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1971 Gators Gather

Discussion in 'RayGator's Swamp Gas' started by TrueGator, Mar 11, 2023.

  1. TrueGator

    TrueGator GC Hall of Fame

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    A few old friends from the 1971 Florida Gators football team got together by the St. Johns River this week.

    From left to right:

    Clint Griffith - Defensive Tackle, trained with WFL Jacksonville Express

    Mark King - Center, Two-time All-American after transferring to Troy, Troy Hall of Famer, drafted and trained with Kansas City Chiefs, USMC Colonel - 32 years of service.

    Fred Abbott - Middle Linebacker, Gator Hall of Famer, NFL Vikings and Eagles, WFL, practiced as a lawyer.

    Chris McCoun - Defensive End

    Ricky Browne - Defensive End / Linebacker, WFL Jacksonville Express


    These guys were teammates on Gator teams with John Reaves, Carlos Alvarez, and Jack Youngblood.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2023
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  2. tigator2019

    tigator2019 GC Hall of Fame

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    In my head--- UF
    Fred legally changed his first name to Catfish a while back
     
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  3. rball1313

    rball1313 Premium Member

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    Thanks for posting, those guys were all seniors my freshman year. Mark King actually was my host on my recruiting trip my senior year in high school. A good group of guys that could make the hair stand on the back of your neck with some stories from their "exploits"! Doesn't surprise me that Mark was a marine for life.
     
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  4. TrueGator

    TrueGator GC Hall of Fame

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    That may shed some light on why Fred was said to have called Mark "Kingfish" at times.
     
    Last edited: Mar 12, 2023
  5. 2oldgator

    2oldgator GC Hall of Fame

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    Great these Gators could get together and relive days gone by.
    These guys are 4-5 years younger than me but I knew Wayne Griffith at UF around 1966 or 67’. He was an OL. Wonder if he is a relative to Clint?
     
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  6. TrueGator

    TrueGator GC Hall of Fame

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    I was told they talked about almost nothing but old times for five hours straight. Seems like Wayne Griffith could be related to Clint, but, I don't know. Wayne is shown on the 1969 roster. If I find out, I'll let you know.
     
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  7. 2oldgator

    2oldgator GC Hall of Fame

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    Thank you TrueGator.
     
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  8. Spurffelbow833

    Spurffelbow833 GC Hall of Fame

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    These are the guys who did the Gator flop and danced in the fountains afterward!
     
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  9. TrueGator

    TrueGator GC Hall of Fame

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    Yes, four of the five pictured were on defense.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2023
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  10. Gatorhead

    Gatorhead GC Hall of Fame

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    I will always be PROUD of the "flop" to give big John the record.
    SCREW U MIAMI..............LOL
     
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  11. og8trz

    og8trz VIP Member

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    Thanks for sharing!
     
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  12. og8trz

    og8trz VIP Member

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    Another example of the media bias against UF. They still patronize F$U & Lane Fenner as well as Miami fans over this incident.

    The only problem was we made it too obvious.

    I too am glad we got John the record!
     
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  13. always_and_forever_uf

    always_and_forever_uf GC Legend

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    Great stuff. Well done, True Gator. Love to see that. In us marches Florida, always and forever.......
     
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  14. The_RH_Factor

    The_RH_Factor GC Hall of Fame

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    Speaking of Lane Fenner, if you ever see the play in motion, he was bobbling the ball when he went out of bounds and didn’t have possession.
     
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  15. RayGator

    RayGator Administrator Emeritus

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    I wish the Gators of 1961 1962 had one too. :)
     
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  16. wingtee

    wingtee GC Hall of Fame

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    [​IMG]
     
  17. AgingGator

    AgingGator GC Hall of Fame

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    The problem with FSU is that have always been , well, FSU.”
     
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  18. StrangeGator

    StrangeGator VIP Member

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    Where's John James?
     
  19. RayGator

    RayGator Administrator Emeritus

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    Well, it began as “Florida State College For Women.”
     
  20. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

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    This seems like a good place to park this...

     
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