88 days to kickoff (Counting Down with Gator Greats)

With 47 days 'til kickoff we honor another Gator great from the early 1980's.

Bruce Vaughan (1980-83)
He was a walk-on from Largo High who first gained notice when wide receiver Cris Collinsworth told coaches he was having trouble shaking Vaughan’s coverage in practice. Vaughan earned a scholarship and became a three-year starter. He tied for the SEC lead with five picks as a sophomore in 1981 and tied for the SEC lead again with four interceptions in 1983. He finished with 10 regular-season interceptions plus two more in bowl games.

 

With 46 days to go until kickoff we celebrate two great Gators.

Chuck Hunsinger (1946-49)
Florida had some awful teams in the late 1940s, but Hunsinger still was a star. He was a first-team All-SEC pick as a junior and senior,
and finished his career in 1949 with a then-school-record 2,017 rushing yards. He was a first-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 1950.


Jimmy Barr (1969-71)
The Super Sophs in 1969 weren’t just on offense. There were also several on defense, and Barr was one of them.
He started all three seasons of his UF career and was a consistent playmaker throughout.

"In 1971 we were 0-5, having lost three games by one point. FSU came into our game 5-0. We had a team meeting on Florida Field – no coaches – on Friday night. We pledged to each other that no matter what the outcome the next day, we would leave it all on the field. We got Tommy Durrance, Robert Harrell and Jimmy Barr back from injury. Tommy had a good day rushing the ball for close to 100 yards. Miraculously Jimmy Barr intercepted a fumble in midair and returned it for a touchdown. On the game-winning play, Larry “Moose” Morris was the long snapper and Coach Dickey put me in to hold. Richard Franco split the uprights with a 42-yard field goal and we upset the previously unbeaten Seminoles, 17-15!!!"
- QB John Reaves

 

With 45 days to go we honor one of the greatest Gators to ever grace Florida Field.

Carlos Alvarez, WR (1969-71)
He was a star running back at North Miami High, but then-UF assistant Lindy Infante envisioned him as a wide receiver and Alvarez became a star at that position. Alvarez had perhaps the best receiving season in UF history as a sophomore in 1969 (88 receptions for 1,329 yards and 12 TDs), and he holds the school career record with 2,563 receiving yards (on 172 receptions, second-most in school history). He was an All-American in 1969. He closed out his career with one of his greatest performances — 15 receptions for 237 yards in a win at Miami in his hometown.

 

With 44 days to go we continue our kickoff celebration remembering 3 Gator greats.

Richard Trapp, WR, (1965-67)
He was Spurrier’s favorite target in 1966, catching 63 passes for 872 yards and seven touchdowns. He led the Gators in receiving in his junior and senior seasons,
combining to catch 121 passes for 1,580 yards and eight TDs. His catch and dizzying run for a TD in the win over Georgia in 1967 is one for the ages.




James Bates, LB (1992-96)
Bates redshirted as a true freshman in 1992, was a backup in ’93 and ’94, then started in his final two seasons at UF.
He was a first-team All-SEC selection as a senior in 1996, when UF won its first national title. He led the Gators with 135 tackles that season.



Ephesians (Fee) Bartley, LB (1987-91)
An All-SEC linebacker in 1991 who spent a year in the NFL and a few more in the CFL, Bartley runs a business and tax consulting firm in Jacksonville but he’s never lost his passion for Florida football. He defined the 1990 season for the Florida defense when he laid out LSU wide receiver Todd Kinchen near midfield on the West sideline of Florida Field. As a regular poster on GC, his comments are well-respected and debated.

 

With 43 days to go until kickoff we continue our celebration of great Gators.

Glenn Cameron, LB (1972-74)
He was a star running back at Coral Gables High but moved to linebacker at UF, where he played alongside high school teammate Ralph Ortega.
Cameron was a two-year starter, and he (along with Ortega) was a first-team All-SEC pick as a senior in 1974 after leading the Gators in tackles
with 185, of which 126 were solo.

 

With 42 days to go until the 2024 season kicks off we honor two more great defense players....including a Freak.

Jevon Kearse, LB, (1995-98)
Nicknamed “The Freak” because of his rare blend of size, strength and speed, Kearse terrorized opposing quarterbacks, running backs and receivers with his ability to make plays from sideline to sideline. In 1998, he was All-SEC, the AP defensive player of the year and a Butkus Award finalist. Other notables: LB Bam Hardmon, LB Darren Hambrick, S Shea Showers, RB Garry Walker, FB Billy Latsko.



Keanu Neal, S (2013-15)
As a junior in 2015, he started 11 of 12 games at safety under new head coach Jim McElwain. He missed the first 2 contests of the season with an injury. He recorded 96 tackles (third on the team), 51 solo tackles (led the team), 3.5 tackles for loss, one interception and 2 sacks. He has 14 tackles against the University of Tennessee and Louisiana State University. He declared for the 2016 NFL draft at the end of the season.