88 days to kickoff (Counting Down with Gator Greats)

With 4 days to go before kicking off the 2024 season we honor two more legendary Gators.

Fergie Ferguson E/WR (1939-41)
From Stuart Martin County High, Ferguson was a three-year starter at end (1939-41), excelling on both sides of the ball. He set school records for career receptions (43) and career receiving yardage (668) that weren’t broken until the mid-1960s. He was an All-SEC pick in 1940 and ’41, and also was an All-American as a senior in ’41. He won the national AAU javelin title in 1942. He suffered injuries in the Normandy invasion in 1944 and died of his war wounds in 1954. The football program annually gives the Forrest K. (Fergie) Ferguson Award to the senior football player who displays outstanding leadership, character and courage.



Lawrence Wright S (1993-96)
He led the Gators with 109 tackles as a junior in 1995. During Wright's senior season in 1996, Wright was one of the team captains and the Gators posted a 12–1 record and won the 1996 Bowl Alliance national championship by defeating the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles 52–20 in the 1997 Sugar Bowl. That same year, he also won the Jim Thorpe Award, recognizing the best defensive back in college football, and was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1995 and 1996. He finished his Gator career with 331 tackles, five interceptions, eight forced fumbles and four fumbles recoveries. He was a great team leader and a game changer with his ability to make plays — especially with his monstrous hits. Other top contenders: RB Ciatrick Fason, S Marquand Manuel.

 

With just 3 days to go until kickoff we honor a great defensive back from the past.

Lito Sheppard CB (1999-01)
He was a lock-down cover cornerback who also was one of the most dangerous punt returners in school history. An elite recruit from Jacksonville Raines, Sheppard was a two-year starter who left for the NFL after his junior season. He was a two-time first-team All-SEC pick and was an All-American as a sophomore in 2000, when he had six picks, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles; he also had two punt-return TDs that season. He was a first-round pick in the 2002 draft.
Other top contenders: WR Travis McGriff, LB Antonio Morrison, RB Chris Rainey, LB Jelani Jenkins.

 

With just 2 days before the clash with the Canes we celebrate another great defensive back.

Will White S (1989-92)
White, from Tallahassee Godby, was a high school quarterback who was recruited as a safety. He was a three-year starter who also was a three-time first-team All-SEC selection. He was an All-American as a sophomore in 1990, when he had seven picks and five pass breakups. Three of those picks came in Florida’s program-changing win over Alabama. He graduated with a school-record 14 picks, a figure that now is second in school history. White was selected as a 1st Team All-American by the Football Writer's Associate of America and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. Other top contenders: DT Dominique Easley, RB Jeff Demps, RB Bo Carroll, S Adrian White.

 

With just one day to go before we kickoff the 2024 football season we celebrate the one and only one #1.

Percy Harvin WR (2006-08)
Harvin, a five-star recruit from Virginia, was the most explosive player in school history, making big plays as a receiver and as a runner. He was a first-team All-SEC pick in 2007 and ’08 and also received some All-America acclaim in each season. He had 1,929 receiving yards and 1,852 rushing yards, and accounted for 32 TDs in his three-year career. He is the only player in school history with 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in the same game (113 rushing, 110 receiving vs. Vanderbilt in 2007). He was a first-round pick in the 2009 draft. Other top contenders: CB Vernon Hargreaves, S Reggie Nelson, CB Keiwan Ratliff, WR Jabar Gaffney, DB Wayne Fields, WR Jack Jackson and linebacker Jack Card.

 

Thinking about adding our Gator greats between numbers 89 to 99 since I started this thread at 88.