1979 Florida Gators football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 1979 Florida Gators football Southeastern Conference SEC 0–10–1 0–6 Charley Pell 1st Bill Bennek Nap Green Chuck Hatch Florida Field The 1979 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season was Charley Pell's first of six as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Pell arrived in Gainesville with a new plan for building the Gators football program—new offensive and defensive schemes, new assistant coaches, a new attitude and new boosters fund-raising model to support the program and improve the stadium and training facilities. Pell's plan would produce many on-the-field victories over the next five years, but his first campaign as the Gators coach produced the most losses in any single season in Gators football history, ending with a winless 0–10–1 overall record and a 0–6 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team, which was plagued by injuries, placed last among ten SEC teams. 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide https://web.archive.org/web/20151208143532/http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2015/media_guide.pdf 2015-12-08 , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015. This was the last time until 2013 that Florida fielded a team with a losing record. The 1979 Florida team had 4 starting quarterbacks: Tim Groves, Tyrone Young, John Brown and Larry Ochab, and John Brantley also played at quarterback, though he did not start. Brantley was projected to start at quarterback, but he was injured in the preseason. Schedule 1979 AP September 15 l y y Houston 13 Houston Astrodome Houston, TX 10–14 33,851 https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-backup-elston-g/134308407/ Fort Worth Star-Telegram Backup Elston guides slumbering Coogs past Florida September 16, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com September 22 t y Georgia Tech Florida Field Gainesville, FL 7–7 60,313 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-macon-news-tech-florida-a-77-stan/134308499/ The Macon Telegraph & News Tech, Florida: A 7–7 standoff September 23, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com September 29 l y Mississippi State Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS 10–24 38,000 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-advertiser-bulldogs-upset-gato/134308622/ The Daily Advertiser Bulldogs upset Gators September 30, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com October 6 l y LSU 17 Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA rivalry 3–20 73,073 https://www.newspapers.com/article/tallahassee-democrat-florida-leads-early/134308742/ Tallahassee Democrat Florida leads early but loses to LSU 20–3 October 7, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com October 13 l Alabama 2 Florida Field Gainesville, FL rivalry 0–40 64,552 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel-gators-lose-tide-r/134308858/ The Orlando Sentinel Star Gators lose, Tide rolls 40–0 in 'laugher' October 14, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com October 27 l y Tulsa Florida Field Gainesville, FL 10–20 60,126 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-oklahoman-tulsa-outlasts-flori/134308950/ The Daily Oklahoman Tulsa outlasts Florida, 20–10 October 28, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com November 3 l y Auburn 20 Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, AL rivalry 13–19 58,754 https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-press-auburn-squeaks-past-gators/134309046/ Fort Myers News-Press Auburn squeaks past Gators November 4, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com November 10 l y Georgia Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL rivalry ABC 10–33 68,148 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-georgia-tramples-winles/134309143/ The Miami Herald Georgia tramples winless UF, 33–10, eyes Sugar Bowl November 11, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com November 17 l Kentucky Florida Field Gainesville, FL rivalry 3–31 55,760 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-sun-shines-on-portel/134309367/ The Courier-Journal Sun shines on Portela, Jaffe as UK rips Florida November 18, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com November 23 l y Florida State 5 Florida Field Gainesville, FL rivalry ABC 16–27 58,263 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post-seminoles-win-but-g/134309464/ The Palm Beach Post-Times Seminoles win, but Gators happier November 24, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com December 1 l y y Miami (FL) Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL rivalry 24–30 28,051 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-coleman-picks-off-gator/134309656/ The Miami Herald Coleman picks off Gators, 30–24 December 2, 1979 October 29, 2023 Newspapers.com Sports Publicity Department 1980 Press Guide University of Florida https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/gatorzone.com/documents/2016/8/19/1980_fb_media_guide.pdf floridagators.com University Athletic Association, Inc. 15 March 2018 Roster 1979 Florida Gators f Bill Bell TE Bill Bennek OL 12 Sr John Brantley QB Johnell Brown QB 87 Jr Mike Clark Mike Clark (defensive end) TE y 21 Jr Cris Collinsworth WR y Calvin Davis RB 80 Fr Chris Faulkner TE Johnny Gaffney WR Harold Galloway OL Tim Groves QB Frank Holloway RB Wally Hough OL Spencer Jackson WR 18 Sr Darrell Jones WR James Jones RB Ray Lawrence OL Jr Larry Ochab QB Phil Pharr OL Dan Plonk OL Carl Prioleau RB 19 Jr Johnny Smith WR Jim Subers OL John Whittaker RB Joe Wickline OL Derald Williams RB Terry Williams RB 7 Fr Tyrone Young QB 43 Fr Thad Adams DB 55 Sr Scot Brantley LB y Derrick Burdgess DB 24 Sr Kyle Coburn DB Juan Collins DB Dan Fike DL Robin Fisher DL Bill Fiorillo DB Curt Garrett DB David Galloway DL 32 Sr Napoleon Green DB Tim Golden DL 25 Sr Chuck Hatch DB Dozyier Hinton DB Vernon James DB Vince Jones DL Jim Kreis LB David Little LB Gordon Pleasants DB Bubba Pratt DL 50 Jr Yancey Sutton DE 3 So Brian Clark K Bill Conover P *Charley Pell Vince Kendrick (RB) Postseason The next year, in 1980, the Florida Gators made a remarkable turnaround. They won the first three games of that season before a loss to Louisiana State crushed Florida's hopes of being undefeated, but they ended the regular season with 7 wins and 4 losses, and in the Tangerine bowl they defeated Maryland 35-20 to improve to 8-4. At the time, this Florida season was an NCAA record turnaround, and this was the first team to make a bowl game after being winless the previous season. References Florida Category:Florida Gators football seasons Category:College football winless seasons Florida Gators football