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— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 15, 2021
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Heading into his junior season in 1995, Gators quarterback Danny Wuerffel had two full seasons and 16 months in front of him before winning the 1996 Heisman Trophy.
Still, after leading the Gators to a thrilling 24-23 comeback win over Alabama in the 1994 Southeastern Conference Championship Game, Wuerffel was one of college football’s biggest names.
In a preseason feature in August 1995, current FloridaGators.com colleague Chris Harry, the UF beat writer for the Tampa Tribune at the time, did a question-and-answer segment with Wuerffel to complement the story.
One of the questions stands out in retrospect.
Q: A century from now, how do you want to be remembered?
A: There’s only two things that last, and those are the relationships you have with people and the relationship you have with God. I’d like to be remembered as a guy who got along well with everybody and someone who took the word of God seriously.
More than a quarter-century later, Wuerffel has upheld that legacy and more.
This weekend, 25 years after he heard his name called and stood to accept the Heisman Trophy at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City, Wuerffel will attend the 2021 ceremony. The candidates are Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett, and Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
One of them will join the game’s most exclusive club and experience a life-changing event.
Wuerffel can attest to that. He still remembers Jerri Spurrier, the wife of Wuerffel’s college coach and 1966 Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier, telling him the night after he won the award about the impact of the Heisman on his life.
“You’ll learn more and more as the years go by,” she told him.
“Certainly, she was very prophetic in those words,” Wuerffel said this week.
Seated between Arizona State quarterback Jake Plummer and Iowa State running back Troy Davis, two of the other three finalists, and Ohio State offensive lineman Orlando Pace, Wuerffel was considered the favorite. However, he believed Davis had a chance.
The Iowa State star rushed for 21 touchdowns and 2,185 yards, his second consecutive 2,000-yard season.
“You never know until you know,” Wuerffel said. “I did win, earlier in the week, some of the awards that are indicators of who might win the Heisman. I was not presuming anything. I was just very grateful to hear my name called.”
The Spurriers and Wuerffel’s family were on hand when Wuerffel became Florida’s second Heisman winner. Tim Tebow became the third Gators quarterback to win the award in 2007.
The trio has stood in bronze together outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since 2011.
While the award solidified Wuerffel’s place in Gators lore and college football history, true to his character, the son of an Air Force chaplain has parlayed the Heisman Trophy into much more meaningful endeavors.
Following his professional career, Wuerffel joined Desire Street Ministries in New Orleans. He became the organization’s executive director in 2006, and under his direction, Desire Street moved its headquarters to Atlanta following Hurricane Katrina to expand its outreach. Wuerffel is also involved with The Wuerffel Trophy, which is part of the National Football Federation’s Collegiate Awards and the first significant award honoring the character of service to others.
Wuerffel’s ability to impact so many others positively over the years is in many ways because of the award he won on a December night 25 years ago.
“It was an incredible experience at the time, but it’s one of those things that just never ends,” he said. “You could win the Nobel Peace Prize, or you could end up in jail, and either way, you would still be known as the Heisman Trophy winner.
“For me, the Heisman Trophy is this amazing platform. It has been a tremendous value to raise awareness and funds and support to help a lot of different people over the years. I believe a lot of success that Desire Street has had and the Wuerffel Trophy has had is, in large part, is to the fact that I did win the Heisman Trophy.”
Wuerffel remains a favorite son of Gator Nation. At his introductory press conference on Sunday, new Gators head coach Billy Napier referenced Wuerffel by name, recalling his days watching Wuerffel play on TV growing up in north Georgia. Wuerffel and Napier exchanged messages this week.
Following a year in which the Heisman ceremony was held virtually due to COVID-19 protocols, Wuerffel is excited about returning to New York and seeing the Spurriers and other past winners.
It’s an event that lasts a lifetime for a lucky few.
“My wife [Jessica] and I love going up there and being a part of it,” he said. “My wife’s favorite part of the Heisman ceremony is getting to hang out with Jerri Spurrier. That’s what makes it fun for her.”
Like Jerri Spurrier told Wuerffel 25 years ago, it’s a life-changing gift that keeps on giving.
Las Vegas — Former University of Florida offensive tackle Lomas Brown was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame Tuesday during the 63rd National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinners in Las Vegas.
A member of the 2020 class, Brown became the 12th overall Gator and the ninth Florida player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
The anchor of the Gators’ offensive line known as “The Great Wall of Florida,” Lomas Brown remains one of the most dominant blockers in SEC history.
A consensus First Team All-American in 1984, Brown received the Jacobs Blocking Trophy that season as the SEC’s top blocker. The senior team captain was a two-time All-SEC selection, earning first team honors in 1984 after taking home second team laurels in 1983. During his stellar 1984 campaign, Brown guided Florida to nine consecutive wins to finish the season 9-1-1 while anchoring an offense that helped three different backs each gain nearly 700 rushing yards
Position: Offensive Tackle
A consensus First Team All-American in 1984, Brown received the Jacobs Blocking Trophy that season as the SEC’s top blocker. The senior team captain was a two-time All-SEC selection, earning first team honors in 1984 after taking home second team laurels in 1983. During his stellar 1984 campaign, Brown guided Florida to nine consecutive wins to finish the season 9-1-1 while anchoring an offense that helped three different backs each gain nearly 700 rushing yards.
Florida’s Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1983, Brown led the Gators to three-straight bowl berths, including a win in the 1983 Gator Bowl. He started 31 of his last 33 games, guiding Florida to top 10 national rankings in 1983 (No. 6) and 1984 (No. 3). The Gators beat in-state rival Florida State all four years Brown was in Gainesville, and he capped his stellar collegiate career by playing in both the Hula and Senior bowls. A member of the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, he played for the Gators alongside fellow College Football Hall of Famer Wilber Marshall.
The sixth overall pick by the Detroit Lions in the 1985 NFL Draft, Brown played 18 seasons in the pros with the Lions (1985-95), Arizona Cardinals (1996-98), Cleveland Browns (1999), New York Giants (2000-01) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002). The seven-time Pro Bowl selection appeared in two Super Bowls, retiring on a high note after helping the Buccaneers win Super Bowl XXXVII. Brown returned to Florida during the NFL offseason to complete his bachelor’s degree in 1996.
While still playing in the NFL, he founded the Lomas Brown Jr. Foundation benefitting educational institutions and related activities focusing on scholarships, student financial aid and awards programs. Noted for his generosity, Brown has hosted free football camps in Detroit for local high school students among many other charitable endeavors. He currently serves as the CEO of LBJB Sports, a sports marketing firm in Detroit, and he can be heard as the color commentator on the Detroit Lions broadcast team for flagship radio station WJR-AM.
Florida State (6-3) fell to Florida (9-3) by a 69-55 score this afternoon in Gainesville, FL.
This game was tight early but Florida ended the first quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 19-11 lead after the first quarter. The Gators would never look back from there. Florida led 60-35 after the third quarter. FSU made it a bit more respectable in the fourth quarter winning that final quarter by eleven points but the deficit was too much to overcome.
The Gators were able to impose their will on FSU from almost the opening tip. The Seminoles struggled with UF’s pressure defense for the entire game. That pressure led to a whopping 23 turnovers for FSU while the Gators committed only seven. Florida State actually outshot the Gators from the field (40%-36.2%) but with all of the turnovers FSU only had 55 shots while UF had 69.
River Baldwin had a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Morgan Jones was the only other Nole in double figures with 12 points.
With the win, Florida snapped a five losing streak to Florida State. The last time UF beat FSU before today was in 2015.
This was an extremely disappointing performance from the Seminoles. FSU did continue to play hard until the end. However, the Noles were never able to fully get comfortable in this game due to UF’s pressure defense.
FSU really needs to get the point guard situation figured out. Bianca Jackson played today but she clearly isn’t 100%. The Seminoles are very vulnerable if their floor leader isn’t fully ready to go and that was proven in a big way today.
Florida State will try to regroup on Thursday, Dec. 16th when they welcome Houston to Tallahassee. The game will tip at 7pm and will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra
SATURDAY PRACTICE
They have already practiced today.
Once again, they were in shorts and a helmet.
I was told it was once again a laid-back atmosphere.
One big addition today, after being absent (along with all the other transfer portal players) yesterday, linebacker Mohamoud Diabate was at practice today (but in a sling).
As Inside the Gators reported yesterday, we were told that he entered his name in the portal to keep his options open but wasn’t 100-percent leaving.
https://insidethegators.com/forums/1/topics/14675/replies/77626
FRIDAY PRACTICE by Matt Wheeler
After holding conditioning workouts with Nick Savage and staff over the last two weeks, Florida held their first bowl practice this afternoon.
To be clear, the person giving me this information isn’t out there taking attendance, but according to them, none of those players who have entered the transfer portal (Mincey, Bogle, Diabate, Copeland) were at practice.
Then of course, Anthony Richardson wasn’t out there.
Without Richardson, it was Carlos Del Rio who took snaps after Emory Jones.
Perhaps the best news for Florida defensively is that Kaiir Elam was out there, so he will apparently play in the bowl game.
They practiced in helmets and shorts and did some positional drills, and some 7 on 7 as well as full team work.
Billy Napier and a few from his staff were there watching for a little while, and then left.
I was told it was a pretty light mood, mostly because it was a short practice their first day back after it. They’ll practice again tomorrow, and it will be a longer one, and likely more intense.
The Florida Gators are one of two SEC programs who will have a new head coach during the 2022 season. Billy Napier was hired from Louisiana, replacing former head coach Dan Mullen to rebuild the program.
Napier was on the Paul Finebaum Show on Friday, detailing his goals in Gainesville over the next few seasons. He said everything will be about the players and Florida will make sure they come first.
“We’re going to build a special experience, an elite student-athlete experience,” Napier said. “It’s going to be player-based. I think you got to keep people at the core of what you do and we’re going to surround these players with great people that are really good at what they do, that really have authentic care for the player. We’re going to work our tail off in recruiting and evaluating and when we get them here, we’re going to have a very specific plan for their development.
“The game is about the players, right? I coach for the players. I’m excited for our plan. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best in the entire country. We’re going to implement those lessons we learned along the way but I do think there is a different level of commitment here than there has been in the past. From a facilities standpoint and an infrastructure standpoint.”
Napier brings an offensive-minded play style to the Swamp: he’s coached tight ends, quarterbacks and been the offensive coordinator at Clemson, he’s coached quarterbacks at Colorado State, tight ends at Florida State, wide receivers at Alabama, quarterbacks at Arizona state and more — getting a new gig at Florida, he says, won’t change that.
The new head coach still plans on calling the plays for the Florida Gators offense moving forward, regardless of who he hires as his offensive coordinator. He plans on maintaining his strong foundation of offensive principles.
“I will be calling the plays here,” Napier said in his introductory press conference. “I think it gives us an advantage, in my opinion. We’re one of the only teams in the country to have two offensive line coaches (at Louisiana). We’ll have an offensive line coach and an assistant offensive line coach (at Florida).”
Napier comes to Florida with an intriguing resume, with his most recent stop being a four-year stint as the head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette. Napier in 2018 took over a Louisiana program that had not eclipsed six wins since 2014, and he turned the Ragin’ Cajuns into a top-25 program with apparent ease; after a 7-7 campaign in his first year, Louisiana amassed two 11-win seasons and a 10-win finish. The Ragin’ Cajuns finished 2020 as the No. 15 team in the AP top 25, and they should finish in the top 25 once again this year.
The Florida Gators are one of two SEC programs that will have a new head coach during the 2022 season. Napier was hired from Louisiana, replacing former head coach Dan Mullen to rebuild the program.
Napier was on the Paul Finebaum Show on Friday, detailing his goals in Gainesville over the next few seasons. He said everything will be about the players and Florida will make sure they come first.
“We’re going to build a special experience, an elite student-athlete experience,” Napier said. “It’s going to be player-based. I think you got to keep people at the core of what you do and we’re going to surround these players with great people that are really good at what they do, that really have authentic care for the player. We’re going to work our tail off in recruiting and evaluating and when we get them here, we’re going to have a very specific plan for their development.
“The game is about the players, right? I coach for the players. I’m excited for our plan. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best in the entire country. We’re going to implement those lessons we learned along the way but I do think there is a different level of commitment here than there has been in the past. From a facilities standpoint and an infrastructure standpoint.”
Napier comes to Florida with an intriguing resume, with his most recent stop being a four-year stint as the head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette. Napier in 2018 took over a Louisiana program that had not eclipsed six wins since 2014, and he turned the Ragin’ Cajuns into a top-25 program with apparent ease.
GAINESVILLE, FLA. — Veteran defensive backs coach Corey Raymond is leaving LSU for Florida, a big-time coup for new coach Billy Napier.
Napier officially announced Raymond as the team’s cornerbacks coach and assistant head coach for the defense Thursday.
A three-year starter at LSU (1989-91) who went on to play six years in the NFL for the New York Giants and Chicago, Raymond spent the past 10 seasons at LSU. He also served as the program’s recruiting coordinator the past two years.
Raymond’s secondary at LSU produced seven All-Americans: Eric Reid (2012), Jalen Mills (2015), Jamal Adams (2016), Tre’Davious White (2016), Greedy Williams (2018), Grant Delpit (2018-19) and Derek Stingley Jr. (2019-20).
Raymond previously spent time at Nebraska (2011) and Utah State (2009-10). His also served a prior stint at LSU (2006-08).
Napier negotiated a $12.5 million salary pool to hire 10 full-time assistants and dozens of support personnel. He is expected to part ways with most or all of former Florida coach Dan Mullen’s staff, which is preparing the team to play UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa on Dec. 23.
Raymond joins a staff that already includes co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Patrick Toney, director of strength and conditioning Mark Hocke, running backs coach Jabbar Juluke and offensive analyst Ryan O’Hara.
