88 days to kickoff (Counting Down with Gator Greats)

With 20 days to go until kickoff we honor two more great Gators from the past.

Rick Casares RB (1951-53)
Casares was a man among boys in high school at Tampa Jefferson, mainly because at 6 feet 2 and 220 pounds, he often was the biggest player on the field despite playing running back. He starred in football, baseball, baseball and track in high school; he also was a Gold Gloves boxing champ. Casares was a three-year starter for the Gators. He received All-SEC notice and some All-America acclaim as a senior in 1953. He also was an all-league player in basketball. Casares led the NFL in rushing in 1956 with the Chicago Bears.




Vince Kendrick FB/RB (1971-73)
When the Gators got off to a hugely disappointing start in 1973, Doug Dickey made two key changes on offense. He inserted Don Gaffney as the starting quarterback and moved Kendrick from fullback to tailback. They turned out to be brilliant moves that turned the season — and the Dickey era — around. The big, physical and athletic Kendrick gave the Gators a ground game during their “November to Remember.” Other notables: DB/WR Hagood Clarke, S Marcus Maye, DE Joe Cohen, RB DeShawn Wynn, RB Robert Gillespie.

 

With 19 days to go before the 2024 season begins we celebrate one of our greatest wide receivers ever.

Ike Hilliard WR (1994-96)
He was a reserve as a true freshman, then started in each of the next two seasons before turning pro early. Working in Spurrier’s offense, whenever Hilliard lined up in the slot, he was pretty much impossible to cover or contain. He was a second-team All-SEC pick as a sophomore in 1995, when he had 15 TD receptions, then a first-team All-American as a junior in ’96, when he had 47 catches for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is seventh in school history in receiving yards (2,214) and tied for second with 29 TD receptions. He was a first-round pick in the 1997 draft. Other notables: WR Travis Taylor, P Johnny Townsend, K Caleb Sturgis.

 

Counting down with just 18 days until the Canes come to town we honor a great safety from Miami who played very well against them.

Louis Oliver S (1985-88)
He is one of the greatest success stories in Florida football history, going from an unknown walk-on to the first defensive back in UF history to become a two-time All-American. He was the biggest, most physical safety of his day in college football. Oliver arrived at Florida from Belle Glade Glades Central and eventually became a three-year starter. He was big (6-2, 225) and fast (4.35 in the 40) and is one of only two DBs in school history who was a two-time first-team All-American (Vernon Hargreaves is the other). Oliver is fifth in school history in pass breakups (34, including a school-record 19 in 1987) and seventh in interceptions (11). Other notables: S Tony Lilly, CB Eddie Lake, WR Jamie Richardson.

 

With just 17 days to go until our showdown with Miami we celebrate two great Gators from the past (but never forgotten).

Clyde Crabtree HB/QB (1927-29)
"Cannonball" Crabtree was one of Florida's first great backs and part of the Gators' "Phantom Four" backfield that helped UF lead the nation in scoring in 1928. Crabtree could pass with either arm, punt with either foot, and do both on the run. He also was an excellent receiver. He also started for the basketball team. Crabtree was a third-team All-American in 1928. In 1928, he guided one of the best teams in school history; the Gators finished 8-1 and outscored their foes 336-44.



Reche Caldwell WR (1998-2001)
The late great Reche Caldwell was one of the Gators’ top receivers during the Spurrier coaching era. The Gators went 20-5 in his final two seasons, winning an SEC title in 2000 and an Orange Bowl in 2001. Caldwell would leave Florida to enter the 2002 NFL Draft after catching 65 passes for 1,059 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior. The San Diego Chargers selected him with a second-round pick. He spent six seasons in the NFL, with his best year coming in 2006 when he caught 61 passes for 760 yards and four touchdowns for the New England Patriots. May he RIP.

 

With only 16 days until the kickoff of the 2024 season we honor two more great Gators.

Harmon Wages RB/QB (1965-67)
He was a backup behind Steve Spurrier in 1965 and 1966, and was the periodic starter as a senior in 1967. Wages was one of the Gators’ best offensive weapons, mainly as a running back, but also as a QB, the position he came to UF to play. Growing up delivering groceries from Pinegrove Market Deli in Jacksonville, where his father was the butcher, Harmon Wages knew everyone and all their stories. He went on to have a long NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons.



Freddie Swain WR (2016-19)
Swain, from Sparr North Marion, started 10 games in his career and had 68 receptions for 996 yards and 15 touchdowns. As a senior in 2019, he led the team with seven TD catches. He had an 85-yard punt-return touchdown against Colorado State in 2018, tied for the second-longest punt-return touchdown in school history.

 

With 15 days to go until kickoff we celebrate the most accomplished Gator player ever to grace Florida Field in any generation.

Tim Tebow QB (2006-09)
He is one of the best and most popular players not just in school history but in college football history as well. Tebow was a five-star recruit from Ponte Vedra Beach Nease who served as the backup to Chris Leak as a true freshman in 2006, when UF won the national title. He then was the starter for the next three seasons. Tebow won the Heisman in ’07, becoming the first sophomore to win it, then led the Gators to another national title in ’08 and a 13-1 record in ’09. In 2007, he was the first player in NCAA history with 20 rushing TDs (23) and 20 passing TDs (32) in the same season. He was a three-time Heisman finalist and a two-time SEC player of the year. He graduated with five NCAA, 14 SEC and 28 school records.

 

With just 14 days (a fortnight) to go before kickoff of the 2024 season we honor a great Gator safety from the 1960's.

Bruce Bennett S (1963-65)
He was a quarterback at powerhouse Valdosta (Ga.) High, then played quarterback on the 1962 UF freshman team. But he moved to safety as a sophomore and became a three-year starter. A two-time All-SEC selection who was a consensus All-American his senior season. He set the school record for interceptions in a season with 13, which now ranks tied for third on the all-time list. Other notables: QB Larry Libertore, WR Ernie Mills, P Shayne Edge.

 

With just 13 days to go before kickoff we honor one of our greatest players ever.

Alex Brown DE (1998-01)
One of the most dominant defensive players in school history, he became the first UF defensive lineman to be named All-American twice. Brown starred in high school at Jasper Hamilton County and is Florida’s career sacks leader with 33. He had a school-record 13 as a senior in 2001. He also is eighth in school history with 46 tackles for loss. He was a three-time first-team All-SEC pick and a two-time first-team All-American selection – in ’99 as a sophomore and in 2001 as a senior. He had one of the best games by a defender in school history in Florida’s victory over Tennessee in 1999; he sacked Tee Martin five times and also had an interception.

 

Counting down to only 12 days left before kickoff we honor another great Gator quarterback.

Chris Leak QB (2003-06)
He was one of the highest-rated recruits ever signed by the Gators, and he lived up to the hype. Leak was a five-star recruit from Charlotte and became a four-year starter. He is the school leader in passing yards (11,213), pass attempts (1,458) and completions (895), and is tied for second in TD passes (88). He was a three-time All-SEC second-team pick and guided UF to the 2006 national title. Other notables: QB Kerwin Bell, QB Doug Johnson, WR Jacquez Green, DB/WR Bobby Downs, QB Tom Shannon, LB Antonio Morrison, WR Van Jefferson.

 

With 11 days to go before the 2024 season kicks off we honor our Gator patriarch, innovator and Evil Genius.

Steve Spurrier QB (1964-66)
Blindfolded, with his back to the wall, with his hands tied behind him, Steve Spurrier would be a two-point favorite at his own execution. Those words famously written by John Logue of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution during Steve Spurrier's Heisman Trophy winning senior season at the University of Florida in 1966. One of the greatest players in college football history who is in the Hall of Fame. He was a two-time first team All-American and the Heisman Trophy winner in 1966 after throwing for 2012 yards and 16 touchdowns. He broke every school record for game, season and career in passing and total offense and then took Gators football to unprecedented heights as coach in the 1990s. Other notables: LB Ben Hanks, TE Jordan Reed, WR Demarcus Robinson, WR Riley Cooper, QB Kyle Trask.