Reliving Florida And Tennessee’s Century-Long Rivalry

As the annual game approaches, here's the chance to look back at some of the biggest games in the long history of the Florida-Tennessee rivalry

PAUL EFIRD/KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL - The Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers have developed a deep rivalry for themselves / Paul Efird/News Sentinel

Over 100 years ago, Florida and Tennessee faced each other for the first time in history. Although both programs were early members of the SEC, Tennessee’s immediate dominance prevented the series from being much of a “rivalry” at the time.

The Volunteers won their first ten matchups against Florida, while the Gators took nearly 40 years to pull off their first win. The series became an annual matchup in 1992, when the SEC became a 12-member league and split into two divisions. 

Despite Tennessee’s early success against Florida, the Gators lead the all-time series 32-21. Over the past 20 years, the Volunteers have only beat the Gators three times. 

Over time, the intensity of the rivalry grew, partly due to the conference and national championship implications stemming from the game's result. On 11 occasions, both programs have been ranked among the top 10 teams in college football at the time that they faced each other.

Here, we'll look back at some of those landmark games that helped define the rivalry.

1969 Gator Bowl: “Super Sophs” Pull Off The Upset 

Powered by their eventual record-breaking passing offense, the Gators faced off against the Volunteers (SEC champions) in the Gator Bowl, for a rare postseason match-up.

Led by future NCAA all-time passing yards leader John Reaves and Florida’s current career receiving yards leader Carlos Alvarez, the two sophomores helped the Gators pull off a 14-0 upset against the Volunteers, just their second win of all-time against Tennessee. 

Just days after the game, Tennessee’s head coach Doug Dickey, a former Florida quarterback, left the program to return to his alma mater as the Gator’s head coach.

This game signaled a turning point in the series, as Florida would go on to win six out of their next ten matchups.

1991: “Faxgate”

Leading up to the game, rumors began to circulate surrounding former Tennessee assistant coach Jack Sells sharing confidential strategic information with Gators defensive coordinator (and future head coach) Ron Zook.

Based on an investigation by a Knoxville newspaper, Sells faxed copies of Tennessee ‘s offensive game-plan to Zook just three days before the two teams faced off. 

Florida would go on to win the game 35-18, forcing Tennessee’s offense to turn the ball over five times.

The incident was later officially investigated by the NCAA, but nobody was punished.

1998: Down Go The Goal Posts

With head coach Steve Spurrier leading the way, Florida had built up a five-game winning streak against Tennessee, notably beating Peyton Manning every time that they faced him.

 At that point in time, the Gators were the second-ranked team in the country, while the Volunteers were the sixth-ranked team, fresh off an SEC Championship season. 

After Manning left for the NFL, his predecessor Tee Martin helped break Florida’s win streak, by pulling off a 20-17 overtime win at Neyland Stadium. 

Martin went on to have one of the most efficient passing seasons in NCAA history, leading Tennessee to their second straight SEC championship, and their first National Championship in over 30 years.

2000: Tennessee’s Record Crowd Comes Short

Throughout this era, Florida and Tennessee assumed complete dominance of the SEC. One of the two teams reached the SEC championship every year from 1992 to 2001. 

In 2000, the sixth-ranked Gators faced off against the eleventh-ranked Volunteers in front of over 108,000 fans, setting a record that still stands today at Neyland Stadium

Although Tennessee held the lead well into the fourth quarter, Gators quarterback, Jesse Palmer, connected with wide receiver  Jabar Gaffney for a touchdown with just 14 seconds left on the clock. Florida went on to win the game 27-23.

Although the game was won in an exciting fashion, it did not go without controversy. While the play was ruled a touchdown, Gaffney did eventually lose control of the ball after it was swatted away by a Tennessee defensive back. However, the officials determined that Gaffney held possession long enough for it to be ruled a catch.