Florida Gators to Honor Controversial 1984 Team on Saturday

One of the best and most controversial Gators teams in program history will get a long-awaited recognition during the Homecoming Game against Kentucky on Saturday

After 40 years of being in a weird place in Gators history, the program is embracing the accomplishment of the 1984 team on Saturday. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Imagn Images © Copyright Imagn Images / RVR Photos-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators are set to honor the 1984 team this Saturday as part of their Homecoming Festivities. Those in attendance include head coach Galen Hall.

Their matchup against Kentucky is a fitting one. A 25-17 victory over the Wildcats on Nov. 17, 1984, just shy of 40 years ago, clinched them the first SEC championship in program history. 

“Really impressive group as a whole,” Gators head coach Napier said, “when you dig into the personnel, the coaching staff, and ultimately, kind of put Florida on the map for the first time, so, ton of work that went into that. And, yeah, I'm excited that they're all coming back, hopefully get a chance to meet some of them.”

The Gators finished 9-1-1 (5-0-1 SEC) and third in the AP Poll that season.  It’s arguably the best team in program history. But it’s also, by far, their most controversial. 

It’s what makes this ceremony so monumental. The Gators took a very long time to embrace this team due to its scandalous history. 

If you go to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium today and look at the SEC Championships on the wall, you won’t see 1984. If you weren't aware of the history, you’d think the Gators didn’t sniff a conference championship until Spurrier came on the scene. 

You might also notice that there was no bowl game mentioned earlier. LSU went to the Sugar Bowl instead of Florida that year. Florida had been barred for the same reasons you won’t see 1984 on the SEC title wall. 

Just months after winning the SEC, their title was stripped by the conference. 

Florida was in the midst of a cheating scandal. The NCAA found the Gators guilty of 67 rule violations under Charley Pell. One violation included Pell giving $935 to a player. Pell was fired, and that’s why Hall was the head coach that year, to begin with. 

The NCAA levied a three-year ban on appearing in bowl games (hence no Sugar Bowl), restricted their TV coverage and reduced scholarships. The SEC voted 6-4 to strip them of their title. A rather close vote, if you think about it. 

This came with a lot of pushback from UF. The UF president Marshall Criser claimed to consider leaving the SEC over it. That was clearly an empty threat, as the Gators are (checks notes) still an SEC school. 

The New York Times and Sporting News still ranked the Gators No. 1 in their final rankings. However, the AP Poll didn’t because of their probation. This is why they finished third. They couldn’t go any higher. Florida does not recognize these national championships.

The Gators followed up their 1984 season with another 9-1-1. This could have gotten them another conference title and Sugar Bowl bid had they not been under probation. 

Fortunately for thoe ‘84 Gators, time heals all wounds - and so does being in the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) era of football. The title is still vacated, but UF is ready to embrace this team again. 

There are a lot of people who still look back fondly on this team. They know what they accomplished on the field, and that recognition for those accomplishments will take place on Saturday.