This is one of the finest moments if not the finest moment in Florida Football history. We dominated our arch rival to claim our first national title. It doesn't get any better than that.
Saw this game in a bar in Tallahassee. Only Gator fan there. Tried to be low key, but every time Florida made a big play, I celebrated. Lots of nasty looks, but nothing else. Good times.
Was at this game - What a total beat down - Bowden looked like a "deer in headlights" the entire game. The noise was unbelievable and Danny was as good as they get at quarterback. What a precious memory-blessed to have been there. Go Gators!!!!
My goodness this team was stacked with play makers. Ike Hilliard and Ridell Anthony were nightmare match ups for other teams. THEN we had Jaquez Green as the slot man. Plus Jackson and Taylor at running back.
1997: Florida had the very best year in sports (Florida and Florida State in the national championship game at the Sugar Bowl, Florida Marlins in the World Series). Six years later, the same state (Florida) had the very best year in sports (Florida Marlins in the World Series, Miami (FL) in the Fiesta Bowl national championship game, Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 37).
What ever you want to say about Danny, he was a tough, tough kid. He took every hit (and there were dozens) the FSU line laid on him, and he kept standing in there.
This was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, exhibitions of both offensive and defensive football by one team in the history of college ball. Made all the sweeter by the way they played through all the cheap shots by FSU. Say what you want about Spurrier, he was worth the price of admission back in this era just because of the way he pissed other teams and their fans off. LOL
pause at 00:01 . That state trooper is officer Malcom Jowers. He has been on the Florida Gators sidelines for 17 years. At his house, he has a room filled to the ceiling of awesome gator collectibles.
You make an excellent point as well. Because of the noted success on Spurrier's passing game, most people don't realize that his offense was actually very balanced. In some games he actually had more running plays than passing plays. Fred Taylor, and Terry Jackson were as lethal as Ike, Reidel, or Jacques if they found open field. When Danny and these guys we on the same page.....1996 Florida offense was a thing of beauty. I'll never forget that year. What an awesome team we had.
Wilson with the fore arm to Fred Taylor's head which bounced off the turf was one of the dirtest plays we,ve ever seen should have been ejected from game that was a deliberate blow meant to hurt Taylor . But coach Bowden showed true sportsmanship and how great a coach he was Rip coach .
Gator from st.pete here, How sweet it was to have our first championship by delivering an ass whooping to our most hated rival.the week prior to this game i was wearing my gator jersey to school, My classmates laughed at me,taunted me doing that stupid air traffic type hand movement and the day after SILENCE
I was in Big Bend National Park in Texas when I saw this. The lodge was cool enough to put a TV at the window for us to finish watching since they closed before the game was over. What a surprise of a game
My God it hurts playing on astro turf. Literally its like playing on carpet over concrete. SO glad they replaced these kinds of surfaces for artificial grass. The fake grass fields feel like playing on a pillow. Its awesome. Anyone who has played on both surfaces knows what I am talking about.
great job jrsigl! i think, though, this reel may be missing two of the biggest plays the Gators made that night: Stevenson pinning the Noles inside the 1 yard line. TWICE! GO GATORS!!!
This team playing on turf without wind and weather was unstoppable. It was unstoppable anywhere but with the athletes this team had, the offense we ran burned up the turf. I did not know Florida used to have an astro turf field. That was before my time. Playing on turf is horrible. Basically you are playing on carpet on concrete. It hurt and sucked. Now the grass turf they use today is AWESOME. Its soft as a pillow and gives you a spring in your step. Anyone who has played on both knows
Great points. Going against the arch rival to win the first title may be the finest moment. Plus it was that same team that just defeated UF and most of us thought the national title chance was over. Then having a chance to avenge that loss and make a statement. That rarely happens in college football. Then the absolute beat down of FSU. Ole ball coach was smart to use the shotgun against FSU D. Most people dont realize that Florida did not use shotgun every play. Its amazing how many people
I remember this game and how Florida State had been Florida earlier in the season, but Bobby Bowden was very concerned that he couldn't repeat. The gators just went wild.
Jack Youngblood, Emmitt Smith, Fred Taylor, Alex Brown, Channing Crowder, Percy Harvin, Jabar Gaffney, Lito Sheppard, Aaron Hernandez, Tim Tebow, Mike Peterson, Jevon Kearse, Taylor Jacobs, Chad Jackson, Brandon Spikes, Joe Haden, Maurkice & Mike Pouncey, Keiwan Ratliff, Brandon Siler, Andre & Reche Caldwell and alot more. Doesnt sound like NFL crap to me.
Good vid...funny thing is all I can think of at the moment is Keith Jackson saying "a flying full gator" when announcing the Cliff Diving Championships in Acapulco, Mexico for Wide World of Sports...how fitting lol
Sweet Revenge. This was a humiliating 32 point beatdown of Saint Bobby and his band of dirty playing miscreants. To this day Seminole fans are crying and whining about having to play Florida again. Nothing sweeter than crucifying your archrival on national television for the National Championship.
Well I do care. Regardless of 1995, we were the best in the country in 1996 and we proved it. We've got our trophy and there's really nothing you can do to take it from us. Get over it.
8:22 the moment Bobby Bowden knew he was going to lose the game. The score was 24-20, if Florida settles for a field goal it is a one possession game and still hope for the Seminoles. Florida scores a TD on third down, goes up 31-20, and with the way Florida was moving the ball that night a two score game was huge. Look how pissed Bowden is after the play. Just before that play was the last time the game was close. It was a total onslaught after that.
Remember all the crying Bowden did before this game about how "it isn't fair" he has to play Florida again? Hell, half of FSU fans to this day still bring up how they "shouldn't have had to play Florida twice." I understand why they feel that way, even if they sound like pussies. Why would they want to play Florida again when they know their victory in the regular season was a fluke? They won at home by 3. This game, the one that really mattered, was an absolute domination on a neutral field.
Yes Florida won this game decidedly , but they should be grateful for Ohio St. winning the Rose Bowl (who arguably deserved a split with Florida). This was just another case to have the playoffs in Division 1A Football.
Game should have never happened, FSU didn't deserve to be here. The refs even said so after the regular season game between the two teams that they messed up and cheated UF out of 2 touchdowns. Had instant replay existed back then, Florida would have won at Joke Campbell 35-24. FSU never deserved to be in the sugar bowl and needed corrupt refs to defeat UF. Change the refs, and the game was a completely different story 52-20.
UF earned the right to a rematch, FSU beat them at home by 3 points. ASU wasn't better than Florida or FSU and Nebraska would have played yall if Texas hadn't upset em. This was the two best teams. ASU probably would have won the championship if they didn't lose their bowl game to OSU and that would have dropped them behind UF making them the new #2 team proving that they got it right.Rematches are harder to win no doubt because only the losing team changes what they do in the rematch.
dont realize Florida used the spread formations but usually snapped the ball from under center. Spurrier did not like the shotgun. Plus people dont realize how much his teams ran the ball. The passing got all the attention and highlights but Florida always had an awesome ground game
I still wonder what a FSU VS ASU game would have been like. Same way I wonder what a 1994 game of Nebraska vs Penn State would be like. and Miami vs Oklahoma in 2000.
Well they didn't play a 3rd time and they never will now. So your argument is VERY irrelevant. The FACT is that this was the biggest stage that this rivalry has EVER seen and probably ever will and Florida won. And they dominated too. If you are an FSU fan (I'm assuming you are) then you should just enjoy that FSU has beaten Florida back to back years and not worry about games where they were owned by Florida....just a thought. Thank you. That is all.
That makes no sense, how a team that loses the first game has a huge advantage or why you would exclude conference games or how you would exclude conference games but you would include this despite that UF-FSU play every year like conference teams do.
not sayin they didnt want to win for noone plays to lose. We handled what we had to handle in the reg season but they pin us against them again. Rivalry games throw everything out the window cause it doesnt matter. They say it had someting to do with the PAC 10 not agreeing to some term so ASU *who we were suppose to play and prepared for* didnt go so they pitted us against UF again....
Wrong.........Jack Youngblood and Emmit Smith are in the Hall of fame. My point was they are not NFL crap. Alot of the ones I named still have alot of years left. Could get into the hall of fame.
LOL. Jack Youngblood played a super bowl with a broken leg, and Emmit Smith has the all time most rushing yards. And not to take away anything from the U, if they had football teams for prisons I'm sure you could claim hall of fame'rs from there.
so your saying, that fsu didn't want to win the championship because they already played them? HA. They should be fired up! they beat them once already so surely they could do it again when it is all on the line right?
I wouldn't call a TD that cuts it to 3 with a minute left, giving a team a chance to get the ball back with a chance to win on an onside kick, a garbage TD. As far as the Sugar Bowl, no chance. FSU was not going to win that game, Dunn or not. Florida was not going to be denied that game.
Uh oh.....Hatorade Alert. As long as football teams are composed of human beings there will always be flaws so what's your point? While all of that "what if" stuff is valid in the theoretical world, in the real world, Jake Plummer didn't beat Ohio State and the convo is about the '97 Sugar Bowl not the '96 Fiesta Bowl. In the comfort of their own stadium, FSU slipped past us by 3 points while on a neutral turf we blew them off the field. Valid argument that they deserve a slice? Hardly.
your opinion is noted, i watched both games closely and multiple times and ill say that if they played a 3rd time FSU would win..... remember, the team that loses has the advantage of making adjustments (SoS went to shotgun for rematch, something he said he would NEVER do, for instance).....
If you think that actually read all that then you're begging pal. Trust me I've been hearing crap like that all my life. People trying to take the credit away from Florida. Again, for the last time Florida won by 32. They were the better team and they proved it. All FSU could do was watch and hit Danny Wuerffel late. Because other than that, they couldn't touch him or anyone else on offense for that matter. Thank you. That is all. Please don't comment back. I'm sure as heck not reading it. Peace
lmao lucked, yeah, 18355 yards rushed, ALL luck. You know if Barry would have gotten the record Emmitt would still be considered one of the best? For the same reason Walter is, and Gale Sayers; because there good. LOL you say talk recent but when I do you like to go back to the past :p And sorry Florida didn't hold recruiting trips to local prisons, we actually searched for ours without bribing with cocaine and bounties.
This is one of the finest moments if not the finest moment in Florida Football history. We dominated our arch rival to claim our first national title. It doesn't get any better than that.
It really can't get any better than this other than having beaten them twice in the same season, like the Bama LSU rematch game.
Bobby Bowden's interview at the end showed a lot of humility...what a top notch man!!
Saw this game in a bar in Tallahassee. Only Gator fan there. Tried to be low key, but every time Florida made a big play, I celebrated. Lots of nasty looks, but nothing else. Good times.
Was at this game - What a total beat down - Bowden looked like a "deer in headlights" the entire game. The noise was unbelievable and Danny was as good as they get at quarterback. What a precious memory-blessed to have been there.
Go Gators!!!!
Been a gator fan since 1969 and this game has been my favorite of all time
My goodness this team was stacked with play makers. Ike Hilliard and Ridell Anthony were nightmare match ups for other teams. THEN we had Jaquez Green as the slot man. Plus Jackson and Taylor at running back.
1997: Florida had the very best year in sports (Florida and Florida State in the national championship game at the Sugar Bowl, Florida Marlins in the World Series). Six years later, the same state (Florida) had the very best year in sports (Florida Marlins in the World Series, Miami (FL) in the Fiesta Bowl national championship game, Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 37).
What ever you want to say about Danny, he was a tough, tough kid. He took every hit (and there were dozens) the FSU line laid on him, and he kept standing in there.
FSU was so dirty. Never seen so many plays in which their players deliberately attempted to injure people.
Doesn't matter how many times FSU beats UF. They will never ever live this one down. love it
This was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, exhibitions of both offensive and defensive football by one team in the history of college ball. Made all the sweeter by the way they played through all the cheap shots by FSU. Say what you want about Spurrier, he was worth the price of admission back in this era just because of the way he pissed other teams and their fans off. LOL
A 1990's Florida team is the LAST team in college football you wanted to play indoors.
Love how honest Bowden was at the end of this
Wuerffel killed it this game.
Unbelievable!!
this entire game needs to get uploaded to youtube right now
Gators were unstoppable
Lol. He was a great one for sure. He's a great man too. And 52-20 will always live on forever. Go Gators.
I have that nice print of the gator holding a ripped FSU jersey in his hand for the victory signed by Wuerffel!! Chomp Chomp!! 🐊🐊🐊
The greatest Gator game of them all....it always will be too.
No truer words have ever been spoken. Danny Wuerrfel is the greatest college QB to ever play the game.
pause at 00:01 . That state trooper is officer Malcom Jowers. He has been on the Florida Gators sidelines for 17 years. At his house, he has a room filled to the ceiling of awesome gator collectibles.
You make an excellent point as well. Because of the noted success on Spurrier's passing game, most people don't realize that his offense was actually very balanced. In some games he actually had more running plays than passing plays. Fred Taylor, and Terry Jackson were as lethal as Ike, Reidel, or Jacques if they found open field. When Danny and these guys we on the same page.....1996 Florida offense was a thing of beauty. I'll never forget that year. What an awesome team we had.
So proud to have made a cameo (in my blue hat) over Danny's shoulder during his interview after my favorite Gator game of all time! :) LOL
5:45 for Ike and his famous joystick move
Gators are amazing
God, I miss receivers like Hilliard, Anthony and Green... And a QB with a quick release... What a huge difference it made in the game.
Wilson with the fore arm to Fred Taylor's head which bounced off the turf was one of the dirtest plays we,ve ever seen should have been ejected from game that was a deliberate blow meant to hurt Taylor . But coach Bowden showed true sportsmanship and how great a coach he was Rip coach .
Gator from st.pete here, How sweet it was to have our first championship by delivering an ass whooping to our most hated rival.the week prior to this game i was wearing my gator jersey to school, My classmates laughed at me,taunted me doing that stupid air traffic type hand movement and the day after SILENCE
Are first national championship game and i was with my dad and he was long time Florida Gator fan Go Gators
This is still the best version of this game on TH-cam.
@8:23, Danny fit the ball right in that tight window. Damn.
Back when the shotgun was the equivalent of the spread option.
At 5:45 the move Ike Hilliard puts on the two FSD defenders is just wrong. I can watch it over and over.
Fun an gun!! Man I miss watching those gators!
I was in Big Bend National Park in Texas when I saw this. The lodge was cool enough to put a TV at the window for us to finish watching since they closed before the game was over. What a surprise of a game
My God it hurts playing on astro turf. Literally its like playing on carpet over concrete. SO glad they replaced these kinds of surfaces for artificial grass. The fake grass fields feel like playing on a pillow. Its awesome. Anyone who has played on both surfaces knows what I am talking about.
These FSU teams played dirty. This film alone makes it readily apparent.
great job jrsigl! i think, though, this reel may be missing two of the biggest plays the Gators made that night: Stevenson pinning the Noles inside the 1 yard line. TWICE!
GO GATORS!!!
This team playing on turf without wind and weather was unstoppable. It was unstoppable anywhere but with the athletes this team had, the offense we ran burned up the turf. I did not know Florida used to have an astro turf field. That was before my time. Playing on turf is horrible. Basically you are playing on carpet on concrete. It hurt and sucked. Now the grass turf they use today is AWESOME. Its soft as a pillow and gives you a spring in your step. Anyone who has played on both knows
You cant Mess with the Gators
Great points. Going against the arch rival to win the first title may be the finest moment. Plus it was that same team that just defeated UF and most of us thought the national title chance was over. Then having a chance to avenge that loss and make a statement. That rarely happens in college football. Then the absolute beat down of FSU. Ole ball coach was smart to use the shotgun against FSU D. Most people dont realize that Florida did not use shotgun every play. Its amazing how many people
pay back is hell go Gators
I remember this game and how Florida State had been Florida earlier in the season, but Bobby Bowden was very concerned that he couldn't repeat. The gators just went wild.
Florida Gators' first and only National Championship in 1996 and it Won't be the Last until my 11th Grade Junior Year in High School 2006-07.
Bobby Bowden's interview at 15:00 was one of the great post-game interviews. "They just beat the heck out of us in every part of football." LOL
Jack Youngblood, Emmitt Smith, Fred Taylor, Alex Brown, Channing Crowder, Percy Harvin, Jabar Gaffney, Lito Sheppard, Aaron Hernandez, Tim Tebow, Mike Peterson, Jevon Kearse, Taylor Jacobs, Chad Jackson, Brandon Spikes, Joe Haden, Maurkice & Mike Pouncey, Keiwan Ratliff, Brandon Siler, Andre & Reche Caldwell and alot more. Doesnt sound like NFL crap to me.
even in loss Coach Bobby Bowden maintains a good attitude that was one thing I always admired about him
once upon a time a shared national title was on the line but after OSU beats ASU it's is now for all of the marbles
Good vid...funny thing is all I can think of at the moment is Keith Jackson saying "a flying full gator" when announcing the Cliff Diving Championships in Acapulco, Mexico for Wide World of Sports...how fitting lol
Wuerffel the Best QB in College Footbal History
Florida got their revenge over Tallahassee in the National Championship
Sweet Revenge. This was a humiliating 32 point beatdown of Saint Bobby and his band of dirty playing miscreants. To this day Seminole fans are crying and whining about having to play Florida again. Nothing sweeter than crucifying your archrival on national television for the National Championship.
I thought Danny Wuerfel captured the Heisman Trophy in 1996
Mmmmm Seminole tears of unfathomable sadness! Mmmm yummy!!
Bowdens entire reaction can be summed in 2 words...."Daggum!"
The NFL also had its championship game in the Superdome following the 1996 season. Green Bay won Super Bowl XXXI over New England on January 26, 1997.
Well I do care. Regardless of 1995, we were the best in the country in 1996 and we proved it. We've got our trophy and there's really nothing you can do to take it from us. Get over it.
8:22 the moment Bobby Bowden knew he was going to lose the game. The score was 24-20, if Florida settles for a field goal it is a one possession game and still hope for the Seminoles. Florida scores a TD on third down, goes up 31-20, and with the way Florida was moving the ball that night a two score game was huge. Look how pissed Bowden is after the play. Just before that play was the last time the game was close. It was a total onslaught after that.
he did this game is from the 1996-1997 season.
You couldn't upload the opening montage with "Beautiful People" playing could you? That was awesome! No one ever includes it with this game.
Remember all the crying Bowden did before this game about how "it isn't fair" he has to play Florida again? Hell, half of FSU fans to this day still bring up how they "shouldn't have had to play Florida twice." I understand why they feel that way, even if they sound like pussies. Why would they want to play Florida again when they know their victory in the regular season was a fluke? They won at home by 3. This game, the one that really mattered, was an absolute domination on a neutral field.
I know...I live in Ocala, a gator fan.
…,”YES LORD”…,”WE’RE COMING -“(BACK-AGAIN)”!!!…STAY - TUNED!…!
Bobby Bowden and Mickey Andrews disliked this video.
hopefully we have good season next year
Fsu met their maker UGA in the orange bowl UGA pulverized Fsu
UGA 63
Fsu 3
2002 all- state sugar bowl
UGA 26
FSU 13
Yes Florida won this game decidedly , but they should be grateful for Ohio St. winning the Rose Bowl (who arguably deserved a split with Florida). This was just another case to have the playoffs in Division 1A Football.
How often does a team get to loose or win a national title game to its arch rival..???
Only back then, smh.
Game should have never happened, FSU didn't deserve to be here. The refs even said so after the regular season game between the two teams that they messed up and cheated UF out of 2 touchdowns. Had instant replay existed back then, Florida would have won at Joke Campbell 35-24. FSU never deserved to be in the sugar bowl and needed corrupt refs to defeat UF. Change the refs, and the game was a completely different story 52-20.
UF earned the right to a rematch, FSU beat them at home by 3 points. ASU wasn't better than Florida or FSU and Nebraska would have played yall if Texas hadn't upset em. This was the two best teams. ASU probably would have won the championship if they didn't lose their bowl game to OSU and that would have dropped them behind UF making them the new #2 team proving that they got it right.Rematches are harder to win no doubt because only the losing team changes what they do in the rematch.
dont realize Florida used the spread formations but usually snapped the ball from under center. Spurrier did not like the shotgun. Plus people dont realize how much his teams ran the ball. The passing got all the attention and highlights but Florida always had an awesome ground game
I still wonder what a FSU VS ASU game would have been like. Same way I wonder what a 1994 game of Nebraska vs Penn State would be like. and Miami vs Oklahoma in 2000.
Well they didn't play a 3rd time and they never will now. So your argument is VERY irrelevant. The FACT is that this was the biggest stage that this rivalry has EVER seen and probably ever will and Florida won. And they dominated too. If you are an FSU fan (I'm assuming you are) then you should just enjoy that FSU has beaten Florida back to back years and not worry about games where they were owned by Florida....just a thought. Thank you. That is all.
talking about 🤔 them Gators 😮😂
Gators beat the Noles for the 96' Natty ! Fsu will never beat the Gators in a National Championship !
This game was a bummer.
3rd comment in 3rd different name on this great video. Go Gators!
That makes no sense, how a team that loses the first game has a huge advantage or why you would exclude conference games or how you would exclude conference games but you would include this despite that UF-FSU play every year like conference teams do.
not sayin they didnt want to win for noone plays to lose. We handled what we had to handle in the reg season but they pin us against them again. Rivalry games throw everything out the window cause it doesnt matter. They say it had someting to do with the PAC 10 not agreeing to some term so ASU *who we were suppose to play and prepared for* didnt go so they pitted us against UF again....
Florida State, Gator Bait
Wrong.........Jack Youngblood and Emmit Smith are in the Hall of fame. My point was they are not NFL crap. Alot of the ones I named still have alot of years left. Could get into the hall of fame.
back when college looked lik the nfl
LOL. Jack Youngblood played a super bowl with a broken leg, and Emmit Smith has the all time most rushing yards. And not to take away anything from the U, if they had football teams for prisons I'm sure you could claim hall of fame'rs from there.
so your saying, that fsu didn't want to win the championship because they already played them? HA. They should be fired up! they beat them once already so surely they could do it again when it is all on the line right?
we have more championships
I wouldn't call a TD that cuts it to 3 with a minute left, giving a team a chance to get the ball back with a chance to win on an onside kick, a garbage TD. As far as the Sugar Bowl, no chance. FSU was not going to win that game, Dunn or not. Florida was not going to be denied that game.
That would be nebraska in 1996 fiesta bowl. Oh im sorry. lol
Evan Shapiro. Enough said.
I still find it insane that Florida State had to play Florida again after beating them the last game of the regular season.
You don't watch the NFL do you?
Uh oh.....Hatorade Alert. As long as football teams are composed of human beings there will always be flaws so what's your point? While all of that "what if" stuff is valid in the theoretical world, in the real world, Jake Plummer didn't beat Ohio State and the convo is about the '97 Sugar Bowl not the '96 Fiesta Bowl. In the comfort of their own stadium, FSU slipped past us by 3 points while on a neutral turf we blew them off the field. Valid argument that they deserve a slice? Hardly.
FSU cheated so bad the first game, these refs didn't let that happen.
Wheurful, Whuerful, Weuhful!
yup 1 player. MOST HALL OF FAME PLAYERS IN NFL HISTORY....UM. DISCUSSION DONE.
your opinion is noted, i watched both games closely and multiple times and ill say that if they played a 3rd time FSU would win..... remember, the team that loses has the advantage of making adjustments (SoS went to shotgun for rematch, something he said he would NEVER do, for instance).....
If you think that actually read all that then you're begging pal. Trust me I've been hearing crap like that all my life. People trying to take the credit away from Florida. Again, for the last time Florida won by 32. They were the better team and they proved it. All FSU could do was watch and hit Danny Wuerffel late. Because other than that, they couldn't touch him or anyone else on offense for that matter. Thank you. That is all. Please don't comment back. I'm sure as heck not reading it. Peace
lmao lucked, yeah, 18355 yards rushed, ALL luck. You know if Barry would have gotten the record Emmitt would still be considered one of the best? For the same reason Walter is, and Gale Sayers; because there good. LOL you say talk recent but when I do you like to go back to the past :p And sorry Florida didn't hold recruiting trips to local prisons, we actually searched for ours without bribing with cocaine and bounties.
Lol. 52-20...
what happened to danny horrible in the 1996 fiesta bowl? MASHED by the big red machine.
A little much don't you think. The best?? Im sure there can be alot of arguments about that one.
No, there is no argument. They were even ranked No.1 after the season ended.
That sucks