UF, UT Ushered in SEC’s New Era

Expansion came to the SEC in 1992 in the form of two new teams — Arkansas and South Carolina — and a new SEC Championship Game, first played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., and then moved to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in 1994. While the first SEC Championship Game almost ruined #2 Alabama’s and the SEC’s chances at their first national championships since 1979 and 1980, respectively, the Crimson Tide eventually overcame Florida 28-21 and blasted #1 Miami (Fla.) 34-13 in the 1993 Sugar Bowl to claim it all.

Florida’s HC Steve Spurrier and QB Danny Wuerffel claim the program’s first national championship in the 1997 Sugar Bowl.

While Florida met Alabama in four of the first five SEC championship games (’92, ’93, ’94, ’96), it was the Gators’ new rivalry with the SEC East’s perennial 2nd-place team Tennessee that sparked so much interest nationally for the conference each September throughout the 1990s. Florida strung together four consecutive SEC championships from 1993-1996 that hadn’t been accomplished since Bear Bryant’s Alabama teams as Steve Spurrier brought a different winning style to the SEC through the air. Spurrier capped it off with the 1996 national championship, the first in Florida’s history.

Meanwhile, Philip Fulmer took over for Johnny Majors in east Tennessee in 1992 and promptly positioned the Vols as Florida’s main obstacle to the SEC East crown. His Vols beat Spurrier’s Gators in 1992, but wouldn’t again until 1998 on their way to Tennessee’s first national championship since 1951.

For 6 years, Fulmer dealt with blow after blow from Florida on the field and quip after quip from Spurrier off it.

Perhaps Spurrier’s best recognized shot at Tennessee during those years was his quote about the Volunteers regularly playing in the Citrus Bowl, the bowl season’s home to the SEC’s 2nd-place team.

“You can’t spell Citrus without the U and T,” jabbed Spurrier.

Heightening matters was the fact that Spurrier is originally from east Tennessee before playing his college football at Florida and winning the 1966 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback.

Not even top recruit and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, who directed the Vols at quarterback from 1994-1997, could break through against the Gators. He led Tennessee to the 1997 SEC championship during his senior year, but took his 4th loss to Florida earlier that season.

Tennessee’s HC Philip Fulmer and QB Peyton Manning couldn’t get it done against Florida in four tries together.

Tee Martin took Tennessee’s quarterback reigns in 1998 as the Vols finally knocked off the Gators in overtime in Knoxville — a win, as stated earlier, that eventually led Tennessee to the 1998 national championship.

The Florida-Tennessee rivalry ushered in the SEC’s new expansion era in the 1990s as television coverage exploded across the country. Between highly touted recruits and lofty national rankings, the rivalry was annually pointed to as the biggest September game of the season.

While it’s not #2 versus #4, Florida and Tennessee meet in Knoxville this Saturday night with both ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in many years and ESPN College Gameday in tow. That ’90s feeling is back, if only slightly.

Welcome to Aggieland

The newest member of the SEC West is serious about its football. The Texas Aggies reside in a state that eats, sleeps and breathes it, and their entrance into the SEC has set them apart from their state brethren residing in the People’s Republic of Austin.

Kyle Field is Home of the 12th Man

A&M has some of the best traditions in all of college football — if not the best — led by the 12th Man, which was born in 1922. E. King Gill, a former football member of head coach Dana X. Bible’s squad who was playing basketball at the time, was helping reporters identify football players during a game when Bible called him from the press box to suit up. Gill never made it in the game but was honored as accepting the call to help his team. A&M uses that spirit to call its student body the 12th Man.

Former head coach Jackie Sherrill introduced the 12th Man kickoff squad to A&M in the 1980s, which was comprised of regular students who won the jobs through open tryouts. As college football evolved into the 1990s, then head coach R.C. Slocum limited the 12th Man to one man on the kickoff team who wore #12.

Heisman Trophy winner Brown chases down Barhorst, who had stolen Brown’s belt towel.

One of the most memorable moments of the 12th Man took place during A&M’s 35-10 win over Notre Dame in the 1988 Cotton Bowl. Walk-on Warren Barhorst tackled Notre Dame’s kick returner, the 1987 Heisman Trophy winner and former Dallas high school football star Tim Brown, and then preceded to rip off Brown’s belt towel. While it endeared him to the Aggies, Brown ran towards the A&M sidelines and jumped on Barhorst, earning the Heisman Trophy winner a 15-yard penalty and an ejection from the game.

“I probably talk about it five times a week,” Barhorst said in an interview with 12th Man Magazine. “Friends, colleagues, clients, strangers — you name it — bring it up.”

Today, Barhorst owns the largest Nationwide insurance agency in the country in Houston.

A&M’s traditions go well beyond the 12th Man, including Midnight Yell, led by their well-known corps of cadets, their Gig’em hand sign, their “Howdy” welcome, their mascot Reveille, and Silver Taps, which is a tribute held for a graduate or undergraduate student who passes away while enrolled at Texas A&M on the first Tuesday of the month following the student’s passing, among others.

To learn more about the Aggies’ traditions, visit Texas A&M University’s Traditions Council website.

ESPN’s College Gameday will be in College Station Saturday for Texas A&M’s inaugural SEC game against Florida at 3:30 pm EDT.