Tag: Reidel Anthony

A trio of Gators pairs among 50 all-time best playmaking duos

There have been a trio of dynamic duos playing for the Florida Gators over the past three decades.

The University of Florida’s football program has an illustrious history that spans decades, with a superlative run of success from starting when [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag] took over in 1990 to the departure of [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] after the 2010 campaign.

During that span, the Gators produced a prodigious amount of athletic talent — never mind that Florida is still the only team in the SEC to have a player selected in every draft since the AFL-NFL merger. But the Orange and Blue has also had a few dynamic duos in its midst as well.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports put together his 50 all-time best playmaking duos in college football history and had three UF pairs in his rankings.

Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin

“[autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag]’s list of accolades is expansive, chief among them his Heisman Trophy win in 2007,” Crawford begins. “He was also part of two Florida teams that won a BCS National Championship and was a two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year. He has a statue outside of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and finished his career with the Gators with 9,286 passing yards and 88 touchdowns to just 16 interceptions while rushing for 1,947 yards and 57 touchdowns.”

But even Tebow could not do it by himself. Without the help of his trusty sidekick [autotag]Percy Harvin[/autotag], those two championships would never have happened.

“While Tebow, Wuerffel and Steve Spurrier all won Heismans at Florida, Harvin might be the most dyamic offensive talent in program history. Harvin was an incredibly versatile player for the Gators.

“In three seasons, Harvin rushed for 1,852 yards, caught 133 passes for 1,929 yards and scored 32 total touchdowns. He was a nightmare for opposing defenses because he could be used in any number of ways and once he got past you, there was no catching up.”

Based on this, Crawford ranks Tebow and Harvin as the second-best college football pair behind the USC Trojans‘ dynamic duo of Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.

Florida’s other two top dynamic duos

Coming it at No. 29 is another Heisman Trophy winner, [autotag]Danny Wueffel[/autotag], along with his favorite wide receiver target, [autotag]Reidel Anthony[/autotag].

“During UF’s national championship season in 1996, Anthony was an explosive offensive player and quarterback Danny Wuerffel’s favorite,” Pat Dooley notes.

The Pouncey Twins — Mike and Maurkice — came in at No. 49, largely due to their contributions to Florida’s two national titles in the aughts.

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WATCH: Every TD from WR Reidel Anthony’s career with the Bucs

Relive all of the best highlights from wide receiver Reidel Anthony’s career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In the first round of the 1997 NFL draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t have to look far to add a big-play receiver to their offense, spending the No. 16 overall pick on Florida’s Reidel Anthony.

No. 85 made plenty of splash plays during his five seasons with the Bucs, showing the same kind of talent he displayed for a Gators team that was among the best in college football during his tenure in Gainesville.

Watch the video above to see all of Anthony’s best highlights from his time in Tampa Bay.

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27 Days, 27 Picks: WR Reidel Anthony

The second first-rounder the Bucs drafted in 1997 had a productive sophomore campaign and contributed on special teams, but didn’t stick around the NFL for long:

In 27 Days, 27 Picks, Bucs Wire will analyze the last 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft picks, one for each day leading up to the 2023 NFL draft. We’ll take a look at the player’s college stats, their pre-draft numbers (either via the NFL Combine or their Pro Day), their NFL stats, some player footage and analysis at the end on whether the pick itself was a good one.

Our next player was the other player drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997, but he didn’t quite carry the legacy that Warrick Dunn did in Tampa despite playing the same amount of years in red and pewter.

Here is the draft rundown on [autotag]Reidel Anthony[/autotag] below:

Legendary Gators WR to be Mr. Two Bits for season opener against Utah

A Gators legend from the ’90s will don a yellow shirt and a blue and orange tie as the first Mr. Two Bits of the Billy Napier era on Saturday.

It wouldn’t be a Florida Gators game with the Two Bits cheer, and the honorary leader of it on Saturday will be former UF wide receiver [autotag]Reidel Anthony[/autotag], who earned All-America honors in the 1990s while playing for [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag].

Since 2013, Florida has had celebrity dress up in the same yellow shirt and blue and orange tie made famous by Gators superfan George Edmondson to lead the Two Bits chant, and Anthony is the latest Gators legend to claim the honor. [autotag]Percy Harvin[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Doering[/autotag] and [autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag] are among the receivers that have been Mr. Two Bits.

An exciting player in college — he once lept into the stands of Tennessee‘s Neyland Stadium to celebrate a touchdown during a 31-0 rout of the Volunteers — Anthony’s routine should be one of the more explosive in recent memory. He’s not letting anyone know his plans, but the Head Ball Coach’s words of wisdom will be in the back of his mind.

“I haven’t gotten that far yet. First, I need to get the rules and regulations,” Anthony said to the UAA. “Coach Spurrier used to always tell me, ‘You know, Reidel, you’re the only one who ended up in the NCAA’s what-not-to-do video they show teams every year.’ I made it three years in a row, so I guess I better see what they allow.”

Single-game tickets have been sold out for the season opener, so there should be a good crowd in the Swamp for Anthony’s Two Bits. There’s excitement in the air for not only the start of the 2022 season but also for the start of the Billy Napier era at UF. Anthony couldn’t pass up a chance to add to that atmosphere.

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5 former Florida Gators who left school at the right time

Pat Dooley lists five Gators who were right to leave school when they did.

In the world of college athletics – which right now is both confusing and rewarding – careers are made by decisions.

It starts early with athletes deciding where they will visit, then where they will commit and finally where they sign. Nowadays, it’s a yearly decision about whether to stay or jump into the transfer portal.

Finally, it’s a decision for the elite (and some not so elite) to turn pro early or use all of their eligibility.

[autotag]Trinity Thomas[/autotag] is facing that decision even though she has been amazing for four full years. Because she has a pandemic year she can still use, Thomas could return for a fifth season and use it as a bridge to the next Olympics.

Thomas would be one of those athletes in Florida history who could choose to leave and we would all say, “Thanks.” The voice would be loud, too, because she is in the argument for greatest gymnast ever at Florida and perhaps the NCAA.

We’ll wait for her to announce, but while we do that, let us look at 10 UF athletes who left early and most Gator fans just wanted to give them a hug and wish them well. They had done enough.

Today, the first five of the top 10 of those athletes. Tomorrow, the second five plus a few that we were wondering what they were thinking.

Two Gators among ESPN’s greatest receivers of the last 50 years

Wes Chandler and Reidel Anthony appeared on ESPN’s list of the 50 greatest receivers of the last 50 years in college football.

Though Florida football is mostly known for its quarterback play with three players winning the Heisman Trophy at the position, it has also produced a number of very skilled receivers. Including Percy Harvin, Dallas Baker, Ike Hilliard and so many more, the best teams in program history have all had top-tier receivers.

Unfortunately, none of the players just mentioned appear on ESPN’s rankings of the 50 greatest college football receivers of the last 50 years, which was written by college football analytics expert Bill Connelly. However, two former Gator pass-catchers do.

One honorable mention from UF also appears. Here’s where each of the UF players stacks up, starting with Kyle Pitts.

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