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| 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s |
| 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s |
| 2000s |
| Charley Pell,
succeeded Dickey and went 0-10-1 in 1979 and felt
immediate heat, but he quickly turned things around. An
offensive lineman at Alabama for Bear Bryant in the 1960s
and with a National Title from Clemson, Pell beefed up
his forward wall, and it paid off with win totals of
eight, seven, eight and nine over the next four years.
Meanwhile, in the early '80s Florida's population was
booming, and, like new in-state rivals Miami and Florida
State, the Gators began stuffing their roster with
homegrown stars like Wilber Marshall and Lomas Brown. GIVE 'EM HELL, PELL bumper stickers could be spotted all over Gainesville, but in October 1984 Pell got hell from the NCAA. An investigation revealed 59 violations involving the Florida football program, ranging from ticket scalping for profit to academic malfeasance to spying on opponents, and the Gators were given three years' probation. Pell was dismissed three games into the '84 season and replaced by offensive coordinator Galen Hall. In the sort of irony rife throughout their history, the Gators went 9-1-1 and after 51 years of frustration earned their first SEC title, thanks to the legs of Neal Anderson and the cool of erstwhile eighth-string quarterback Kerwin Bell. But the conference denied them their crown and a Sugar Bowl bid and the Gators were forced to be the first team with the title "Conference Best" or "we won it on the field". However, opponents would claim it was "the best team money can buy". The early 80's teams produced Wilbur Marshal, Rickey Natiel, Lorenzo Hampton, Neal Anderson, Emmit Smith, and and many more stars of the NFL. |
| Last Updated November 19, 2006 |  |
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