What was your favorite football season?

[CGgater]

And the hit Fe Bartley put on Todd Kinchen that you could hear 80 rows up, crowd noise and all. I still can't find a video of it, absolutely brutal.

It was every bit the bone crushing hit that Lawrence Wright put on Joey Kent. Memorable.

 

[Wuerffel4Pres]

It was every bit the bone crushing hit that Lawrence Wright put on Joey Kent. Memorable.

This was THE play that changed my fandom. I was a very lackadaisical, casual fan before that. In THAT moment, I was a die-hard Gator forever. It's probably corny to most, but Lawrence Wright is the one "celebrity" I still want to meet in my lifetime.

 

[LeeForThree]

2006 and 2008

 

[soflagator]

The NC seasons are the obvious choices, and I'd put '08 slightly over '96 because of the buzzsaw we became in the second half of the Ark game. Full disclosure, it was also my first season being married, so even the opener against Hawaii(her first game) was a great experience. And the day before the uga dismantling, we got our last ultrasound of my first son. So that season was just incredible all around for a lot of personal reasons.

I'm gonna go a slightly different direction on my third. I think '93 may be next favorite year, even over '06, which was as maddening at times as it was enjoyable. I was 13 in 1993 and attended more games that year than any other. Doering in Lexington is UF lore. The "Timeout" in the slop of Jax was awesome. Winning the SEC in the rain at Legion Field, avenging the year before, was special. And the beatdown of the loudmouth Mountaneers in my first trip to NO and the Sugar, capped such a fun season of games. Even the loss to fsu didn't sting nearly as others had because of how close we were. To me, it was the year that also established us as a program that wasn't going away under Spurrier.

I'll also throw an honorable mention to 1991. For many of the old guard to finally see us win and keep the SEC at BHG in November, it was about as epic a moment as I can recall. Then fsu a week or two later was a great ending.

 

[KronoGator]

And the hit Fe Bartley put on Todd Kinchen that you could hear 80 rows up, crowd noise and all. I still can't find a video of it, absolutely brutal.

Here you go


https://youtu.be/D2dQSVJj7Vs

 

[soflagator]

Here you go

A few observations...

I saw it mentioned earlier that this was on the same level as Wright/Kent. I’m sorry, not even close. Ftr, Fee was one of my favorite players during that time. Loved the fact that he wore 44. But LW’s hit was just savage on a different level. Kent bit through his tongue and from multiple reports, still talks like Daffy Duck. I’d probably put Grow’s hit on Studstill over this one as well. Still great though.

And looking at Richardson(90) in the background. That’s what a UF DE/OLB should look like.

But also, I’d give anything to get those blue tops back. That’s a UF uni.

 

[Gator by the Sea]

Around the 2:10 mark is the hit... one of my all time favorite Gator moments.

But for seasons, I’ve got to go with ‘96 and ‘91 as 1a and 1b.

 

[CGgater]

A few observations...

I saw it mentioned earlier that this was on the same level as Wright/Kent. I’m sorry, not even close. Ftr, Fee was one of my favorite players during that time. Loved the fact that he wore 44. But LW’s hit was just savage on a different level. Kent bit through his tongue and from multiple reports, still talks like Daffy Duck. I’d probably put Grow’s hit on Studstill over this one as well. Still great though.

And looking at Richardson(90) in the background. That’s what a UF DE/OLB should look like.

But also, I’d give anything to get those blue tops back. That’s a UF uni.

Well, I haven't seen that replay for a couple of decades, so yeah not as savage as I remembered. However, kent remained conscious. kitchens may not have completely blacked out, but he definitely didn't know where he was, what year or how to spell his name. Dude was laid out flat. The main difference between the two plays is LW came in like a missile and kitchens ran into a brick wall.

BTW, kinchens was in need of a recalibration. He was wide open in the first half... because he was blatantly pushing off and the refs let it go. Fee fixed the problem and we didn't hear from kinchens for the rest of the night.

 

[soflagator]

Well, I haven't seen that replay for a couple of decades, so yeah not as savage as I remembered. However, kent remained conscious. kitchens may not have completely blacked out, but he definitely didn't know where he was, what year or how to spell his name. Dude was laid out flat. The main difference between the two plays is LW came in like a missile and kitchens ran into a brick wall.

BTW, kinchens was in need of a recalibration. He was wide open in the first half... because he was blatantly pushing off and the refs let it go. Fee fixed the problem and we didn't hear from kinchens for the rest of the night.

You’re right on the missile/wall analogy. Sometimes, it’s just timing. Almost like an off the backboard or rebounding dunk. I don’t know that they’re the same caliber, but who knows. You could be right.

 

[GR8 2B]

52-20. It's not even close.

 

[YLGator]

Well, I haven't seen that replay for a couple of decades, so yeah not as savage as I remembered. However, kent remained conscious. kitchens may not have completely blacked out, but he definitely didn't know where he was, what year or how to spell his name. Dude was laid out flat. The main difference between the two plays is LW came in like a missile and kitchens ran into a brick wall.

BTW, kinchens was in need of a recalibration. He was wide open in the first half... because he was blatantly pushing off and the refs let it go. Fee fixed the problem and we didn't hear from kinchens for the rest of the night.

Both were great hits, no doubt. But I’d still say the Jarvis Williams hit against Miami back in 82 or so was even better. Just vicious.

 

[Woodstork]

Both were great hits, no doubt. But I’d still say the Jarvis Williams hit against Miami back in 82 or so was even better. Just vicious.

It was 86... Jarvis absolutely leveled SCUM RB Melvin Bratton. I thought Bratton was dead before they carted him off the field. He came back one series later and was pretty damn effective... tough ass dude.

Williams unfortunately died young from a freak asthma attack at age 44. We lost a great Gator too soon. He was a terrific safety and a massive hitter.

 

[Woodstork]

My favorite season was 1982, mainly because it was my first as a UF student and my glorious introduction to college football.

It was also a coronation of Gator football on the national stage with huge wins over Miami in the season opener with James Jones’ falling backward catch for the game winner. Crowd was electric throughout an intense hard hitting game. I was hooked.

But I was fully reeled in the following week, when the University of Southern California rolled into Gainesville for a nationally televised game. Again the crowd was pulsating. Wilbur Marshall went ape-**** living in USCs backfield. The Gators clawed and scratched and won a hard fought contest.

Wayne Peace was on the cover of SI the following Monday ‘Peace Corps!’ Offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan designed a short passing game for Wayne and he set an NCAA completion percentage record that year 70%.

Overall, the season was mixed. Great wins over Auburn and FSU, but big misses vs LSU, Vandy!, and an absolute beat down by UGA. Most miserable game I’ve ever been to, but still had a great time before and after the game at my first WLOCP.

That was the year I became a Gator. We’ve had better, we’ve had worse. But that was an exciting start of the modern era of UF football - one where we joined the club of teams of national relevance.

 

[YLGator]

It was 86... Jarvis absolutely leveled SCUM RB Melvin Bratton. I thought Bratton was dead before they carted him off the field. He came back one series later and was pretty damn effective... tough ass dude.

Williams unfortunately died young from a freak asthma attack at age 44. We lost a great Gator too soon. He was a terrific safety and a massive hitter.

You're right, it was 86. I was off by 4 years. Getting old sucks. Jarvis was an alltime great. Sad he left us so soon.

 

[Woodstork]

You're right, it was 86. I was off by 4 years. Getting old sucks. Jarvis was an alltime great. Sad he left us so soon.

I had to look it up. Sometimes I assign 82-86 to ‘fuzzy’. Trying to tie down specifics of things I did while drunk three decades ago is a pretty tall order.

 

[JDW]

01’ and I’m Rex on the got robbed of the heisman train...it was the second greatest tragedy of that year

 

[Windy City Gator]

It was 86... Jarvis absolutely leveled SCUM RB Melvin Bratton. I thought Bratton was dead before they carted him off the field. He came back one series later and was pretty damn effective... tough ass dude.

Williams unfortunately died young from a freak asthma attack at age 44. We lost a great Gator too soon. He was a terrific safety and a massive hitter.

i was in the east stands at about the 25 yard line/north and that hit happened right in front of me. We knew the Gators had very little chance to win that game, so that was the highlight. What a freaking hit.

 

[Woodstork]

i was in the east stands at about the 25 yard line/north and that hit happened right in front of me. We knew the Gators had very little chance to win that game, so that was the highlight. What a freaking hit.

Holy crap, I was pretty close to you. But probably higher up around mid level. I recall looking pretty much straight down the line right where he nailed Bratton.

 

[Woodstork]

01’ and I’m Rex on the got robbed of the heisman train...it was the second greatest tragedy of that year

Rex was robbed.

 

[JDW]

Complete disregard for talent