FanNation

Senior Gator RB Accepts New Role

Kestahn Moore.

The name brings a wince to the faces of many Gator fans.

The senior RB had key fumbles in UF's losses to both Georgia and LSU last year.  In Baton Rouge, he put the ball on the ground with Florida driving for what would have been a back-breaking TD late in the game.  Against UGA, he lost a fumble on the opening drive, mishandled a snap in the red zone later, and ran into the ball carrier on a late 4^th down attempt.

Moore has never electrified the crowd by breaking a long run.  The longest run of his UF career is 32 yards.  He has never even gone over 100 yards rushing in a game.  On an offense stockpiled with playmakers and weapons, he is usually the last one folks get excited about.

Favre's Clever Ruse?

Am I the only one who thinks that Favre to Minnesota isn't dead?

I know that the Packers won't trade him there, but who is to say that the Bucs won't?

John Gruden is pretty happy with his menagerie of QBs, but Favre would be an upgrade.  Tampa will probably make the playoffs with Garcia, and they know that Garcia still has at least 2 seasons in the tank.  If they can get Favre for 2 picks, and then trade him to Minnesota for something better, what is stopping them?

Preseason Heisman Watch

Yep, I know what you are thinking.. and yes, it IS way too early. That being said, you are obviously looking for someone's take by reading this, and I am willing to offer mine.

Welcome to my flock.

The Heisman is the most coveted individual award in all of sports, but no one is supposed to want it. You are supposed to think of your team first, and individual accolades second. That is why it is often award to QBs whose team is undefeated, even though they may not be the "most outstanding" player in the land (see Troy Smith, Jason White, Eric Crouch, Chris Weinke, Gino Torretta, etc).

Preseason Top 25

What goes into making a Pre-season Top 25 list? 

We haven't seen anyone play yet, and there are a myriad of new coaches and coordinators and freshmen with Heisman dreams.... Yet we feel the need to start off with some sort of order for the teams.

Some say that you guess the teams that are going to play for the national title, and you rank them based upon the odds.  That makes sense to a degree, but it leaves for too much speculation.  What if a star player has a sub-par season or someone goes down with an injury.  Since it is college football, you also have to worry about players making the grade, or teenagers acting like teenagers and getting suspended for something.

University of Florida History and Traditions

The University of Florida was founded in 1853, and moved to its current site in Gainesville in 1906.

With this move to a permanent campus, UF also fielded its first football squad in 1906.  By 1932, the Gators joined the SEC, and had firmly established rivalries with many of the member schools.

Playing in the powerhouse SEC, the Gators enjoyed only moderate success until the 1960's.  1966 produced UF's first Heisman winner- QB Steve Spurrier- and the 1969 team finished 9-1-1 in coach Ray Graves' final season.

Another boost for UF during this period was the invention of Gatorade by UF researcher Dr. Robert Cade, through which UF still receives royalties to this day.

The 1970's once again saw the Gators falling behind the rest of the SEC, so in 1979 Charlie Pell was hired to turn the Gators around.  He started building the Gator program into the national power that it is today.  Sadly, his accomplishments were marred by NCAA violations in the 1980's, and led to UF being stripped of its 1984 SEC title, leaving UF still searching for it's first league crown.

In 1990, UF turned the SEC on its head by alumnus Steve Spurrier as its new head coach.  In his first season, his Fun 'n Gun offense took the league by storm and led UF to the best record in the SEC.  Once again, probation kept the Gators from claiming an official crown, but Gator fans everywhere knew that finally their time had come.

Under Spurrier's trademark visor, UF dominated the SEC.  His record setting offenses led to a league wide change.  Other teams were stuggling to keep up with their wishbones and triple options.  Spurrier frequently used 4 and 5 wide reciever sets, and created mismatches all over the field, causing opponents headaches, and their fans heartaches.

One of the things that bugged opposing fans the most was that the Ol' Ball Coach was the world's biggest Gator fan.  He repeatedly took shots at rival teams, and was abundantly confident (if not arrogant) about his offense (which many said would never work in the SEC).

A few of Spurriers best quips:

"You can't spell Citrus without UT." (after sending Peyton Manning's Volunteers to the Citrus bowl yet again)

"I guess FSU stands for Free Shoes University."  (after FSU's Foot Locker scandal)

"God smiled upon the Gators today." (after beating FSU 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl for UF's first National Title.)

In all, Spurrier won 6 SEC titles, including 4 in a row (1993-1996) under 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel.  He also led UF to a 12-0 season in 1995, and its first National Championship over rival FSU in 1996.

When Spurrier left after the 2001 season, UF endured a few subpar seasons under Ron Zook before hiring Urban Meyer to return them to glory. 

Upon his hiring in 2005, Meyer installed the spread offense at UF.  Once again, everyone said that it would never work in the SEC.  In his second year, Meyer silenced the critcs by winning a National Title by drubbing heavily favored Ohio State 41-14.  That 2006 team was led by Sr. QB Chris Leak and freakish freshman Tim Tebow.

The next season Tebow picked up where Leak left off, and took the offense to all new highs.  The sophomore QB became the first person to ever rush for 20 TDs and throw for over 20 TDs a single season.  He set the SEC single season record with 23 rushing TDs, and added another 32 through the air.  The 55 TD effort helped to make him the first underclassman to ever win the Heisman Trophy. 

Tebow's success has also led to many SEC teams following the Gators' lead and installing the spread offense.  Once again, a Gator coach has proven everyone wrong and turned the league upside down.

The future is very bright for UF in 2008 with 18 returning starters, and the young Gator squad heads into the season with a number 5 ranking.

Traditions:

Gator Chomp

The Chomp is the most loved and recognized (mocked and reviled by opponents) tradition at UF.  It is led by the band playing the theme song from Jaws, and done by Gator fans young and old after big plays and before kickoffs.

Gator Walk

A new tradition started by Urban Meyer has the Gators empty the team busses on University Avenue, and walk through the crowd of fans on their way to the stadium.

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE COME THE GATORS!!!!!!!!

90,000 fans lose their mind as the team is introduced by the stadium announcer.

We Are the Boys

Fans wrap their arms around their neighbor and sway left to right while singing at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Mr. Two Bits

George Edmondson started this common gameday cheer in 1949, and has been doing it for almost 60 years.  His age no longer allows him to attend EVERY Gator game as he once did, so Albert dons the Yellow Shirt and Gator tie in his absence.  When George is in town, he gets the crowd going before the game, and even pops up around the stadium to get individual sections going.

Albert

Our beloved mascot has been going strong since 1911. His female counterpart is Alberta.

Orange and Blue

The official colors were adopted in 1910, and the stadium has been chanting them for years.  Half of the stadium is designated "Orange", and half is "Blue".  The roar reverberates around the bowl.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field

Named for UF benefactor Ben Hill Griffin Jr. in 1989, the stadium offically holds 88,000, but regularly hosts more than 90,000.

Nationally recognized as one of the loudest and toughest places in the country to play, The Swamp (as it was dubbed by Spurrier in 1991) has been a nightmare for opponents to play since 1990.  The Gators are 94-11 at home since then, good for 2nd best winning percentage in the country in that time period.

The stadium is regularly listed among the Top 10 Sporting Venues in America by the likes of ESPN and SI.

Ring of Honor

The UF Ring of Honor was introduced by Coach Urban Meyer to honor former Gator legends.

To be considered for induction into the Ring of Honor, a person must have been removed from UF for five seasons, be in good standing with the University, and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Heisman Trophy Winners
• Former UF All-Americans Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame for Accomplishments as Players 
• Former UF All-Americans Who Are NFL Career Category Leaders
• Collegiate Career Category Leaders
• Coaches with at least 1 National Championship
• Coaches with at least 3 SEC Championships 
• Players with 2 or more consensus All-American honors (AP, Walter Camp, Sporting News, AFCA, FWAA, UPI) who have also been named National Offensive/Defensive Players of Year (AP, Walter Camp, Sporting News, ABC, AFCA, FWAA, UPI)
  Read the Rest