1984 Florida Gators football team

The 1984 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. The campaign was Charley Pell's sixth and last as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team, as he was forced to resign three games into the season after the release of an NCAA report detailing numerous recruiting and other rules violations committed during his tenure at Florida. Offensive coordinator Galen Hall had been hired the previous summer and was not implicated in the scandal, so he was named interim head coach.

1984 Florida Gators football
SEC champion (vacated)
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 3
Record9–1–1 (5–0–1 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGalen Hall (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorJoe Kines (4th season)
Home stadiumFlorida Field
(capacity: 72,000)[1]
1984 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Florida 5 –0 –19 –1 –1
No. 15 LSU 4 –1 –18 –3 –1
No. 14 Auburn 4 –2 –09 –4 –0
Georgia 4 –2 –07 –4 –1
No. 19 Kentucky 3 –3 –09 –3 –0
Tennessee 3 –3 –07 –4 –1
Vanderbilt 2 –4 –05 –6 –0
Alabama 2 –4 –05 –6 –0
Ole Miss 1 –5 –04 –6 –1
Mississippi State 1 –5 –04 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Florida was assessed a postseason ban following an NCAA investigation, and the SEC subsequently vacated any championship. The Sugar Bowl automatic bid for the conference champion was awarded to LSU. Under modern rules, LSU would be credited with the conference championship.
Rankings from AP Poll

After starting the season 1–1–1 under Pell, the Gators went 8–0 under Hall to post a 9–1–1 overall record, including 5–0–1 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and Hall was named the SEC Coach of the Year. Florida was ranked #3 in the final Associated Press poll - the highest finish in program history up to that time - and were declared national champions by several minor pollsters, including the New York Times and The Sporting News. However, due to NCAA sanctions, the Gators were not permitted to participate in a bowl game.

Florida led the SEC in both points scored (31 points per game) and points allowed (15.5 points per game). The balanced offense featured freshman quarterback and SEC Player of the Year Kerwin Bell, three running backs who would be NFL first round draft picks in John L. Williams, Neal Anderson, and Lorenzo Hampton, and another future first round pick in freshman wide receiver Ricky Nattiel. The offensive line was dubbed "The Great Wall of Florida" and featured several all-conference lineman, including yet another future first round pick in tackle Lomas Brown, helping Florida lead the conference in rushing with 240 yards per game. The defense featured two consensus all-conference players in noseguard Tim Newton and linebacker Alonzo Johnson.[2][3][4]

No Florida football squad had ever been undefeated in the SEC or had won a conference championship, so there was much rejoicing in Gainesville when the 1984 team clinched the best record in the league in November.[5] However, due to the NCAA violations committed under Pell, the title was retroactively vacated in May 1985 by a vote of the presidents of the SEC schools. Reportedly, the vote was 6-4, with Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State voting to allow the Gators to keep their title; Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt voted to take it away.

Florida would again top the conference standings in 1985 but had been declared ineligible for the SEC championship before the season began. The program did not win an officially recognized SEC football championship until 1991.[5]

Schedule
DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 1vs. No. 10 Miami (FL)*No. 17
ESPNL 20–3272,813
September 8LSU
TBST 21–2170,197
September 15Tulane*
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 63–2165,265
September 29Mississippi State
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 27–1268,186
October 6Syracuse*
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 16–070,189
October 13at TennesseeNo. 18
W 43–3094,016[6]
October 20Cincinnati*No. 17
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 48–1773,690
November 3No. 11 AuburnNo. 13
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
ABCW 24–374,397
November 10vs. No. 8 GeorgiaNo. 10
CBSW 27–082,349
November 17at KentuckyNo. 5
TBSW 25–1752,823
December 1at No. 12 Florida State*No. 3
ABCW 27–1758,930
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[4]

Personnel
1984 Florida Gators football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
RB 27 Neal Anderson Jr
QB 12 Kerwin Bell Fr
QB Rodney Brewer
OL Phil Bromley
OL Lomas Brown
RB Reggie Corlew
OL Jimmy Davis
OL Jack Gerzina
RB Lorenzo Hampton
RB Joe Henderson
OL 60 Billy Hinson
TE Rodney Jones
OL Crawford Ker
RB James Massey
WR Ray McDonald
WR 89 Ricky Nattiel So
WR 21 Frankie Neal So
TE Walter Odom
TE Duncan Parham
TE Tom Peddle
WR Gary Rolle
WR Linzey Smith
WR Bret Wiechmann
RB Anthony Williams
FB 22 John L. Williams Jr
OL Jeff Zimmerman
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
LB Scott Armstrong
S Vernell Brown
DT Tommy Duhart
DB Ricky Easmon
DL Sam Garland
LB Alonzo Johnson
LB Mark Korff
LB Patrick Miller
LB Alonzo Mitz
LB Ron Moten
DL Tim Newton
LB Leon Pennington
DB Roger Sibbald
DB Curtis Stacey
DT Don Tinny
DB Adrian White
CB Jarvis Williams
DL Keith Williams
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
P Ray Criswell
P David Nadone
K Chris Perkins
K Bobby Raymond Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Game summaries

Vs. Miami (FL)
#10 Miami (FL) vs. #17 Florida
1 234Total
• Hurricanes 3 13313 32
Gators 3 737 20
Scoring summary
1MIACox 29-yard field goalMIA 3–0
1FLARaymond 44-yard field goalTie 3–3
2FLAHampton 64-yard run (Raymond kick)FLA 10–3
2MIACox 20-yard field goalFLA 10–6
2MIAOliver 21-yard run (Cox kick)MIA 13–10
2MIACox 27-yard field goalMIA 16–10
3MIACox 25-yard field goalMIA 19–10
3FLARaymond 30-yard field goalMIA 19–13
40:41FLANeal 5-yard pass from Bell (Raymond kick)FLA 20–19
40:07MIABrown 12-yard pass from Kosar (Cox kick)MIA 26–20
40:00MIABain 59-yard interception returnMIA 32–20
See also: 1984 Miami Hurricanes football team and Florida–Miami football rivalry

The Florida Gators opened the 1984 season with a neutral site clash at Tampa Stadium against their in-state rival and defending national champion Miami Hurricanes. The game was nationally televised by ESPN as the second game of a double-header on the network's first day broadcasting live college football.

Redshirt freshman Kerwin Bell unexpectedly became Florida's starting quarterback four days before the game when senior Dale Dorminey suffered a serious knee injury in practice. Supported by an effective rushing attack, Bell played well in his first collegiate appearance, and the game was close throughout. With his team down by six points late in the fourth quarter, Bell led the Gators on a long drive that culminated with a touchdown pass that gave them a 20-19 lead with under a minute remaining.[7][8] However, Miami senior quarterback Bernie Kosar quickly led the Hurricanes down the field and threw a responding touchdown pass with six seconds left, putting Miami back ahead 26-20. The Gators lined up for one last play deep in their own territory with one second left. Bell threw a Hail Mary pass that was intercepted by Miami defensive back Tolbert Bain and returned for touchdown as time expired, giving Miami a 32–20 victory and covering the point spread, as the Hurricanes had been a 6.5 point favorite.[9]

At Tennessee
See also: 1984 Tennessee Volunteers football team and Florida–Tennessee football rivalry
Florida Gators (3–1–1) at Tennessee Volunteers (2–1–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Florida 13 10 02043
Tennessee 10 3 31430

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee

  • Date: October 13
  • Game weather: Sunny
  • Game attendance: 94,016
  • [10]
Game information
  • John L. Williams led the team in receiving and added 100 yards on the ground.
  • The game featured 1,060 total yards and 47 first downs.

Vs. Georgia
See also: 1984 Georgia Bulldogs football team and Florida–Georgia football rivalry

After suffering several defeats to the Bulldogs with a conference championship at stake, the Gators entered the rivalry game in Jacksonville undefeated in the SEC. The Gators dominated early, building a 17–0 lead by early in the second half. Georgia seemed to come alive in the third quarter, mounting a long time-consuming drive into Florida territory. However, they were stopped near Florida's goal line on a fourth down play, giving the Gators the ball inside their own one yard line. On the third play following the change of possession, Gator quarterback Kerwin Bell dropped back into his own end zone and lofted a long pass down the sideline to wide receiver Ricky Nattiel, who went 96 yards for a touchdown. Florida regained the momentum and went on to win 27–0, their largest margin of victory in the series at the time.

Kentucky
1 234Total
• Florida 3 976 25
Kentucky 3 077 17
  • Date: November 17
  • Game attendance: 52,823
Scoring summary
Q1FLARaymond 30 yard field goalFLA 3–0
Q1KENWorley 50 yard field goalTie 3–3
Q2FLARaymond 38 yard field goalFLA 6–3
Q2FLARaymond 27 yard field goalFLA 9–3
Q2FLARaymond 30 yard field goalFLA 12–3
Q3KENPhillips 7 yard pass from Ransdell (Worley kick)FLA 12–10
Q3FLANeal 9 yard pass from Bell (Raymond kick)FLA 19–10
Q4FLARaymond 36 yard field goalFLA 22–10
Q4KENPhillips 8 yard pass from Ransdell (Worley kick)FLA 22–17
Q4FLARaymond 43 yard field goalFLA 25–17

[11]

Postseason

Despite winning the SEC title, the Gators were barred from going to the 1985 Sugar Bowl due to the violations committed under Pell; runner-up LSU went in their place.[12] On May 30, 1985, the presidents of the ten SEC-member universities voted 6–4 to vacate the Gators' 1984 SEC title and declared the team ineligible for the SEC championship during the upcoming 1985 and 1986 seasons because of the rule violations committed under Pell. The retroactive vacating of the 1984 championship, six months after the 1984 football season ended, drew an angry response from University of Florida president Marshall Criser, as well as Gators coaches, players and fans due to the retroactive nature of the decision and its perceived unfairness.[13]

References
  1. University of Florida Sports Information Department. "Florida 1984 Football Guide" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  2. Carlson, Norm. "The Great Wall of Florida". University of Florida Athletic Association. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  3. "1984 Southeastern Conference Year Summary". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  4. 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived December 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  5. Dooley, Pat (November 20, 2009). "Do not forget 1984, UF football's first SEC title". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  6. "Bombs away! Gators burn Vols 43–30". News-Press. October 14, 1984. Retrieved October 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Paul Jenkins, "Dale Dorminey: guy who made Kerwin Bell famous," Lakeland Ledger, p. 1D (September 13, 1987). Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  8. White, Gordon (September 2, 1984). "LAST-MINUTE RALLY LIFTS MIAMI, 32-20". New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  9. Hooper, Ernest (August 21, 2019). "Miyagi's wisdom, Kerwin Bell's fearlessness highlighted memorable day". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  10. Gainesville Sun. 1984 Oct 14. Pg. 8F. Retrieved 2020-Dec-05.
  11. Gainesville Sun. 1984 Nov 18. Retrieved 2017-Sep-03.
  12. "Commentary : What's Florida's Problem? Give the Title Back". latimes.
  13. Associated Press, "SEC Presidents swipe Florida of football title", Times Daily, p. 5B (May 31, 1985). See also "Gators Stripped of SEC Title", The Palm Beach Post, pp. A1 & A5 (May 31, 1985). Both retrieved May 5, 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.