2009 Florida Gators football team

2009 Florida Gators football
SEC Eastern Division champion
Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 51–24 vs. Cincinnati
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 3
Record13–1 (8–0 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorSteve Addazio (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread option
Defensive coordinatorCharlie Strong (7th season)
Base defense3–3–5
MVPTim Tebow
Joe Haden
CaptainBrandon James
Joey Sorrentino
Brandon Spikes
Ryan Stamper
Tim Tebow
Home stadiumBen Hill Griffin Stadium[1]
Seasons
← 2008
2010 →
2009 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 3 Florida x%   8 0     13 1  
Georgia   4 4     8 5  
Tennessee   4 4     7 6  
Kentucky   3 5     7 6  
South Carolina   3 5     7 6  
Vanderbilt   0 8     2 10  
Western Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#   8 0     14 0  
No. 17 LSU   5 3     9 4  
No. 20 Ole Miss   4 4     9 4  
Arkansas   3 5     8 5  
Auburn   3 5     8 5  
Mississippi State   3 5     5 7  
Championship: Alabama 32, Florida 13
  • # – BCS National Champion
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2009 college football season. The Gators competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. They were led by fifth-year head coach Urban Meyer, who coached the Gators to a first-place finish in the SEC East, a 51–24 Sugar Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats, and an overall win–loss record of 13–1 (.929).

With senior quarterback Tim Tebow and eleven defensive starters returning, the Gators had hoped to repeat as back-to-back national champions following their BCS National Championship at the end of the 2008 season. They finished with an undefeated 12–0 regular season, their first since 1995, but the Gators' 32–13 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game derailed their national title hopes, and forced them to settle for a berth in the Sugar Bowl. At the conclusion of the 2009 season, the Gators were ranked No. 3 in both major polls.

On December 26, 2009, Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley announced that Urban Meyer would step down as the team's head coach for health and family reasons.[2] The following day, Meyer stated that he would instead take an indefinite leave of absence, allowing him to resume his position as the head coach. Meyer returned to coach the Gators in spring practice in March 2010.

  1. ^ University of Florida Sports Information Department. "Florida 2009 Media Guide" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  2. ^ "UF's Urban Meyer Steps Down as Head Football Coach". Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2009.