1996 Florida Gators football team

1996 Florida Gators football
Consensus national champion
SEC champion
SEC Eastern Division champion
Sugar Bowl champion
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record12–1 (8–0 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorCarl Franks (2nd season)
Offensive schemeFun and gun
Defensive coordinatorBob Stoops (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumBen Hill Griffin Stadium[1]
Seasons
← 1995
1997 →
1996 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 1 Florida x$   8 0     12 1  
No. 9 Tennessee   7 1     10 2  
South Carolina   4 4     6 5  
Kentucky   3 5     4 7  
Georgia   3 5     5 6  
Vanderbilt   0 8     2 9  
Western Division
No. 11 Alabama xy   6 2     10 3  
No. 12 LSU x   6 2     10 2  
No. 24 Auburn   4 4     8 4  
Mississippi State   3 5     5 6  
Ole Miss   2 6     5 6  
Arkansas   2 6     4 7  
Championship: Florida 45, Alabama 30
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The 1996 season was the team's seventh under head coach Steve Spurrier. The Gators competed in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.

The Gators posted a 12–1 record and won their fifth consecutive SEC Eastern Division title, their fourth straight SEC Championship Game, and their first national championship in team history, with a 52–20 Sugar Bowl rout of their in-state rivals, the Florida State Seminoles.

The Gators used coach Spurrier's pass-heavy "fun 'n gun" offense".[2] Quarterback Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy. Wuerffel as well as his wide receivers Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony were consensus All-Americans.

The Gators outscored their opponents 612–221.

  1. ^ University of Florida Sports Information Department. "Florida 1996 Football Guide" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  2. ^ Maisel, Ivan (October 13, 2015). "Steve Spurrier's Fun 'n' Gun brought football evolution to the SEC". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 31, 2024.