Here's one guy's take. The debate is on:
https://floridagators.com/news/2019/8/9/football-carters-corner-10-best-gators-of-all-time.aspx
https://floridagators.com/news/2019/8/9/football-carters-corner-10-best-gators-of-all-time.aspx
10 Best UF Football Players of All Time
- Thread starter ocalaman
- Start date
Hard to argue with much of it. I’d move Wuerffel up a bit. I’m not sure I would include Fred Taylor. As good as he was I actually thought he was underused in college.
Other names to consider IMO would be guys like Lomas Brown, Neal Anderson, Rex Grossman, Louis Oliver, Ricky Nattiel, Kerwin Bell. I’m sure I’m missing others.
Swap Danny and Steve in places. Drop Emmitt off the list (overrated based on his pro career)....Collinsworth could be dropped...
Where is Kyle Morris on that list? Jk
Where is Kyle Morris on that list? Jk
There was a UF football team before 1960. Leaving Rick Casares off any UF top ten player list is ignorant.
Love the fact this the list wasn't the Top ten in the last 15 years lol, or since that guy started watching football. Solid effort.
Looking back, he just wasn’t as great at the college level as most would think given what he became in the NFL. Had absolutely no break away speed. Definitely a great player...but not Top 10 of all Gator players during their college careers, ISO.
100% disagree - I think some may discount his college career because the team was a mess. He was like freaking Paul Bunyan back then and was one of the few elites on any of those Gator teams. Those were DARK times my friend.
Emmitt was insanely good on very average/bad teams.
Breakaway speed? Hilarious. That is exactly why they said he wouldn’t make it in the NFL yet I never saw him get caught from behind. I think to this day he has the longest rushing TD in UF history. It was like a 97 yard TD run. Do you think all of a sudden he just got that much better from college to the NFL? He was always an elite talent. The UF teams he was on were pretty bad as well. He was a 1 man team. He is without a doubt one of the top 10 UF football players of all time. He was great at UF.
Going off memory but pretty sure Emmitt was in the Heisman Top 10 each year - those teams were barely .500 WITH him. I may be overstating things but you get the point...he was ALL we had on those teams.
sadgator attended UF ‘88-‘93...tons of memories of Emmitt getting caught from behind. He was a great player...don’t misunderstand. And your point about him being the only star on a crummy team is well taken...but sadgator thinks there were more that 10 players that performed better than Emmitt during their UF careers...
I think you're forgetting that Emmitt played on some bad offensive teams. Opposing defenses would load the box with 8. Care to name our starting QBs during his 3 seasons? Considering he had to almost do it alone, his rushing stats become even more impressive.
Yeah he didn’t have much at QB. Wasn’t Kyle Morris the QB for 1 season? What Emmitt was able to do on those teams is pretty darn impressive.
Donald Douglas in 89. He transferred from Florida when SOS arrived and was quickly moved to safety at his new school.
In the 1989 game at Auburn, Douglass attempted something like 3 passes....one of them was completed for negative yardage...
That is no joke...
I was a student in 89 and unfortunately in the stands, but fortunately still buzzed enough to tolerate it. I remember my buzz wearing off mid way through the 4th quarter, looking up at the scoreboard and we had 87 yards of offense. Emmitt was hurt and played very little that game.
Sad, you are so incredibly wrong on this. Emmitt single-handily carried that team. He ran behind a line where several wouldn't make most other D-1 teams,much less start on them. He deserved the Heisman, but they don't give it to players on 6-6 teams.
I went to UF from 69-73, and I agree that Casares should have been mentioned. But not sure he was Top 10 all time at UF. All time NFL great, for sure. The Gainesville Sun listed him as #37 of the Top 100 players in the 1st 100 years of Florida football. He only played 2 years at UF. Freshmen weren't eligible back then and he was drafted into the Army after his junior year. 2nd team all SEC and honorable mention All American in 1952. Great kicker for UF as well. But I would not put him ahead of Smith, Taylor or Rhett as far as UF career.
