Making more lists and checking them twice on a Thursday

10 BEST QUARTERBACKS IN FLORIDA FOOTBALL HISTORY

1. Tim Tebow: Won the 2007 Heisman and was on the Heisman podium as a junior and senior. Backup QB on the 2006 national championship team, starting QB for the 2008 national champs, 35-6 record as the starting QB. In 2007 threw for 30 touchdowns and ran for 23. Career threw for 9,285 yards (9.3 per attempt) and 88 touchdowns while running for 2,947 yards and 57 TDs.

2. Danny Wuerffel: Part-time starter in 1993-94, 24-2 as the full-time starter in 1995-96, leading the Gators to the national championship game both years. Heisman podium as a junior, Heisman Trophy as a senior when he led the Gators to their first national championship. Holds the school record with 114 touchdown passes and 10,875 yards (9.3 per attempt).

3. Steve Spurrier: From the time he took over as the starting quarterback midseason his sophomore year he was the most feared quarterback in the Southeastern Conference. First team All-America as a junior when he led the Gators to the Sugar Bowl, unanimous first team All-America and Heisman Trophy winner as a senior in 1966 when he led the Gators to a 9-2 record and an Orange Bowl win over Georgia Tech.

4. Shane Matthews: He threw three passes in two years and was the sixth string QB when Steve Spurrier became the head coach in 1990. Two-time SEC Player of the Year (1990-91) and second team All-American both years. The only quarterback who learned Spurrier’s offense in one spring. Threw for 9,287 yards and 74 touchdowns.

5. Rex Grossman: After a redshirt year in 1999, Grossman started 2000 as the backup to Jesse Palmer but earned the starting job against LSU and never looked back. Second team All-SEC in 2000, first team All-SEC, first team All-America and Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2001. Second team All-SEC in 2002 after Ron Zook took over as head coach. Threw for 9,164 yards and 77 TDPs.

6. Chris Leak: The top recruit in the country in 2003, he became the starter three games into his freshman year and started every game thereafter. Second team All-SEC three straight years (2004-06), led the Gators to the national championship in 2006, outplaying Ohio State Heisman Trophy QB Troy Smith in the national championship game. Went 35-12 as the starter with 88 touchdown passes.

7. John Reaves: Brilliant sophomore campaign in 1969 is almost overshadowed by diminishing numbers in 1970-71 after Douglas Adair Dickey became the head coach. At the time his eligibility ended after the 1971 season he was the NCAA’s all-time leading passer with 7,549 yards and 54 TDPs.

8. Kyle Trask: An unknown recruit from Texas who wasn’t his high school’s starting QB, Trask led Florida to a stunning fourth quarter comeback to beat Kentucky in 2019 when Feleipe Franks broke his ankle. Led the Gators to an Orange Bowl win over Virginia. As a senior in 2020 threw for 43 touchdowns while taking the Gators to the SEC Championship Game and the Cotton Bowl. Career 69 TDPs, 9.1 per attempt.

9. Kerwin Bell: A walk-on redshirt freshman from Mayo, Bell became Florida’s starter the Tuesday prior to the 1984 season opener against Miami, then led the Gators to a 9-1-1 record, winning SEC Player of the Year honors. Led the Gators to a 9-1-1 record again in 1985 then the scholarship limitations from NCAA sanctions kicked in resulting in a 12-11 record the next two years. Threw 56 TDPs and averaged 8.0 per attempt for his career.

10. Doug Johnson: During his three years as Florida’s starting QB (1997-99), the Gators went 29-8. When Johnson was on, he could be brilliant, but he couldn’t resist trying to show off his arm strength by trying to wedge the ball into tight openings. Still, an exceptional quarterback who threw 60 touchdown passes.

10 BEST BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN FLORIDA HISTORY

1. Neal Walk: Led the nation in rebounding two straight years and was the second pick in the 1969 NBA Draft. Career averages 20.8 points and 15.3 rebounds. Basketball career cut short by a spinal tumor that kept him wheelchair bound for the last 20 years of his life. The second pick behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1969 NBA Draft.

2. Al Horford: The emotional rock of Florida’s back-to-back national championship teams. Scored (1,123 points in three years), rebounded (7.9 per game) and defended. Played in 109 games, started 108. All-SEC first team as a junior. How he was excluded from All-America is one of life’s great mysteries. Next year will mark his 20^th season in the NBA. First round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in 2007.

3. Walter Clayton Jr.: Consistent first team All-America in 2025 when he was the MVP of the NCAA Tournament. Easily the best clutch shooter in the country. Averaged 16.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in his two seasons at UF after transferring in from Iona. Scored 1,346 points in two UF seasons. First round pick of the Utah Jazz in 2025.

4. Corey Brewer: One of the most versatile defenders in UF history. Could guard all five positions. Second team All-SEC in 2006, first team All-SEC in 2007 when he was MVP of the NCAA Tournament. Averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. First round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2007.

5. Joakim Noah: Hardly played as a freshman but was the NCAA Tournament MVP as a sophomore and All-American as a junior. Averaged 10.5 points and 6.4 rebounds for his 108-game career of which 78 were starts. First round pick of the Chicago Bulls in 2007.

6. Vernon Maxwell: Vernon could score on anyone. Inside, outside, he was in range when he stepped into the arena. Leading scorer in UF history (2,450 points, career 18.8 per game). Two-time first team All-SEC. NBA second round in 1988.

7. Gary Keller: Exceptional defender who averaged 14.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in a three-year career (freshmen weren’t eligible yet). Two-time second team All-SEC, first team as a senior. Led UF to its first 20-win season in 1967. Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Draft but signed with Minnesota of the ABA.

8. David Lee: A top three recruit out of St. Louis, he was All-SEC third team as a sophomore, second team as a junior and first team as a senior. Averaged 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds for his four-year career at UF. NBA first round pick.

9. Tommy Haugh: If he has the kind of year he’s capable of having next season, he will move way up the list. Second team All-American last year as a junior and vital contributor off the bench for the national championship team in 2025. Last season averaged 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

10. Mike Miller: The top recruit in the country in 1999, he helped get the Gators to the national championship game as a sophomore then went pro. Averaged 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in two seasons. NBA first round pick.

10 CONCERTS TO REMEMBER

1. The Beatles, 1964: I won two tickets by being the ninth caller to a Gainesville radio station. My grandparents drove a friend and me to Jacksonville where The Beatles sang 12 songs. They were onstage for 36 minutes.

2. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 2006: The homecoming concert for a homegrown Gainesville guy who left town and made it big. Tommy was the right tackle and I was the left tackle on the 1963 Hughes Supply team that won the county football championship, weight limit 100 pounds. My two favorite songs from the concert were “I Won’t Back Down” and “Southern Accent.” I always thought “Southern Accent” was Tommy’s way of reminding everyone that he was proud of where he came from.  

3. Hall and Oats, 1982: They put on a great show at the O-Dome during their Private Eyes tour. When seeing them in person it only took a couple of songs to understand it was all Daryl Hall. John Oates was very much in the background, but the entire show was fantastic.

4. David Sanborn, 1995, West Palm Beach: He was the greatest saxophone player of his time and maybe the best there ever was. He was a headliner at Sunfest, which used to be one of the great four-day jazz festivals in the country. Unlike Richard Eliot, who looks like the vein in the center of his forehead will burst any moment, Sanborn hit notes no one else could imagine reaching and do it with such ease, then offer up a smile that seemed to say, “I can do this any time I want without breaking a sweat.”

5. Queen, 1980: Saw them in Baton Rouge. Freddie Mercury was electric. He had the entire crowd at the Riverside Centroplex almost in a hypnotic daze.

6. Rolling Stones, 1975 Jacksonville, 1978 Lakeland, 1981 Orlando: Mick Jagger was at his best all three times I saw the Stones in concert. I still can’t believe they played the Lakeland Civic Center. Van Halen was the opening act for the Orlando show.  

7. Pat Metheny Group 1995: While still a freshman at the University of Miami, Pat Metheny was elevated to full professor of music. He is the single most innovative guitarist I’ve ever heard. When he had his band together with Lyle Mays on the keyboards they were head and shoulders the best jazz band in the world. A Pat Metheny concert to this day is a minimum three hours.

8. Elvis, 1976, Tampa: Elvis was past his peak but still a good show. Attending his concert was an act of homage. He was, is still and will always be the king.

9. Ray Charles, 1997, Montreux, Switzerland: One of my goals all-time was to go to the Montreux Jazz Festival. I was in Europe already, saw Ray Charles on the venue and had to go! When he belted out “I Can’t Stop Loving You” it was a sing-along.

10. Allman Brothers, 1971, Fayetteville, NC: Duane and Gregg Allman, Berry Oakley, Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe rocked the now gone Fayetteville Coliseum for three hours. This was February. Months later Duane died in a motorcycle accident in Macon and a year later Berry Oakley died in a motorcycle accident three blocks away from where Duane died. The songs I remember best are “One Way Out” and “Statesboro Blues.”  When they were the Allman Joys, originally from Daytona Beach, they were essentially the house band at ATO and they worked during the week at Lipham Music.

FIVE UNFORGETTABLE RESTAURANTS

1. Great American Land and Cattle Company, El Paso, TX: The best steak I’ve ever eaten and the view of the Rio Grande valley of El Paso and Juarez is spectacular.

2. Spring Deer, Mody Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong: This is where locals go for Peking Duck.

3. La Cantina, Seoul, Korea: I never expected to find a 4-star Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown Seoul but the food was astonishingly good.

4. Salt Raker Inn, Grand Turk Island, Turks and Caicos Islands: The grouper you eat was speared while on his way home to see the wife and kids earlier in the day.

5. The Angus Barn, Raleigh, NC: It’s a landmark for a reason. The food is fantastic and the service is outstanding. Fantastic prime rib.