That acknowledgement came only after allegations of the abuse appeared in the school newspaper earlier this week. [78] The 1927 season seemed lost early with an upset by the Davidson Wildcats.

[257], The 2009 Gators were ranked first in the preseason AP and Coaches Polls. [148], Florida alumnus and former quarterback Doug Dickey took over the reins in 1970. "[48] The team was captained by center and guard Tootie Perry, Florida's first All-Southern selection. [253], Tim Tebow became the full-time starting quarterback for the 2007 season. [note 5] Pyle had a 2673 (.764) record with the Gators, the third-winningest coach in school history. Mayberry was also the first Gator ever chosen in the. The system allowed only one player to be substituted between plays, which effectively put an end to the use of separate specialized units. [182] In the next game, against Georgia game, the Gators led 2713 at halftime and an upset seemed possible. Now five years later, Floridas bread-and-butter sport is severely lagging behind in recruiting despite sitting in the national hotbed for talent because of personnel issues on the Swamps sidelines. In 1956, although the Gators produced first-team All-American guard John Barrow[33] and began the season with a 611 record, they lost the last two games to Georgia Tech and Miami. [92] Red Bethea rushed for a single-game school record of 218 yards, a record which stood for 55 years. FSU's final comeback attempt was stymied when senior linebacker Dwayne Thomas intercepted a third-down pass from Thad Busby, costing the Seminoles a chance at the national championship. He caught both touchdowns in the win against Miami; according to the Miami Herald, the score was "Forrest Ferguson 14; University of Miami 0. End Richard Trapp sparked a Florida comeback with a 57-yard touchdown catch-and-run. [101] Gator alumnus Dutch Stanley, an end (opposite Van Sickel) on the 1928 team, replaced Bachman as coach in the first SEC football season in 1933. [38] The team, captained by Rex Farrior, faced the Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers for the first time. When school officials received a list of 107 major infractions from the NCAA in mid-September, however, university president Marshall Criser fired Pell. With several blocking errors, the Gators fell behind in the first quarter and left Tallahassee with a 2421 loss. ", "Florida-Georgia: 30 years ago, Gators QB Kerwin Bell used arm to break six-game losing streak", "Commentary: What's Florida's Problem? [22] After the season, the team played its first post-season game: the Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba, a two-game series against two Cuban athletic clubs. [262] Despite uncertainty about Meyer, the Gators signed the nation's consensus number-one recruiting class in February 2010. Tied 3535 late in the game, Auburn kicked a 41-yard field goal to win 3835.

[184] He resigned after a 47 season in 1978; unable to duplicate his success at Tennessee, the coach had a 58432 record in nine seasons with the Gators.[170]. To be fair, Foleys train had run its course by the time he retired in 2016, but he had already established Gainesville as a premier destination for student-athletes even if some of the facilities were a step behind. "[29] The 1913 Gators began the season by defeating Southern 1440, the widest margin of victory in program history. [145] Despite his success, UF president J. Wayne Reitz pressured him to resign after 1959. In the last game of his college career, Tebow broke the Sugar Bowl record for passing yards (482) and set a BCS bowl record for total offense (533). independent local journalism in Miami. There is no way an assistant can gauge the character of a high school recruit by simply relying on his grades and a couple of visits during the recruiting season. The former Mississippi State AD inherited a job that had an immense amount of inertia behind it which gave him a great deal of leeway to work with. In pouring rain, "Rammy" scored the winning touchdown;[36] he also scored a school-record four touchdowns against Mercer.

Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong was interim head coach for the Peach Bowl against Miami,[246] the first African-American head coach at Florida[247] and the second in SEC history.

I'm just saying we didn't find any evidence to support those allegations," the source said. [note 26] They struggled midway through the schedule, however, losing to LSU on the road and to Georgia after defeating both teams the previous year. He had been tasked with reviving an offense that had become moribund under Muschamp. [171] Victory was assured, and Florida senior quarterback John Reaves needed 14 yards to break Jim Plunkett's NCAA record for career passing yardage; Miami had the ball. I spoke with Pat Dooley, who has been covering the Gators for longer than many of our readers have been alive, about the difference between former athletic director Jeremy Foley, who was responsible for the golden age of Gators sports, and current AD Scott Stricklin. [234] Florida accepted an invitation to the Orange Bowl, defeating Maryland 5623. I bleed orange and blue. 98 Rammy Ramsdell, "Florida Outclassed In Every Stage of the Game", "Scribes Are Finding Material Plentiful For All-Star Machines", "Tootie Ready For Welcome: Gators' "Water Boy" Will Be First to Greet New Florida Coach", "Harvard Is Held To 24 Points Only Ten After First Quarter", "A Brief History of the Southeastern Conference", "Vanderbilt Official Athletic Site Vanderbilt University", "Gators Trounce Alabama In Titular Grid Contest", "All Star Eleven To Be Awarded By Atlanta Paper", "Alligators Surprised By Ferocious Bruins", Tommy Durrance: A Great Gator, A Better Man, "Crippled Gators To Meet Kentucky Wildcats Today", "Kansas Ties To Notre Dame Go Beyond Rockne Crash Scene", "Dope Upset As Vols Win 13-12 In Fast Game", "Coach Meyer: Here's a primer on rivalry vs. UT", Crabtree Leads Gators to Victory Over Oregon, Florida Eleven to Seek First Grid Victory on Foreign Soil in Chicago Next Saturday, Red Bethea Better Than All Chicago Backfield In Play, "Gator Bowl Memories: Victory Over Tulsa in 1953 Gave UF First Bowl Victory in School History", "Sadler Is Made Captain of All-Southern Team", "Tigert understood the significance of sports", "Florida Drafted Players/Alumni Pro-Football-Reference.com", "Worth the Wait: Temple stuns Vandy; first win over SEC for since 1938", Florida Beats Boston College On First-Period Touchdown, Lieb Named Florida Grid Mentor: Former Irish Coach Signs For 3 Years, Funeral Rites Held For Forrest Ferguson, Gator Grid All-America, Magill: Dogs' 750 thumping of Gators most memorable, New Colleges Set Grid Hopes: Florida And Kentucky To Field Elevens, "Gators' Mr. Two-Bits to hang it up after 60 years at Florida", "1952 Final Football Polls - College Poll Archive - Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings", LaPradd Is Thrilled By His Selection to All America, FHSAA announces 33-member All-Century football team, "1957 Final Football Polls - College Poll Archive - Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings", "1958 Final Football Polls - College Poll Archive - Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings", "Florida Tackle Heckman Among All-America Candidates", "Heckman Best Florida Lineman Since Barrow", "Ray Graves, the father of modern-day Florida Gators football, dies at 96 Orlando Sentinel", Robert Cade: Scientist who invented Gatorade, the world's first and biggest-selling sports drink, "Gatorade: The Idea that Launched an Industry", "Gator Bowl Memories: Gators Hold Off Baylor in Wild Finish to Claim 1960 Gator Bowl", "Gators Spring Trapp, Upset Georgia, 17-16", "Gator Bowl Memories: "Super Sophs" Lead Gators to Victory Over Tennessee in Wild 1969 Gator Bowl", Meyer Isn't Looking Back at History of Florida-Miami Rivalry, "Drastic Rules Are Adopted By New Southern Conference To Keep College Sports Clean", Dooley: Percy might be the best Gator ever, "Chronology Of The Florida Football Scandal", "Lindsay Scott's famous play has a 30-year run", "1983 Final Football Polls - College Poll Archive - Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings", "Is this the University of Florida's best football team ever? [180] The 1976 season opened with a 2421 loss to North Carolina before Florida won six straight games. After Georgia scored midway through the third period, Dickey gambled on fourth down with one yard to go; his play failed. "The way he treated women was outrageous. The Gators never led, although they had cut the score to 2721. To me, this is not just about Dapper Dans reluctance to give Todd Grantham the boot or to adopt a more flexible approach in his game plan or even his penchant for sticking his foot in his mouth in the face of fair questioning. Florida earned the second spot in the BCS poll, beating previously undefeated Alabama 3120 in the SEC Championship, and won the BCS National Championship Game against Oklahoma 2414. At the time of his resignation, the school never mentioned any reports of abusive behavior. The Gators finished seventh in the AP Poll. The controversy highlights why NCAA rules restricting a recruiter's contact with student athletes make no sense. Coming into a season with mixed expectations and an incredibly difficult schedule, it might not be unfair to suggest that the fourth-year skipper had something of a Sisyphean task ahead of him. "There were concerns brought to our attention. "[116], During the World War II years of 1942 to 1945, most of the university's able-bodied students withdrew and enlisted in the U.S. military. [201] During an October game against the Memphis State Tigers, Smith injured his knee and was unable to play for a month. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Charlie Ward hit freshman running back Warrick Dunn up the sideline for a 79-yard touchdown and a 3321 FSU win. Woodruff, who came to Florida from Baylor after a lengthy search,[129] was best known as an assistant on Doc Blanchard's Army teams. Coach Ray Graves continued the success in the 1960s, with the Gators appearing in the AP top ten rankings for the first time. Miami's independent source of [90][note 17] Another inter-sectional victory followed in 1930, when Florida defeated Amos Stagg's Chicago Maroons 190. [217] Florida's other loss was to national champion FSU. In an emotional press conference after the game, Tebow promised that no team would play harder than Florida for the rest of the season. On December 8, 2010 Meyer again announced his resignation, citing many of the concerns he had a year earlier. "He didn't like that they wore baggier or men's clothing, as if they dressed like thugs," Searcy said. [272] The sole regular-season loss was to Georgia, 179.

[95] Winning four of 18 games over the next two seasons (1931 and 1932), Bachman ended his tenure on a high note in his final game with a 122 inter-sectional upset of the UCLA Bruins. However, in his two full seasons in Gainesville, the Gators were 111th and 116th, respectively, in total offenseamong the worst rankings for a team in a power conference, and actually lower than where they had ranked in the latter years of Muschamp's tenure. She remembers Newbauer frequently referring to players as "b----es." They lost their last seven games (including their first defeat by an FCS team, Georgia Southern),[275] finishing with a 48 record and missing a bowl game for the first time since 1990.

Charley Pell was hired as Florida's new head coach for the 1979 season. Late in the 2014 season, Muschamp was dismissed as the head coach after a loss to South Carolina. Women's hoops coach Gaitley leaving Fordham, Rutgers hires McCray-Penson as assistant coach, a story published in the school's newspaper, Gators AD: 'We failed' with Newbauer situation, Ex-UF women's hoops coach accused of abuse, Winner: 2013 Peabody Award; 2011 Edward R. Murrow Award/Video Investigative Reporting, Covers breaking news, investigative pieces and human interest features. [186] The 1982 team upset 10th-ranked USC, 179, in a nationally-televised game which helped return Florida football to national prominence.

[222], Florida had its first undefeated, untied regular season in 1995. When a troubled student athlete robs a convenience store after he's enrolled and on campus, it is the assistant who will get canned. [140] In 1958, Florida produced first-team All-American tackle Vel Heckman[33] and ranked 14th despite a 641 record. Van Fleet was an active duty U.S. Army officer who was also the senior officer of the university's. [18] The 1907 team was co-state champion with Stetson. [33] Dickey's team peaked in 1974 and 1975. "Cam is building his program the right way and making steady progress," Stricklin said when the extension was announced. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida The Morangs and others say they were upset that Newbauer was allowed to resign from the school without being held accountable for his behavior. On Friday, a former Gators staffer who says he attended 95% of practices provided a different account to ESPN. Including Red Bethea's single-game yardage record in a 2314 upset of. [104] In 1936, Cody's first season, Florida had one conference victory. The 1924 loss to Army was close, 147, with Newton returning the second-half kickoff 102 yards for the Gator touchdown. [33] The 1957 team upset Billy Cannon and his 10th-ranked LSU Tigers, finishing with a number-17 AP ranking. [287][288] Prior to a successful run at MSU, Mullen had served as Urban Meyer's offensive coordinator for the Gators from 20052008.[289]. [221] The kick was good, tying the game at 31 and completing FSU's comeback. [149][note 23] Graves, former assistant to Tennessee coach Robert Neyland and a longtime Georgia Tech defensive assistant for coach Bobby Dodd,[101] led the Gators to a series of firsts (including their first nine-win season, in 1960). And right now, that smoke is coming from the corner of University Avenue and 13th Street. Dickey was the head coach of Tennessee for the previous six seasons, winning two SEC championships and taking the Volunteers to five bowl games. In an April 2018 email to Stricklin, Frank and Lynn Morang, the parents of former Gators guard Sydney Morang, wrote that Newbauer had "cultivated a toxic environment and is not equipped to coach young athletes who are at a crucial point in their development as women.". The issues have been quickly piling up. The 26-year-old Stanley brought an all-Gator-alumni coaching staff to the program, and the team had a two-year revival after two consecutive losing seasons under Bachman. His simple answer was that the former focused on the personnel themselves while the latter is all about infrastructure first and foremost. Each time, additional information was sought, and these concerns were addressed directly with Cam as we required corrective actions and outlined clear expectations of behavior moving forward," the school said in a statement on Monday. His ten-year tenure was notable for a 64 record against Georgia, four top-twenty final AP Poll rankings, and only two losing seasons. [242] In his final game, the Gators defeated the Seminoles for their first win on FSU's field since 1986. For an account of Durrance's record-breaking season. LaPradd became a football coach at FSU and then president of St. John's River Community College in Palatka. They only scored 30 or more points seven times, a marked turnabout from the "Fun and Gun" days. [88] Thick mud hampered the Florida offense in a game in which coach Bachman had his players convinced they were playing for a shot at a Rose Bowl berth. I'll take responsibility for that.". [109], Cody's finest moment as the Gators' head coach may have been the team's 70 upset of Frank Leahy's undefeated, second-ranked Boston College Eagles in 1939. Those travesties overshadow the womens basketball abuse scandal involving its former head coach. [283] On October 29less than 24 hours after his Gators were drilled 42-7 by GeorgiaMcElwain and school officials mutually agreed to part ways. The Crimson Tide dominated the game, 3213, and went on to win the national championship. The experience of Lorenzen, Searcy and Hayes mirrors that of Cydnee Kinslow, a 6-2 forward, who played for Newbauer during the 2020-21 season. [244] The Gators lost six games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, one more than they had in 12 years under Spurrier. The team also lost at home to Temple 2012 in the last game Pop Warner ever coached. [172] After the final whistle, jubilant Florida players jumped into a tank behind the Orange Bowl end zone usually used by the Miami Dolphins' mascot, "Flipper" and angry Miami coach Fran Curci refused to shake hands with Dickey. When I take in the gestalt of all these pieces, I get the feeling that we are just scratching on the surface of what could be a much bigger institutional issue. Like Lorenzen, Hayes said Newbauer affected her self-esteem and love of the game. In 1989 he admitted supplementing his assistant coaches' salaries with his own funds and was accused of paying child support-related legal expenses for one of his players, a charge he denied. The Gators kicked a field goal with 34 seconds left to upset the Bulldogs, 1716. [19] The 1908 team defeated Stetson at home and played a scoreless tie on the road. They finished with a 94 record[251] and a # 13 final ranking, but Tebow's record-setting season earned him the Heisman Trophy; he was the first sophomore to receive the honor. Give the Title Back", "Florida: Scandal Without Repentence(sic)", "Florida-Auburn 1986: The Greatest Game Ever in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium? Although he never had a losing season, Hall's subsequent teams did not match his early success when the scholarship losses for Pell's violations took their full effect; his first two recruiting classes had only 25 players. [17] The school's first football coach was "Pee Wee" Forsythe, who led the Florida team for three winning seasons (including a 60 win over the Rollins College Tars in their first game). Sophomore end Fergie Ferguson was the Gators' defensive star in the game. Florida won its fourth consecutive game against Tennessee, 306, followed by a 3130 upset by Ole Miss. Against Vanderbilt, the Gators were held to 28 points due to the Commodores' relentless blitzing. [115] The Fergie Ferguson Award is named in his honor. [271], The 2012 defense was much improved. Another source familiar with the school's review of the complaints raised about Newbauer said the university found no evidence that he threw basketballs at players, and received no complaints about Newbauer making racially insensitive comments. [281] In 2016, the Gators again were SEC East champions but again lost big to Alabama in the SEC Championship, 5416. [96], The 1930s and 1940s were difficult for the Gators. [75] Jones and Goldstein repeated as composite All-Southern. Circling back to my earlier point, the Stricklin era has not exactly been smooth sailing, especially more recently. [170], A colorful moment during the Dickey era was a play known as the "Florida Flop" or the "Gator Flop." [132] The Gators peaked under Woodruff during the 1952 season, posting an 83 record and a number-15 AP Poll ranking.

Ohio State won on the game's final play, setting up the Sugar Bowl as the national championship game. His replacement by unanimous vote was Bill Middlekauff, a fullback from previous years. [42] The 1917 season, however, was a 24 disappointment. The 1923 and 1924 teams received national media coverage for the first time, and from 1923 to 1925 the Gators had the best three-year record in the first 20 years of Florida football. [33] The season included the first meeting between the Gators and their in-state rival Miami Hurricanes. The NCAA imposed two years' probation and banned the Gators from bowl consideration in 1990. Several former Gators players told ESPN that current interim head coach Kelly Rae Finley, who served as Newbauer's associate head coach, should be held accountable for failing to intervene, question or stop Newbauer's alleged behavior. The most damaging sanctions in the long run were a limit of 20 new scholarships in 1985 and 1986 and a reduction to 85 total scholarships in 1985 and 75 in 1986. [263] Meyer resumed coaching in time for Florida's spring practice in March 2010. [54][note 10] According to Spalding's Football Guide, the Gators were the best forward passing team in the country. In each of his first two seasons as the Florida's head coach, the Gators won double-digit games, including their bowl berths, and finished the season ranked in the AP's Top 10. This could have all been avoided if college coaches were allowed to have more conversations with student athletes than the NCAA allows. He told ESPN that Newbauer's practices were "emotional" and "intense" and that the former coach's greatest issue was that he coached everyone the same, even those players who might not respond to "hard coaching." Florida defeated Alabama 4530 in the SEC Championship and Texas upset Nebraska in the inaugural Big 12 Championship Game, leaving the third-ranked Gators the best available opponent for the top-ranked Seminoles in the Sugar Bowl. In the second week, quarterbacks Danny Wuerffel and Terry Dean throw a total of seven interceptions against Kentucky. Jack Hairston, "Gators' big-play offense kills Tigers", Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members, Generations of inspiration: The first black football players at UF remain an inspiration to others, "Gator Memories Henry Buckman Starts UF", "Honoring William Wetmore Gibbs ESSIE University of Florida", "ISSUU - 2013 Stetson Football by Stetson University Athletics", "Worth Repeating: Gators hope to reprise title run", 100 things about 100 years of Gator football, "Champions of the South regardless of conference affiliation", Football Row in Havana; Florida University Students Hooted for Breaking Up Game, Tampa Bay's All-Century Team: No. [120], Returning war veterans arrived on the Gainesville campus in the fall of 1946. [195] Two weeks after the end of the season, the NCAA imposed two years of probation (a third year was suspended) and banned the Gators from bowl games and live television in 1985 and 1986.