1980 Florida Gators football team

Last updated

1980 Florida Gators football
Tangerine Bowl, W 35–20 vs. Maryland
Conference Southeastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
Record8–4 (4–2 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan (1st season)
CaptainRod Brooks
Cris Collinsworth
David Little
Home stadium Florida Field
Seasons
  1979
1981  
1980 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Georgia $ 6 0 012 0 0
No. 19 Mississippi State 5 1 09 3 0
No. 6 Alabama 5 1 010 2 0
LSU 4 2 07 4 0
Florida 4 2 08 4 0
Tennessee 3 3 05 6 0
Ole Miss 2 4 03 8 0
Kentucky 1 5 03 8 0
Auburn 0 6 05 6 0
Vanderbilt 0 6 02 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season was the Florida Gators football team's second season under new head coach Charles B. "Charley" Pell, and marked a remarkable one-year turnaround for the Gators from their 0–10–1 record in 1979. [1] The winless 1979 season was the worst season in Gators history, and it was Pell's first campaign as the new head coach of the Gators, after the Gators' previous head coach, Doug Dickey, was fired in the aftermath of a 4–7 season in 1978. [1] Pell's 1980 Florida Gators posted an 8–4 overall record and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 4–2, tying for fourth place in the ten-team SEC. [2] The Gators capped their season with a 35–20 bowl victory over the Maryland Terrapins in the Tangerine Bowl, marking the first time in the history of major college football that a winless team received a bowl bid the following season. [1] Linebacker David Little set the career record for tackles by a Gator and was consensus All-American. [3] Receiver Cris Collinsworth was first-team All-American. The season features the famous "Run Lindsay Run" in the close loss to national champion Georgia. [4]

Contents

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 13vs. California *W 41–1341,388 [5]
September 20at Georgia Tech *W 45–1235,165 [6]
September 27 Mississippi State W 21–1556,225 [7]
October 4 LSU No. 19
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
L 7–2459,299 [8]
October 18at Ole Miss W 15–336,012 [9]
October 25 Louisville *Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 13–062,687 [10]
November 1 Auburn
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
W 21–1063,274 [11]
November 8vs. No. 2 Georgia No. 20 ABC L 21–2668,528 [12]
November 15at Kentucky No. 20W 17–1551,766 [13]
November 29 Miami (FL) *No. 18
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
ABCL 7–3156,437 [14]
December 6at No. 3 Florida State *No. 19ABCL 13–1753,772 [15]
December 20vs. Maryland * MTN W 35–2052,541 [16]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[2]

Game summaries

California

1234Total
California0130013
Florida13021741
  • Date: September 13
  • Location: Tampa Stadium
  • Game attendance: 41,388

[17]

Vs. Georgia

#20 Florida Gators (6–1) vs. #2 Georgia Bulldogs (8–0)
Period1234Total
Georgia776626
Florida3701121

at Gator BowlJacksonville, Florida

Game information

[19]

At Florida State

Florida Gators (7–3) at #3 Florida State Seminoles (9–1)
Period1234Total
Florida 760013
Florida St 307717

at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

  • Date: December 6
  • Game attendance: 53,772
  • TV: ABC
  • Recap/Box
Game information

Personnel

1980 Florida Gators football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
RB 14Johnell BrownSo
WR 21 Cris Collinsworth  (C)Sr
RB Calvin Davis
WR Dwayne Dixon Fr
TE 80 Chris Faulkner So
OT 69 Dan Fike So
WR 42Johnny GaffneyJr
WR 28Curt GarrettJr
QB 12 Bob Hewko So
WR 89Spencer JacksonSo
FB 30 James Jones So
RB Doug Kellom
TE 88 Wilber Marshall Fr
QB Mark Massey
TE 82 Mike Mularkey So
QB Larry Ochab
QB Wayne Peace Fr
OL Dan Plonk
RB 39Carl PrioleauSr
OL John Redmond
C 59Doug SmithSo
WR 19Johnny SmithSr
OL Jim Subers
OT 70Joe WicklineSr
RB 44Derald WilliamsSo
RB 31Terry WilliamsSr
WR 7 Tyrone Young So
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DL 53Rod Brooks (C)Sr
DL 90Val BrownSo
DE 87 Mike Clark Sr
DL 61Ron ColemanSr
DB Ivory Curry
DL 66Robin FisherJr
DL 85David GallowayJr
DB 43Sonny GilliamSo
DE 57Tim GoldenSr
S 20Tim GrovesSr
LB Fernando Jackson
CB 24Kyle KnightSo
DB Tony Lilly
LB 51 David Little Sr
DL Dock Luckie
DB Vito McKeever
DL 50Yancey SuttonSr
CB 47Bruce VaughanSo
LB 95Tom WeigmannSo
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 3Brian ClarkJr
P 4Mark DickertJr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt


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References

  1. 1 2 3 Norm Carlson, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, pp. 95–96 (2007).
  2. 1 2 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 111–112 (2015). Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  3. "Consensus All-America Teams (1980-1989)". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  4. Associated Press, "Belue-to-Scott Desperation Pass Saves 'Dogs from Jaws of Gators", The Albany Sunday Herald, p. 1D (November 9, 1980). Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  5. "Florida thrashes Bears in second half". The San Francisco Examiner. September 14, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Lightning, Gators strike Tech". The Macon Telegraph & News. September 21, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Florida snaps SEC jinx". The Tennessean. September 28, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "LSU feasts on Gator gumbo". Daily World. October 5, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Gators kick up a 15–3 storm". The Pensacola News-Journal. October 19, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Florida dumps U of L, suffers by comparison". The Courier-Journal. October 26, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Auburn fumbles to 21–10 loss". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. November 2, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Great Scott! Gators stunned". The Miami Herald. November 9, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  13. "What couldn't be, was: Victory eludes UK again". Sunday Herald-Leader. November 16, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Hurricanes blow away Gators". The Tampa Tribune. November 30, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Seminoles escape threat by Gators". The Commercial Appeal. December 7, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Peace's passes lead Florida over Terrapins". The Pensacola News-Journal. December 21, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  17. Palm Beach Post. 1980 Sept 14. Retrieved 2015-Oct-14.
  18. Ocala Star-Banner. 1980 Nov 09. Retrieved 2019-Jan-02.
  19. 24/7 Sports. Retrieved 2019-Jan-02.