Escambia was loaded. They could win without giving Emmitt the ball. It just wasnt fair against most teams. We dont have great football up here anymore .
My first Gator hero was Rick Casares. I remember listening to the 1952 Gator Bowl game with my dad and grandfather. We beat Tulsa and Casares was the star. Also, a little later, Steve DeLaTorre. Two way player was starting center and linebacker. All SEC in 1955 and Fergie Ferguson Award winner. Sorry I’m too technologically inept to post pics/info. I tried.
#59 Cal Dixon OL (1988-91) Dixon, from Merritt Island High, was a backup lineman as a true freshman in 1988 (seeing time at center, guard and tackle), then started the next three seasons at center. He was a first-team All-SEC selection in ’90 and ’91. He also was a four-time SEC academic honor roll pick. He is one of our Jacobs winners and the only Gator to win a Jacobs and a Fergie. The Fergie Ferguson Award goes to the Gator senior who displays great leadership and character. That he was the starting center on teams that won the 1990 (according to all sane people) and 1991 SEC championships says a lot. Other notables: LB Mark Korff, LB Mike Nattiel, C Wyley Ritch, OL Butch Condon..
I think Mark Korff was a blonde headed California guy who played MLB for us. Didn't he die in a motorcycle accident years back?
Correct, he passed in 1998 at 35. Kick a Mercedes in his honor. Mark Curtis Korff (1963-1998) - Find a Grave...
#58 Johnny Rutledge LB (1995-98) He starred at Belle Glade Glades Central, then became a three-year starter for Florida. He was a first-team All-SEC pick as a senior in 1998 after getting a second-team nod in ’97. He was part of one of the best linebacking trios in UF history in 1998, lining up with Jevon Kearse and Mike Peterson on either side of him. Rutledge finished his career with 307 tackles and 37.5 tackles for loss. Other notables: LB Fred Abbott, DT Dominique Easley, DE Mike Kerr, LB Ron Moten.
#57 Kevin Carter DE (1991-94) Carter was a stud linebacker at Tallahassee Lincoln, but played end at UF. He was a three-year starter and is sixth in sacks (21.8) and 11th in tackles for loss (42.3) in school history. He was an All-American as a senior in 1994 and was the first defensive player selected in the 1995 NFL Draft (sixth overall). Other notables: OL Carl Johnson, LB David Poff, DE Jeremy Mincey, DE Bobby McCray, LB Jerry Odom.
#56 Maurkice Pouncey C (2007-09) Pouncey and his twin, Mike (55), were part of a seven-player contingent from Lakeland High that signed with Florida in the 2007 recruiting cycle. He started at guard as a freshman (he was the first true freshman to start a season-opener at guard in school history), then moved to center in his final two years on campus. Pouncey won the Rimington Award as the nation’s best center in 2009, when he was a consensus All-American. He left school after his junior season and was a first-round pick in the 2010 draft. Other notables: All-American (1987) OLB Clifford Charlton, DT Tim Newton, DE Cameron Davis, LB Daryl Owens, OL Tony Rowell.
#55 Ralph Ortega LB (1972-74) Ortega is considered one of the all-time great defensive players in UF history. He was a two-time All-SEC selection and a first team All-American in his senior season. He was a three-year starter who had 357 tackles, 12 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries and five interceptions in his career. #55 Scot Brantley LB (1976-79) He was the national high school defensive player of the year in 1975 at Ocala Forest and was an immediate starter at UF, earning SEC freshman of the year plaudits in 1976. He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 1977 and ’78. He is second in school history with 467 tackles even though he missed the final nine games of his senior season after suffering a head injury. Only two Gators ever had their numbers retired -- Steve Spurrier and Brantley (the numbers were later unretired by Spurrier). Brantley is a true Florida legend. Other notables: C Mike Pouncey, LB Channing Crowder, DE Willie Cohens, OL Jimmy Ray Stephens, OL Richard Kensler.
Don't rock the boat, man! I mentioned this earlier, things were said, and now we're just going with it!
I'm not posting over the weekends because folks care more about their summer fun. So this will soon work itself out. How many Saturdays and Sundays now until kickoff?
#54 James Harrell LB (1975-78) Yet another walk-on success story for the Gators. Harrell, an unknown coming out of high school and for much of his UF career, had a big 1978 season and followed it up with a long career in the NFL. #54 Mark Murray DE (1987-90) Murray was a touted inside linebacker from Apopka High who moved to an edge rush spot as a sophomore in 1988. He never weighed more than 233 pounds at UF but still was a two-year starter, at tackle and then end. He was a second-team All-SEC pick at end as a senior in 1990. Other notables: DE Willie Rodgers
