The Rise Of Gator Nation

It seems like just this past weekend I was riding out of Tallahassee with a grin on my face (Florida had just upset No.8 Florida State and broke the nearly two decade streak in Doak Campbell Stadium). This was a very exciting moment, but one of the few during the Ron Zook era at Florida. This game, was Ron Zook's final game, and sure I, along with the rest of Gator Nation was happy for a change, but unsure of the future. I recently took time to reflect on where we have been, and where we are now, as Gator Nation.

Looking back through some old tapes last week I came across what I would normally consider a tape to be "taped over." When I turned it on, Miami had just came back from a 33-10 deficit to score 28 unanswered. Very disheartening to say the least, but upon further reflection, and my stumble across a few more tapes (03 LSU game, 03 Georgia, 04 Florida State) from the Zook era (02-04) I have come to appreciate this time period.

That three year era sit's in the middle of probably the best twenty year's of Florida Football. In these last twenty years Florida has produced 7 SEC titles, (91, 93, 94, 95, 96, 00, 06) 2 National Titles, (96, 06) 3 Heisman Winners (Spurrier, Wuerffel, Tebow) and 2 of the best coaches in the SEC and Nation (Spurrier & Meyer). Though Zook’s era may seem as a rough spot it’s really more of a time period we all grew stronger. 

Before Zook, Steve Spurrier led arguably one of the best 12 year spans in college football. Like him or not, he was and still is one of the top coaches in the SEC and Nation. An impressive stat other than his days at Florida included a 1989 ACC title with Duke. Spurrier, under his reign at Florida from 1990-2001, led the Gators to 6 SEC titles, along with the 1996 National Title. He also accumulated a gaudy record of 122-27-1 at Florida.

He was also quite the player at the University of Florida, winning 1 of only 3 Heisman Trophies in program history in 1966. He is the only coach in NCAA history to have won a Heisman Trophy, as well as to coach a Heisman winner (Danny Wuerffel 1996). Steve's name sits atop Ben Hill Griffin Stadium today, in the ring of honor, and even though he's not tossing his visor across the sidelines, and running up the score each Saturday, he will forever be "The ole ball coach."

Coincidentally, just three weeks ago Steve lost by the worst margin in his coaching career, to the new coach in Gainesville, Urban Meyer. Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks got humiliated (56-6) in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Who would have ever of thought Steve would have lost by “Half a Hundred” in the place he was so dominant and also the place he dubbed “The Swamp?” This obviously is just another reminder of how things have changed.

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