This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.
Following Thursday's entry of our favorite players, here are our most memorable Florida Gators moments. We prefer to call them Classic Moments In Championship Mode. Youtube videos are used when available and we invite you to drop your moments in the comments. Follow us after the jump.
1966: Dr. Robert Cade invents Gatorade- We know Dr. Cade invented Gatorade for the 1966 Gators, which helped the Gators to a 9-2 season and Orange Bowl win. But in 1967, UF turned down Cade's request that UF assist in securing patents and distribution for Gatorade. Cade went to Stokely-Van Camp instead. UF sued in 1973 to get royalties after rejecting Gatorade originally. While UF gets plenty of coin from Gatorade, imagine how much it would be if they held the rights.
1971: The Florida Flop- The video tells the story. Doug Dickey makes Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer quaint in comparison.
1994: Gators reach the Final Four- Third seeded Florida defeated UConn and Boston College to win the East Region in the 1994 NCAA Tournament. Florida lost to Duke 70-65 in the National Semifinal. It was UF's first appearance in the Final Four.
1996: Billy Donovan becomes Gators head coach: And a program is born.
1997: Gators win the 1996 National Championship: With Ohio State defeating previously unbeaten Arizona State in the Rose Bowl, the winner of the Sugar Bowl between undefeated FSU and one-loss Florida would win the National Championship. Unlike their previous meeting in Tallahassee, FSU couldn't rely on late hits and dirty play to defeat the Gators.
1997: Gators end FSU's bid for an undefeated season: Until the 2006 South Carolina game, this was the loudest game at The Swamp.
2000: Gators reach National Championship Game: Billy Donovan takes the fifth seeded Gators all the way to the National Championship Game, where they lose to Michigan State. UF defeated Illinois (with former Gator coach Lon Kruger), Duke, Oklahoma State in the East Region and North Carolina in the National Semis. But the most memorable game of the tournament was the first round game against Butler. Mike Miller sunk a running layup as time expired to give UF a 69-68 win in overtime.
2004: The Oh Fours: Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford and Joakim Noah make Anthony Roberson, Matt Walsh and David Lee look like pussies.
2005: Urban Meyer is hired: I don't care if you think Coldplay is gay. This is still awesome.
2006: Tim Tebow picks Florida: A star is born.
2006: Gators win their first basketball National Championship: I remember thinking this was the greatest night of my life. The next day, my Ethics professor told us Florida has just become a "real school."
2006: Jarvis Moss beats South Carolina: This will never get old. God bless Jarvis Moss and his big hands.
2007: Florida 41 - Ohio State 14: The second National Championship. There are still Ohio State fans crying in Arizona.
2007: Florida 84 - Ohio State 75: The second National Championship and the game that made me think "Timothy Joakim" would make an awesome name for my first son.
2007: Tim Tebow destroys FSU on the way to the Heisman Trophy: And he did it with a broken hand.
Percy Harvin: Too damn fast. His performance against Oklahoma is one of the greatest in Florida history.
2008: Brandon Spikes sets the tone against Georgia: I don't care how many eyes he poked or didn't poke. Brandon Spikes is still my boy.
2008: Tim Tebow destroys FSU again: Evil Tebow had murder on his mind in the slop at Tallahassee. One of my favorite games as I spent the 4th quarter yelling at FSU fans while I sat in their student section.
2009: The Major Wright murders Oklahoma's Manny Johnson: So much violence.
2009: The Jump Pass finishes Oklahoma: Everyone knew it was coming, except for Oklahoma.
2009: Tebow vs. LSU: We may never know if he was healthy or not, but the kid won the game, thanks to a great defense.
2009: End of an Era: Tebow's last home game and Bowden's last game. I'm sure they hit to the echo of the whistle in hell too, Bobby.