Gator Country

The Gators’ signing class of 1987 included a running back from Pensacola Escambia High School named Emmitt Smith. His Gator debut was an unheralded one at Miami on Sept. 4. Smith carried the ball five times for 16 yards.

The following week, however, Smith broke off a 66-yard run and finished the day with 109 yards on just 10 carries. The SEC opener on Sept. 19, 1987 was at Legion Field in Birmingham, and Florida coach Galen Hall announced that Smith would get his first start.

And, as they say, the rest is history. Here’s the Associated Press dispatch on the game:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Freshman Emmitt Smith, making his first collegiate start, ran for a school-record 224 yards and two touchdowns as Florida upset 11th-ranked Alabama, 23-14, Saturday in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Smith, who finished his high school career in Pensacola last year as the third leading rusher in high school history, was the workhorse throughout the overcast day for the Gators, taking the pressure off the strong Alabama rush on Bell.

The Gators would go on to a disappointing 6-6 season which ended with a loss to UCLA in the Aloha Bowl. Emmitt Smith, however, had a record-breaking season for the Gators. He became the first freshman to run for 1,000 yards by the end of his seventh game, beating the record held by Herschel Walker and Tony Dorsett.

The Gators had six players on the All-SEC first team: Smith, Clifford Charlton, Jarvis Williams, Louis Oliver, Rhondy Weston and Jeff Roth.

In all, Florida has played nine times on Sept. 19 and the Gators are 5-4 in those games on This Day in Gator History.

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