Baylor | W 13–12 |
| 1962 | Gator Bowl | Penn State | W 17–7 | |
| 1965 | Sugar Bowl | Missouri | L 18–20 | |
| 1966 | Orange Bowl | Georgia Tech | W 27–12 | |
| 1969 | Gator Bowl | Tennessee | W 14–13 | |
| 1973 | Doug Dickey | Tangerine Bowl | Miami (OH) | L 7–16 |
| 1974 | Sugar Bowl | Nebraska | L 10–13 | |
| 1975 | Gator Bowl | Maryland | L 0–13 | |
| 1976 | Sun Bowl | Texas A&M | L 14–37 | |
| 1980 | Charley Pell | Tangerine Bowl | Maryland | W 35–20[42] |
| 1981 | Peach Bowl | West Virginia | L 6–26 | |
| 1982 | Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl | Arkansas | L 24–28 | |
| 1983 | Gator Bowl | Iowa | W 14–6 | |
| 1987 | Galen Hall | Aloha Bowl | UCLA | L 16–20 |
| 1988 | All-American Bowl | Illinois | W 14–10 | |
| 1989 | Gary Darnell | Freedom Bowl | Washington | L 7–34 |
| 1991 | Steve Spurrier | Sugar Bowl‡ | Notre Dame | L 28–39 |
| 1992 | Gator Bowl | NC State | W 27–10 | |
| 1993 | Sugar Bowl‡ | West Virginia | W 41–7 | |
| 1994 | Sugar Bowl‡ | Florida State | L 17–23 | |
| 1995 | Fiesta Bowl‡ | Nebraska | L 24–62 | |
| 1996 | Sugar Bowl‡ | Florida State | W 52–20 | |
| 1997 | Florida Citrus Bowl | Penn State | W 21–6 | |
| 1998 | Orange Bowl‡ | Syracuse | W 31–10 | |
| 1999 | Florida Citrus Bowl | Michigan State | L 34–37 | |
| 2000 | Sugar Bowl‡ | Miami (FL) | L 20–37 | |
| 2001 | Orange Bowl‡ | Maryland | W 56–23 | |
| 2002 | Ron Zook | Outback Bowl | Michigan | L 30–38 |
| 2003 | Outback Bowl | Iowa | L 17–37 | |
| 2004 | Charlie Strong (interim) | Peach Bowl | Miami (FL) | L 10–27 |
| 2005 | Urban Meyer | Outback Bowl | Iowa | W 31–24 |
| 2006 | BCS National Championship Game‡ | Ohio State | W 41–14 | |
| 2007 | Capital One Bowl | Michigan | L 35–41 | |
| 2008 | BCS National Championship Game‡ | Oklahoma | W 24–14 | |
| 2009 | Sugar Bowl‡ | Cincinnati | W 51–24 | |
| 2010 | Outback Bowl | Penn State | W 37–24 | |
| 2011 | Will Muschamp | Gator Bowl | Ohio State | W 24–17 |
| 2012 | Sugar Bowl‡ | Louisville | L 23–33 | |
| 2014 | D. J. Durkin (interim) | Birmingham Bowl | East Carolina | W 28–20 |
| 2015 | Jim McElwain | Citrus Bowl | Michigan | L 7–41 |
| 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.
Coalition, Alliance, BCS or New Year’s Six 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[edit]
Florida’s season records are from the record books of the university’s athletic association. Through the end of the 2019 season, Florida has compiled an overall record of 729 wins, 437 losses, and 37 ties (including post-season bowl games).
All-time record against current SEC teams[edit]
| Opponent | Won | Lost | Tied | Percentage | Streak | First | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 14 | 27 | 0 | .341 | Lost 8 | 1916 | 2021 | TBD |
| Arkansas | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | Lost 1 | 1982 | 2023 | 2023 |
| Auburn | 39 | 43 | 2 | .476 | Won 1 | 1912 | 2019 | 2024 |
| Georgia | 44 | 55 | 2 | .446 | Lost 3 | 1915 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Kentucky | 53 | 21 | 0 | .716 | Lost 3 | 1917 | 2023 | 2023 |
| LSU | 33 | 33 | 3 | .500 | Lost 4 | 1937 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Mississippi State | 34 | 19 | 2 | .636 | Won 1 | 1923 | 2018 | 2025 |
| Missouri | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | Won 1 | 1966 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Ole Miss | 12 | 12 | 1 | .500 | Won 2 | 1926 | 2020 | TBD |
| South Carolina | 30 | 10 | 3 | .733 | Won 1 | 1911 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Tennessee | 32 | 21 | 0 | .596 | Won 1 | 1916 | 2023 | TBD |
| Texas A&M | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | Won 1 | 1962 | 2022 | TBD |
| Vanderbilt | 43 | 11 | 2 | .786 | Lost 1 | 1945 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Totals | 350 | 249 | 15 | .582 |
Florida plays 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 are played on a six-year rotation, with the added possibility of meeting in the SEC Championship Game.
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.
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 | 27 | 2 | .576 | Lost 1 | 1958 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Florida International | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 1 | 2009 | 2009 | N/A |
| Miami | 27 | 29 | 0 | .473 | Won 1 | 1938 | 2019 | 2024 |
| 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[59]
Rivalries[edit]
Georgia[edit]
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.
The game is held at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, usually on the last Saturday in October or the first Saturday in November. The designated “home” team alternates, with ticket distribution split evenly between the schools.
Since 2009, the Okefenokee Oar has been awarded to the winner of the Florida-Georgia game.
In the rivalry’s early years, games rotated among locations in Savannah, Tampa, Jacksonville and, occasionally, Gainesville and Athens.
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).
Georgia had early success in the rivalry, winning the first six games and holding a 21–5–1 series lead before 1950.
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. Georgia lead the series overall 54–44–2 through the 2022 season.
Tennessee[edit]
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.
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.
The rivalry reached a peak during the 1990s. In 1992, the SEC expanded to twelve schools and split into two divisions.
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.
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.
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.
Florida State[edit]
The University of Florida and the Florida State College for Women became co-educational in 1947.
The new Florida State Seminoles football team began playing small colleges, moving up to the major-college ranks in 1955.
Almost immediately, Florida State students and supporters called for the teams of Florida’s two largest universities to play each other annually.
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.
Prodding by Florida governor LeRoy Collins facilitated an agreement between the two universities to begin an annual series in 1958.
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.
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.
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.
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 37–26–2 through the 2021 season.
LSU[edit]
Florida and LSU first met on the football field in 1937, and have been annual opponents since 1971.[64] 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 33–32–3 through the 2021 season.
Auburn[edit]
Auburn and Florida played annually from 1945 to 2002. 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.
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.[15]
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).
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 2021 season.
Miami[edit]
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.
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.
The home and home series briefly resumed in 2002 and 2003, and they played again in the 2004 Peach Bowl.
Since then, the schools have played intermittently during the regular season, with home and home series split across several years.
Miami leads the series 29–27 through the 2021 season. The next scheduled matchup between the schools will be in Gainesville on August 31, 2024.
Alabama[edit]
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.
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.
Alabama leads the series 27–14 since the end of the 2021 season.
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 | |
| Charlie Bachman | Coach | 1928–1932 | 1978 | |
| Lomas Brown | OT | 1981–1984 | 2020 | |
| Wes Chandler | WR | 1974–1977 | 2015 | |
| Doug Dickey | Coach | 1970–1978 | 2003 | |
| Ray Graves | Coach | 1960–1969 | 1990 | |
| Marcelino Huerta | Coach | 1947–1949 | 2002 | |
| Wilber Marshall | LB | 1980–1983 | 2008 | |
| Emmitt Smith | RB | 1987–1989 | 2006 | |
| Steve Spurrier | QB, Coach |
1963–1966 1990–2001 |
1986 2017 |
|
| Dale Van Sickel | End | 1927–1929 | 1975 | |
| Danny Wuerffel | QB | 1993–1996 | 2013 | |
| Jack Youngblood | DE | 1967–1970 | 1992 |
- Steve Spurrier was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 for his record as Florida’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from 1964 to 1966 and again in 2017 for his head coaching achievements at Duke, Florida, and South Carolina. He is one of four members of the College Football Hall of Fame inducted as both a player and a coach.
- Doug Dickey, Florida’s quarterback in 1951 and 1952, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003 for his record as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers from 1964 to 1969 and the Gators from 1970 to 1978.
- Marcelino Huerta, a standout Gator lineman from 1947 to 1949, was inducted in 2002 for his record as head coach of the Tampa Spartans, Wichita State Shockers and Parson Wildcats.
All-Americans[edit]
Since Florida’s first season in 1906, 89 players have received one or more selections as first-team All-Americans.
This includes 32 consensus All-Americans, of which six were unanimous.
The first Florida first-team All-American was end Dale Van Sickel, a member of the 1928 team.
Florida’s first consensus All-American was quarterback Steve Spurrier, the winner of the Heisman Trophy for the 1966 Gators.
SEC Legends[edit]
Since 1994, the Southeastern Conference has annually designated one former football player from each SEC member school as an “SEC Legend.” Through 2017, the following Gators have been named SEC Legends:
- Carlos Alvarez
- Jack Youngblood
- Kerwin Bell
- John Reaves
- Neal Anderson
- Nat Moore
- Glenn Cameron
- Huey Richardson
- Brad Culpepper
- Larry Smith
- Lomas Brown
- Trace Armstrong
- Louis Oliver
- Ralph Ortega
- Reidel Anthony
- Errict Rhett
- Kevin Carter
- Ike Hilliard
- Steve Tannen
- Wes Chandler
- Lito Sheppard
- Fred Taylor
- Steve Spurrier
- Danny Wuerffel
Fergie Ferguson Award[edit]
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.
Ferguson helped clear the way for his troops to advance on the Axis position, and was severely wounded leading his men in the assault.
A recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions, 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.
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.)
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.
Five honorees were inducted in 2006 and 2007, with Tim Tebow added in 2018. 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.
| 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:
- 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.[144]
| First team QB – Rammy Ramsdell HB – Dummy Taylor HB – Ed Jones FB – Bill Middlekauff E – Ferdinand H. Duncan T – Cy Williams G – Goldy Goldstein C – Bo Gator Storter G – Tootie Perry T – Jim Coarsy E – Joe Swanson |
Second team QB – Bob Shackleford HB – Ark Newton HB – Harvey Hester FB – Ray Dickson E – G. P. Wood T – Pus Hancock G – Arthur Doty C – Lamar Sarra G – Ed Meisch T – Robbie Robinson E – Frank Oosterhoudt |
Another University of Florida all-time team was chosen by the Miami Herald according to a fan vote in August 1983.
| First Team Offense QB – Steve Spurrier RB – Larry Smith RB – Nat Moore WR – Cris Collinsworth WR – Wes Chandler TE – Jim Yarbrough OT – Randy Jackson OT – Mike Williams OG – Burton Lawless OG – Guy Dennis C – Bill Carr PK – David PoseyFirst Team Defense DL – Jack Youngblood DL – Scott Hutchinson DL – David Galloway DL – Charlie LaPradd LB – Ralph Ortega LB – Scot Brantley LB – Wilber Marshall LB – Glenn Cameron DB – Steve Tannen DB – Jackie Simpson DB – Bernie Parrish P – Bobby Joe Green |
Second Team Offense QB – John Reaves RB – Rick Casares RB – James Jones WR – Carlos Alvarez WR – Charles Casey TE – Chris Faulkner OT – Mac Steen OT – Charlie Mitchell OG – Larry Beckman OG – John Barrow C – Steve DeLaTorre PK – Brian ClarkSecond Team Defense DL – Robin Fisher DL – Joe D’Agostino DL – Lynn Matthews DL – Vel Heckman LB – David Little LB – Fred Abbott LB – Sammy Green DB – Bruce Bennett DB – Tony Lilly DB – Hagood Clarke P – Don Chandler |
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.[145]
| First Team Offense QB – Danny Wuerffel (1993–96) RB – Neal Anderson (1982–85) RB – Emmitt Smith (1987–89) WR – Carlos Alvarez (1969–71) WR – Wes Chandler (1974–77) TE – Jim Yarbrough (1966–68) OT – Lomas Brown (1981–84) OT – David Williams (1985–88) OG – Burton Lawless (1972–74) OG – Donnie Young (1993–96) OC – Jeff Mitchell (1993–96) PK – Judd Davis (1992–94) KR – Jacquez Green (1995–97)First Team Defense DE – Jack Youngblood (1968–70) DE – Kevin Carter (1991–94) DT – Brad Culpepper (1988–91) DT – Ellis Johnson (1991–94) LB – Wilber Marshall (1980–83) LB – Scot Brantley (1976–79) LB – David Little (1977–80) CB – Steve Tannen (1967–69) CB – Jarvis Williams (1984–87) S – Louis Oliver (1985–88) S – Bruce Bennett (1963–65) P – Bobby Joe Green (1958–59) |
Second Team Offense QB – Steve Spurrier (1964–66) RB – Rick Casares (1951–53) RB – James Jones (1979–82) WR – Reidel Anthony (1994–96) WR – Ike Hilliard (1994–96) TE – Kirk Kirkpatrick (1987–90) OT – Jason Odom (1992–95) OT – Mike Williams (1973–75) OG – Larry Gagner (1963–65) OG – Jeff Zimmerman (1983–86) OC – Phil Bromley (1981–84) PK – David Posey (1973–76) KR – Jack Jackson (1992–94)Second Team Defense DE – David Ghesquiere (1967–69) DE – Lynn Matthews (1963–65) DT – David Galloway (1979–81) DT – Charlie LaPradd (1950–52) LB – Sammy Green (1972–75) LB – Alonzo Johnson (1983–85) LB – Ralph Ortega (1972–74) CB – Fred Weary (1994–97) CB – Richard Fain (1987–90) S – Tony Lilly (1980–83) S – Wayne Fields (1972–75) P – Ray Criswell (1982–85) |
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.
| Offense QB – Danny Wuerffel (1993–1996) RB – Errict Rhett (1990–1993) RB – Emmitt Smith (1987–1989) RB – Fred Taylor (1994–1997) WR – Carlos Alvarez (1969–1971) WR – Cris Collinsworth (1977–1980) WR – Chris Doering (1992–1995) WR – Ike Hilliard (1994–1996) OL – Lomas Brown (1981–1984) OL – Mike Degory (2002–2005) OL – Jeff Mitchell (1993–1996) OL – Jason Odom (1992–1995) PK – Jeff Chandler (1998–2001) |
Defense DL – Trace Armstrong (1988) DL – Alex Brown (1998–2001) DL – Kevin Carter (1991–1994) DL – Brad Culpepper (1988–1991) DL – Jack Youngblood (1968–1970) LB – Scot Brantley (1976–1979) LB – Channing Crowder (2003–2004) LB – Jevon Kearse (1996–1998) LB – Wilber Marshall (1980–1983) DB – Louis Oliver (1985–1988) DB – Lito Sheppard (1999–2001) DB – Fred Weary (1994–1997) P – Shayne Edge (1991–1994) |
Uniforms[edit]
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
-
Primary helmet logo since 1979
-
Alternate Florida Athletics logo since the early 2000s
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.
Only the 2024 conference schedule was announced on June 14, 2023, while the conference still considers a new format for the future.
2024 Conference Schedule[edit]
| Opponent | Site | Result |
|---|---|---|
| vs. Georgia |
|
|
| Kentucky |
|
|
| LSU |
|
|
| at Mississippi State |
|
|
| Ole Miss |
|
|
| at Tennessee |
|
|
| at Texas |
|
|
| Texas A&M |
|
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.
Annouced opponents and dates are as of September 5, 2022.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 | 2033 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami (FL) August 31 |
South Florida September 6 |
at NC State September 5 |
at California September 4 |
Colorado September 9 |
at Colorado September 8 |
Texas* September 7 |
at Texas* September 6 |
Notre Dame September 11 |
UCF September 3 |
| Samford September 7 |
at Miami (FL) September 20 |
Campbell September 12 |
at Arizona State September 16 |
at UCF September 14 |
Arizona State September 13 |
NC State October 16 |
|||
| UCF October 5 |
Florida A&M October 11 |
California September 19 |
at Notre Dame November 15 |
||||||
| at Florida State November 30 |
Florida State November 29 |
at Florida State November 28 |
Florida State November 27 |
at Florida State November 25 |
Florida State November 24 |
at Florida State November 30 |
Florida State November 29 |
at Florida State November 27 |
Florida State November 26 |
Texas, along with fellow Big 12 rival Oklahoma, are slated to join the SEC in 2024.
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.
