Daniel Carl Wuerffel is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, where he was a prolific passer under head coach Steve Spurrier. Wuerffel led the NCAA in touchdown passes in 1995 and 1996 and set numerous school and conference records during his career. During his senior year in 1996, he won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Gators to their first national championship. In 2013, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Isaac Jason Hilliard is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played primarily with the New York Giants.
The College Football Bowl Coalition was formed through an agreement among NCAA Division I-A college football bowl games and conferences for the purpose of forcing a national championship game between the top two teams and to provide quality bowl game matchups for the champions of its member conferences. It was established for the 1992 season after there were co-national champions for both 1990 and 1991. The agreement was in place for the 1992, 1993, and 1994 college football seasons. It was the predecessor of the Bowl Alliance (1995–1997), and later the Bowl Championship Series (1998–2013) and the College Football Playoff (2014–present).
Cooper Morrison Carlisle is an American former college and professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. Carlisle played college football for the University of Florida, where he was a member of a national championship team. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos, and has played professionally for the Broncos and Oakland Raiders of the NFL.
The 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season, play of college football in the United States at the NCAA Division I-A level, began in August 1994 and ended on January 2, 1995. Nebraska, who finished the season undefeated, ended the year ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls. This was the first national championship of coach Tom Osborne's career at Nebraska, having come close the year before, when Nebraska lost to eventual national champion Florida State on a missed field goal as time expired.
The 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Florida Gators being crowned National Champions after defeating rival Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, which was the season's designated Bowl Alliance national championship game. Florida had faced Florida State earlier in the year, when they were ranked No. 1 and No. 2, and lost 24–21. However, unranked Texas's upset of No. 3 Nebraska in the first ever Big 12 Championship Game set up the rematch of in-state rivals in New Orleans. In the Sugar Bowl, Florida's Heisman Trophy-winning senior quarterback Danny Wuerffel and head coach Steve Spurrier led the Gators to a 52–20 victory and their first national championship.
The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) They play their home games on Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville campus.
Damon Jamal Collins, nicknamed Mo Collins, was an American professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 1990s and early 2000s. Collins played college football for the University of Florida, and was a member of a national championship team. The Oakland Raiders selected him in the first round of the 1998 NFL draft, and he played his entire professional career for the Raiders.
D'Tanyian Jacquez "Quezi" Green is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and punt returner in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the 1990s and early 2000s. Green played college football for the Florida Gators, earning consensus All-American honors in 1997. He was a second-round pick in the 1998 NFL draft, and played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Washington Redskins and the Detroit Lions of the NFL.
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in the sport of American football. The Seminoles compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team is currently coached by Mike Norvell, and plays home games at Doak Campbell Stadium, the 15th largest stadium in college football, located on-campus in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles previously competed as part of the ACC Atlantic Division.
Reidel Clarence Anthony is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) from 1997 to 2001. He played college football for the Florida Gators, and received consensus All-American honors in 1996. Anthony was a first-round pick in the 1997 NFL draft, and played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.
The Florida–Florida State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the teams of the two oldest public universities of the U.S. state of Florida: the University of Florida (UF) Gators and Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles. Both universities participate in a range of intercollegiate sports, and for the last several years, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has sponsored a "Sunshine Showdown" promotion that tallies the total number of wins for each school in head-to-head sports competition. However, the annual football game between the Gators and Seminoles has consistently been the most intense and notable competition between the in-state rivals.
Joseph Frederick Weary is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s and 2000s. Weary played college football for the Florida Gators football, was a member of a national championship team, and earned consensus All-American honors. Thereafter, he played professionally for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams of the NFL.
The 1996 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The 1996 season was the team's seventh under head coach Steve Spurrier. The Gators competed in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.
Lawrence D. Wright, III is an American former professional football player who was a safety for two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s. Wright played college football for the Florida Gators, winning a national championship in 1997. Thereafter, he played in the NFL for the Bengals.
The 2000 Sugar Bowl was the designated Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game for the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season and was played on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. The Florida State Seminoles, representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies, representing the Big East Conference, by a score of 46–29. With the win, Florida State clinched the 1999 BCS national championship, the team's second national championship in its history.
The Choke at Doak was a 1994 college football game between the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles. The game is one of the most memorable in the heated Florida–Florida State football rivalry and tied the NCAA record for the biggest fourth-quarter comeback. In the matchup of 9–1 cross-state rivals at Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium, Florida squandered a 28-point fourth quarter lead and allowed the Seminoles to tie the score at 31 in the final minutes. Because the game occurred before the advent of overtime in college football, it ended in a tie that would be regarded very differently by each team's fan base. The post season Sugar Bowl featured a rematch of the Seminoles vs Gators. Before the game commenced, the score board indicated 5th quarter.
Eugene William McCaslin, Jr. is an American former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for a single season. He played college football for the University of Florida. He was drafted late in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL draft, and played professionally for the NFL's Green Bay Packers. McCaslin was also a member of the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers but did not appear in any games for either team.
The 1995 Sugar Bowl (January) was the 9th Sugar Bowl played on January 2 (since January 1 fell on a Sunday) and only the 13th to not be played on January 1. This was the 61st held Sugar Bowl, and it was the postseason game for the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. The game was a bowl rematch between the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles who had played each other in the regular season on November 26.
