List of Florida Gators head football coaches

Last updated November 27, 2023

The Florida Gators football program is a college football team that represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Twenty-nine men have served as the Gators' head coach since the university first fielded a team in 1906, including five who served as interim coach for a portion of a season.^[1] Of these, Charlie Bachman, Ray Graves, Doug Dickey, and Steve Spurrier have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.^[2]^[3]^[4] Florida's head coach has been named as the SEC's coach of the year on eight occasions.

Two Gators coaches have led the team to SEC championships: Steve Spurrier won six conference titles while Urban Meyer won two.^[1] They also led the Gators to their three national championships; one under Spurrier (in 1996) and two under Meyer (2006 and 2008).^[1]^[5] Spurrier is Florida's all-time leader in seasons coached (12), conference wins (87), overall wins (122), and winning percentage for coaches serving for two or more seasons (.817).^[1]

Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards
No.	Name	Term	GC	OW	OL	OT	O%	CW	CL	CT	C%	PW	PL	PT	DC ^{[A 1]}	CC	NC	Notes / Awards
1	Jack Forsythe	1906–1908	22	14	6	2	0.682	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
2	George E. Pyle	1909–1913	36	26	7	3	0.764	3	5	0	0.375	1	0	0	—	0	0	—
3	C. J. McCoy	1914–1916	19	9	10	0	0.474	4	9	0	0.308	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
4	Alfred L. Buser	1917–1919	15	7	8	0	0.467	3	7	0	0.300	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
5	William G. Kline	1920–1922	29	19	8	2	0.690	7	4	2	0.615	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
6	James Van Fleet	1923–1924	19	12	3	4	0.737	3	0	3	0.750	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
7	Harold Sebring	1925–1927	30	17	11	2	0.600	9	7	1	0.559	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
8	Charlie Bachman ^†	1928–1932	48	27	18	3	0.594	19	14	3	0.569	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
9	Dennis K. Stanley	1933–1935	29	14	13	2	0.517	5	11	1	0.324	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
10	Josh Cody	1936–1939	43	17	24	2	0.419	6	14	2	0.318	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
11	Tom Lieb	1940–1942 1944–1945	47	20	26	1	0.436	5	15	1	0.262	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
12	Raymond Wolf	1946–1949	39	13	24	2	0.359	2	17	2	0.143	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
13	Bob Woodruff	1950–1959	101	53	42	6	0.554	29	32	4	0.477	1	1	0	—	0	0	—
14	Ray Graves ^†	1960–1969	105	70	31	4	0.686	38	19	3	0.658	4	1	0	—	0	0	SEC Coach of the Year (1960)
15	Doug Dickey ^†	1970–1978	103	58	43	2	0.573	28	28	1	0.500	0	4	0	—	0	0	—
16	Charley Pell	1979–1984	62	33	26	3	0.556	14	16	1	0.468	2	2	0	—	0	0	SEC Coach of the Year (1980)^[1]
17	Galen Hall	1984–1989	59	40	18	1	0.686	21	12	0	0.636	1	1	0	—	0	0	SEC Coach of the Year (1984)^[1]
18	Gary Darnell	1989	7	3	4	0	0.429	2	2	0	0.500	0	1	0	—	0	0	interim
19	Steve Spurrier ^†	1990–2001	150	122	27	1	0.817	87	12	0	0.879	6	5	0	7	6	1 – 1996	SEC Coach of the Year (1990, 1995, 1996)^[1]
20	Ron Zook	2002–2004	37	23	14	—	0.622	16	8	—	0.667	0	2	—	1	0	0	—
21	Charlie Strong	2004	1	0	1	—	.000	0	0	—	.000	0	1	—	0	0	0	interim
22	Urban Meyer	2005–2010	80	65	15	—	0.813	36	13	—	0.735	5	1	—	3	2	2 – 2006, 2008	National Coach of the Decade (2009)
23	Will Muschamp	2011–2014	49	28	21	—	0.571	17	15	—	0.531	1	1	—	1	0	0	SEC Coach of the Year (2012)
24	D. J. Durkin	2014	1	1	0	—	1.000	0	0	—		0	0	—	0	0	0	interim
25	Jim McElwain	2015–2017	34	22	12	—	0.647	16	6	—	0.727	1	1	—	2	0	0	SEC Coach of the Year (2015)
26	Randy Shannon	2017	4	1	3	—	0.250	0	2	—	.000	0	0	—	0	0	0	interim
27	Dan Mullen	2018–2021	49	34	15	—	0.694	21	13	—	0.618	2	1	—	1	0	0
28	Greg Knox	2021	1	1	0	—	1.000	0	0	—	–	0	1	—	0	0	0	interim
29	Billy Napier	2022–present	25	11	14	—	0.440	6	10	—	.375	0	1	—	0	0	0

Key

Key to symbols in coaches list
General		Overall		Conference		Postseason^{[A 2]}
No.	Order of coaches^{[A 3]}	GC	Games coached	CW	Conference wins	PW	Postseason wins
DC	Division championships	OW	Overall wins	CL	Conference losses	PL	Postseason losses
CC	Conference championships	OL	Overall losses	CT	Conference ties	PT	Postseason ties
NC	National championships	OT	Overall ties^{[A 4]}	C%	Conference winning percentage
†	Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame	O%	Overall winning percentage ^{[A 5]}

Notes

↑ The SEC reorganized itself into two six-team divisions in 1992, following the admission of new members Arkansas and South Carolina to the conference. Since that time, Florida has competed as a member of the SEC Eastern Division, together with Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt; the SEC Western Division includes Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Under the SEC's format, the two divisional champions advance to the SEC Championship Game to determine the conference champion. In the event two or more divisional teams finish with identical records, all such teams are recognized by the SEC as "divisional champions," but a series of tie-breakers, including head-to-head competition, determine which team will represent the division in the championship game.^[6]
↑ Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played.^[7]
↑ A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
↑ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.^[8]
↑ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.^[9]

Related Research Articles

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Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American former football player and coach. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his nickname, "the Head Ball Coach". He played college football as a quarterback for the Florida Gators, where he won the 1966 Heisman Trophy. The San Francisco 49ers selected him in the first round of the 1967 NFL draft, and he spent a decade playing in the National Football League (NFL), mainly as a backup quarterback and punter. Spurrier was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charley Pell</span> American football player and coach (1941–2001)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Carr (American football)</span>

William Curtis Carr, III is an American retired college football player, coach, and athletics administrator. Carr was born in Gainesville, Florida, raised in Pensacola, Florida, and attended the University of Florida, where he was an All-American center for the Florida Gators football team in the mid-1960s. He served in the United States Army for two years, and after an unsuccessful attempt to make a National Football League roster, Carr returned to UF as an assistant football coach. He soon moved into sports administration at the school, and in 1979, he became the athletic director at the University of Florida at the age of 33, making him the youngest athletic director among major universities at the time. He later served as the athletic director at the University of Houston and has been involved in college sports consulting since the late 1990s.

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 74–76, 77–81, 101–102, 116–125 (2011). Retrieved August 25, 2011.
↑ "Charlie Bachman". College Football Hall of Fame . Football Foundation. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
↑ "Ray Graves". College Football Hall of Fame . Football Foundation. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
↑ "Doug Dickey". College Football Hall of Fame . Football Foundation. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
↑ 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Records , National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 68–77 (2010). Retrieved August 25, 2011.
↑ Harwell, Hoyt (November 30, 1990). "SEC sets division lineups". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama. p. 1C. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
↑ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
↑ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
↑ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2009.

Bibliography

2009 Southern Conference Football Media Guide, Year-by-Year Standings, Southern Conference, Spartanburg, South Carolina, pp. 74–77 (2009).
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 116–125 (2011).
Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
Johnson, Bob, Interviewee Dennis Keith "Dutch" Stanley, University of Florida Oral History Project, George A. Smathers Libraries, Digital Collections, Gainesville, Florida (July 25, 1974).
Kabat, Ric A., "Before the Seminoles: Football at Florida State College, 1902–1904, Florida Historical Quarterly, vol. LXX, no. 1 (July 1991).
McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football , Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
McEwen, Tom, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). ISBN 0-87397-025-X.
Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.
Proctor, Samuel, & Wright Langley, Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida, South Star Publishing Company, Gainesville, Florida (1986). ISBN 0-938637-00-2.
Saylor, Roger, "Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association," College Football Historical Society, The LA84 Foundation (1993).

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[7] The SEC reorganized itself into two six-team divisions in 1992, following the admission of new members Arkansas and South Carolina to the conference. Since that time, Florida has competed as a member of the SEC Eastern Division, together with Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt; the SEC Western Division includes Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Under the SEC's format, the two divisional champions advance to the SEC Championship Game to determine the conference champion. In the event two or more divisional teams finish with identical records, all such teams are recognized by the SEC as "divisional champions," but a series of tie-breakers, including head-to-head competition, determine which team will represent the division in the championship game.^[6]

[9] Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played.^[7]

[10] A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.

[12] Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.^[8]

[14] When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.^[9]

[ufmediaguide-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 74–76, 77–81, 101–102, 116–125 (2011). Retrieved August 25, 2011.

[2] "Charlie Bachman". College Football Hall of Fame . Football Foundation. Retrieved August 25, 2011.

[3] "Ray Graves". College Football Hall of Fame . Football Foundation. Retrieved August 25, 2011.

[4] "Doug Dickey". College Football Hall of Fame . Football Foundation. Retrieved August 25, 2011.

[5] 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Records , National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 68–77 (2010). Retrieved August 25, 2011.

[Division-6] Harwell, Hoyt (November 30, 1990). "SEC sets division lineups". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama. p. 1C. Retrieved August 10, 2012.

[Bowls-8] National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.

[Ties-11] Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.

[TieCalc-13] Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2009.

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v t e Florida Gators football
Venues	The Baseball Park (1906–1910) University Athletic Field / Fleming Field (1911–1930) Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (1930–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Auburn Florida State (Florida Cup) Georgia Kentucky LSU Miami (Florida Cup) Tennessee
Culture & lore	History The Pride of the Sunshine Gator Chomp Mr. Two Bits Gatorade 1992 SEC Championship Game 2009 SEC Championship Game
People	Head coaches Ring of Honor All-Americans UF Athletic Hall of Fame Starting quarterbacks Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Head football coaches of the Southeastern Conference
East Division	Billy Napier (Florida) Kirby Smart (Georgia) Mark Stoops (Kentucky) Eliah Drinkwitz (Missouri) Shane Beamer (South Carolina) Josh Heupel (Tennessee) Clark Lea (Vanderbilt)
West Division	Nick Saban (Alabama) Sam Pittman (Arkansas) Hugh Freeze (Auburn) Brian Kelly (LSU) Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State) Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss) Elijah Robinson # (Texas A&M)
# denotes interim coach