EXHIBITION · 1996
The season had to finish twice.
Florida’s first SEC Championship Game win secured the conference title. A month later, the Sugar Bowl rematch with Florida State in New Orleans completed the national championship season. The season is 1996; the championship game was played January 2, 1997.
Read all thirteen stops → · Open the team atlas →1996-09-21 · Knoxville, Tennessee · away
A lead that had to hold
Florida 35–29 Tennessee
At Neyland Stadium, Florida built a 35–0 lead, then held off Tennessee 35–29. Florida's retrospective describes six Tennessee turnovers in the first half. The result put Florida in front in a defining early SEC matchup.
Open canonical game record → · Explore Knoxville, Tennessee →
Sources for this room
- 1996 Football Schedule (text view) ↗Florida Gators / University Athletic Association
- History Lesson: 20 Years Ago — Back to Knocksville ↗Florida Gators / University Athletic Association
1997-01-02 · New Orleans, Louisiana · neutral
New Orleans, not Tempe
Florida 52–20 Florida State
At the Louisiana Superdome on January 2, 1997, Florida beat Florida State 52–20 to claim the 1996 national championship. Florida's retrospective reports Wuerffel's 306 passing yards and three touchdown passes, all three to Ike Hilliard, who caught seven passes for 150 yards.
Open canonical game record → · Explore New Orleans, Louisiana →
Sources for this room
- 1996 Football Schedule (text view) ↗Florida Gators / University Athletic Association
- 1997 Florida football media guide retrospective ↗Florida Gators / University Athletic Association
- 1995 frustration fueled fantastic 1996 finish ↗Florida Gators / University Athletic Association
- 1996 SEC Champions ↗Florida Gators / University Athletic Association
Look closer
Publisher-hosted records connected to this season, retained with their source and rights status.
Digitized media guide · 1997
1997 Florida Football Media Guide — 1996 season retrospective
An official Florida athletics retrospective used to verify selected 1996 season and venue details. The scan remains hosted by Florida; this project links to it and does not redistribute it.
Rights: External source link only; no local copy or image reproduction
Official season-history page · 1996 season; page date not stated
1996: A National Championship and a Heisman
Florida's official season overview supporting selected championship and award context. Linked as a research artifact; its claims are cited at the relevant season and journey pages.
Rights: External source link only; page content is not republished
Official statistics page · 1996 season; page date not stated
1996 Florida Football Statistics — 12-game table
The displayed source table identifies its scope as 12 games and excludes the January Sugar Bowl. Values retain that stated population and are not treated as full-season totals.
Rights: External source link only; selected figures transcribed with scope
Official game retrospective · 2016-09-22
Back to Knoxville — 1996 Florida at Tennessee
Florida's retrospective on the September 21, 1996 Tennessee game, cited for the first-half turnovers and Florida's 35–0 lead.
Rights: External source link only; article text and images are not republished