GIVE ‘EM HELL, PELL – PART XI: A historic start under a cloud of suspicion
Charley Pell puts Florida in position to clinch its first SEC title in 1983

Folks were talking about Charley Pell and the Florida Gators throughout the offseason in 1983. Not so much about the 8-4 campaign or the program’s first climb into the top five of the polls. Instead of focusing on the signs of burgeoning powerhouse, whispers surrounding the NCAA investigation of Pell’s program at Florida grew to a point where it had to be addressed.

Sports Illustrated, which had fawned over Pell and the Gators in the 1982 preseason issue, took a markedly different approach in the 1983 preseason magazine:

Florida, led by 70% passer Wayne Peace and All-America Linebacker Wilber Marshall, should be getting set for a banner year, but the Gators’ program is on the verge of ruin because of a flood of allegations and an NCAA inquiry into a players’ ticket-scalping scheme, alleged recruiting violations, and academic improprieties.

That “on the verge of ruin” phrasing might seem a bit strong at first, but based on the series of hits Gato football suffered throughout the offseason, the cause for concern was understandable. On Sunday, April 3, 1983, William Nottingham, Dave Scheiber and Robert Hooker of the St. Petersburg Times published their findings of a three-month investigation into Florida’s ticketing practices.

Wealthy boosters and officials of the University of Florida football program have violated NCAA regulations by channeling hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars into the pockets of many players.

The money has gone to Gator athletes under former coach Doug Dickey and, since 1978, Charley Pell.   

[Note: I think the paper meant 1979 since Pell didn’t take over until after the conclusion of UF’s 1978 season.]

Dickey, who was two years away from being hired as the athletic director at Tennessee, denied knowledge of any violations being committed under his watch at UF.

Here is how the newspaper says the scheme worked:

Players shared specific details with reporters:

• At times, boosters paid up to four times the face value of the $12 tickets.
  • One ex-running-back says he made close to $900 in his freshman year
  • Another player says he was paid $250 for his four Florida-Georgia tickets in 1981
• Boosters were one thing, but evidence of assistant coaches knowingly breaking the rules by coordinating efforts between players and boosters made this a much more serious issue.
• School officials were accused of setting star players up with cushy summer jobs “selling advertising space in the university’s game-day programs.” Some earned up to $2,000 for a few weeks’ work that entailed calling on eager boosters to buy ad space. A player-salesman commission-based role with the school was banned by the NCAA since it was seen as “an open-ended fee arrangement ripe for abuse.”

Florida booster Leonard Levy of Tampa told the Times he was unaware of any illegal ticket-selling within the program. The story acknowledged that schemes like this one were likely prevalent throughout college football, and Levy spoke bluntly about the NCAA’s role: “You’re never going to stop it. The only way to reduce it is to put a penalty on the coach, not on the institution.

“What alumni do, [the NCAA] will never be able to control.”

Spoken with the confidence of a man who lived in a pre-SMU death penalty world.

Lee McGriff, a former Gator wide receiver who had been a first-team All-SEC selection under Dickey and the father of UF wide receiver Travis McGriff, resigned his post as Pell’s receivers coach after 1982 to pursue a sales job in insurance, but he defended the program when he was contacted for comment. “You may find some things wrong,” McGriff said, “but I don’t think you’ll find malicious abuse over there.”

McGriff admitted to the paper that he had sold his tickets in a similar manner as a player under Dickey and had been selected to sell ads for game programs during the summer, but he said he didn’t make much.

“These guys aren’t taking that money and buying condos on the beach,” McGriff said. “Most of those guys are just trying to get through the year. We can’t even give them laundry money.

“They may be making something, but it’s no killing. They’re surviving.”

Nevertheless, the problem remained. As of August 1, 1980, the NCAA rules prohibited any sales of complimentary tickets “whether at, below or above face value,” since it would give players, “an extra benefit not available to the student body in general.”

Several former players acknowledged scalping had gone on while they were in school, including kicker Brian Clark, wide receiver Curt Garrett, defensive end Tim Golden and tight end Van Jones.

UF assistant coach Sonny McGraw had also been mentioned by name in Michigan kicker Pat Moons’ recruiting violation accusations in 1982 and would end up leaving the Florida football program in the summer of 1983, but Pell was going nowhere, and the school wanted everyone to be crystal clear on that message.

An Embattled Coach Opens Up

It might be a bit premature to make any comparison between Charley Pell and Ray Liotta keeping a paranoid eye on the helicopter toward the end of Goodfellas, but the heat was definitely ratcheting up in the preseason of 1983, and Pell decided it would be best to do an interview coinciding with the release of the Times’ story.

Written by Shelby Strother, the piece captures a vulnerable Pell. It’s such an insightful look into the life and mind of Charley Pell that I’ll be quoting heavily from it. Times reporter William Nottingham is also listed as a contributor.

“If I spend any time during the day answering any rumors,” a defiant Pell told the Times, “it’s a senseless waste of time.

“I’ve worked all my life. But there’s still so much work left for us to do. If people would just leave us alone.”

Despite the looming NCAA distraction, Florida fans believed that 1983, the 50th anniversary of the Gators joining the SEC, would finally be “The Year of the Gator.” For Pell, the pressure never stopped.

“The visibility of a job is what wears on a person,” Pell said, head bowed, eyes raised, shoulders hunched. In the sanctum of his office, with a secretary outside to monitor the calls, Pell relaxes. But only in stages. Afternoon practice starts in an hour. Plays are diagrammed on the chalkboard near his desk. His ashtray is full. Tough times for a tough man.

.“Our fans are so news-hungry, so starved for news about the Gators that they, in their own innocence, can create a turmoil. That’s always going to be a part of football. The month of May will bring the same standard questions. Is this the year, Coach? Is this The Year of the Gator? That’s always going to be a part of the job.”

In everything I’ve read on Charley Pell, this may be the most open statement I’ve seen to date. The highs and the lows of the last several years had clearly worn on a man who did everything in his power to remain in control, but now he was at a crossroads.

Navigating the waters of the season while planning for the future was difficult enough without the NCAA hanging around town and a hungry yet “innocent” fanbase constantly breathing down his neck.

Pell says he hopes, plans, figures to be there to salute that first SEC banner. But nothing is for sure anymore. It may be that Charley Pell will decide enough is enough and climb out of the pressure cooker and leave coaching forever.

No heart attack is imminent, he insists. Nor a job in some booster friend’s savings and loan. Rumors that he will resign—which ballooned into newspaper stories all over the state late last week—are “foolish.”

It used to be so easy. Before, hard work could always take care of everything. Charley Pell was born to work hard.

That year, 1983, wasn’t Pell’s first rough patch in Gainesville. The Gators’ 0-10-1 season in 1979 took a real toll on him, too.

“Nobody, swear to God, will ever really understand what it was like. There were sometimes I wasn’t sure about anything. Even suicide.”

The man, driven to the point of obsession with success, almost flamed out in one season.

The problems had surprisingly little to do with the winless campaign. Pell ran a different program than Doug Dickey, the man he replaced. The transition was chaotic

 For starters, the academic environment changed.

“If they don’t want a degree, they’re not going to be happy at the University of Florida,” Pell said.

He says that’s his opening line to recruits. Players who weathered the change from Dickey to Pell say Pell put more emphasis on academics.

“I’m not going to let them be happy if they don’t want that degree,” Pell said. “I tell every recruit that. I tell their mommas and daddies that. Get your priorities right, Hoss. If you do, you’re going to sail. If you don’t, you’re in trouble.”

Pell points to a wall in his office. It is filled with plaques. All-SEC honors for academics. “Those are the only plaques up there,” he said.

The uncharacteristic openness continued right up until the end of the piece.

“It’s still fun,” Pell said. “It’s still work. The job requires intensity. I’m an intense person. Everybody has to work to get the job done. I still have the lines drawn. I still concentrate on my weaknesses. I tend to over-evaluate people, I have an over-expectance of people.”

It takes a toll. Ward [Pell’s wife] notices it.

“He’s reached a point in time where he‘s saying, Do I want to do this all my life? It’s nothing new. We all evaluate where we are at certain points of our lives. The pressure here is unbelievable. I think I see him becoming more tired more easily. Mister, if all you did at Florida was coach football, you’d have a dynamite job.”

On April 9, 1983, Pell and UF Athletic Director Bill Carr mailed a letter to Gator football season ticket-holders that “presents a more accurate picture than you might have been reading or hearing.”

The letter denied reports that Pell had any intentions of resigning. A report from Jack Hairston of the Gainesville Sun the week before stated that “three highly placed sources” who wished to stay anonymous said Pell would resign at the end of spring practice. The article also said Pell had been treated for an ulcer during a recent stay at the hospital.

Pell wrote: “I will not resign, have not made any attempt to negotiate an end to my contract and am in excellent health. That should cover the breadth of the rumors.”

While they may have only been rumors at the time, it was clear that the eyes of the NCAA were upon Charley Pell and the Florida football program. The Police may or may not have used Pell and the NCAA as the inspiration for their No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983:

Every breath you take and every move you make
Every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you
Every single day and every word you say
Every game you play, every night you stay, I’ll be watching you

Pell & The Bear

Let’s travel a little further back in time for a moment. Paul “Bear” Bryant stepped down at the University of Alabama after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 21-15 in the Liberty Bowl on December 29, 1982.

“This is my school, my alma mater. I love it and I love my players,” Bryant said in his retirement announcement. “But in my opinion, they deserved better coaching than they have been getting from me this year.”

After the game, the Crimson Tide legend was asked what he planned to do in retirement. He replied, “Probably croak in a week.”

Almost prophetically, the Bear suffered a massive heart attack and passed away at the age of 69 on January 25, 1983 in Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa.

To Charley Pell, Bear Bryant had been a coach, a mentor, and a friend. Bryant took a chance on the undersized Pell by bringing him to Alabama. He pulled Pell into coaching and taught him the importance of winning. One of his best lessons: “There is no reason to run a race if you’re not going to win it.”

We all lose giants in our lives. It’s never easy. But when you lose one of your giants in an unexpected way, it only adds to your grief. So consider Bear Bryant’s passing another weight on Charley Pell’s shoulders during the offseason of 1983.

As with the matchups in 1980 and 1981, a last-second Miami field goal created a stir.

But unlike 1980 and 1981, this last-second field goal wasn’t motivated by spite or an attempt at victory. It was needed to avoid a goose egg.

The experienced Gators knocked around the inexperienced Hurricanes all day and forced seven turnovers out of the eventual national champions.

If you need a refresher, here’s a rundown of the national champions during Pell’s first five seasons in Gainesville:

• 1979: Alabama Crimson Tide – 1979 National Champions – Pell faced in his fifth game at UF
• Georgia Bulldogs – 1980 National Champions – needed a miracle to beat Pell
• Clemson Tigers – 1981 National Champions – large part of the roster was built by Pell
• Penn State – 1982 National Champions – beat a UGA team in the Sugar Pell faced
• Miami Hurricanes – 1983 National Champions – lost to Pell in the opener.

On the opening kickoff, Miami senior fullback Albert Bentley caught the ball 8 yards deep in the end zone, and after a moment’s hesitation, decided to run it out. He was stopped at the UM 7-yard line, and freshman quarterback Bernie Kosar from Boardman, Ohio, took his first snap in a less-than-ideal field position.

Three plays later, a ferocious Florida defense, which would go on to only allow an opponent to cross the 20-point threshold one time in 1983, recovered a fumble on the UF 13-yard line. Canes senior running back Speedy Neal fumbled, and UF strong safety Patrick Miller, who had moved into the secondary during spring ball, scooped up the ball for the Gators.

Another three plays later, Florida senior quarterback Wayne Peace capitalized by hitting sophomore fullback Joe Henderson (filling in for an injured John L. Williams) in the left flat for an easy 6-yard touchdown pass to put the Gators up 7-0 early.

Despite some success moving the ball on the next drive, a 12-yard punt by freshman Rick Tuten prevented Miami from pinning Florida deep in its own territory and gave the offense the ball at the UF 29-yard line. The early surge in momentum allowed UF offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan to dig deep into his playbook. Peace whipped a lateral pass to the left to sophomore tight end Tom Peddie, who was making his first start, and after making the catch, Peddie launched a left-handed throw 28 yards downfield to wide receiver Bee Lang for a big completion.

Peace handled the passing for the rest of the drive. Sophomore running back Neal Anderson carried the Gators down to the UM 7-yard line after a 13-yard run, and once again, Peace capped off the drive with a touchdown pass to Henderson, this time from 2 yards out. Kicker Bobby Raymond slipped on the PAT and booted the ball directly into the offensive line. It would be one of the few times Raymond ever missed a kick in his career (though another would soon arrive), and Florida held an early 13-0 lead.

“It helps when you get the ball at the 13-yard line and stick it in,” Peace said of the first two scoring drives. “Then we got a touchdown again, but this time had to go on a long, tough drive. We showed them they were in for a game, and it gave us a lot of confidence.”

The teams traded punts before a Raymond 46-yard field goal attempt fell short. Miami came out throwing on the next drive. Again, the team showed signs of life, but the ball wasn’t bouncing their way. In a play that was nullified by an illegal motion penalty, Kosar threw a deep strike to wide receiver Eddie Brown, but Brown couldn’t come up with the catch.

Two big plays gave Miami its first real scoring chance. UF cornerback Ricky Easmon was flagged for pass interference, and Canes tight end Glenn Dennison made a 17-yard one-handed grab that reminded fans of James Jones’ winning catch in 1982. But Florida safety Tony Lilly put an end to the Miami threat by securing an interception at the UF 5-yard line and returning it to the UF 17-yard line before being brought down.

Miami drove inside the UF 30-yard line one more time before the half, but an intentional grounding penalty on Kosar pushed the Canes back, and senior kicker Jeff Davis pushed a 41-yard field goal wide left. Florida headed into the locker room with its shutout intact.

On the opening series after the half, a low line drive from UF punter Ray Criswell caused Brown to mishandle the reception, and Gator freshman linebacker Arthur White jumped on the loose ball to give Florida possession at the UM 45-yard line. Kicker Chris Perkins hit a 53-yard field goal a few plays later, and the Gators were in control.

Still holding a 16-0 lead later in the quarter, Pell went to the ground and allowed running backs Lorenzo Hampton and Neal Anderson to take over. Both carried the load, and Florida finished off its next scoring drive with a 9-yard touchdown run by Anderson. But a failed fake field goal on the extra point kept the Gators’ lead at 22-0.

Hurricanes freshman running back Alonzo Highsmith fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, and Raymond connected on a 34-yarder to extend the lead to 25-0. Another fumble recovery by UF senior linebacker Fred McCallister set up Florida’s final points of the day: a 42-yard field goal by Raymond with just under six minutes left in the game.

Despite the errors, Kosar drew plenty of praise after finishing the game 24-45 for 233 yards, but his three interceptions left plenty of room for growth.

“Florida played almost error-free ball,” Miami head coach Howard Schellenberger said after the game. “They really didn’t blow us out of the game statistically. The difference was our mistakes and field position throughout the game.”

The Gators scored 16 of their 28 points off of Miami turnovers.

“Wednesday or Thursday, I read in the papers that [Schnellenberger] thought turnovers and big plays would be the difference in the game,” Pell said. “I think he was right. We couldn’t stop Miami without making the big play.”

Florida’s 28-3 victory in front of a record crowd of 73,907 at Florida Field vaulted the Gators to No. 18 in the polls before their first trip to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum to face the Southern California Trojans.

No other team would stay within 10 points of the Hurricanes until November as Kosar led Miami to 11-straight victories en route to their 31-30 Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska for the school’s first national title.

No other team would stay within 10 points of the Hurricanes until November as Kosar led Miami to 11-straight victories en route to their 31-30 Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska for the school’s first national title.

Miami Hurricanes – 1983 National Champions.

11-1.

 

The opening loss to Florida in 1982 didn’t take USC off track. The Trojans went into Norman, Oklahoma, two weeks later and blanked the Sooners 12-0 and went on to finish the season 8-3. Probation was the only thing keeping USC from a bowl bid.

John Robinson stayed in the building but took his coaching talents to the NFL with his new gig with the L.A. Rams. Ted Tollner replaced John Robinson as the USC head coach in 1983. He had been hired from LaVell Edwards’ high-flying offensive staff at BYU to run the USC offense in 1982 and seemed to be the perfect candidate to aid in the growth of sophomore quarterback Sean Salisbury.

Despite Robinson’s departure, the No. 9 Trojans faced lofty preseason expectations. Future NFL head coach and current defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio led the USC defense. He also batted .340 on the baseball team alongside Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson.

Three dropped passes on the opening drive did not deter the Gators from entering into USC territory. Fullback Joe Henderson, the man who scored twice against Miami, was stripped at the USC 41-yard line and Trojans defensive tackle Matt Koart jumped on the football. Florida and USC each fumbled six times on the day, and both schools lost three. “It was sloppy,” quarterback Wayne Peace said after the game. “We didn’t play well at all.”

Salisbury quickly marched the Trojans into Florida territory on their following possession thanks to completions of 15 yards to wide receiver Timmie Ware and 16 yards to wide receiver Hank Norman. USC would eventually settle for a 41-yard field goal from kicker Steve Jordan to take an early 3-0 lead.

After a punt by the Gators, Salisbury had the Trojans on the move again. Hard-hitting safety Tony Lilly knocked the ball loose upon contact with USC running back Todd Spencer at the UF 37-yard line. The ball was free and up for grabs, but it rolled out of bounds, which allowed USC to maintain possession. A few plays later, tight end Fred Cornwell hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass, and USC was on top 10-0 with 12:25 left in the second quarter.

The Gators offense remained stagnant and punted the ball back to USC. The Trojans punted back, but Lilly mishandled a short kick, and USC’s Joe Leimbach recovered at the UF 28-yard line with a prime opportunity to bury the Gators early. Facing a 3rd & 13 from the UF 19-yard line, freshman linebacker Arthur White sacked Salisbury for a 6-yard loss, and Jordan missed on the 42-yard field goal attempt. Finally, a break for the Gators!

Peace connected with John L. Williams for a 26-yard gain to get Florida going, and the Gators pieced together a strong drive down to the USC 14-yard line. On third down, Shanahan decided it was time for a trick play. Running back Lorenzo Hampton took a handoff and tried to pitch back to wide receiver Gary Rolle. Hampton was struck from behind by USC DT Koart, and Rolle recovered the fumble to set up a 41-yard field goal conversion by kicker Bobby Raymond. The deficit had been cut to 10-3 with 23 seconds left in the half.

USC running back Michael Harper fumbled on the Trojans’ first play from scrimmage, and Florida recovered deep in USC territory. Instead of taking a shot at the end zone, Florida ran it three times with Hampton and sent in Raymond to knock a 24-yarder through before heading into the locker room with a 10-6 deficit.

In the third quarter, the Florida offense went on an 87-yard drive that resulted in its first visit to paydirt. Peace and Rolle connected on a 16-yard reception between two defenders for a critical third-down conversion. Hampton finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to put the Gators in front 13-10 after Raymond’s extra point.

Salisbury answered with a 55-yard strike to Ware, and after settling for a 45-yard field goal from Jordan, the game was tied at 13-13 in the fourth quarter.

Florida tacked on two field goals in the final period thanks to two big plays on defense. Sophomore linebacker Alonzo Johnson stripped Salisbury, but the offense got in its own way. Hampton fumbled on the USC 12-yard line, and Raymond hit an 18-yard field goal. The second field goal was set up when linebacker Patrick Miller intercepted a deflected pass. The offense couldn’t quite punch it in, though. Both Peace and Hampton recovered their own fumbles, but Hampton’s came on 3rd & Goal from the USC 2-yard line, forcing the Gators to settle for another three-point attempt. Raymond converted on his fourth field goal with 46 seconds left in the game to put Florida up 19-13.

It looked like a done deal for the Gators. It wasn’t.

USC took over in its own territory after the ensuing kickoff and quickly gained 37 yards on a pass from Salisbury to Ware. The Gators were hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty at the end of the play when UF safety Tony Lilly was flagged for a late hit. A couple of plays later, Salisbury couldn’t connect on a pass intended for fullback John Kamana, and it appeared to the Florida sideline that defensive lineman Roy Harris had been shaken up on the play.

“We thought Roy was hurt,” Pell said. “He was bent over. We thought for his safety, we should get him out of the game.”

Melvin Ellison, a junior defensive tackle, was sent in to replace Harris.

“I just couldn’t get any wind,” Harris said. “I didn’t want to come out. Apparently, my coach on the sideline wanted me to come out, but I didn’t see him. I didn’t know anybody came in for me.”

Per Mark Johnson of the St. Petersburg Times:

It was your classic no-win situation.

The University of Florida was seven seconds shy of an upset victory over ninth-ranked Southern Cal Saturday afternoon, but had 12 men on the field as USC quarterback Sean Salisbury barked out his signals.

Florida cornernback Vito McKeever, 15 yards from the Gators’ sideline, heard his coaches yelling for someone to come off the field and started toward the bench. But he pulled up quickly when he realized that USC wide receiver Timmie Ware would be left free to pull down a possible game-tying touchdown pass.

“I’d rather take the penalty than the points,” McKeever said.

The Gators’ deliquent dozen knocked away Salisbury’s Hail Mary pass as the clock struck zero—McKeever almost intercepted it—but was forced to line up again with no time left and one fewer defender. Salisbury then hit Ware for a 25-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at 19-19 and sent the Coliseum crowd of 53,948 into hysterics.

Yet it was still a no-win situation. After a Florida timeout, holder Tim Green couldn’t handle a low snap from center Joe Leimbach, rolled to his left and threw a desperation pass that feell harmlessly to the ground.

Final score: 19-19.

The Gators raised their arms in jubiliation, but only for a moment. They had avoided losing a game they should have lost, but had also avoided a winning a game they should have won.

Gross.

Ties are incongruent with anybody who has an ounce of competitiveness within their soul. How did it take until 1995 for college football to allow overtime?

What a deeply unsatisfying ending for both teams.

“I’m still in a state of shock,” Tollner said after his first game. “We had our chances to put the game out of reach, but we made mistakes. I’m not really sure exactly what happened on the conversion. Sometimes in that situation, you get so excited that everyone on the field loses composure. We showed our youth out there.”

Back to Johnson’s article:

“I’m mighty disappointed that we didn’t win in Los Angeles,” Florida coach Charley Pell said afterward, summing up the Gators’ mixed fortunes. “I’m disappointed for our players, but I’m awfully proud we’re still undefeated. We gave them opporutnities to get out front, they gave us opportunites to get back out front, and we gave them opporutnities to tie it. It was the givingest dadgum game I’ve ever seen.”

Another A+ quote by Charley Pell. On the surface, a tie on the road against a top-10 team in unfamiliar territory would typically be viewed as a positive, but in light of how 1983 played out, this should be viewed as the game that robbed the Gators of their first 10-win season in school history. The Trojans went on to post a disappointing 4-6-1 record in 1983—their worst season since 1961. Florida had this one in the bag but didn’t get it done.

The tie against USC in 1983 fits well with of the overall theme of the Charley Pell era at Florida: “Close but not quite.”

When I think of Indiana State, I think of Larry Bird, not football. The Gators might’ve have been on that same wavelength, since they trailed the Division 1-AA Sycamores 13-10 into the fourth quarter. Sloppy play and four turnovers kept it close.

“The media all week said we had no business being out there,” said Indiana State head coach Dennis Raetz. “The only ones who believed we did was our players.”

Thankfully, Florida got its act together and avoided Florida State’s fate on that day. The Noles were upset by Tulane 34-28 thanks to big plays from Green Wave QB Jon English.

It turns out English, the son of head coach Wally English, was ineligible, and the Noles did not have to officially recognize their loss to Tulane.

While FSU was struggling mightily in New Orleans, the Gators were relying heavily on the legs of running back Neal Anderson, who churned out 165 yards on 26 carries on a rainy evening in Gainesville. Anderson tacked on another 80 receiving yards on three receptions.

Florida didn’t score its first touchdown until Anderson ran into the end zone from 12 yards out to send the Gators into the half with a 10-7 lead. Indiana State scored another touchdown in their first possession of the second half. The 13-play, 80-yard drive was helped along by a roughing-the-passer penalty on Tim Newton on 3rd & 12 from the ISU 18-yard line. Two big runs pushed the drive along, and the Sycamores scored on a 2-yard option sweep by quarterback Jeff Miller to take a 13-10 lead with close to five minutes left in the third quarter. Kicker Scott Bridges missed the extra point to keep the margin at three.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Gators finally decided to get up and go. Peace and Henderson paired up for a 15-yard touchdown pass to finish off a 13-play, 80-yard drive to put Florida up 17-13.

Remember Rule No. 1 in the Charley Pell era: KEEP THINGS INTERESTING.

From Mick Elliott of the Tampa Tribune:

Even at game’s end, after it appeared Florida had weathered the storm, it was not over. With 57 seconds remaining, and Florida needing only to pin the Sycamores near their goal-line with a punt, [UF punter] Dave Nardone fumbled the snap and was sacked at his 35-yard line.

The Gators defense held one more time, and Pell managed to avoid the upset.

Suspicions of looking forward were confirmed in the players’ post-game quotes. Safety Tony Lilly said, “I was kind of disappointed in myself after last week’s game. I was ready to play. It was just a sloppy night. It was a night when you expect a lot of things to happen because of the rain. You expect a lot of turnovers.

“We know we have to concentrate on every opponent.”

“We made a lot of mistakes,” defensive lineman Tim Newton said. “We weren’t mentally mature like we should have been. They weren’t blowing us off the ball. A lot of it was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“I think everybody underestimated Indiana State,” said cornerback Bruce Vaughan. “We played too relaxed tonight. If it had cost us a game, I think we really would have sat up and taken notice. I just hope we learned something.”

“I can tell you one thing,” said Pell. “Indiana State didn’t care if Florida was in the SEC, the NFL or the USFL. They earned our respect, they earned it the right way, and I admire them.

“Our guys had to fight, and we’re relieved to win. In the fourth quarter, I think some of our guys started to realize ‘These guys are serious, and they want to beat our brains in.’”

Though Indiana State would go on to finish as a 9-4 football team that made the quarterfinals of the Division I-AA playoffs, Florida should not have been tested by the Sycamores. The hectic nature of the Charley Pell tenure was out in full force on this night at Florida Field, and luckily the Gators managed to escape. Escaping may not always provide a fan base with a great feeling heading into next week, but escaping is the preferred alternative to losing. Just ask Florida State.

Charley Pell had a rough week leading up to Florida’s trip to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on the Bulldogs. “We decided that it was time we went out there and took some pressure off him,” said quarterback Wayne Peace. “Coach Pell has taken all the criticism, people saying he should be fired and all, for the way we’ve played this season—especially the way the offense has played these first three games. Well, he doesn’t play. We do. We talked about how it wasn’t fair to him to take the criticism, the pressure. This man cares about us, and he is a great man and a great coach.”

Florida fullback John L. Williams, slowed by a stress fracture in his right foot from the preseason, reemerged and made a huge impact in only four carries.

Florida led 7-6 at the half thanks to a 35-yard scoring pass from Peace to wide receiver Dwayne Dixon.

Then the Gators pushed the lead to 14-6 on their first possession of the first half on a Neal Anderson touchdown run. MSU recovered a fumble deep in UF territory later in the quarter, and Bond scored on a quarterback sneak from 1 yard out to cut the lead to 14-12. The Dogs elected to go for a two-point try, but UF defensive lineman Tim Newton stopped MSU running back George Wonsley short of the goal line.

Peace and the offense responded with a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that culminated with a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bee Lang. Florida led 21-12 with 10:51 left in the game.

Florida forced a punt on MSU’s next possession and took over on their own 30-yard line.

From Dan Moffett of The Palm Beach Post:

On the second play from scrimmage, Peace handed to Williams, who started toward left tackle, then cut through a wall of Bulldogs toward the right sideline. He broke four tackles, sprinted down the sideline and received a key block by wide receiver Lang at the Mississippi State 15 on his way to the touchdown that put the Bulldogs away with 8:59 to play.

“That was as fine a run as I’ve ever seen in college football,” Pell said afterward.

“The turning point in the game might have been when they broke the long run,” said Bulldogs coach Emory Bellard about Williams’ 70-yard score. “I think it was an even game for a half. Florida’s execution on third-down plays was good. I don’t think we stopped them on third down in the second half. We would play hard for two plays, then Florida would get the first down.”

A smothering defense kept MSU in check all day. Bellard’s famous wishbone attack netted only 119 yards rushing, and UF defensive coordinator Joe Kines’ game plan held quarterback John Bond to 8-23 passing for 118 yards with two interceptions. One of the interceptions was on the possession after Williams’ run. UF safety Randy Clark set the offense up in great field possession, and Williams took the same pitch-sweep play in which he scored earlier into the end zone for another touchdown, this time from 20 yards out to clinch the victory for the Gators with 7:17 left.

Florida 35, Mississippi State 12.

“We came out in the second half and took charge,” Pell said. “John L. Williams really showed what a fine athlete he is, something we all knew. Due to injuries he hasn’t had the chance to show that.

“Wayne Peace really took charge, and our offensive line continued to get stronger as the game went on. I can’t emphasize how proud we all are. We knew it was going to be a physical game, and we knew it was going to be tough to win here.”

Every Florida fan knows a trip to Tiger Stadium is never easy. The 1983 trip looked especially daunting just one week after LSU dismantled the No. 9 Washington Huskies 40-14, but on this Saturday night in Death Valley, Charley Pell’s Florida Gators got off to a quick start.

Wayne Peace hit Dwayne Dixon for a 30-yard pass, and Neal Anderson took it in from 15 yards out to put Florida up 7-0 on an opening nine-play, 72-yard drive. The defense kept LSU in check throughout the first quarter, and midway through the second, Lorenzo Hampton was on the receiving end of a 58-yard touchdown pass from Peace.

Trailing 14-0, LSU responded with a 52-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Jeff Wickersham to wide receiver Eric Martin that took the Tigers inside of the UF red zone, and three plays later, the pair connected on a 17-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 14-7. UF kicker Bobby Raymond converted on a 40-yard field goal with 48 seconds left in the half to put the Gators up 17-7 thanks in part to a 22-yard completion from Peace to wide receiver Ray McDonald.

LSU cornerback Eugene Daniel intercepted a Peace attempt to open the second half and returned the ball to the UF 36-yard line. The Gators held LSU on three downs, and the Tigers opted for a 43-yard field goal by Juan Betanzos instead of attempting to gain the 1-yard required for a first down.

Tiger Stadium came to life, and late in the third quarter, the Gators responded with a nine-play, 86-yard drive to push the lead to 24-10. Hampton did what he did best, as the junior running back toted the ball five times for 77 yards on the drive, including a 51-yard run described by Jim Martz of The Miami Herald:

On the 51-yard effort, Hampton burst up the middle, made a nifty cut to his right as a defender was hanging onto his jersey and raced down the right sideline until he was caught from behind by Daniel.

The Gators rode a stifling defense down the stretch and closed out the Tigers in easy fashion. Just kidding. Rule No. 1 in the Charley Pell era: KEEP THINGS INTERESTING.

Facing a two-touchdown deficit, LSU pieced together a drive in the middle of the fourth quarter. Wickersham completed a 21-yard pass to running back Garry James, who took the ball down to the 1-yard line, and Wickersham punched it in from a yard out. LSU trailed 24-17 with just over five minutes remaining in the game.

Wayne Peace threw a pick to give the ball back to LSU, and the Tigers mounted one final drive deep into Gator territory. Facing 3rd & Goal from the UF 5-yard line with 43 seconds left, Wickersham dropped back. Let’s turn to Paul Jenkins of the Gainesville Sun:

They say lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place, but you’d have a hard time convincing Louisiana State fans of that after Saturday night.

The reason Bayou Bengal fans are skeptical is because Wilber (lightening) Marshall just struck in the same place for a second time.

The last time Florida visited LSU Marshall came up with an interception in the waning moments to halt what would have been the winning score.

With LSU driving for the tying score in the final moments Saturday, it was “Guess Who?” came up with the game-saving interception. That’s right, Marshall got his broken right hand high in the air and hauled in a Jeff Wickersham pass to give the Gators their win.

“We knew they were going to have to pass to get into the end zone,” said Marshall. “So I just dropped to the goal line and waited. They had run the play before. My teammates told me the receiver was wide open behind me, and they told me I caught it with one hand. I really don’t know. I was on cloud nine.”

As he talked, Marshall held up his right hand, showing the ugly break. “Last week against Mississippi State, I couldn’t even use it,” he said. “But this week it turned out to be just fine.”

Marshall rumbled 18 yards before being stopped. On the opening play of the next drive, Neal Anderson took it 76 yards to score, closing out the Gators’ 31-17 romp over the Tigers. The win improved Florida to 4-0-1, its best start since 1969.

“We have been fortunate to be around some outstanding teams and outstanding games, and none could equal or surpass the experience we had tonight against LSU,” said Pell. “Our football team, I think, displayed as much emotion and want-to and togetherness as any group we’ve ever been around. That’s what makes us most proud about them. They just pulled together and challenged LSU in the last five minutes of the game to the wire.

“Our coaching staff did a good job—a great job—in preparing. The players did a good job in execution.”

LSU head coach Jerry Stovall summed up his feelings in fewer words, “We will definitely look at the film and cry.”

Charley Pell had his Gators back into the top 10, and No. 9 Florida looked worthy of its ranking against Vanderbilt.

Sophomore fullback John L. Williams scored all of Florida’s three touchdowns on the day—two by air and one by land—and gained 103 yards rushing over 17 carries. Ricky Nattiel led the way in the receiving department with five catches, a record for a freshman at UF, for 54 yards. Peace had the offense rolling, but there were still signs of sloppiness, and three penalties wiped out three touchdowns.

Last year’s upset in Nashville was a distant memory as UF used a balanced approach to dispatch Vanderbilt 29-10 to improve to 5-0-1 overall and 3-0 in the SEC. It was only the sixth time in school history that a Florida team had ever achieved a 3-0 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Now that they were unscathed halfway through the conference slate, the “Year of the Gator” chatter started to pick up heading into the bye week before their homecoming matchup against ECU.

In an article titled, “UF Comments: From Heart and Rehearsed,” Gainesville Sun Sports Editor Jack Hairston gave an interesting look into the tone Pell was trying to set down the stretch:

Last week the sports information department of the University of Florida, at the direction of Charley Pell, Gator football coach, sent a memorandum to every UF football player, telling each how Pell views the one-game-at-a-time philosophy (he likes it) and suggesting that each player answers questions in the same manner as Pell when asked by the media if this is the “Year of the Gator” (Pell doesn’t like it).

Those who understand the media’s rule might say that the primary function of a sports information department is to help transmit information, not stifle it, and that when the media asks a question, it is not doing so out of personal passion but is seeking the answer to a question that is big in the public’s mind.

I’m aware of the overall unpopularity of the media—in sports and other areas—with many people, and some criticism of the media is deserved, but those who want to eliminate or control the media don’t realize that the media primarily represents the public and seeks answers to questions the public is interested in but can’t get answered.

The first amendment of the constitution (freedom of the press) is one of the biggest pluses the United States has over Russia. It is sometimes abused, but one of those times is NOT when the media is seeking the answer to a question that the public is highly interested in.

I’ll leave it to each person to decide whether the UF policy is desirable or insulting to the players’ intelligence or insulting to the public when the Gator players are given the house’s answers in advance to questions that may be asked by the media, but I think you’re entitled to know where the players are coming from when they talk—or don’t talk—about the media and the Gators’ chances for a championship season.

The average age of the squad is probably 20, they live in a disciplined environment, and it’s understandable if they’re easily convinced that the state’s newspapers are against them, even though the great majority of the sports writers who talk to them regularly would enjoy writing about a Gator championship team…and many of the writers are UF alumni.

Some things change. Some things don’t.

Bob Hope headlined Gator Growl festivities for a third time. In 1979, Hope joked, “UF is a school where going to class is an extracurricular activity.”

In response, The Alligator ran a full-page editorial detailing UF’s academic accomplishments. C’mon 1979 Alligator staff…

“I was inferring that the students have much fun on campus, yet study hard,” Hope clarified before his 1983 performance. Hope was selected after Robin Williams in hopes of providing a compromise between students and alumni.

Last season, the Gators racked up 77 points on their way to an easy win on homecoming weekend, but Florida faced a much tougher matchup in 1983. East Carolina entered the game unranked, but the Pirates were 5-1 with their sole loss being a 47-46 defeat at Florida State to open the season. ECU boasted a roster full of future pro talent, including longtime NFL running back Earnest Byner and CFL Hall of Famer Henry “Gizmo” Williams. This was a confident bunch that entered the game with wins against NC State and Missouri under its belt.

A rainy day in Gainesville did not prevent another record crowd of 73,943 from witnessing the No. 6 Gators dig out of an early hole. On the first possession of the game, ECU stuck it to the Gators on the ground and drove 80 yards in 10 plays. Byner ran it in from 13 yards out to put the Pirates up 10-0.

Peace and the offense answered with a long drive of their own, but the senior quarterback was picked off in the end zone by diving ECU safety Clint Harris.

This would become a pattern as the Gators’ first four possession resulted in four turnovers: two fumbles and two interceptions. “We made it hard on ourselves,” Peace said of the team’s performance. “We won the game, and that’s the only good thing I can say.”

Pell wasn’t so tough on the offense. “Wayne may have had an off day, but we still gained 437 yards total offense. That’s pretty good.”

ECU punted, but wide receiver Ricky Nattiel fumbled away the next possession, and the Pirates took over inside the UF 40-yard line. The Florida defense rose to the occasion and saved the day by forcing a three and out. A sigh of relief swept across Florida Field, but it wouldn’t last long.

A few plays later, Neal Anderson lost the football after charging ahead for close to 5 yards, and once again ECU recovered. After giving up a first down, the UF defense forced the Pirates to settle for a 48-yard field goal. The Gators were down 10-0 in the second quarter.

Peace was sacked for a big loss, but on the next play, wide receiver Bee Lang split the safeties and made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch to move the Gators inside the ECU 30-yard line.

Another Peace-to-Harris interception ended another promising Florida drive.

A low line drive punt gave the Gators good field position, and the team relied on a combination of Williams and Anderson to drive into the Pirates’ red zone. UF settled for a field goal, but thanks to an offsides penalty on ECU, the Florida offense retook the field and finished the drive with a 3-yard Anderson touchdown run on a sweep to the left. Deep into the second quarter, it was East Carolina 10, Florida 7.

UF had some success moving the ball in the first half despite the mistakes. Florida outgained East Carolina by 100 yards in the first half, and the Gators threw for 139 yards while the Pirates only managed 15 through the air.

In the opening possession of the third quarter, Peace overshot his intended receiver while he was crossing over the middle on 3rd & 10, and the ECU picked up another interception.

The Pirates took over at the UF 39-yard line, but the defense stepped up for a third time. ECU quarterback Kevin Ingram rolled to his right and fired toward a receiver in the flat, but he underestimated the amount of ground UF safety Randy Clark could cover, and a diving Clark interception gave possession back to the Gators.

A strong running game took the Gators down inside of the 5-yard line, but the offense could not finish and settled for a 29-yard field goal from kicker Bobby Raymond to tie the game at 10-10. ECU punted from its own end zone, and Florida took over at midfield. Then came one of the wildest plays I’ve seen in a Florida game. From Mick Elliott of The Tampa Tribune:

Peace dropped back and floated a lateral pass into the left flat for Hampton. Doubt for the game with a sprained ankle from practice, Hampton made a reaching catch and found himself hemmed in by two defenders. He stopped, reversed his field, and just before being hit, lofted a pass for wide receiver Bee Lang standing alone at the 10-yard line.

Lang made the catch and walked into the end zone. Forty-seven yards, touchdown. It gave the Gators their first lead.

Elliott continued:

“I knew where to throw the ball,” Hampton said. “I knew if I could just get away from them, my man would be there.”

Lang, who also grabbed a 47-yard pass from Peace, watched Hampton’s efforts and waited and waited.

“When he had to reverse, I thought he’d have to eat it,” said Lang, “He made a great play to get the pass away.”

Not only was the Hampton-to-Lang play fantastic, but it was the only pass the Gators completed in the entire second half. Florida held its 17-10 lead into the fourth quarter when Peace threw his fourth pick of the day to Clint Harris (his third interception). Peace attempted to connect on a quick slant, but the ball was high and tipped up for Harris to collect.

East Carolina quickly moved into UF territory as the game reached the fourth quarter. Running back Jimmy Walden scooted into the end zone on a 15-yard run to cap a 10-play, 56-yard drive, and with 14 minutes left, the game was tied at 17-17.

The teams traded punts, and a clipping penalty backed the Gators up to their own 4-yard line to start the drive with over nine minutes left. Anderson raced for a first down on the first play from scrimmage to get UF out of the hole. A few plays later, Peace tossed an interception to—you guessed it—Clint Harris, but an official flagged ECU for pass interference away from the ball, and the controversial call allowed the Gators to maintain possession around the UF 40-yard line.

On the following play, John L. Williams took off down the sideline behind some great blocking on a toss sweep to the left.

A couple of plays later, Anderson scored on a toss to the right. Raymond knocked it through, and the Gators used a nine-play, 96-yard drive to take a 24-17 lead with 6:23 left in the game.

Rule No. 1 strikes again: KEEP THINGS INTERESTING.

ECU drove the ball down the UF 34-yard line when the Gators defense tightened up to force a 4th & 3. Ingram rolled to the right with blockers in front of him and, after momentarily considering a pass, tucked it and ran toward the sideline. It appeared for a moment as if he had a clear path for first-down yardage, but Clark flew up, seemingly out of nowhere, and knocked the ECU quarterback out of bounds short of the first down to give possession back to Florida.

Florida went three and out and punted back to ECU. The Pirates took over inside their own 10-yard line with under a minute to go. Three incomplete passes led to a 4th & 10. Florida Field escalated in volume, eager to close out a win.

But East Carolina came down with an unbelievable catch to give them a first down at the ECU 37-yard line with 21 seconds to go. Two plays later, Ingram hit a wide-open receiver, a tackle was missed, and ECU managed to get out of bounds at the UF 35-yard line with five seconds remaining on the clock. A mishandled shotgun snap caused the ball to bounce up into Ingram’s hands and as he rolled left, and Wilber Marshall, who blew by the left tackle off the edge, introduced himself. The Gators recovered the fumble to lock in the win. Check out the sequence of events:

“East Carolina deserves a pat on the back,” said Pell. “They played a fine ball game. But our team deserves a pat on the back, too. It took a good football team to hold together.”

“No matter what you did to ‘em, they kept coming back at you,” said defensive tackle Roy Harris. “They’re a damn fine team.”

East Carolina finished the season 8-3 with losses to Florida (24-17), Florida State (47-46) and Miami (12-7). Each of the major powers from the Sunshine State was in the top 10 at the time they played ECU, and each considered itself fortunate to escape with a win. This was not another letdown game. It was a solid win over a tough team.

A 24-17 victory on homecoming propelled Florida to a 6-0-1 start. It was only the fourth time in school history a Gators squad had reached the six-win mark unbeaten, with previous benchmarks in 1928, 1966 and 1969. An unbeaten seven-game stretch was nothing to sneeze at in Gainesville circa 1983.

The Florida Gators were in position to capture their first-ever SEC title, and with wins over Auburn and Georgia in the next two weeks, Charley Pell would become the first coach in school history to give rise to “The Year of Gator.”