GCMB Poll: Greatest UF football player ever

[T REX]

All amazing players and we are blessed to call them Gators.

 

[YLGator]

Yeah...that was all for the benefit of Kresser. SOS is one helluva guy.

What a sad thread. I doubt if someone started a similar thread on a Chicago Bull message board there would be close to this much discussion. Tim Tebow was the greatest player in the history of college football and he was and is a Gator. All the other players mentioned in this thread were great gators. I was lucky enough to be a student in the 80's during the Emmitt years and worshiped the ground he walked on. Danny was an incredible QB and was clearly an all-time great, but Tim was and is to this day the greatest college football player I've ever seen. There simply is no doubt.

 

[BruceWayne]

Well, hopefully a "good season" consists of more than winning a horrible eastern conference and getting curb-stomped in the SECCG while fielding an unwatchable offense.

Honestly I would settle for a watchable offense at this point. They have starved us for nearly ten years.

 

[ThreatMatrix]

"Greatest UF Football player" So that means don't take into account NFL careers. That means by default that QB are always gonna win this question. They touch the ball the most so have more impact than a RB or WR.
So that leaves to the three Heismen Statutes Spurrier, Danny, Tim. Well only Danny and Tim have NC as players so that wipes Spurrier off the list. Leaving Danny and Tim, Well Dannny was able to execute the HBC plays to perfection and that made Danny very successful, but Danny might not have so much success playing for any one else. And Tim was unconventional in that defenses had to respect the run not so much his arm, But Tim brought the edge of his will to win that elevated everyone around him. So is it Danny or Tim? Well I add a third QB and that QB is Rex Grossman. Rex should have won a Heisman and if not for Twisted Knee we might beat UT and play for the NC. But more importantly Rex won with his skills, Rex improvised, Rex throw up passes that shouldn't have been thrown yet ended in receptions.
Greatest UF Player? For your consideration I give you Rex "the Sex Cannon" Grossman.

 

[78]

Harvin ...

 

[ChiefGator]

Last one of this endless offseason.

The weighted criteria:

1) 40% Performance on the field
2) 20% Leadership
3) 10% How it all translated to the team
4) 20% Conduct off the field
5) 10% National attention brought to the program


I'm probably going to catch flak over naming Harvin while not naming John Reaves, Fred Taylor, Cris Collinsworth or Louis Oliver. The first eight came automatically. The last two were a struggle. Enjoy.

Based on these criteria and only during their time at UF. Tebow can't be beat.

His on field performance was very good, perhaps not to the level of some of the others.
His leadership is off the charts, nobody can be better than him both on the field, with the team and in public.

It translated to the team very well, his "promise" is only one piece of evidence. I believe none are better here either.

Conduct off the field is also better or equal to anybody else. Mostly better.

National attention??? He was the "chosen one" before even arriving.

So Tim wins not that there are not other very great players on that list.

 

[ChiefGator]

Wuerffel's conduct off the field wasn't as good as Tebow's? What about four SEC titles, a national and a Heisman? What about his doing it through example rather than being demonstrative? What about his doing it with not nearly the physical skills of Tebow?

I think Wuerffel is the most compelling college football player of my lifetime, which is why I voted for him.

Tim did many more things in the community that Danny, or at least we heard more about them. And Danny never generated the national attention either. Without these things I would call it a tie, both are exceptional human beings.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

I'd rather have 2 NC's and only 2 SEC titles than 4 SEC's and 1NC. However I refuse to pick between TT and DW....

 

[TheDouglas78]

Tim did many more things in the community that Danny, or at least we heard more about them. And Danny never generated the national attention either. Without these things I would call it a tie, both are exceptional human beings.

The question is, if Danny lived in the era of Social Media and 24/7 media would he have had the same media exposure. The difference in the decade between them is the explosion of the media.

 

[TheDouglas78]

I'd rather have 2 NC's and only 2 SEC titles than 4 SEC's and 1NC. However I refuse to pick between TT and DW....

Both only have 1 NC as a starter. DW was the starter in two NC games, might have lost to one of the best football teams in College history in 95.

 

[ChiefGator]

The question is, if Danny lived in the era of Social Media and 24/7 media would he have had the same media exposure. The difference in the decade between them is the explosion of the media.

I did not adjust for that, since I have no reasonable way to do so. You make a great point as I said it is a tie without that effect.

 

[TheDouglas78]

I did not adjust for that, since I have no reasonable way to do so. You make a great point as I said it is a tie without that effect.

It's hard to say, just something I think a lot of people don't take into account.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Both only have 1 NC as a starter. DW was the starter in two NC games, might have lost to one of the best football teams in College history in 95.

I know but sometimes I think people forget how key some of Tebows short yardage plays were on the 2006 team. Also he energized/inspired the entire team that year and you could feel his presence in the stadium or on TV whenever he came into a game....I said I refused to pick between them because they were such different players. Glad we had both.

 

[T REX]

I know but sometimes I think people forget how key some of Tebows short yardage plays were on the 2006 team. Also he energized/inspired the entire team that year and you could feel his presence in the stadium or on TV whenever he came into a game....I said I refused to pick between them because they were such different players. Glad we had both.

Wait...you give two QBs credit as QB for the natty in 06? Tebow only had like 50 plays that year. Come on. That's Leaks title. Yes Tebow played an important ROLE. He did not quarterback us to a title in 06.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Wait...you give two QBs credit as QB for the natty in 06? Tebow only had like 50 plays that year. Come on. That's Leaks title. Yes Tebow played an important ROLE. He did not quarterback us to a title in 06.

Not exactly, what I said was that Tebow has 2 NC compared to DW's 1 NC. Tebow's importance to the 2006 team didn't come as much from being a QB as it did just being on the team. He pushed veterans from every position on that 2006 team from the moment he came to campus, often challenging even offensive and defensive linemen in the weight room...... He was one of if not the strongest people on the team and broke a lot of UF football strength and weight lifting records as a freshmen.....Beyond that he did convert many 3rd and 4th downs which were key to getting to the NC game and it was obvious both the teams and fans could feel his presence in his limited playing time.

 

[T REX]

Not exactly, what I said was that Tebow has 2 NC compared to DW's 1 NC. Tebow's importance to the 2006 team didn't come as much from being a QB as it did just being on the team. He pushed veterans from every position on that 2006 team from the moment he came to campus, often challenging even offensive and defensive linemen in the weight room...... He was one of if not the strongest people on the team and broke a lot of UF football strength and weight lifting records as a freshmen.....Beyond that he did convert many 3rd and 4th downs which were key to getting to the NC game and it was obvious both the teams and fans could feel his presence in his limited playing time.

Both great Gators...no doubt about it. Sometimes I feel people talk about Tebow like he actually QB'd the team. Leak did and he came through on the biggest stage vs OSU. I'm not so much taking away from Tebow as building Leak up.

 

[TheDouglas78]

Both great Gators...no doubt about it. Sometimes I feel people talk about Tebow like he actually QB'd the team. Leak did and he came through on the biggest stage vs OSU. I'm not so much taking away from Tebow as building Leak up.

Leak really is one of the most under appreciated quarterbacks of the last 50 years

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Both great Gators...no doubt about it. Sometimes I feel people talk about Tebow like he actually QB'd the team. Leak did and he came through on the biggest stage vs OSU. I'm not so much taking away from Tebow as building Leak up.

Yeah Leak did a helluva job with that team given the fact we were still kind of transitioning to Meyers system. I certainly wasn't trying to take anything away from his position as QB on that team.
I'm not usually one to give too much credit for "rah rah" type guys either but in Tim's case it was one of the few times that it turned out to be real and it had an effect on the guys even if he spent most of that season on the sideline himself.

 

[ChiefGator]

Both great Gators...no doubt about it. Sometimes I feel people talk about Tebow like he actually QB'd the team. Leak did and he came through on the biggest stage vs OSU. I'm not so much taking away from Tebow as building Leak up.

Yes I clearly remember Leak destroying the OSU defense.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Last one of this endless offseason.

The weighted criteria:

1) 40% Performance on the field
2) 20% Leadership
3) 10% How it all translated to the team
4) 20% Conduct off the field
5) 10% National attention brought to the program


I'm probably going to catch flak over naming Harvin while not naming John Reaves, Fred Taylor, Cris Collinsworth or Louis Oliver. The first eight came automatically. The last two were a struggle. Enjoy.

Let's see:

1. Clearly Wuerffel
2. Probably Wuerffel, but maybe a push with Tebow
3. Wuerffel's teams went 45-6-1 or winning 88. Tebow's teams went 48-7. Wuerffel's teams never missed the SEC title game and won it every year. Tebow's teams made the SEC championship game 3 out of 4 years. Wuerffel's teams ended up ranked by the AP 5, 7, 2, 1 while Tebow's teams ended up AP ranked 1, 13, 1, 3. To me this is a small edge to Wuerffel's teams.
4. I will call this a push though, I tend to favor the guy quietly doing good deeds, but a case can be made for publicity and raising funds to do even more good.
5. Clearly Wilbur Marshall, I am shocked he received no votes the last time I checked. One can not over estimate the amount of attention him almost single handedly crushing the SoCal offense got UF on THE game of the week when there were not 27 games broadcasts each Saturday. As far as Wuerffel and Tebow, this might be another push, though Tebow was standing on the shoulders of the publicity that Wuerffel brought the program.