Some Gators football history

[stephenPE]

GIVE ’EM HELL, PELL: PART I - Florida hires Charley Pell with an eye on its first SEC crown - Read and Reaction

Why do I have any level of interest in a coach with a lengthy NCAA rap sheet from the late 1970s/early 1980s who went 33-26-3 in under six seasons in Gainesville?

Well, he’s overlooked.

Charley Pell is the black sheep of the Florida football family. His tenure wreaked all kinds of havoc with the NCAA, but he also arguably laid the beginnings of the foundation that Galen Hall would manage turn over for Steve Spurrier to run with in the 1990s.

I’m careful about how much credit Pell should be given considering the negatives that came with the positives. However, it’s hard to argue that Charley Pell did not play a significant role in developing Florida into one of the major powers in college football.

One thing I know for certain: Charley Pell should not be ignored.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

I probably hold Pell in a higher regard than most because I appreciate the fact that he got caught up in the NCAA's ongoing selective enforcement program.
Although he clearly cheated and it truly hurt the program, he was simply duplicating what he learned during his years at Alabama that they continue to this day.
The moral of the story with the Pell hiring is not to play by the rules, the real message is to make sure you are good at cheating which we were not.
I assume that Bama fan laughs about this thing to this day. "Silly gators trying to cheat."

 

[Gator By Marriage]

GIVE ’EM HELL, PELL: PART I - Florida hires Charley Pell with an eye on its first SEC crown - Read and Reaction

 

[78]

We had the money, the weather and the best damn recruiting back yard in America. Hell, Bear Bryant told everyone so. The college football equivalent to a Ferrari. We handed the keys to Doug Dickey, who drove the thing like an old lady on her way to Publix.

Pell was like a damn dirt-track driver, unfortunately with lots of emphasis on the dirt. But I think you can get the gist.

 

[Thick&ThinG8r]

When I think of Pell one thing is burned in my memory 133 violations, guilty of 126.
Hell he even sent a scout to sit in a tree and watch a Mississippi State practice and there's no advantage in that what so ever.
I'm sorry but the guy ran a rogue program from top to bottom so he gets no credit from me at all. Hell you can't hate Pearl and be fine with Pell.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

. The college football equivalent to a Ferrari. We handed the keys to Doug Dickey,

And Ron Zook, Muskstank, McElstain and Mullinz, crunking gears and stuck between 115th-60th.

 

[78]

When I think of Pell one thing is burned in my memory 133 violations, guilty of 126.
Hell he even sent a scout to sit in a tree and watch a Mississippi State practice and there's no advantage in that what so ever.

Like that bigly separates him from Bama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State ... wait.

What am I doing?

Just about every SEC football coach from the beginning of time.

Oh, and Belichick, too.

Pell didn’t need to, sad as it is. He’d possibly be the greatest UF coach ever if that hadn’t happened. He was that good.

 

[SeabeeGator]

Like that bigly separates him from Bama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State ... wait.

What am I doing?

Just about every SEC football coach from the beginning of time.

Oh, and Belichick, too.

Pell didn’t need to, sad as it is. He’d possibly be the greatest UF coach ever if that hadn’t happened. He was that good.

How could you know how good of a coach he was? Dude was pulling every trick in the book - and got caught. Tarnished our school to the point that we could not keep our first major achievement to date. And do not feed me the “every one else was doing it” crap. Assuredly they were but they did not get caught so we so not know what exactly they were doing. Ever thought that maybe he got caught because he went beyond what others were comfortable with and that maybe that explains his “edge”?

Spurrier was, is, and most likely will always be the greatest coach UF has had.

 

[78]

How could you know how good of a coach he was? Dude was pulling every trick in the book - and got caught. Tarnished our school to the point that we could not keep our first major achievement to date. And do not feed me the “every one else was doing it” crap. Assuredly they were but they did not get caught so we so not know what exactly they were doing. Ever thought that maybe he got caught because he went beyond what others were comfortable with and that maybe that explains his “edge”?

Spurrier was, is, and most likely will always be the greatest coach UF has had.

You ask dumb youthful questions. No, I’m not Nostradamus, but yes I was there to observe his impact over the stadium renovation, recruiting and the general direction of the program. I suspect you were riding a trike at the time.

 

[SeabeeGator]

You ask dumb youthful questions. No, I’m not Nostradamus, but yes I was there to observe his impact over the stadium renovation, recruiting and the general direction of the program. I suspect you were riding a trike at the time.

Age is accurate. But you assume your experience gives you special insight. Youthful questions are often developed with a fresh, unbiased look at the facts. You are naive if you think that things like jumps in recruiting or disruptive changes in program direction by a proven cheat can be separated. An honest look at the FACTS would at least imply that recruiting and program direction improved dramatically because he cheated.

Spurrier no doubt had some shady stuff going on - they all did - but apparently it was not so egregious that all of his accomplishments were stripped or the program suffered for years.

 

[MJMGator]

Age is accurate. But you assume your experience gives you special insight. Youthful questions are often developed with a fresh, unbiased look at the facts. You are naive if you think that things like jumps in recruiting or disruptive changes in program direction by a proven cheat can be separated. An honest look at the FACTS would at least imply that recruiting and program direction improved dramatically because he cheated.

Spurrier no doubt had some shady stuff going on - they all did - but apparently it was not so egregious that all of his accomplishments were stripped or the program suffered for years.

Pell reenergized the fan base after the Dickey years of 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Got facilities going, donations, ticket sales and of course recruiting. Sure he cheated, but most of it was minor crap. The abundance got us smacked hard.
He woke the sleeping giant that Bear foresaw happening.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

When I saw that Coach and 78 were both posting in a thread about Gator history I thought for sure they were going to exchange first hand accounts of time we had to forfeit the game to the draft dodging Dwags back in WWII....

 

[jdh5484]

And Ron Zook, Muskstank, McElstain and Mullinz, crunking gears and stuck between 115th-60th.

60th is almost a 100% improvement!!!

 

[78]

Age is accurate. But you assume your experience gives you special insight. Youthful questions are often developed with a fresh, unbiased look at the facts. You are naive if you think that things like jumps in recruiting or disruptive changes in program direction by a proven cheat can be separated. An honest look at the FACTS would at least imply that recruiting and program direction improved dramatically because he cheated.

Spurrier no doubt had some shady stuff going on - they all did - but apparently it was not so egregious that all of his accomplishments were stripped or the program suffered for years.

I’m old but I remember. I remember he wasn’t cited for recruiting violations. I remember he didn’t lie to UF or the boosters on the logic of increasing stadium capacity.

I also remember Wilber Marshall, James Jones, John L. Williams, Neal Anderson, Lorenzo Hampton, Ricky Nattiel, Kerwin Bell, Phil Bromley, Crawford Ker, Lomas Brown, Tim Newton, Alonzo Johnson, Jeff Zimmerman, Leon Pennington, Jarvis Williams, Ronnie Moten, Tony Lilly, Mike Mularkey.

I remember Galen Hall taking Charley Pell’s team to a 9-1-1 record and first place in the SEC in 1984 after Pell resigned following the third game.

I’d say he did pretty well on his own.

 

[jdh5484]

Age is accurate. But you assume your experience gives you special insight. Youthful questions are often developed with a fresh, unbiased look at the facts. You are naive if you think that things like jumps in recruiting or disruptive changes in program direction by a proven cheat can be separated. An honest look at the FACTS would at least imply that recruiting and program direction improved dramatically because he cheated.

Spurrier no doubt had some shady stuff going on - they all did - but apparently it was not so egregious that all of his accomplishments were stripped or the program suffered for years.

UGa (Dooley), Auburn (Dye), Bamma (Bryant), UTenn (Majors) were all cheating and had been cheating for decades. Blatant cheating. UF didn't (or at least not nearly to the degree that the SEC powerhouses were doing). Pell built the Clemson program and laid the foundation for Clemsons first NC using the same process the Bear used. There were rumors of the NCAA sniffing around Clemson before he was offered the job at UF. The powers that be knew Pell would do exactly what he did. The NCAA nailed UF, then Clemson, and the real, long term cheaters didn't get a second look. My point is Pell did what he was hired to do. (IMO). The NCAA needed to set an example.


I met Pell in the Student Union and talked to him about his Clemson days (went to HS in S.C.). Very amicable fellow. Doesn't pertain to this convo ... but just a sidenote.

Agree that Spurrier is #1... hands down.

 

[Okeechobee Joe]

Give him a Coke and some Golden Flake potato chips and you've got the Bear Bryant Show.

 

[78]

Charley didn’t need to cheat, but it was how he was raised at Bama under the Bear and what he came to “realize” as how to win.

You can’t put a number on the impact, but my guess is it meant far less than losing his job at Florida. He really had it going.

 

[jdh5484]

I’m old but I remember. I remember he wasn’t cited for recruiting violations. I remember he didn’t lie to UF or the boosters on the logic of increasing stadium capacity.

I also remember Wilber Marshall, James Jones, John L. Williams, Neal Anderson, Lorenzo Hampton, Ricky Nattiel, Kerwin Bell, Phil Bromley, Crawford Ker, Lomas Brown, Tim Newton, Alonzo Johnson, Jeff Zimmerman, Leon Pennington, Jarvis Williams, Ronnie Moten, Tony Lilly, Mike Mularkey.

I remember Galen Hall taking Charley Pell’s team to a 9-1-1 record and first place in the SEC in 1984 after Pell resigned following the third game.

I’d say he did pretty well on his own.

Do you also remember the SEC coaches voting after the fact to strip us of the SEC title? (I still have my coke bottles). Scumbags.

The power structure in the SEC dropped the dime on UF AND Clemson. (UGa played Clemson every year back then)

 

[jdh5484]

I’m old but I remember. I remember he wasn’t cited for recruiting violations. I remember he didn’t lie to UF or the boosters on the logic of increasing stadium capacity.

I also remember Wilber Marshall, James Jones, John L. Williams, Neal Anderson, Lorenzo Hampton, Ricky Nattiel, Kerwin Bell, Phil Bromley, Crawford Ker, Lomas Brown, Tim Newton, Alonzo Johnson, Jeff Zimmerman, Leon Pennington, Jarvis Williams, Ronnie Moten, Tony Lilly, Mike Mularkey.

I remember Galen Hall taking Charley Pell’s team to a 9-1-1 record and first place in the SEC in 1984 after Pell resigned following the third game.

I’d say he did pretty well on his own.

Tied Rutgers. I was at that &^)^^&*^(&%T^ game.

 

[jdh5484]

Give him a Coke and some Golden Flake potato chips and you've got the Bear Bryant Show.

Thanks for posting.