Gators of yesteryear who made their marks against Georgia

Many Florida Gators greats cemented their status as orange-and-blue legends in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Today, we’re recalling six of them. For this piece, we didn’t pick players from the current era. We also didn’t choose anyone from the 1990s, when Steve Spurrier’s program dominated this series, or later. Instead, we dug into the yesteryear vault and chose a select group whose accomplishments in Jacksonville might not be known to the younger generation of Florida fans.

–Chuck Hunsinger, RB, 1949: The Gators — and this is being kind — were rather pitiful in the 1940s. In nine seasons that decade (Florida had no team in 1943 because of World War II), the orange and blue had one winning season. That’s it. Meanwhile, Florida had lost seven straight times to Georgia.

In front of 36,500 people at what was then known as Fairfield Stadium, Hunsinger rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns. Florida won 28–7 and Georgia’s longest-ever win streak in the series was over. Hunsinger was a two-time All-SEC pick and as the No. 3 overall draft pick in 1950. He played three seasons in the NFL, then three more in the CFL. Hunsinger died in 1998 at age 72.

Before he was an NFL great, this Chicago star was a Florida Gators hero

-Rick Casares, RB, 1952: Casares probably is the greatest Gator many of you have never heard of. But in the 1950s, he was All-SEC in both football and basketball in Gainesville. And in the NFL, some considered him the second best running back of his era behind only the great Jim Brown. 

Casares usually played quarterback for the Gators but was moved to running back for the Georgia game, and Doug Dickey (yes, that Doug Dickey) was moved from running back to quarterback. Casares rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns — and kicked three extra points and a field goal. Florida won 30-0, went 8-3 and reached the program’s first significant bowl. 

Overall, players in that era were smaller. Casares, on the other hand, was 6-foot-2 and 226 pounds. In case you were wondering, that would make him the biggest running back on today’s Florida roster. After leaving Gainesville, Casares became a star in the NFL and was a five-time Pro Bowl pick.

“He was the toughest guy I ever played with,” Mike Ditka, a former Bears tight end and coach, once told The Tampa Tribune. At one point, Casares was the Bears’ all-time leading rusher with 5,657 yards, a record that would ultimately be broken by Walter Payton.

He died in 2013 at age 82.

He’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame … and he stunned Georgia in 1970

-Jack Youngblood, DL, 1970: Youngblood would later become an NFL star with the Los Angeles Rams and is one of two Gators in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Against Georgia in 1970, his “Rip, strip and grip” play sparked a miracle Florida comeback win. 

The Gators trailed 17-10 when Youngblood forced a fumble and then recovered the ball inside the Gators 2. Quarterback John Reaves connected with receiver Carlos Alvarez for two touchdowns in the final quarter and Florida won 24-17. Youngblood was a first-team All-American that season and today is one of a select few in the Gators’ Ring of Honor at The Swamp.

He would go onto stardom in the NFL and was a five-time First-team All-Pro (1974–1976, 1978, 1979). Any list of all-time Gator legends would have him near the top.

A miracle finish boosted the Florida Gators in 1973

-Don Gaffney, QB, and Lee McGriff, WR, 1973: The 1970s weren’t kind to the Gators in Jacksonville, but Gaffney and McGriff created magic there in 1973. Both of these players are members of the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame — and for good reason. In ’73, the Gators started the year 2-4. Dickey, then Florida’s coach, made a switch at QB and made Gaffney the starter the week before Florida played Georgia. He became the Gators’ first-ever black starting quarterback and led Florida to its first-ever win at Auburn’s Cliff Hare Stadium (now Jordan-Hare Stadium).

The next week, the Gators trailed Georgia 10-3 with 9:36 left and had the ball at their own 20. Gaffney directed Florida on a 13-play drive with two 4th-down conversions. One was a 4th-and-18 touchdown strike to McGriff with 3:48 left. Gaffney then hit tight end Hank Foldberg on the conversion and Florida won 11-10.

McGriff finished his UF career 87 receptions for 1,551 yards and 13 touchdowns. Gaffney led the Gators to the Sugar Bowl in 1974 and a 9-3 season the following year.

The Gators ended a six-game losing streak to the Dawgs in style

-Ricky Nattier, WR, 1984: Rickey “the Rocket” was a Gator great who caught 117 passes for 2,086 yards and 18 touchdowns in Gainesville — and also was an elite punt returner. And while he had many remarkable catches, his 96-yarder vs. the Dawgs in 1984 probably was the most memorable. 

The Gators entered the game 6-1-1 and the program’s first-ever SEC title was within reach. Georgia, though, was 7-1, ranked No. 8 and owned a six-game winning streak over the Gators. Florida dominated from the start but trailing by 17 Georgia attempted to rally and got inside the Gators 1. 

Florida stopped the Dawgs on 4th-and-goal and a few plays later quarterback Kerwin Bell hit Nattiel down the left sideline for a back-breaking score that had the Gator Bowl shaking.

Nattier, now 58, was a first-round pick who played several NFL seasons.

Florida won 27-0 and a painful losing streak in Jacksonville was over. Florida finished 9-1-1 and won the school’s first-ever SEC title.