The 1982 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season . The season was the fourth for Charley Pell as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Pell's 1982 Florida Gators posted an 8–4 overall record and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 3–3, tying for sixth place in the ten-team SEC.[ 1]
The highlight of the season was a nationally televised September victory over Southern Cal in the Trojans' only visit to Florida Field. Gator linebacker Wilber Marshall had 14 tackles and 4 sacks in the 17–9 victory and was named national defensive player of the week on his way to All-American honors at the end of the season.[ 2] Wayne Peace , who set an NCAA record for completion percentage in a season (70.7%) running offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan 's short passing attack.[ 3]
Florida played six of their first seven games at home and rode their early season success into a No. 4 ranking in early October, which matched the highest AP poll placement in program history up to that time. However, close losses to LSU and Vanderbilt and a blow-out loss to arch rival Georgia knocked them out of the polls, and the Gators finished the season 8–4 after a loss in the 1982 Bluebonnet Bowl
Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 4 No. 15 Miami (FL) * No. 16 USA W 17–1471,864 [ 4] September 11 No. 10 USC * No. 11 Florida Field Gainesville, FL ABC W 17–973,238 [ 5] September 25 Mississippi State No. 5 Florida Field Gainesville, FL ESPN W 27–1771,544 [ 6] October 2 LSU No. 4 Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry ) USA L 13–2473,152 [ 7] October 9 at Vanderbilt No. 14 L 29–3139,726 [ 8] October 16 West Texas State * Florida Field Gainesville, FL W 77–1472,885 [ 9] October 30 No. 19 Auburn Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry ) W 19–1773,532 [ 10] November 6 vs. No. 3 Georgia No. 20 CBS L 0–4480,749 [ 11] November 13 at Kentucky W 39–1353,245 [ 12] November 20 at Tulane * W 21–1427,795 [ 13] December 4 at No. 15 Florida State * W 13–1057,369 [ 14] December 31 vs. No. 14 Arkansas * MTN L 24–2831,557 [ 15] *Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
[ 1]
1982 Florida Gators football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
LB
Val Brown
DB
Vernell Brown
DB
Randy Clark
DB
Ivory Curry
DB
Ricky Easmon
DB
Sonny Gilliam
DL
Roy Harris
LB
Fernando Jackson
DB
Tony Lilly
LB
88
Wilber Marshall Jr
LB
Fred McCallister
DB
Vito McKeever
LB
Patrick Miller
DL
Tim Newton
DB , P
Roger Sibbald
DB
Bruce Vaughan
DL
John Whittaker
LB
Tom Wiegmann
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
P
Ray Criswell
K
Jim Gainey
K
Bobby Raymond
Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) Ineligible
^ a b 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine ^ "Wilber Marshall - A Tradition of Honor" . Florida Gators . University of Florida Athletic Association. Retrieved October 7, 2019 .^ Andreu, Robbie (July 31, 2010). "Where are they now? Wayne Peace" . Gainesville Sun . Retrieved October 7, 2019 . ^ "Peace TD pass topples Miami" . The Montgomery Advertiser . September 5, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Florida, on way up, uses USC as stepping stone, 17–9" . The Los Angeles Times . September 12, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Florida's Hampton keys Gator victory" . The Selma Times-Journal . September 26, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Tigers stun Gators" . Hattiesburg American . October 3, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Vandy shocks Gators!" . The Leaf-Chronicle . October 10, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Gators flex muscles in 77–14 romp" . The Pensacola News-Journal . October 17, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Last-second FG leads UF over Auburn" . Fort Lauderdale News . October 31, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Georgia feasts on Gators" . Tallahassee Democrat . November 7, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Gator attack clamps down on Kentucky" . Sunday Courier & Press . November 14, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Gators trim Tulane, win Bluebonnet bid" . The Orlando Sentinel . November 21, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Second-string quarterback sparks Florida" . The Sacramento Bee . December 5, 1982. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Hogs' Holtz bathen in comeback victory" . The Memphis Press-Scimitar . January 1, 1983. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
