The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party
Encyclopedia
The Florida vs. Georgia Football Classic or Georgia vs. Florida Football Classic is an an American college football
game played annually by the University of Florida
Gators
and the University of Georgia
Bulldogs
nearly every year since 1915. The name of the game rotates each year depending on which team is the designated home team
. It is one of the great rivalry games
in college football, and since 1933 it has been held in Jacksonville, Florida
, with only two exceptions, making it one of the few remaining neutral-site rivalries. The game attracts huge crowds to Jacksonville, and the associated tailgating
and other events earned it the nickname of the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party". Since 1992, the game has usually been played on the last Saturday in October.
, and Georgia won 52–0. However, this was not the modern University of Florida in Gainesville
, but one of its four predecessor institutions: a school previously known as Florida Agricultural College, based in Lake City
. Florida's University Athletic Association
does not include this game in the series record, as it occurred before the modern university was established by the Florida Legislature
in 1905, and before the new entity fielded its first officially-recognized football team in 1906.
The first game acknowledged by both schools was held in Jacksonville in 1915, and except for the 1943 season when Florida did not field a team during World War II
, the teams have met every year since 1926. From 1916 to 1932, the game was played at several different sites in Georgia (Athens
and Savannah
), and Florida (Tampa
, Gainesville
and Jacksonville). Every year since 1933, the game has been held in Jacksonville, except for 1994 and 1995, when the contest was held at the respective schools' campus stadiums due to the reconstruction of what is now EverBank Field for the National Football League
's Jacksonville Jaguars
expansion team.
The two teams disagree as to the overall series record as a result of their disagreement over whether to count the 1904 game. Following the 2011 contest, Georgia held a 48–40–2 overall record by its reckoning, and 47–40–2 by Florida's count. Florida has compiled an 18–4 record in the series since 1990 (Georgia winning in 1997, 2004, 2007 and 2011), following a dominating 15–5 streak by Georgia in the 1970s and 1980s.
The designated "home" team alternates from year to year, with ticket distribution split evenly between the fans of the two teams. In past years, fans from Florida and Georgia were assigned seats grouped in alternating sections of the stadium, and the contrasting colors worn by the fans created a "beach ball" visual effect in the stands. Recently the seating arrangement has split the stadium lengthwise and fans sit on the side corresponding to the sideline their team occupies. Before the game, much tailgating takes place on the Jacksonville Landing
, a riverfront plaza facing the St. Johns River
.
and other happenings. As a result the game and associated revelry have been known as "the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party", a nickname first coined in the 1950s by Bill Kastelz, sports editor for The Florida Times-Union
. Kastelz claimed he came up with the name after seeing a drunk, stumbling fan offer an alcoholic beverage to an on-duty police officer. The "Cocktail Party" nickname proved so popular that the City of Jacksonville used it for many years. However, the city dropped it from most official usage in 1988 following a series of alcohol-fueled outbursts. In 1984, Florida fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts after a 27–0 victory; the following year, a 24–3 Georgia win led Bulldogs fans to do the same, ultimately resulting in 65 arrests. Thereafter, the city cracked down on excessive drinking and soon dropped its use of the name. In 2006 both schools and the Southeastern Conference
asked CBS
and the city to abandon the name in promotions due to concerns about alcohol abuse by students and other attendees. As a result, the rivalry has lacked an official name. It is now officially known as the "Florida vs. Georgia Football Classic" or "Georgia vs. Florida Football Classic", with the names alternating each season so that the "home" team is listed first.
Unlike many college sports rivalries, the Florida–Georgia game historically has not been played for a trophy
. The city of Jacksonville announced that it would award the winning teams the goal posts from the game in 1986, in order to persuade fans not to storm the field and destroy them as they had the previous two years. However, no goal posts were ever given out as neither university wanted them.
In 2009, the student governments of the two schools announced a new trophy, the "Okefenokee Oar". The 10-foot long oar was carved from a 1,000-year-old cypress tree that once grew in the Okefenokee Swamp
, which straddles the Florida–Georgia border and was the source of an interstate boundary dispute. Beginning with the 2009 contest, the Okefenokee Oar is presented to the winning university's student body president. No trophy is presented at the game, however.
Some persons associated with the University of Georgia, including head coach Mark Richt
, have expressed interest in moving the game away from Jacksonville periodically or entirely. The most frequently cited reason is Georgia's 4–18 win-loss record in the series since 1990, leading to questions about whether Jacksonville, located 342 miles (550.4 km) from Athens but only 73 miles (117.5 km) from Gainesville, is truly a neutral site. As such, some Georgia fans and officials have suggested moving the game to the home stadiums, or playing alternately on the campuses, in Jacksonville, and in the Georgia Dome
in Atlanta, Georgia
every four years. Others, such as former Georgia athletic director Damon Evans
, have dismissed the idea that Georgia's recent losing record is due to the game being played in Jacksonville. University of Florida officials maintain that it makes financial sense to keep the game in Jacksonville; both universities stand to lose revenue if the game were played on a standard "home-and-away" basis. Furthermore, as a proposed alternate site, the Georgia Dome seats 13,000 fewer spectators than EverBank Field. In 2009, Georgia's athletic board unanimously agreed to a six-year contract to keep the game in Jacksonville through 2016.
became the 1928 Gators' new head coach, he inherited a team loaded with talent recruited by his predecessor. It was, however, a team that had never beaten the Georgia Bulldogs in six previous meetings, and had been out-scored by a total of 190–6 in those games. Bachman's Gators changed history; led by All-American end Dale Van Sickel
and the "Phantom Four" backfield of Carl Brumbaugh
, Rainey Cawthon, Clyde Crabtree
and Royce Goodbread
, they decisively defeated the 'Dawgs 26–6 in Savannah, Georgia
. In an era before national polling, the 1928 Gators outscored their opponents 336–44, set a single-season national scoring record, and finished 8–1.
The 1929 Gators also defeated the Bulldogs, and the 1930 Gators tied them, but Florida would only win three of the next twenty games in the series against Georgia.
, the 1942 Florida Gators brought an inexperienced 3–4 squad into Jacksonville for the 1942 contest with Georgia. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, still had many veteran players thanks to the draft deferments of the players who were enrolled in the University of Georgia's ROTC program, and brought a 7–0 record and No. 1 ranking to Jacksonville.
Georgia halfback Charley Trippi
and Heisman Trophy
-winning back Frank Sinkwich
combined to score seven touchdowns as Georgia crushed Florida 75–0—the largest margin in series history. The Bulldogs finished the regular season 10–1, won the Southeastern Conference championship, defeated the UCLA Bruins
9–0 in the Rose Bowl
, and were named national champions by multiple polls and ratings services. Meanwhile, the depleted Gators did not win another game during the 1942 season, and with even more players joining the war effort afterward, would not field a team at all in 1943.
1940s were a tough slog for the Florida Gators. Coached by Raymond Wolf
, the Gators' collection of recent high school graduates and returning war veterans suffered the indignity of four consecutive losing seasons—the lowest point in the history of the Gators football program, ironically remembered by the close-knit players as the "Golden Era." But there were still stars and bright moments; Wolf's 1949 Florida Gators were led by senior lineman Jimmy Kynes and running back Chuck Hunsinger
. Given little chance by anyone to beat coach Wally Butts
' Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, Kynes inspired his two-way linemen to their outstanding effort of the season, stopping the Bulldogs' running game on defense, and blocking for Hunsinger on offense. Hunsinger rushed eighteen times for 174 yards and three touchdowns, and the Gators won 28–7, breaking a seven-game Georgia winning streak. Wolf's overall coaching record doomed his four-year tenure in Gainesville, but on that day he was carried from the field by his players.
. That changed with the arrival of Vince Dooley
as the new head coach of the underdog 1964 Georgia Bulldogs. In a game where the Bulldogs' quarterback failed to complete a single pass and was intercepted twice, Dooleys' 'Dogs relied on their running game, a staunch second-half defense, and a little bit of luck to beat Graves' tenth-ranked Florida Gators. With the game tied at 7–7 in the fourth quarter, Bulldogs placekicker Bob Etter
lined up for a potential game-winning field goal. Instead, in a wild broken play, the Bulldogs' center and placeholder mishandled the snap, but Etter picked up the bobbled ball and ran it for a touchdown to win the game 14–7.
Dooley's teams would split their first seven games 3–3–1 against Graves' Gators. Thereafter, Dooley's 'Dogs would go on to dominate the rivalry, winning fourteen of the nineteen games from 1970 to 1988.
title. The Gators' senior quarterback, Steve Spurrier
, had just locked up the Heisman trophy
the previous week with a stellar performance versus the Auburn Tigers
. The Florida–Georgia game turned out very differently, however, as the Bulldogs defense dominated the game, and Spurrier threw three interceptions in the 27–10 Georgia victory.
Spurrier returned to Gainesville as the Gators' head coach in 1990, and emphasized the annual Florida–Georgia contest as the "biggest of the year," and enjoying the Gators' overwhelming 11–1 success against their bitter rivals during his tenure.
Jack Youngblood
, and he pulled off one of the most remarkable plays in Florida football history. With Bulldogs leading 17–10 and in possession of the ball at the Gators' two-yard line, Youngblood stood up Georgia back Ricky Lake short of the goal, forced a fumble and fell on the football. "They ran a lead play to my side, and I cut it off," Youngblood said. "I'm standing there holding the ballcarrier and I take the ball away from him, and gave it back to our offense." Gators quarterback John Reaves
and wide receiver Carlos Alvarez
then connected for two touchdown passes in the final 5:13 to rally the Florida Gators to a 24–17 victory.
, who ran an early one-yard touchdown to put the Gators ahead 7–0. The Gators led 7–3 as time was winding down in the fourth quarter. Georgia's "Junkyard Dawgs" defense allowed yards between the 20-yard-lines, but ceded little ground in the red zone. The Bulldogs set up at their own 20-yard-line with 3:10 remaining, and head coach Vince Dooley
did something he rarely did: he called a trick play. Tight end Richard Appleby accepted the handoff on a reverse to the right, but instead of running downfield, he threw the ball to wide receiver Gene Washington for an improbable 80-yard touchdown play. The Gators' final field goal attempt never had a chance, as the snap was rolled to the holder, and Georgia won 10–7.
decided to go for the first down rather than punt. Gators running back Earl Carr was stopped short by Bulldogs safety Johnny Henderson. Led by quarterback Ray Goff
's game management and running back Kevin McLee's 198-yard rushing performance, the Bulldogs seized the momentum and scored three touchdowns on their way to a come-from-behind 41–27 win. After the game, Dickey said: "We were not outplayed. We were outcoached. I made some dumb calls." Sports writers seized on Dickey's mea culpa, and in subsequent months and years popularized the phrase "fourth and dumb" to refer to Dickey's failed fourth down attempt and the game itself.
found wide receiver Lindsay Scott
open in the middle of the field near the Georgia 25-yard-line, and hit him with a 25-yard pass. Scott darted through Florida's secondary and outran everyone down the sideline, scoring the game-winning touchdown with only seconds left on the game clock.
Long-time Georgia radio announcer Larry Munson
's legendary call of the play (which still gives old fans of both schools the shivers, though for opposite reasons) gave the game its name:
The improbable 93-yard pass play sealed the Bulldogs' 26–21 victory, and kept Georgia's national championship hopes alive. The Bulldogs moved to No. 1 in the next round of polls and would go on to win the 1980 consensus national championship
.
's 1984 Florida Gators entered the contest undefeated in the SEC. The Gators dominated early, building a 17–0 lead by early in the second half. But the Bulldogs seemed to come alive in the third quarter, mounting a long drive; however, Georgia's drive died in the shadow of the Gators' goal line when they were stuffed on fourth down, checking the Bulldogs momentarily but pinning the Gators deep in their own territory. On the third play following the change of possession, Gators quarterback Kerwin Bell
dropped back into his own end zone and lofted a long pass to streaking receiver Ricky Nattiel
, who went 96 yards for a touchdown. The Bulldog momentum was snuffed out and the Gators went on to a convincing 27–0 victory, eventually completing an undefeated conference schedule for the first time in Gators history.
, undefeated, and ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in school history. This would not be a repeat of the 1984 game, however. As they had done so many times in the past, the Bulldogs spoiled Florida's season, defeating the Gators 24–3 with freshmen running backs Keith Henderson
and Tim Worley
both rushing for over 100 yards.
to amass 183 yards and two touchdowns to build a 33–26 fourth-quarter lead. Led by quarterback Eric Zeier
, the Georgia Bulldogs mounted a drive into Florida territory in the final minute and a half. Zeier completed what appeared to be the game-tying touchdown to Jerry Jerman with five seconds remaining in the game. However, Gators cornerback Anthone Lott had called a timeout just before the ball was snapped, forcing the Bulldogs to play the down again. Lott was called for pass interference
on the ensuing play, giving Georgia one last untimed chance to score. Zeier's final pass fell incomplete, and the Gators won a hard-fought, but controversial 33–26 victory.
rebuilt Jacksonville Municipal Stadium still under construction, this traditional neutral-site showdown was held on the universities' campuses for the first time in over sixty years in 1994 and 1995. After winning at "The Swamp
" the previous season, the undefeated 1995 Florida Gators hoped to repeat the feat at Sanford Stadium
against a struggling Georgia Bulldogs team led by soon-to-be-fired coach Ray Goff
.
Gators starting quarterback Danny Wuerffel
threw for 242 yards and five touchdowns before leaving the game in the third quarter. With the Gators leading 38–17 in the fourth quarter, Gators backup quarterback Eric Kresser threw for two more touchdowns, one with 1:21 remaining, to make the final score 52–17. After the game, Gators coach Steve Spurrier stated that he had wanted to be the first opponent to hang "half a hundred" on the Bulldogs in their own stadium because "we heard no one had ever done that before." The Gators' fifty-two points remains the record for most scored against Georgia "between the hedges
."
, the Gators
limped into the game with a 5–3 record and unranked for the first time in over a decade.
Trailing 7–6, the Gators took the lead with a key play on defense. Georgia head coach Mark Richt
had inserted freshman quarterback DJ Shockley to run the offense for a series or two each game during the season. Upon entering the contest in the second quarter, Shockley was intercepted by Florida safety Guss Scott
, who ran it back for a touchdown, giving his team a 12–7 lead after a failed two-point conversion
attempt. The Bulldogs moved the ball but could not punch it into the endzone, settling for two field goals to take a 13–12 lead at halftime.
Defense continued to dominate the game in the second half with the exception of an early fourth-quarter Gator drive that ended with a touchdown pass from quarterback Rex Grossman
and gave Florida a 20–13 advantage. The Georgia offense failed to score again and failed to convert a third-down in thirteen attempts as Florida held on for the upset victory.
Georgia finished the 2002 season 13–1 and won the SEC championship
, but the defeat by the Gators almost certainly cost the Bulldogs a chance to play for the BCS National Championship.
are remembered for the "Gator Stomp," a first-quarter mass celebration of the entire Georgia team in the Gators' endzone after Georgia's first touchdown, a move that emotionally rallied the underdog Bulldogs. Because of the staged celebration, Georgia received two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and was forced to kick off from their own 8-yard line. After the game, Georgia coach Mark Richt
acknowledged that he ordered his team to draw an excessive celebration penalty after their first touchdown, but intended that only the eleven players on the field would celebrate, not the entire team. The motivational tactic paid off for Richt, as Knowshon Moreno
ran for 188 yards and Georgia's defense sacked Gators quarterback Tim Tebow
six times in a 42–30 victory. The high-scoring game was the first in series history in which both teams scored thirty or more points.
went so far as to issue a gag order
to his players, instructing them not to talk about the 2007 game with the media. In his authorized biography, published following the season, Meyer said: "That wasn't right. It was a bad deal. It will forever be in the mind of Urban Meyer and in the mind of our football team. We'll handle it, and it's going to be a big deal."
Coming into the game, the Bulldogs
and Gators
were both ranked in the top-10, and the winner would have the inside track in the SEC Eastern Division race and a possible shot at a national title. Some commentators went so far as to call it the biggest match-up in the history of the series, or at least the previous 20 years. After the Bulldogs missed two field goals and failed to recover an onside kick after their first score, the Gators took a 14–3 halftime lead. In the second half, the Bulldogs turned the ball over four times and the Gators turned the game into a 49–10 rout. Tim Tebow accounted for five touchdowns and Percy Harvin
added a pair of scores in the Bulldogs' second worst loss of the series. (The Bulldogs lost 47-7 against the 1996 Florida Gators football team
.)
In a move widely assumed to be a response to the Bulldogs' endzone celebration of the previous year, Meyer used both of his remaining timeouts with less than a minute to play, giving his team and their fans more time to celebrate the victory and prolonging the painful loss for Georgia players and fans. After the game, he broke his pre-game silence on the 2007 celebration. "Was it motivation for our players? Yeah, it was. Losing doesn't sit well with our players, and it was the only rivalry game we lost last year."
A The University of Georgia athletic association includes the 1904 game in the series win-loss record; the University of Florida's athletic association does not. Please see the Series history section above for further explanation.
B The 2010 game was the first, and to date, the only overtime game in the history of the Florida-Georgia football rivalry.
Series record sources: 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, 2011 Georgia Football Media Guide, and College Football Data Warehouse.
Florida: Carlos Alvarez
, Reidel Anthony
, Kerwin Bell
, Howell Boney, Scot Brantley
, Joe Brodsky, Norm Carlson, Kevin Carter, Rick Casares
, Wes Chandler
, Chris Doering
, Jimmy Dunn, Larry Dupree, Jeremy Foley
, Don Gaffney, Ray Graves
, Rex Grossman
, Galen Hall
, Ike Hilliard
, Chuck Hunsinger
, Willie Jackson, Jr.
, Doug Johnson, Charlie LaPradd, Buford Long
, Wilber Marshall
, Shane Matthews
, Lee McGriff, Nat Moore
, Ricky Nattiel
, John Reaves
, Errict Rhett
, Steve Spurrier
, Fred Taylor, Richard Trapp
, Lawrence Wright
, Danny Wuerffel
, Jack Youngblood
.
Georgia: Richard Appleby, Buck Belue
, John Brantley, Zeke Bratkowski
, Charley Britt, Kevin Butler
, Wally Butts
, Mike Cavan
, Knox Culpepper
, Vince Dooley
, Robert Edwards, Bob Etter
, Ray Goff
, Cy Grant, Rodney Hampton
, Garrison Hearst
, Terry Hoage
, Dan Magill
, Kevin McLee, Willie McClendon
, Larry Munson
, George Patton, David Pollack
, John Rauch
, Matt Robinson
, Erk Russell
, Bill Saye, Jake Scott, Lindsay Scott
, Frank Sinkwich
, Bill Stanfill
, Tommy Thurson, Charley Trippi
, Herschel Walker
, Tim Worley
, Shawn Savage, Gene Washington, Eric Zeier
.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game played annually by the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
Gators
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
and the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
nearly every year since 1915. The name of the game rotates each year depending on which team is the designated home team
Home (sports)
In sports, home is a term referring to both the city and stadium, arena, or field where an athletic team plays games at their venue, whilst when the team plays elsewhere then they are considered the away team. The home term can refer to either the sponsoring institution or the place where it is...
. It is one of the great rivalry games
College rivalry
Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both academics and athletics, the latter being typically...
in college football, and since 1933 it has been held in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, with only two exceptions, making it one of the few remaining neutral-site rivalries. The game attracts huge crowds to Jacksonville, and the associated tailgating
Tailgate party
In the United States, a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas, before and occasionally after games and...
and other events earned it the nickname of the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party". Since 1992, the game has usually been played on the last Saturday in October.
Series history
The two teams do not agree on when the rivalry began. The University of Georgia's athletic department counts a 1904 match its football squad played against a team from a school known as the University of Florida. The game was held in Macon, GeorgiaMacon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, and Georgia won 52–0. However, this was not the modern University of Florida in Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, but one of its four predecessor institutions: a school previously known as Florida Agricultural College, based in Lake City
Lake City, Florida
Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 12,614. In addition, it is the Principal City of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had an...
. Florida's University Athletic Association
University of Florida Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...
does not include this game in the series record, as it occurred before the modern university was established by the Florida Legislature
Florida Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that "The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida," composed of a Senate...
in 1905, and before the new entity fielded its first officially-recognized football team in 1906.
The first game acknowledged by both schools was held in Jacksonville in 1915, and except for the 1943 season when Florida did not field a team during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the teams have met every year since 1926. From 1916 to 1932, the game was played at several different sites in Georgia (Athens
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
and Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
), and Florida (Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
and Jacksonville). Every year since 1933, the game has been held in Jacksonville, except for 1994 and 1995, when the contest was held at the respective schools' campus stadiums due to the reconstruction of what is now EverBank Field for the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
expansion team.
The two teams disagree as to the overall series record as a result of their disagreement over whether to count the 1904 game. Following the 2011 contest, Georgia held a 48–40–2 overall record by its reckoning, and 47–40–2 by Florida's count. Florida has compiled an 18–4 record in the series since 1990 (Georgia winning in 1997, 2004, 2007 and 2011), following a dominating 15–5 streak by Georgia in the 1970s and 1980s.
The designated "home" team alternates from year to year, with ticket distribution split evenly between the fans of the two teams. In past years, fans from Florida and Georgia were assigned seats grouped in alternating sections of the stadium, and the contrasting colors worn by the fans created a "beach ball" visual effect in the stands. Recently the seating arrangement has split the stadium lengthwise and fans sit on the side corresponding to the sideline their team occupies. Before the game, much tailgating takes place on the Jacksonville Landing
Jacksonville Landing
The Jacksonville Landing is a shopping and dining complex in Jacksonville, Florida. It was built by the Rouse Company and opened in 1987. It has been compared to New York City's South Street Seaport, Boston's Faneuil Hall or Miami's Bayside, all developed by Rouse.-History:The Jacksonville Landing...
, a riverfront plaza facing the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
.
Nicknames and trophies
The game is one of the busiest annual events in downtown Jacksonville, and attracts huge crowds that congregate around the stadium for tailgatingTailgate party
In the United States, a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas, before and occasionally after games and...
and other happenings. As a result the game and associated revelry have been known as "the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party", a nickname first coined in the 1950s by Bill Kastelz, sports editor for The Florida Times-Union
The Florida Times-Union
The Florida Times-Union is a major daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the Florida Union in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when the Florida Union merged with another Jacksonville paper, the...
. Kastelz claimed he came up with the name after seeing a drunk, stumbling fan offer an alcoholic beverage to an on-duty police officer. The "Cocktail Party" nickname proved so popular that the City of Jacksonville used it for many years. However, the city dropped it from most official usage in 1988 following a series of alcohol-fueled outbursts. In 1984, Florida fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts after a 27–0 victory; the following year, a 24–3 Georgia win led Bulldogs fans to do the same, ultimately resulting in 65 arrests. Thereafter, the city cracked down on excessive drinking and soon dropped its use of the name. In 2006 both schools and the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
asked CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and the city to abandon the name in promotions due to concerns about alcohol abuse by students and other attendees. As a result, the rivalry has lacked an official name. It is now officially known as the "Florida vs. Georgia Football Classic" or "Georgia vs. Florida Football Classic", with the names alternating each season so that the "home" team is listed first.
Unlike many college sports rivalries, the Florida–Georgia game historically has not been played for a trophy
Trophy
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
. The city of Jacksonville announced that it would award the winning teams the goal posts from the game in 1986, in order to persuade fans not to storm the field and destroy them as they had the previous two years. However, no goal posts were ever given out as neither university wanted them.
In 2009, the student governments of the two schools announced a new trophy, the "Okefenokee Oar". The 10-foot long oar was carved from a 1,000-year-old cypress tree that once grew in the Okefenokee Swamp
Okefenokee Swamp
The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000 acre , peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida border in the United States. A majority of the swamp is in Georgia and protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee Wilderness. The Okefenokee Swamp is considered to be...
, which straddles the Florida–Georgia border and was the source of an interstate boundary dispute. Beginning with the 2009 contest, the Okefenokee Oar is presented to the winning university's student body president. No trophy is presented at the game, however.
Site of game
By playing the game at a neutral site, rather than on their respective campuses, both universities' athletic programs derive more revenue from the game than if the site rotated on a "home-and-away" basis. As of the 2009 contest, the universities made $1.7 million every year, or $3.4 million every two years, as opposed to an expected $2.2 million every two years if the game were played at their respective home stadiums. The game weekend is also extremely lucrative for Jacksonville businesses, particularly in the downtown area, with many reporting that it is their busiest weekend of the year.Some persons associated with the University of Georgia, including head coach Mark Richt
Mark Richt
Mark Richt is the head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team. His previous affiliations include fourteen years at Florida State University, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and one year as offensive coordinator at East Carolina University.-Early...
, have expressed interest in moving the game away from Jacksonville periodically or entirely. The most frequently cited reason is Georgia's 4–18 win-loss record in the series since 1990, leading to questions about whether Jacksonville, located 342 miles (550.4 km) from Athens but only 73 miles (117.5 km) from Gainesville, is truly a neutral site. As such, some Georgia fans and officials have suggested moving the game to the home stadiums, or playing alternately on the campuses, in Jacksonville, and in the Georgia Dome
Georgia Dome
The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA Division I FCS Georgia State Panthers football team. It is owned and operated by the...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
every four years. Others, such as former Georgia athletic director Damon Evans
Damon Evans
Damon M. Evans is the former Athletic Director at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.After graduating from Gainesville High School in Hall County, Georgia, Evans played football for UGA, and graduated from the Terry College of Business in 1992 with a Bachelor of Business Administration ...
, have dismissed the idea that Georgia's recent losing record is due to the game being played in Jacksonville. University of Florida officials maintain that it makes financial sense to keep the game in Jacksonville; both universities stand to lose revenue if the game were played on a standard "home-and-away" basis. Furthermore, as a proposed alternate site, the Georgia Dome seats 13,000 fewer spectators than EverBank Field. In 2009, Georgia's athletic board unanimously agreed to a six-year contract to keep the game in Jacksonville through 2016.
Notable games
As with most rivalries, there have been a number of close games over the years, often generating controversy and anguish over how the game ended for one of the teams involved. Like the series itself, most of the early memorable games favored the Bulldogs, with more recent ones favoring the Gators. Among the most memorable:1928: Ending the drought
When Charlie BachmanCharlie Bachman
Charles William "Charlie" Bachman, Jr. was an American college football player and head coach. Bachman was an Illinois native and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, where he played college football...
became the 1928 Gators' new head coach, he inherited a team loaded with talent recruited by his predecessor. It was, however, a team that had never beaten the Georgia Bulldogs in six previous meetings, and had been out-scored by a total of 190–6 in those games. Bachman's Gators changed history; led by All-American end Dale Van Sickel
Dale Van Sickel
Dale Harris Van Sickel was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s, who later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years...
and the "Phantom Four" backfield of Carl Brumbaugh
Carl Brumbaugh
Carl Lowry Brumbaugh was an American college and professional football player who was a quarterback and halfback in the National Football League for nine seasons in the 1930s...
, Rainey Cawthon, Clyde Crabtree
Clyde Crabtree
"Cannonball" Clyde Crabtree was an American college and professional football player who was a halfback and quarterback in the National Football League for a single season in 1930...
and Royce Goodbread
Royce Goodbread
Royce Ethelbert Goodbread was an American college and professional football player who was a halfback and wingback in the National Football League for two seasons in the early 1930s...
, they decisively defeated the 'Dawgs 26–6 in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. In an era before national polling, the 1928 Gators outscored their opponents 336–44, set a single-season national scoring record, and finished 8–1.
The 1929 Gators also defeated the Bulldogs, and the 1930 Gators tied them, but Florida would only win three of the next twenty games in the series against Georgia.
1942: 75 and oh!
Having lost most upper-class players to service in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the 1942 Florida Gators brought an inexperienced 3–4 squad into Jacksonville for the 1942 contest with Georgia. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, still had many veteran players thanks to the draft deferments of the players who were enrolled in the University of Georgia's ROTC program, and brought a 7–0 record and No. 1 ranking to Jacksonville.
Georgia halfback Charley Trippi
Charley Trippi
Charles Louis Trippi is a former professional American football player for the Chicago Cardinals. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.Mr. Trippi currently resides in Athens, Georgia...
and Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
-winning back Frank Sinkwich
Frank Sinkwich
Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. won the 1942 Heisman Trophy as a player for the University of Georgia, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern Conference. In the course of a brief but celebrated career in professional football, Sinkwich was selected for the National Football League Most...
combined to score seven touchdowns as Georgia crushed Florida 75–0—the largest margin in series history. The Bulldogs finished the regular season 10–1, won the Southeastern Conference championship, defeated the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
9–0 in the Rose Bowl
1943 Rose Bowl
The 1943 Rose Bowl game, played on January 1, 1943 was the 29th Rose Bowl game. The University of Georgia Bulldogs defeated the UCLA Bruins 9-0. The game returned to the Rose Bowl stadium after being played at Duke Stadium the year before...
, and were named national champions by multiple polls and ratings services. Meanwhile, the depleted Gators did not win another game during the 1942 season, and with even more players joining the war effort afterward, would not field a team at all in 1943.
1949: Hunsinger ends Georgia's streak
The post–World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
1940s were a tough slog for the Florida Gators. Coached by Raymond Wolf
Raymond Wolf
Raymond Bernard "Bear" Wolf was an American football player and coach. Wolf was a native of Illinois and an alumnus of Texas Christian University, where he played college football and baseball...
, the Gators' collection of recent high school graduates and returning war veterans suffered the indignity of four consecutive losing seasons—the lowest point in the history of the Gators football program, ironically remembered by the close-knit players as the "Golden Era." But there were still stars and bright moments; Wolf's 1949 Florida Gators were led by senior lineman Jimmy Kynes and running back Chuck Hunsinger
Chuck Hunsinger
Charles Ray "Chuck" Hunsinger was an American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League and the Canadian Football League for six seasons during the 1950s...
. Given little chance by anyone to beat coach Wally Butts
Wally Butts
James Wallace "Wally" Butts, Jr. was an American football player and coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at the University of Georgia from 1939 to 1960, compiling a record of 140–86–9...
' Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, Kynes inspired his two-way linemen to their outstanding effort of the season, stopping the Bulldogs' running game on defense, and blocking for Hunsinger on offense. Hunsinger rushed eighteen times for 174 yards and three touchdowns, and the Gators won 28–7, breaking a seven-game Georgia winning streak. Wolf's overall coaching record doomed his four-year tenure in Gainesville, but on that day he was carried from the field by his players.
1964: Vince Dooley arrives
Notwithstanding Georgia's overall advantage in the series, Florida enjoyed a 10–2 streak from 1952 to 1963 under head coaches Bob Woodruff and Ray GravesRay Graves
Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...
. That changed with the arrival of Vince Dooley
Vince Dooley
Vincent Joseph Dooley was the head football coach and athletic director at the University of Georgia. During his 25 year coaching career at UGA, Dooley compiled a 201–77–10 record. His teams won six Southeastern Conference titles and the 1980 national championship...
as the new head coach of the underdog 1964 Georgia Bulldogs. In a game where the Bulldogs' quarterback failed to complete a single pass and was intercepted twice, Dooleys' 'Dogs relied on their running game, a staunch second-half defense, and a little bit of luck to beat Graves' tenth-ranked Florida Gators. With the game tied at 7–7 in the fourth quarter, Bulldogs placekicker Bob Etter
Bob Etter
Robert Glenn Etter is a retired American football placekicker. He played with the Atlanta Falcons in 1968 and 1969. He also played for the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League in 1974 and 1975...
lined up for a potential game-winning field goal. Instead, in a wild broken play, the Bulldogs' center and placeholder mishandled the snap, but Etter picked up the bobbled ball and ran it for a touchdown to win the game 14–7.
Dooley's teams would split their first seven games 3–3–1 against Graves' Gators. Thereafter, Dooley's 'Dogs would go on to dominate the rivalry, winning fourteen of the nineteen games from 1970 to 1988.
1966: Heisman curse?
The seventh-ranked 1966 Florida Gators entered the game with a 7–0 record and the opportunity to clinch a share of their first-ever SECSoutheastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
title. The Gators' senior quarterback, Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
, had just locked up the Heisman trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
the previous week with a stellar performance versus the Auburn Tigers
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
. The Florida–Georgia game turned out very differently, however, as the Bulldogs defense dominated the game, and Spurrier threw three interceptions in the 27–10 Georgia victory.
Spurrier returned to Gainesville as the Gators' head coach in 1990, and emphasized the annual Florida–Georgia contest as the "biggest of the year," and enjoying the Gators' overwhelming 11–1 success against their bitter rivals during his tenure.
1970: Rip, strip, and grip
The 1970 Florida Gators featured All-American defensive endDefensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Jack Youngblood
Jack Youngblood
Herbert Jackson "Jack" Youngblood, III is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League for fourteen seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. He was a five-time consensus All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl...
, and he pulled off one of the most remarkable plays in Florida football history. With Bulldogs leading 17–10 and in possession of the ball at the Gators' two-yard line, Youngblood stood up Georgia back Ricky Lake short of the goal, forced a fumble and fell on the football. "They ran a lead play to my side, and I cut it off," Youngblood said. "I'm standing there holding the ballcarrier and I take the ball away from him, and gave it back to our offense." Gators quarterback John Reaves
John Reaves
Thomas Johnson "John" Reaves is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback for eleven seasons in the National Football League and three seasons in the United States Football League...
and wide receiver Carlos Alvarez
Carlos Alvarez (American football)
Carlos Alvarez Vasquez Rodriguez Ubieta is a former American college football player who was an All-American wide receiver for the University of Florida from 1969 to 1971.- Early life :...
then connected for two touchdown passes in the final 5:13 to rally the Florida Gators to a 24–17 victory.
1975: Appleby to Washington
The 1975 Florida Gators came into the game with a 6–1 record and No. 7 ranking, while the Georgia Bulldogs were 5–2 and ranked No. 19. The Gators' offense was led by running back Tony GreenTony Green (American football)
Anthony Edward "Tony" Green is a former American former college and professional football player who was a kickoff returner and running back in the National Football League for two season in the late 1970s...
, who ran an early one-yard touchdown to put the Gators ahead 7–0. The Gators led 7–3 as time was winding down in the fourth quarter. Georgia's "Junkyard Dawgs" defense allowed yards between the 20-yard-lines, but ceded little ground in the red zone. The Bulldogs set up at their own 20-yard-line with 3:10 remaining, and head coach Vince Dooley
Vince Dooley
Vincent Joseph Dooley was the head football coach and athletic director at the University of Georgia. During his 25 year coaching career at UGA, Dooley compiled a 201–77–10 record. His teams won six Southeastern Conference titles and the 1980 national championship...
did something he rarely did: he called a trick play. Tight end Richard Appleby accepted the handoff on a reverse to the right, but instead of running downfield, he threw the ball to wide receiver Gene Washington for an improbable 80-yard touchdown play. The Gators' final field goal attempt never had a chance, as the snap was rolled to the holder, and Georgia won 10–7.
1976: "Fourth and dumb"
The 1976 Florida Gators were 6–1 and ranked No. 10 coming into the game, and again seeking to secure their first SEC football championship. The Gators held a 27–13 halftime advantage and seemed to have the game in hand until the Bulldogs scored early in the third quarter to cut the lead to 27–20. Then, faced with a fourth-and-one situation at the Gators' own 29-yard-line, coach Doug DickeyDoug Dickey
Douglas Adair "Doug" Dickey is a former American college football player and coach and college athletics administrator. Dickey is a South Dakota native who was raised in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida, where he played college football...
decided to go for the first down rather than punt. Gators running back Earl Carr was stopped short by Bulldogs safety Johnny Henderson. Led by quarterback Ray Goff
Ray Goff
-Quotes:-External links:...
's game management and running back Kevin McLee's 198-yard rushing performance, the Bulldogs seized the momentum and scored three touchdowns on their way to a come-from-behind 41–27 win. After the game, Dickey said: "We were not outplayed. We were outcoached. I made some dumb calls." Sports writers seized on Dickey's mea culpa, and in subsequent months and years popularized the phrase "fourth and dumb" to refer to Dickey's failed fourth down attempt and the game itself.
1980: "Run, Lindsay, run!"
Trailing the underdog 1980 Florida Gators with their perfect season and their No. 2 ranking in jeopardy, the Georgia Bulldogs executed one of the most famous plays in college football history. Georgia was behind 21–20 with time running out, facing third down and long yardage from their own 7-yard-line. After scrambling around in his own endzone, Bulldog quarterback Buck BelueBuck Belue
Benjamin Franklin "Buck" Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 12-0, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, was named the consensus national champion...
found wide receiver Lindsay Scott
Lindsay Scott
Lindsay Eugene Scott is a retired American football wide receiver, who played for the University of Georgia and the New Orleans Saints. He was the 13th overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft and played four seasons for the New Orleans Saints...
open in the middle of the field near the Georgia 25-yard-line, and hit him with a 25-yard pass. Scott darted through Florida's secondary and outran everyone down the sideline, scoring the game-winning touchdown with only seconds left on the game clock.
Long-time Georgia radio announcer Larry Munson
Larry Munson
Lawrence Harry "Larry" Munson was a sports announcer and talk-show host based out of the U.S. city of Atlanta. He was best known for handling radio play-by-play of University of Georgia Bulldogs football games from 1966 to 2008...
's legendary call of the play (which still gives old fans of both schools the shivers, though for opposite reasons) gave the game its name:
Florida in a stand-up five, they may or may not blitz. Buck back, third down on the eight. In trouble, he got a block behind him. Gotta throw on the run. Complete to the 25. To the 30, Lindsay Scott 35, 40, Lindsay Scott 45, 50, 45, 40 . . . Run Lindsay, 25, 20, 15, 10, Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott.
The improbable 93-yard pass play sealed the Bulldogs' 26–21 victory, and kept Georgia's national championship hopes alive. The Bulldogs moved to No. 1 in the next round of polls and would go on to win the 1980 consensus national championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
.
1984: Bell to Nattiel
After suffering many a heartbreaking defeat to the Bulldogs with a conference championship at stake, coach Galen HallGalen Hall
Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football...
's 1984 Florida Gators entered the contest undefeated in the SEC. The Gators dominated early, building a 17–0 lead by early in the second half. But the Bulldogs seemed to come alive in the third quarter, mounting a long drive; however, Georgia's drive died in the shadow of the Gators' goal line when they were stuffed on fourth down, checking the Bulldogs momentarily but pinning the Gators deep in their own territory. On the third play following the change of possession, Gators quarterback Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Douglas Bell is an American college and professional football coach and former player who was a quarterback in the National Football League , World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League for fourteen seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s...
dropped back into his own end zone and lofted a long pass to streaking receiver Ricky Nattiel
Ricky Nattiel
Richard Rennard "Ricky" Nattiel is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for six seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...
, who went 96 yards for a touchdown. The Bulldog momentum was snuffed out and the Gators went on to a convincing 27–0 victory, eventually completing an undefeated conference schedule for the first time in Gators history.
1985: 'Dogs upset No. 1 Gators
The 1985 Florida Gators entered the contest on a roll: coming off an emotional win over the Auburn TigersAuburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
, undefeated, and ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in school history. This would not be a repeat of the 1984 game, however. As they had done so many times in the past, the Bulldogs spoiled Florida's season, defeating the Gators 24–3 with freshmen running backs Keith Henderson
Keith Henderson
Keith Henderson is a former American football running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League....
and Tim Worley
Tim Worley
Timothy Worley is a former American football running back who played for the Georgia Bulldogs in college, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears of the National Football League.-College career:...
both rushing for over 100 yards.
1993: Timeout?
In constant rain, the usually prolific passing game of coach Steve Spurrier's 1993 Florida Gators was stymied. Instead, the Gators relied on tailback Errict RhettErrict Rhett
Errict Undra Rhett is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for seven seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s...
to amass 183 yards and two touchdowns to build a 33–26 fourth-quarter lead. Led by quarterback Eric Zeier
Eric Zeier
Eric Royce Zeier is a former American football quarterback. In his five years in the NFL, he played for the Cleveland Browns , Baltimore Ravens , and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Zeier started his career at Heidelberg American High School in Heidelberg, Germany where he led them to a championship...
, the Georgia Bulldogs mounted a drive into Florida territory in the final minute and a half. Zeier completed what appeared to be the game-tying touchdown to Jerry Jerman with five seconds remaining in the game. However, Gators cornerback Anthone Lott had called a timeout just before the ball was snapped, forcing the Bulldogs to play the down again. Lott was called for pass interference
Pass interference
In American and Canadian gridiron football, pass interference is a penalty that occurs when a player interferes with an eligible receiver's ability to make a fair attempt to catch a forward pass. Pass interference may include tripping, pushing, pulling, or cutting in front of the receiver or...
on the ensuing play, giving Georgia one last untimed chance to score. Zeier's final pass fell incomplete, and the Gators won a hard-fought, but controversial 33–26 victory.
1995: "Half a hundred" in Athens
With Jacksonville'sJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
rebuilt Jacksonville Municipal Stadium still under construction, this traditional neutral-site showdown was held on the universities' campuses for the first time in over sixty years in 1994 and 1995. After winning at "The Swamp
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field is the football stadium for the University of Florida and the home field of the university's Florida Gators football team. It is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The stadium was originally built in 1930, and has been regularly...
" the previous season, the undefeated 1995 Florida Gators hoped to repeat the feat at Sanford Stadium
Sanford Stadium
Sanford Stadium is the on-campus playing venue for football at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. The 92,746-seat stadium is the seventh largest stadium in the NCAA. Architecturally, the stadium is known for the fact that its numerous expansions over the years have been...
against a struggling Georgia Bulldogs team led by soon-to-be-fired coach Ray Goff
Ray Goff
-Quotes:-External links:...
.
Gators starting quarterback Danny Wuerffel
Danny Wuerffel
Daniel Carl "Danny" Wuerffel is a former American college and professional football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy and the 1996 national football championship while playing college football for the University of Florida. After graduating from Florida, he played for four National Football...
threw for 242 yards and five touchdowns before leaving the game in the third quarter. With the Gators leading 38–17 in the fourth quarter, Gators backup quarterback Eric Kresser threw for two more touchdowns, one with 1:21 remaining, to make the final score 52–17. After the game, Gators coach Steve Spurrier stated that he had wanted to be the first opponent to hang "half a hundred" on the Bulldogs in their own stadium because "we heard no one had ever done that before." The Gators' fifty-two points remains the record for most scored against Georgia "between the hedges
Sanford Stadium
Sanford Stadium is the on-campus playing venue for football at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. The 92,746-seat stadium is the seventh largest stadium in the NCAA. Architecturally, the stadium is known for the fact that its numerous expansions over the years have been...
."
2002: Gators upset No. 4 Bulldogs
In twelve seasons as the Gators' head coach, Steve Spurrier had led them to an 11–1 record against the Bulldogs, so his departure to the NFL following the 2001 season gave Georgia fans reason to cheer. The 2002 Bulldogs brought a perfect 8–0 record and No. 4 ranking to the annual grudge match in Jacksonville. Under new head coach Ron ZookRon Zook
Ron Zook is a former American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2004 and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2005 to 2011. Zook is a native of Ohio and an alumnus of Miami University, where he...
, the Gators
2002 Florida Gators football team
The 2002 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2002 college football season...
limped into the game with a 5–3 record and unranked for the first time in over a decade.
Trailing 7–6, the Gators took the lead with a key play on defense. Georgia head coach Mark Richt
Mark Richt
Mark Richt is the head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team. His previous affiliations include fourteen years at Florida State University, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and one year as offensive coordinator at East Carolina University.-Early...
had inserted freshman quarterback DJ Shockley to run the offense for a series or two each game during the season. Upon entering the contest in the second quarter, Shockley was intercepted by Florida safety Guss Scott
Guss Scott
Guss T'Mar Scott is a former American college and professional football player was a safety in the National Football League for two seasons during the early 2000s...
, who ran it back for a touchdown, giving his team a 12–7 lead after a failed two-point conversion
Two-point conversion
In American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
attempt. The Bulldogs moved the ball but could not punch it into the endzone, settling for two field goals to take a 13–12 lead at halftime.
Defense continued to dominate the game in the second half with the exception of an early fourth-quarter Gator drive that ended with a touchdown pass from quarterback Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
and gave Florida a 20–13 advantage. The Georgia offense failed to score again and failed to convert a third-down in thirteen attempts as Florida held on for the upset victory.
Georgia finished the 2002 season 13–1 and won the SEC championship
2002 SEC Championship Game
The 2002 SEC Championship Game was won by the Georgia Bulldogs 30-3 over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The game was played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia on December 7, 2002 and was televised to a national audience on CBS....
, but the defeat by the Gators almost certainly cost the Bulldogs a chance to play for the BCS National Championship.
2007: The "Gator Stomp"
The 2007 Georgia Bulldogs2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed on behalf of the University of Georgia in American football against teams from other colleges and universities. The Bulldogs tied for first place in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference but lost a tie-breaker with the University of...
are remembered for the "Gator Stomp," a first-quarter mass celebration of the entire Georgia team in the Gators' endzone after Georgia's first touchdown, a move that emotionally rallied the underdog Bulldogs. Because of the staged celebration, Georgia received two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and was forced to kick off from their own 8-yard line. After the game, Georgia coach Mark Richt
Mark Richt
Mark Richt is the head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team. His previous affiliations include fourteen years at Florida State University, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and one year as offensive coordinator at East Carolina University.-Early...
acknowledged that he ordered his team to draw an excessive celebration penalty after their first touchdown, but intended that only the eleven players on the field would celebrate, not the entire team. The motivational tactic paid off for Richt, as Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Rockwell Moreno is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was selected 12th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He played college football at the University of Georgia.-Early years:Moreno grew up in Belford, a neighborhood in...
ran for 188 yards and Georgia's defense sacked Gators quarterback Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
six times in a 42–30 victory. The high-scoring game was the first in series history in which both teams scored thirty or more points.
2008: "A Big Deal"
Before the 2008 Georgia-Florida game, both coaches repeatedly stated that the previous year's incident would have no bearing on the contest. Florida coach Urban MeyerUrban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer, III is an American football coach and former player. He is head football coach at Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011...
went so far as to issue a gag order
Gag order
A gag order is an order, sometimes a legal order by a court or government, other times a private order by an employer or other institution, restricting information or comment from being made public.Gag orders are often used against participants involved in a lawsuit or criminal trial...
to his players, instructing them not to talk about the 2007 game with the media. In his authorized biography, published following the season, Meyer said: "That wasn't right. It was a bad deal. It will forever be in the mind of Urban Meyer and in the mind of our football team. We'll handle it, and it's going to be a big deal."
Coming into the game, the Bulldogs
2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed in American football on behalf of the University of Georgia in 2008. The Bulldogs competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference . This was the Georgia Bulldogs' eighth season under the guidance of head coach Mark Richt...
and Gators
2008 Florida Gators football team
The 2008 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2008 college football season...
were both ranked in the top-10, and the winner would have the inside track in the SEC Eastern Division race and a possible shot at a national title. Some commentators went so far as to call it the biggest match-up in the history of the series, or at least the previous 20 years. After the Bulldogs missed two field goals and failed to recover an onside kick after their first score, the Gators took a 14–3 halftime lead. In the second half, the Bulldogs turned the ball over four times and the Gators turned the game into a 49–10 rout. Tim Tebow accounted for five touchdowns and Percy Harvin
Percy Harvin
William Percival "Percy" Harvin, III is an American football wide receiver, return specialist, and running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League...
added a pair of scores in the Bulldogs' second worst loss of the series. (The Bulldogs lost 47-7 against the 1996 Florida Gators football team
1996 Florida Gators football team
The 1996 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. This was the team's seventh season under head coach Steve Spurrier...
.)
In a move widely assumed to be a response to the Bulldogs' endzone celebration of the previous year, Meyer used both of his remaining timeouts with less than a minute to play, giving his team and their fans more time to celebrate the victory and prolonging the painful loss for Georgia players and fans. After the game, he broke his pre-game silence on the 2007 celebration. "Was it motivation for our players? Yeah, it was. Losing doesn't sit well with our players, and it was the only rivalry game we lost last year."
Game results
Florida victories are colored ██ blue. Georgia victories are colored ██ red. Ties are white.| Date | Location | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 15, 1904 | Macon, GA | Georgia | 52–0A |
| November 6, 1915 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 37–0 |
| October 14, 1916 | Athens, GA | Georgia | 21–0 |
| October 25, 1919 | Tampa, FL | Georgia | 16–0 |
| November 13, 1920 | Athens, GA | Georgia | 56–0 |
| October 30, 1926 | Athens, GA | Georgia | 32–9 |
| November 5, 1927 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 28–0 |
| November 10, 1928 | Savannah, GA | Florida | 26–6 |
| October 26, 1929 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 18–6 |
| November 1, 1930 | Savannah, GA | Tie | 0–0 |
| October 31, 1931 | Gainesville, FL | Georgia | 33–6 |
| October 29, 1932 | Athens, GA | Georgia | 33–12 |
| November 4, 1933 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 14–0 |
| November 3, 1934 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 14–0 |
| November 2, 1935 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 7–0 |
| November 7, 1936 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 26–8 |
| November 6, 1937 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 6–0 |
| November 5, 1938 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 19–6 |
| November 11, 1939 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 6–2 |
| November 9, 1940 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 18–13 |
| November 8, 1941 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 19–3 |
| November 7, 1942 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 75–0 |
| November 11, 1944 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 38–12 |
| November 10, 1945 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 34–0 |
| November 9, 1946 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 33–14 |
| November 8, 1947 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 34–6 |
| November 6, 1948 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 20–12 |
| November 5, 1949 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 28–7 |
| November 11, 1950 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 6–0 |
| November 10, 1951 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 7–6 |
| Date | Location | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 25, 1952 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 30–0 |
| November 7, 1953 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 21–7 |
| November 6, 1954 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 14–13 |
| November 5, 1955 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 19–13 |
| November 10, 1956 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 28–0 |
| November 9, 1957 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 22–0 |
| November 8, 1958 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 7–6 |
| November 7, 1959 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 21–10 |
| November 5, 1960 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 22–14 |
| November 11, 1961 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 21–14 |
| November 10, 1962 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 23–15 |
| November 9, 1963 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 21–14 |
| November 7, 1964 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 14–7 |
| November 6, 1965 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 14–10 |
| November 5, 1966 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 27–10 |
| November 11, 1967 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 17–16 |
| November 9, 1968 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 51–0 |
| November 8, 1969 | Jacksonville, FL | Tie | 13–13 |
| November 7, 1970 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 24–17 |
| November 6, 1971 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 49–7 |
| November 11, 1972 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 10–7 |
| November 10, 1973 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 11–10 |
| November 9, 1974 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 17–16 |
| November 8, 1975 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 0–7 |
| November 6, 1976 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 41–27 |
| November 5, 1977 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 22–17 |
| November 11, 1978 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 24–22 |
| November 10, 1979 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 33–10 |
| November 8, 1980 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 26–21 |
| November 7, 1981 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 26–21 |
| Date | Location | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 6, 1982 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 44–0 |
| November 5, 1983 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 10–9 |
| November 10, 1984 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 27–0 |
| November 9, 1985 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 24–3 |
| November 8, 1986 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 31–19 |
| November 7, 1987 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 23–10 |
| November 5, 1988 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 26–3 |
| November 11, 1989 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 17–10 |
| November 10, 1990 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 38–7 |
| November 9, 1991 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 45–13 |
| October 31, 1992 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 26–24 |
| October 30, 1993 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 33–26 |
| October 29, 1994 | Gainesville, FL | Florida | 52–14 |
| October 28, 1995 | Athens, GA | Florida | 52–17 |
| November 2, 1996 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 47–7 |
| November 1, 1997 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 37–17 |
| October 31, 1998 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 38–7 |
| October 30, 1999 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 30–14 |
| October 28, 2000 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 34–23 |
| October 27, 2001 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 24–10 |
| November 2, 2002 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 20–13 |
| November 1, 2003 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 16–13 |
| October 30, 2004 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 31–24 |
| October 29, 2005 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 14–10 |
| October 28, 2006 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 21–14 |
| October 27, 2007 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 42–30 |
| November 1, 2008 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 49–10 |
| October 31, 2009 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 41–17 |
| October 30, 2010 | Jacksonville, FL | Florida | 34–31B |
| October 29, 2011 | Jacksonville, FL | Georgia | 24–20 |
A The University of Georgia athletic association includes the 1904 game in the series win-loss record; the University of Florida's athletic association does not. Please see the Series history section above for further explanation.
B The 2010 game was the first, and to date, the only overtime game in the history of the Florida-Georgia football rivalry.
Series record sources: 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, 2011 Georgia Football Media Guide, and College Football Data Warehouse.
Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame
The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission created the Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame in 1995 to recognize the players, coaches, and other representatives from each school who have made their mark on the rivalry. Each year, four new members (two from each school) are announced in June, and are formally inducted at a luncheon in Jacksonville the Friday before the football game. The Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame inductees through 2011 include:Florida: Carlos Alvarez
Carlos Alvarez (American football)
Carlos Alvarez Vasquez Rodriguez Ubieta is a former American college football player who was an All-American wide receiver for the University of Florida from 1969 to 1971.- Early life :...
, Reidel Anthony
Reidel Anthony
Reidel Clarence Anthony is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for five seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s...
, Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Douglas Bell is an American college and professional football coach and former player who was a quarterback in the National Football League , World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League for fourteen seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s...
, Howell Boney, Scot Brantley
Scot Brantley
Scot Eugene Brantley is an American radio and television sports broadcaster and former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s...
, Joe Brodsky, Norm Carlson, Kevin Carter, Rick Casares
Rick Casares
Richard Jose "Rick" Casares is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League and the American Football League for twelve seasons in the 1950s and 1960s...
, Wes Chandler
Wes Chandler
Wesley Sandy "Wes" Chandler is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eleven seasons in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Chris Doering
Chris Doering
Christopher Paul "Chris" Doering is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for seven seasons in the 1990s and 2000s...
, Jimmy Dunn, Larry Dupree, Jeremy Foley
Jeremy Foley
Jeremy N. Foley is an American university sports administrator and former college athlete. Foley is currently the athletic director for the Florida Gators Division I sports program of the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida...
, Don Gaffney, Ray Graves
Ray Graves
Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...
, Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
, Galen Hall
Galen Hall
Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football...
, Ike Hilliard
Ike Hilliard
Isaac Jason "Ike" Hilliard is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver for twelve seasons in the National Football League during the 1990s and 2000s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for...
, Chuck Hunsinger
Chuck Hunsinger
Charles Ray "Chuck" Hunsinger was an American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League and the Canadian Football League for six seasons during the 1950s...
, Willie Jackson, Jr.
Willie Jackson (American football)
Willie Bernard Jackson, Jr. is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1990s and 2000s...
, Doug Johnson, Charlie LaPradd, Buford Long
Buford Long
Buford Eugene Long is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive back, halfback and end in the National Football League for three seasons during the 1950s...
, Wilber Marshall
Wilber Marshall
Wilber Buddyhia Marshall is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...
, Shane Matthews
Shane Matthews
Michael Shane Matthews is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League for all or part of fourteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played...
, Lee McGriff, Nat Moore
Nat Moore
Nathaniel "Nat" Moore is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for thirteen seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. Moore played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for...
, Ricky Nattiel
Ricky Nattiel
Richard Rennard "Ricky" Nattiel is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for six seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...
, John Reaves
John Reaves
Thomas Johnson "John" Reaves is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback for eleven seasons in the National Football League and three seasons in the United States Football League...
, Errict Rhett
Errict Rhett
Errict Undra Rhett is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for seven seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s...
, Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
, Fred Taylor, Richard Trapp
Richard Trapp
Richard Earl Trapp was an American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the American Football League for two seasons in the late 1960s...
, Lawrence Wright
Lawrence Wright (American Football)
Lawrence D. Wright, III is a former American college and professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League for two seasons during the 1990s...
, Danny Wuerffel
Danny Wuerffel
Daniel Carl "Danny" Wuerffel is a former American college and professional football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy and the 1996 national football championship while playing college football for the University of Florida. After graduating from Florida, he played for four National Football...
, Jack Youngblood
Jack Youngblood
Herbert Jackson "Jack" Youngblood, III is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League for fourteen seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. He was a five-time consensus All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl...
.
Georgia: Richard Appleby, Buck Belue
Buck Belue
Benjamin Franklin "Buck" Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 12-0, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, was named the consensus national champion...
, John Brantley, Zeke Bratkowski
Zeke Bratkowski
Edmund Raymond "Zeke" Bratkowski is a former All-American quarterback at the University of Georgia from 1952 to 1953. He also had a fourteen year career in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, L.A. Rams and Green Bay Packers, followed by a 26-year coaching career...
, Charley Britt, Kevin Butler
Kevin Butler (American football)
Kevin Gregory Butler is a former professional American football placekicker. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs, and then played professionally for the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League...
, Wally Butts
Wally Butts
James Wallace "Wally" Butts, Jr. was an American football player and coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at the University of Georgia from 1939 to 1960, compiling a record of 140–86–9...
, Mike Cavan
Mike Cavan
-External links:...
, Knox Culpepper
Knox Culpepper
Knox Culpepper is a football player from Atlanta, Georgia. Culpepper was an all-state linebacker at The Lovett School, where he graduated in 1981. After graduating from Lovett, he enrolled in the University of Georgia and played linebacker for the Georgia Bulldogs from 1981 to 1984...
, Vince Dooley
Vince Dooley
Vincent Joseph Dooley was the head football coach and athletic director at the University of Georgia. During his 25 year coaching career at UGA, Dooley compiled a 201–77–10 record. His teams won six Southeastern Conference titles and the 1980 national championship...
, Robert Edwards, Bob Etter
Bob Etter
Robert Glenn Etter is a retired American football placekicker. He played with the Atlanta Falcons in 1968 and 1969. He also played for the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League in 1974 and 1975...
, Ray Goff
Ray Goff
-Quotes:-External links:...
, Cy Grant, Rodney Hampton
Rodney Hampton
Rodney Craig Hampton born April 3, 1969 in Houston, Texas, is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 215 lbs. running back from the University of Georgia by way of Kashmere High School in...
, Garrison Hearst
Garrison Hearst
Gerard Garrison Hearst is a former National Football League running back who last played for the NFL's Denver Broncos in 2004. He had previously played for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and San Francisco 49ers...
, Terry Hoage
Terry Hoage
Terrell Lee "Terry" Hoage is a former football defensive back for the University of Georgia from 1980 – 1983 and several National Football League teams. He was a two time consensus All-American and graduated from Georgia in 1985 with a B.S. in Genetics with a 3.85 GPA...
, Dan Magill
Dan Magill
Daniel Hamilton "Dan" Magill, Jr., longtime Sports Information Director, Head Tennis Coach, and Georgia Bulldog Club secretary for the University of Georgia, is known throughout the state of Georgia and the South for his unparalleled contributions to the Georgia Bulldog athletic program...
, Kevin McLee, Willie McClendon
Willie McClendon
Willie Edward McClendon is a former American football running back in the National Football League. Selected in the 1979 NFL Draft, he played for the Chicago Bears from 1979 to 1982. He is the father of former Bears wide receiver, and current University of Georgia running backs coach Bryan...
, Larry Munson
Larry Munson
Lawrence Harry "Larry" Munson was a sports announcer and talk-show host based out of the U.S. city of Atlanta. He was best known for handling radio play-by-play of University of Georgia Bulldogs football games from 1966 to 2008...
, George Patton, David Pollack
David Pollack
-Injury:In the Bengals' September 17, 2006 game against in-state rival Cleveland Browns, Pollack suffered what was later determined to be a broken sixth cervical vertebrae on a first quarter tackle on running back Reuben Droughns. He reportedly suffered no paralysis, but was taken off the field on...
, John Rauch
John Rauch
John "Johnny" Rauch was an American football player and coach. He was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the team's loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II in 1968.-Early life:...
, Matt Robinson
Matt Robinson (American football)
Matthew Paul Robinson is a former professional American football player. He played quarterback for the University of Georgia. Robinson played in the National Football League from 1977-1982 for the New York Jets, the Denver Broncos, and the Buffalo Bills...
, Erk Russell
Erk Russell
Erskine "Erk" Russell was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach in the United States. He was also the defensive coordinator for the University of Georgia Bulldogs for seventeen years and head football coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles...
, Bill Saye, Jake Scott, Lindsay Scott
Lindsay Scott
Lindsay Eugene Scott is a retired American football wide receiver, who played for the University of Georgia and the New Orleans Saints. He was the 13th overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft and played four seasons for the New Orleans Saints...
, Frank Sinkwich
Frank Sinkwich
Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. won the 1942 Heisman Trophy as a player for the University of Georgia, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern Conference. In the course of a brief but celebrated career in professional football, Sinkwich was selected for the National Football League Most...
, Bill Stanfill
Bill Stanfill
William Thomas Stanfill is a former defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League and then the NFL after the AFL-NFL merger of 1970.-High school years:...
, Tommy Thurson, Charley Trippi
Charley Trippi
Charles Louis Trippi is a former professional American football player for the Chicago Cardinals. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.Mr. Trippi currently resides in Athens, Georgia...
, Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
, Tim Worley
Tim Worley
Timothy Worley is a former American football running back who played for the Georgia Bulldogs in college, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears of the National Football League.-College career:...
, Shawn Savage, Gene Washington, Eric Zeier
Eric Zeier
Eric Royce Zeier is a former American football quarterback. In his five years in the NFL, he played for the Cleveland Browns , Baltimore Ravens , and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Zeier started his career at Heidelberg American High School in Heidelberg, Germany where he led them to a championship...
.
See also
- Auburn–Florida football rivalry
- Clean, Old-Fashioned HateClean, Old-Fashioned HateClean, Old-Fashioned Hate is the nickname given to an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia. The two Georgia universities are...
: Georgia–Georgia Tech football rivalry - Deep South's Oldest RivalryDeep South's Oldest RivalryThe Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played by the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University and the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia...
: Auburn–Georgia football rivalry - Florida–Florida State football rivalry
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida–LSU football rivalry
- Florida–Miami football rivalry
- Florida–Tennessee football rivalry
- Georgia BulldogsGeorgia BulldogsThe Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference...
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of Georgia Bulldogs football players
External links
- GatorZone.com – Official webpage of the Florida Gators football team
- GeorgiaDogs.com – Official webpage of the Georgia Bulldogs football team