The 80’s would prove to be a decade of breakthroughs and heartaches for the Gators.  After doing a great deal to unite, organize and expand the booster network as well as upgrade facilities and regain UF’s #1 status with in-state recruits, Charley Pell brought in an excellent class of recruits and the Gators pulled off the (at the time) biggest single season turnaround in college football history going 8-4 in 1980.  Under the leadership of highly accurate freshman QB Wayne Peace, the Gators exploded out of the gate defeating Cal and Georgia Tech, Louisville and Auburn with only a loss to LSU in the first seven games setting up a huge contest against the undefeated poodles in Jacksonville.  Behind Peace’s passing, the running of Fullback James Jones, the Gators held a slim lead late in the game and had Georgia backed up near its own endzone with time running out.  Then some WR for Georgia made a play when the Gator safety slipped and UGA won at the last minute 26-21. The Gators were rewarded with a Tangerine Bowl invitation where they defeated Maryland 35-20 behind a big game from Chris Collinsworth.

The 1981 season would be somewhat of a disappointment ending with a 7-5 record and ending with a sound beating by West Virginia in the cold of Atlanta’s peach bowl.  The highlight of the season was a 35-3 whipping administered to fsu ending fsu’s 4 game winning streak and starting what would turn out to be a 6 game winning streak for the Gators.  1982 was slightly better at 8-4 and including thrilling victories over Miami (17-14 won on a spectacular one handed catch late in the game by star Fullback James Jones) a 17-9 victory over USC in which OLB Wilbur Marshall had one of the most dominating days for any Defensive player in Gator history, as well as victories over Auburn and fsu.  Wilbur Marshall was named as the national defensive player of the year.

1983 marked a turning point.  Led by Senior Quarterback Wayne Peace and Senior Fullback James Jones and with Pell’s recruits now experienced, the Gators were one of the strongest teams in the country finishing 9-2-1 and a #6 national ranking – at the time the Gators’ highest finish since the start of the AP poll in 1936.  The season included a 28-3 shellacking of eventual national champion miami, a 53-14 demolition of fsu and a 14-6 Gator Bowl victory over Iowa.

The 1984 season started out with a loss to miami and a tie to LSU.  Charlie Pell had been operating under the cloud of an NCAA investigation and agreed to resign at the end of the season.  After UF was charged with 107 NCAA infractions (later dropped to 67), university president Marshall Criser fired Pell and named Offensive Coordinator Galen Hall as interim coach.  The very talented Gator squad now led by surprising Freshman QB Kerwin Bell – a former walk-on from tiny May, FL proceeded to rattle off 8 straight victories.  The Gators relied on the running of star backs Neal Anderson, Lorenzo Hamption and John L. Williams (all of whom were later to be first round NFL draft choices.  The way was paved by an Offensive Line so powerful it was dubbed “the Great Wall of Florida” and the running game was complemented by a talented receiver corps led by WR Ricky Nattiel and TE Walter Odom.  The Defense was talented and deep as well with linebackers Ron Moten, Alonzo Johnson, Clifford Charlton and Mark Korff.  Alonzo Mitz  and Tim Newton were dominant Defensive Linemen.   The secondary was patrolled by star players Adrian White and Jarvis Williams among others.  Victories included a 24-3 drubbing of Auburn including star Tailback Bo Jackson, a 27-0 shellacking of Georgia, 43-30 in an exciting shootout over a dangerous Tennessee squad and a 27-17 victory over fsu. 

With their 5-0-1 conference record the Gators had finally delivered a long awaited SEC championship to Gainesville.  After the successful run, Galen Hall was named as the permanent head coach.  Several notable selectors including the DeVold System, the Dunkel System, Mathews Grid Ratings, the New York Times, Rothman Fact, the Sporting News and Sagarin all named Florida as national champions that year.  The news was not all good however.  NCAA sanctions handed down at the end of the season meant that Florida would be ineligible for a bowl game for two years and scholarship sanctions were particularly severe.  In a surprising move in the following Spring the SEC athletic directors voted not only to adopt a new rule banning teams on probation from claiming the conference title but to then apply the new rule retroactively in order to strip Florida’s 1984 SEC championship.  The university refused to return the championship trophy earned under the rules in place at the time and it still rests in Gainesville.

In 1985 the Gators repeated their 9-1-1 mark from the prior season including key victories over miami, LSU, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Auburn and fsu.  The lone loss was a stunning 24-3 defeat to Georgia in Jacksonville.  Sagarin again named Florida as national champions for that season. 

1986 marked the beginning of a downturn in Florida’s fortunes as the effect of NCAA scholarship sanctions took hold.  With star backs Neal Anderson and John L. Williams as well as the Great Wall which cleared their way gone, Florida had great difficult running the ball.  The passing game was still very potent but a knee injury to star Quarterback Kerwin Bell led to 4 straight losses early in the season.  With Florida trailing Auburn 17-0 at home in the 4^th quarter, the injured Bell was finally inserted back into the lineup.  What followed was one of the most dramatic 4^th quarter rallies in Gator history culminating in the gimpy Bell limping into the Endzone for the winning 2 point conversion.  Bell would lead the Gators to an equally surprising upset victory over Georgia the following week.  An upset loss to Kentucky ended any bowl hopes for that season but Bell’s magic was not done as he engineered a dramatic game winning touchdown drive late in the 4^th quarter hitting receiver Ricky Nattiel in the back of the endzone in a driving rainstorm in Tallahassee to upset fsu.  The Gators finished the season with a 6-5 mark.

1987 marked the emergence of one of the brightest stars in Gator history as Freshman Tailback Emmitt Smith broke Red Bethea’s school single game rushing record of 209 yards set against Amos Alonzo Stagg’s Chicago team in 1930 with a 39 carry 224 yard effort against Alabama in his first start.  Smith would go on to rush for a school single season record 1341 yards and be named as Freshman of the Year.  Star Quarterback Kerwin Bell also returned but the young wide receiver corps was not up to the task and the passing game struggled.  The Offensive Line and the Defense were plagued by a lack of depth due to the loss of so many scholarships and the team struggled to a 6-6 finish after losing a very close 20-16 contest against UCLA in the Aloha Bowl in Hawaii on the games’ final play as a Kerwin Bell pass fell incomplete in the endzone.

The 1988 season got off to a fast start with the Gators coming out 5-0 led by freshman Quarterback Kyle Morris.  A series of injuries to key players including Emmitt Smith, star receiver Stacey Simmons and at one point seven Offensive starters however combined with Florida’s lack of depth due to a depleted roster led to a 6-5 finish and an All-American Bowl berth against Illinois led by talented Quarterback Jeff George.  Emmitt Smith was named the game’s MVP after rushing for 159 yards and scoring the winning score late in the 4^th quarter in a tight 14-10 contest.  Outside Linebacker Huey Richardson led a fierce Gator front which limited Ilinois to 55 yards rushing and harassed Quarterback Jeff George all night.  With the bowl victory, the Gators finished the season at 7-5.

The 1989 season started out promisingly with a 6-1 record, but the suspension of starting Quarterback Kyle Morris for a gambling scandal crippled the passing game and the team finished by losing 4 of its last 5 games to finished 7-5.  Despite the mediocre record, there were some highlights to the season such as the excellent play of Tailback Emmitt Smith (1599 yards) and a solid young Defense.  Unfortunately, Galen Hall had his own brush with the NCAA involving paying assistant coaches out of his own pocket and an allegation of paying the child support-related legal expenses of one of his players.  Despite the lack of any eyewitnesses or any documentary or other indeed any evidence to support this allegation, Florida was assessed a bowl ban for the following season and Galen Hall was fired by university president Robert Bryan after the 5^th game of the 1989 season. Hall ended his career with a 40–18 record (good for a 69.167 winning percentage) at Florida.  Defensive Coordinator Gary Darnell was named interim coach and finished the 1989 season.

Florida finished the decade with a 76-38-3 record for a winning percentage of 66.24%.   On December 30 1989, Florida named Steve Spurrier as head coach.  The following year the state legislature adopted a law requiring the NCAA to obey due process and to show any evidence it had for allegations of NCAA rules violations for any future infraction actions in the state of Florida.

Cris “Cadillac” Collinsworth 1977-1980 WR Chris “Cadillac” Collinsworth started his Gator career as a Quarterback and still holds the school record for the longest TD pass (99 yards) but with his 6’5’ frame and sprinter’s speed, was moved to Wide Receiver in his sophomore season.  Still 4^th on Florida’s all-time receiving chart, he was named a first team All-American in his Senior Season.  He was a first round draft pick in the NFL draft where he went on to become NFL Rookie of the Year, was selected as an All-Pro 4 times and finished his career as the Cincinati Bengals’ all-time leading receiver.

Wilber Marshall !980-1983 Outside Linebacker.  After switching from Tight End to Linebacker, he was a two time first team All-American and was named as the National Defensive Player of the Year for 1983.  Marshall also finished his career as the school’s all-time sack leader.  He was a first round draft choice of the Chicago Bears, and was selected as an All-Pro 4 times.  He has been named to various “Team of the Century” lists and was inducted into the Gator Ring of Honor.  He, along with Jack Youngblood are considered to be the finest defensive players in school history.

Lomas Brown 1981-1984 Offensive Tackle.  He was a 4 year starter and anchored the Great Wall of Florida during his career at Florida.  Brown was a first round draft choice of the Detroit Lions and earned All-Pro status 6 times during a lengthy 17 year professional career.  Brown is considered to be perhaps the finest Offensive Lineman in school history.

Alonzo Johnson 1982-1985 Outside Linebacker Johnson was named as an All-American after both the 1984 and 85 seasons and finished his career as the all-time sack leader at Florida and in the top 10 all-time list for career tackles.  He was a first round draft choice of the Philedelphia Eagles in the NFL draft.  Johnson was named to the Gators All-Century team.

Jeff Zimmerman 1983-1986 Offensive Guard Another key piece of the Great Wall of Florida, Zimmerman was named as a first team All-American in 1985 and 1986.  This mammoth (330 pound) Linemen went on to play for 5 seasons in the NFL.

Clifford Charlton 1984-1987 Outside Linebacker A two time first team All-SEC choice who was also named as a first team All-American in 1987.  Charlton was a first round selection in the NFL draft.

Jarvis Williams 1984-1987 Cornerback/Strong Safety.  Jarvis Williams was a 4 year starter at Florida, a two time first team All-SEC selection and a first team All-American in 1987 and is considered to be one of the fiercest hitters in school history. He was a second round selection in the NFL draft where he enjoyed a 7 year professional career.

Louis Oliver 1985-1988 Free Safety. This former walk-on was named as a two time first team All-American in 1987 and 88.  Oliver was a first round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins who went on to play professionally for 8 years.  Oliver has been named to various “Team of the Century” lists and is widely considered to be one of the finest Defensive Backs in school history.

Trace Armstrong 1988 Defensive Tackle Armstrong played only one season at Florida after transferring from Arizona State.  During that one season he recorded more tackles for loss than any Defensive Lineman in school history and earned selection as a first team All-American.  He was a first round draft choice of the Chicago Bears and enjoyed a very successful 15 year NFL career.

Emmitt Smith 1987-1989 Tailback One of the most high profile recruits in school history, Emmitt very quickly lived up to all of his press clippings.  In his first start, he broke Red Bethea’s school single game rushing record with a 39 carry 224 yard performance against Alabama.  Smith became the fastest player to 1,000 yards in NCAA history (7 games) and set school single season rushing records in both his Freshman (1341 yards) and Junior (1599 yards) seasons despite playing for Gator teams that could not pass the ball effectively.  Smith was named a the National Freshman of the Year in 1987 and was a consensus first team All-American in 1989 while again breaking the school single game rushing mark with a 316 yard rushing effort against New Mexico State as well as the longest rushing Touchdown (96 yards vs Mississippi State).  Smith finished his 3 year Gator career with 58 school records. 

After leaving school a year early was a first round selection of the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL draft.  In the NFL, Smith went on to be the only running back to ever win a Super Bowl championship, the NFL Most Valuable Player award, the NFL rushing crown, and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award all in the same season (1993). He is also one of four running backs to lead the NFL in rushing three or more consecutive seasons, the first player in NFL history with 11 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, the first player in NFL history with 5 consecutive 1,400 yard seasons, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and the all-time career rushing touchdown leader.  Emmitt Smith was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame and the Gator Ring of Honor.

Kerwin Bell 1984-1987 Quarterback this former walk-on from tiny Mayo won the starting job in his Freshman season when the starter was injured during practice.  He went on to be named SEC Freshman of the Year, become a 4 year starter and finish his career as the school’s all-time leading passer while leading the team to outstanding success in both the 1984 and 1985 seasons.  He went on to a 14 year career in the NFL, CFL and World League of American Football.  Bell has enjoyed success as both a high school and college coach.  He is currently the head football coach at Jacksonville University.

Ricky “the Rocket” Nattiel 1983-1986 Wide Receiver.  Ricky “the Rocket” Nattiel was as moniker implies blazingly fast.  He enjoyed a very successful career as Kerwin Bell’s primary target at Florida and ended his career with the game winning touchdown catch in a driving rainstorm to beat fsu.  He was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos where he went on to become one of the Broncos’ very successful “Three Amigos” trio of Wide Receivers during his NFL career.

James Jones 1979-1982 Fullback Jones was a star Fullback at Florida and is best remembered for his spectacular one-handed catch to beat miami in 1982.  He was a first round draft choice of the Detroit Lions where he went on to a 10 year NFL career.

Neal Anderson 1982-1985 Tailback from tiny Graceville, Anderson proved to be an excellent player at Florida.  He was a first round draft choice of the Chicago Bears where he was named All-Pro 4 times during an 8 year career, he is currently the Bears second leading career rusher behind Walter Payton.

Lorenzo Hampton 1980-1983 Tailback was a very effective runner at Florida with his slashing running style and good speed he finished with over 2,000 career yards.  .  Hampton was a first round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins where he went on to a 5 year NFL career.

John L. Williams 1982-1985 Fullback.  Originally recruited as a Tailback, John L. Williams powerful frame made him a natural choice to move to Fullback with a logjam of talent (Lorenzo Hampton and Neal Anderson) at Tailback.  As a Fullback, Williams proved to be exceptional as a runner, receiver and blocker at Florida.  He was a first round draft choice of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL draft, he was twice named All-Pro during his 10 year NFL career.

David Little 1977-1980 Inside Linebacker was a very productive 3 year starter at Florida who finished his career with 375 tackles and was named a first team All-American in 1980.  Little went on to a very productive 12 year NFL career 9 of which he was the starting Middle Linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Crawford “Big Daddy” Ker 1983-1984 Offensive Guard Crawford “Big Daddy” Ker so named because of his tremendous strength (515 pound bench press) was a Junior College transfer from Arizona Western where he was named as a Juco All-American.  Ker was another key piece in the Great Wall of Florida which paved the way for Florida’s very powerful ground game.  He was named an All-American in 1984 and went on to a 7 year NFL career.  Ker is currently the owner of the “Ker’s Winghouse” chain of restaurants.

David Galloway 1978-1981 Defensive Tackle had an injury marred career at Florida but finally stayed healthy and reached his potential in 1981 when he was named as an All American.  He was a second round draft choice in the NFL draft and went on to enjoy a 10 year career.

Dan Fike 1979-1982 Offensive Tackle Fike was a productive 3 year starter at Florida where was twice named All-SEC.  He went on to a 9 year NFL career.

Alonzo Mitz 1982-1985 Defensive Tackle Mitz a 3 year starter and a force on the Defensive Line for the very powerful Florida teams of the mid 80’s. He went on to a 6 year NFL career.

“Iron” Mike Mularkey 1978-1981 Tight End “Iron Mike” was a talented athlete who had been a quarterback in high school but with his 6’4’ 245 pound frame had no problem moving to Tight End where he was a very productive player and went on to a 9 year NFL career.  After playing, Mularkey got into coaching.  He has held various high profile positions in the NFL including being named head coach of the Buffalo Bills.  He is currently the Offensive Coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.

Tim Newton 1981-1984 Nose Tackle.  Newton was a talented but somewhat short Linebacker in High School who moved to Nose Tackle at Florida.  At Nose Tackle he soon became a dominant force due to his quickness and tremendous strength often taking on double team blocks and still plugging the middle.  He was a mainstay of the fierce Gator Defenses of the mid 80’s.  Newton went on to an 8 year NFL career.

Adrian White 1983-1986 Strong Safety White was a talented athlete from Orange Park who was twice named All-SEC and was a 2^nd round draft choice in the NFL draft.  He went on to a 6 year NFL career.  He is currently an assistant coach with the Buffalo Bills.

Tony Lilly 1980-1983 Free Safety earned a reputation as a fierce hitter with a bit of a mean streak.  He went on to play for the Denver Broncos for 5 seasons where he started in Super Bowl XXII.  Lilly is currently a highly successful high school football coach in Virginia.

Mark Korff  1983-1984 Linebacker a Juco transfer who was a productive 2 year starter

Andy Newman 1987-1989 Safety/Long Snapper.  His career was cut short by a foot injury

Ray McDonald 1981-1984 Wide Receiver a productive player who was a 3^rd round selection in the NFL draft.

Charley Pell was the head coach of the Gators from 1979 to 1984  He compiled a 33-26-3 record (55.645% winning percentage)

Richard Starowesky 1985-1988 Offensive Guard struggled somewhat in pass blocking due to his height (6'0') but he was a bulldozer in run blocking

Jeff Roth 1985-1988 Noseguard Although a bit undersized, Roth made up for his lack of bulk with excellent quickness and good strength.  he was twice named All-SEC

David Williams 1985-1988 Offensive Tackle. Named All-America at Florida, Williams was a first round selection in the NFL draft where he went on to a 9 year career.

Fernando Jackson  1979-1982 Outside Linebacker. 

Pat Moorer 1985-1988 Middle Linebacker.  This former walk-on from Pensacola Escambia was a major contributor for the Gators starting all 4 years in Gainesville.

Wayne Williams 1984-1987 Tailback a highly regarded prospect who never quite lived up to his press clippings.  He was nonetheless instrumental in Florida's 1986 victory over fsu in Tallahassee.

Stacey Simmons 1986-1989 Wide Receiver  Simmons possessed blazing speed and was becoming a dominant force at receiver until a devastating knee injury suffered in 1988.  Although he was able to come back and play the next season he had clearly lost a step.

Rhondy Weston 1985-1988 Defensive Tackle an all SEC performer at Florida, he teamed with Jeff Roth and Trace Armstrong to give the Gators a dominant Defensive line in 1988.

Willie McGrady 1988 Fullback a powerful blocker whose career was ended by a neck injury

Tracy Daniels

Galen Hall  was the Gators' head coach from 1984-1989 He compiled a 40-18-1 record (68.664% winning percentage)

Chris Bromley

Ray Criswell

Bruce Vaughan

Dwayne Dixon 1980-1983 Wide Receiver More of a possession receiver than a deep threat, Dixon was very productive despite his lack of great speed.

Wayne Peace 1980-1983 Quarterback Not blessed with the strongest arm, Peace was still a very effective quarterback due to his ability to read coverages and great accuracy.  He finished his career as the school's all time leading passer

Chris Faulkner   1979-1982 Tight End a steady performer for the Gators who went on to play a couple seasons in the NFL

Tyrone Young Wide Receiver 1979-1982 a very tall receiver, he had a solid career including a spectacular game against UGA in 1980 when he caught 10 passes in the Gators’ upset bid.  He went on to play 2 years in the NFL.

Bob Hewko  Quarterback 1970-1982 Quarterback, a highly touted prospect who alternated with Wayne Peace throughout his career.  He went on to play a couple seasons in the NFL.

Ricky Mulberry Cornerback 1984-1987 a solid 4 year starter.

The Great Wall of Florida (L-R) Crawford Ker, Jeff Zimmerman, Phil Bromley,
Billy Hinson, Lomas Brown

Ricky Nattiel and Walter Odom celebrate a touchdown

Gators vs scUM 1982

Gators 1984 uniform

1985 Gator Defense

Gators 1982 Defense

Early 80’s Gators From top Left Head Coach Charley Pell, Fullback James Jones, The Gator Defense, Quarterback Wayne Peace

Gators Celebrate 1983

Gators vs fsu 1984 27-17

Gators vs fsu 1981 35-3 Tyrone Young blocks for Steven Miller

1988 Gators

1983 Gators vs fsu 53-14 Neal Anderson (27) carries

Mr 2 Bits

Gators Clinch first SEC title with a 25-17 victory over UK-Galen Hall given a victory ride

Gators vs UGA 1984 27-0 Crawford Ker #77 and Mark Korf #59 give Galen Hall a victory ride

Florida Gators 1984 SEC Champions President Marshal Criser holds the New York Times National Championship Trophy while Head Coach Galen Hall holds the SEC Championship Trophy which remains in Gainesville