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Florida's Football History of The Best of the Best
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HOURS OF OPERATION
1980
David "Deacon" Jones
DE
(MISSISSIPPI VOCATIONAL)...6'5'', 272...DAVID D. JONES ... OBSCURE 14TH-ROUND DRAFT PICK, 1961 ... AMONG FIRST OF FAST, TOUGH, MOBILE DEFENSIVE LINEMEN ... NOTED FOR CLEAN, BUT HARD-HITTING PLAY ... SPECIALIZED IN QUARTERBACK "SACKS", A TERM HE INVENTED ... INNOVATIVE, QUICK-THINKING, FLAMBOYANT ... UNANIMOUS ALL-LEAGUE SIX STRAIGHT YEARS, 1965-1970 ... PLAYED IN EIGHT PRO BOWLS ... NFL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR, 1967-1968 ... BORN DECEMBER 9, 1938, IN EATONVILLE, FLORIDA ... DIED JUNE 3, 2013, AT AGE OF 74.
2007
Michael Irvin
WR
Wide receiver Michael Irvin joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1988, following a stellar collegiate football career with the Miami Hurricanes. Selected as the 11th player overall in the first round of the 1988 National Football League Draft, Irvin quickly developed into one of the elite receivers in Cowboys and NFL history.
As a rookie, Irvin offered a glimpse of what was to follow during his 12-season career with the Cowboys. He became the first rookie wide receiver to start a season opener for Dallas in more than 20 years. He caught his first of 65 career touchdowns in that game. Irvin's 20.4 yard per catch average during his rookie year led the NFC.
Early in his career, Irvin and the Cowboys suffered through some lean years. The team finished 3-13 during Irvin's first season and then fell to 1-15 the following year. The team's misfortunes would not last long. Help came first in 1989 with the addition of quarterback Troy Aikman and then in 1990 with the drafting of running back Emmitt Smith. The two players complemented Irvin's talents and bolstered the Cowboys' offense.
Almost instantly, the team became a contender and Irvin's play, which rose to a new level, was a major factor. In 1991, he helped the Cowboys to an 11-5 record and a return to the playoffs by hauling in 93 passes for a league-leading 1,523 yards and 8 touchdowns. He received consensus All-Pro honors that year and earned the first of five straight Pro Bowl trips.
From 1991 through 1998, Irvin recorded 1,000-yard seasons in all but one year. Along the way, the Cowboys made four straight appearances in the NFC championship game (1992-1995) and captured three Super Bowl titles with back-to-back wins over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII, and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.
In 1995, Irvin recorded his finest season as he caught 111 passes for 1,603 yards. He also established an NFL record with eleven 100-yard games, and scored 10 touchdowns. His outstanding play continued during that year's post-season. In the Cowboys' 38-27 win over the Green Bay Packers in the 1995 NFC Championship Game, Irvin had seven receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He capped off the year with five catches for 76 yards in Dallas's 27-17 victory over the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.
In all, Irvin accumulated 750 receptions for 11,904 yards. A member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s, he had 100 or more yards receiving in a game forty-seven times during his 159-game career.
2010
Emmitt Smith III
RB
The Dallas Cowboys were rebuilding when they selected Florida running back Emmitt Smith in the first round of the 1990 draft. After a holdout during all of training camp and preseason of his rookie season, Smith reported to the Cowboys in time for the start of the regular season. He wasted no time in proving he was going to be a huge part of the team’s future.
Smith rushed for 937 yards and scored 11 touchdowns to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and the first of eight career Pro Bowl nods. He followed that season by rushing for a league-leading 1,563 yards. Smith won four rushing crowns during a five-year span as he added titles in 1992, 1993, and 1995. He also led the NFL in rushing touchdowns three times and contributed 277 pass receptions during that same five-season period.
His best year came in 1995 when he recorded career highs for rushing yards (1,773), rushing touchdowns (25), and receptions (62).
Not surprisingly, Smith’s impact on the team helped nurture the Cowboys back to the top of the NFL. The Cowboys, with their star runner leading the way, won three Super Bowls over four seasons from 1992 to 1995. Smith was named first-team All-Pro in each year during that four-year period. In 1993, he was named the NFL’s MVP and followed that by earning Most Valuable Player honors in the Cowboys’ 30-13 win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII.
After narrowly missing the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie, Smith embarked on a record run of 11 straight seasons with 1,000 yards rushing. His streak came to end in Smith’s final season in Dallas in 2002 when he missed the 1,000-yard mark by a mere 25 yards. However, that season was highlighted by one particular game against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 27, 2002. In that contest, Smith supplanted Walter Payton as the NFL’s all-time rushing leader.
Smith, who was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s, finished his 226-game career by playing two final seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He retired with a career total of 18,355 yards and a NFL record 164 rushing touchdowns. He also added 515 receptions for 3,224 yards and 11 touchdowns.
2011
Deion Sanders
CB / KR
DEION LUWYNN SANDERS ... FIRST-ROUND SELECTION (5TH PLAYER OVERALL) BY ATLANTA, 1989 … CAREER TDS: SIX ON PUNT RETURNS, THREE ON KICKOFF RETURNS, NINE ON INTERCEPTIONS, ONE FUMBLE RECOVERY; AND THREE RECEIVING … 53 CAREER INTERCEPTIONS … MEMBER OF NFL’S ALL-DECADE TEAM OF 1990S AS BOTH CORNERBACK, PUNT RETURNER … LED NFL IN PUNT RETURNS, 1998 … LED NFC IN KICKOFFS, 1992; INTERCEPTIONS, 1991, 1993 … FIRST-TEAM ALL-PRO NINE TIMES … EIGHT PRO BOWLS … BORN AUGUST 9, 1967 IN FORT MYERS, FLORIDA.
2013
Warren Sapp
DT
(MIAMI - FLORIDA)...6'2'', 300...WARREN CARLOS SAPP ... DRAFTED IN 1ST ROUND (12TH PLAYER OVERALL) IN 1995 -- AMASSED 96.5 CAREER SACKS -- 1999 NFL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- STARTED IN TWO NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES, ONE SUPER BOWL -- RECORDED TWO TACKLES, ONE SACK, TWO PASSES DEFENSED, AND FORCED FUMBLE IN BUCS' 48-21 WIN OVER RAIDERS, SUPER BOWL XXXVII -- ALL-PRO FOUR STRAIGHT TIMES (1999-2002) -- ALL-NFC FIVE TIMES-- SEVEN PRO BOWLS -- NAMED TO NFL'S ALL-DECADE TEAMS OF THE 1990S, 2000S -- BORN DECEMBER 19, 1972 IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA.
2018
Ray Lewis
MLB
(MIAMI - FLORIDA)...6'1'', 240...1ST ROUND PICK (26TH OVERALL) BY EXPANSION RAVENS IN 1996 NFL DRAFT … HARD-HITTING LINEBACKER AND TEAM LEADER ON PUNISHING DEFENSE … … STARTED AT MIDDLE LINEBACKER IN FOUR AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES AND TWO SUPER BOWLS … TWICE NAMED ASSOCIATED PRESS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (2000, 2003) … EARNED MOST VALUABLE PLAYER HONORS IN RAVENS’ 34-7 VICTORY OVER GIANTS IN SUPER BOWL XXXV AFTER RECORDING THREE TACKLES, TWO ASSISTS AND FOUR PASSES DEFENSED … BECAME JUST SECOND PLAYER IN LEAGUE HISTORY TO EARN NFL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AND SUPER BOWL MVP IN SAME SEASON … TALLIED FOUR TACKLES AND THREE ASSISTS IN RAVENS’ 34-31 WIN OVER 49ERS IN SUPER BOWL XLVII … LED RAVENS IN TACKLES 14 SEASONS (1996-2001, 2003-04, 2006-2011) … NAMED ALL-PRO EIGHT TIMES … VOTED TO 12 PRO BOWLS … SELECTED TO NFL ALL-DECADE TEAM OF 2000S … FIRST PLAYER IN NFL HISTORY WITH 40 SACKS AND 30 INTERCEPTIONS IN A CAREER … RECORDED 41.5 CAREER SACKS … 31 INTERCEPTIONS RETURNED FOR 503 YARDS AND 3 TDS … RECOVERED A TEAM RECORD 20 FUMBLES … AMASSED FRANCHISE RECORD 2,643 CAREER TACKLES TALLIED 50 CAREER TAKE-AWAYS (31 INTERCEPTIONS PLUS 19 OPPONENTS’ FUMBLES RECOVERED) THAT RANKS SECOND AMONG LINEBACKERS SINCE 1970 MERGER … BORN MAY 15, 1975 IN BARTOW, FLORIDA.
2020
Isaac Bruce
WR
(MEMPHIS)...6'1'', 184...SELECTED IN SECOND ROUND (33RD OVERALL) IN 1994 … BREAKOUT YEAR IN SECOND SEASON WITH CAREER-HIGH 119 CATCHES FOR 1,781 YARDS AND 13 TDS … RETIRED AS RAMS’ ALL-TIME LEADER IN CATCHES, RECEIVING YARDS, AND YARDS FROM SCRIMMAGE … ALL-PRO, 1999 … VOTED TO FOUR PRO BOWLS … TWELVE SEASONS 50 OR MORE CATCHES … EIGHT 1,000-YARD SEASONS … CAREER RECORD: 1,024 RECEPTIONS FOR 15,208 YARDS AND 91 TOUCHDOWNS … BORN NOVEMBER 10, 1972 IN FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA.
2020
Steve Hutchinson
LG
(MICHIGAN)...6'4'', 315...FIRST-ROUND PICK (17TH PLAYER OVERALL) IN 2001 NFL DRAFT … NAMED TO NFL’S ALL-ROOKIE TEAM … PAVED WAY FOR NFL MVP SHAUN ALEXANDER’S 1,880 YARDS AND NFL RECORD 28 TOUCHDOWNS, 2005 … NAMED ALL-PRO SIX TIMES (TWICE WITH SEATTLE, FOUR TIMES WITH MINNESOTA) … VOTED TO SEVEN CONSECUTIVE PRO BOWLS … TWICE CHOSEN AS NFL ALUMNI OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR (2006, 2009) … NAMED TO NFL ALL-DECADE TEAM OF 2000S … BORN NOVEMBER 1, 1977 IN FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA.
2020
Edgerrin James
RB
(MIAMI - FLORIDA)...6'0'', 219...NFL’S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, 1999 … CAPTURED NFL RUSHING TITLES FIRST TWO SEASONS (1,553 YARDS IN 1999 AND CAREER-BEST 1,709 YARDS IN 2000) AND SCORED 13 RUSHING TDS IN EACH SEASON … ECLIPSED 1,000 YARDS IN A SEASON SEVEN TIMES; TOPPED 1,500 FOUR TIMES … CAREER TOTAL: 12,246 YARDS ON 3,028 CARRIES AND 80 TDS … ADDED 433 CAREER CATCHES FOR 3,364 YARDS AND 11 TDS … ALL-PRO THREE TIMES (1999-2000, 2004) … ALL-AFC FOUR TIMES (1999-2000, 2004-05) … VOTED TO FOUR PRO BOWLS … SELECTED TO NFL’S ALL-DECADE TEAM OF THE 2000S … BORN AUGUST 1, 1978 IN IMMOKALEE, FLORIDA.
2023
Ken Riley
CB
A former college quarterback at Florida A&M University, Ken Riley transitioned to cornerback in the National Football League, spending all 15 of his professional seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, who had used a sixth-round pick to select him in the 1969 AFL-NFL Draft.
He made an immediate impact, playing all 14 games as a rookie and intercepting four passes as the Bengals cracked the top 10 in defense despite a 4-9-1 team record.
Riley would earn a reputation for consistency at his position. He intercepted at least one pass in every season, finishing his career with 65 overall. He ranks fifth (tied with Hall of Famer CHARLES WOODSON(Opens in a new window)) on the NFL’s all-time list, and only Hall of Famer Rod Woodson intercepted more passes from the cornerback position.
Nine interceptions – Riley’s career-high and a Bengals team record – came in the team’s 10-win 1976 season. He finished the year with a flourish: a three-interception game in the 42-3 rout of the New York Jets.
Riley nearly matched his best season in the last year of his career, intercepting eight passes and returning two for touchdowns in 1983. He was rewarded with his lone first-team All-Pro designation.
Another notable accomplishment occurred in 1982, when Riley intercepted five passes in the strike-shortened nine-game season. Three thefts – one returned for a 56-yard score – came in a 31-17 victory over the Los Angeles Raiders.
At the time of his retirement, Riley also held Bengals records for most seasons played (15), most regular-season games played (207), career interception return yardage (591) and postseason interceptions (3). He led the Bengals in interceptions seven times and led the AFC three times.
In college, Riley led the Florida A&M Rattlers to a 23-7 record as a starting quarterback and three conference titles. In 1982, he was inducted into the Florida A&M Athletic Hall of Fame.
Following his playing career, Riley returned to his alma mater as head football coach (1986-1993) and athletic director (1994-2003). His FAMU teams posted a 48-39-2 record, and he won two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles and two MEAC Coach of the Year awards.
2024
Andre Johnson
WR
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