The Greatest Gators of All Time
Ryan Hunt
January 17, 2007
If you were selecting a team from Florida's alltime best, who would you choose? Here are SI's picks
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OFFENSE
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QB
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DANNY WUERFFEL
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1993?96
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Only Gator to win both Heisman Trophy and national title
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RB
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EMMITT SMITH
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1987?89
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His 316 yards vs. New Mexico in '89 is Florida's single-game best
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FB
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JOHN L. WILLIAMS
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1982?85
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Teamed with Neal Anderson to form UF's best backfield duo
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WR
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CARLOS ALVAREZ
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1969?71
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Eighty-eight-catch season ('69) still stands as Florida record
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WR
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IKE HILLIARD
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1994?96
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Had three TD catches in win that gave Gators first national title
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WR
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WES CHANDLER
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1974?77
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Two-time first-team All-America despite playing in wishbone
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T
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LOMAS BROWN
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1981?84
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First Gators OL taken in first round of NFL draft (No. 6 in '85)
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T
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DAVID WILLIAMS
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1985?88
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Cleared path for Emmitt and was honorable mention All-America twice
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G
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JEFF ZIMMERMAN
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1983?86
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First Gators OL to be a first-team All-America twice
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G
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BURTON LAWLESS
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1972?74
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Strong and agile pulling guard earned All-America in '74
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C
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JEFF MITCHELL
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1993?96
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Key member of line on four SEC championship teams
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DEFENSE
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DE
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JACK YOUNGBLOOD
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1968?70
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Only Gator in both college and pro football halls of fame
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DT
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CHARLIE LAPRADD
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1950?52
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Army paratrooper before becoming two-way lineman
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DT
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BRAD CULPEPPER
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1988?91
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First-team All-America in '91 with 21� tackles for losses
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DE
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ALEX BROWN
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1998?01
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Holds UF record with 33 sacks—five vs. Vols—in '99
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LB
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WILBER MARSHALL
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1980?83
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Best defender in Gators history was two-time consensus All-America
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LB
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SCOT BRANTLEY
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1976?79
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SEC Freshman of the Year had career cut short by head injury as senior
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LB
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JEVON KEARSE
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1996?98
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Before moving to DE in NFL, the Freak was all over the field at Florida
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CB
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STEVE TANNEN
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1967?69
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Ball hawk in secondary and special-teams dynamo
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CB
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LITO SHEPPARD
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1999?01
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One of only four Gators sophomores to earn first-team All-America honors
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FS
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LOUIS OLIVER
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1985?88
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UF's most decorated defensive back started career as a walk-on
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SS
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JARVIS WILLIAMS
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1984?87
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Big-time hitter never missed a start in Gators career
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SPECIAL TEAMS
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P
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BOBBY JOE GREEN
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1958?59
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Boomed 82-yard punt vs. Georgia ('58); averaged 44.9 yards in '59
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K
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JEFF CHANDLER
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1998?01
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Alltime leader in points, second in field goal accuracy
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KR
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JACK JACKSON
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1992?94
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Standout receiver averaged 26.1 yards per return in career
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PR
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HAL GRIFFIN
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1946?49
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Had returns of 97, 87 and 75 yards in '46 and one for 82 in '47
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COACH
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STEVE SPURRIER
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1990?01
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Went 122-27-1; won six SEC regular-season crowns and UF's first national title
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THE ALLTIME GATORS TEAM
From Alvarez to Zimmerman, Florida's finest have made their marks on college football
[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]
JEVON KEARSE
LB | CAREER: 1996?98
HIGHLIGHTS: All-America (1998)
NICKNAMED the Freak for his superhuman combination of speed and size, Kearse began his career at Florida as a 6' 4", 265-pound safety and ended up as a finalist for the Butkus Award in '98, when he had 54 tackles (34 solo) and 7� sacks. The following year, as an NFL rookie with the Titans, Kearse set the league single-season rookie record for sacks, with 14�.
DANNY WUERFFEL
QB | CAREER: 1993?96
HIGHLIGHTS: Completed 708 of 1,170 passes for 10,875 yards, Heisman Trophy ('96)
A TWO-TIME All-America, Wuerffel finished with a 34-5-1 record, 114 touchdown passes and a Division I-A?best 163.56 passer rating—not to mention Florida's first national title.
WES CHANDLER
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