Florida announces incredible honor for Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow will be inducted into the University of Florida Football’s Ring of Honor, the school announced Wednesday.
BHG Stadium Ring of Honor:@SteveSpurrierUF@DannyWuerffel@EmmittSmith22@theblood85
Wilber MarshallAND NOW … @TimTebow!
Induction Details: https://t.co/NSeyayBSiC#GatorGreat #GatorsAlways pic.twitter.com/zMiGdJ3Ss5
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) July 11, 2018
The Ring of Honor at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is a surprisingly exclusive club with the strictest of criteria.
Some of the accomplishments to even merit consideration are the loftiest of goals for virtually any major athlete. Heisman trophy winners, Florida All-Americans who’ve made the Pro Football Hall of Fame, coaches who’ve won a Florida national championship or at least three SEC championships are the types of pedigrees Florida is looking for to be considered for the Ring of Honor.
Due to those lofty prerequisites, there have only been five people ever inducted into the Florida Football Ring of Honor.
Coach Steve Spurrier qualified on the back of his 1996 national championship win, as well as the whopping six SEC championships he won during his Florida tenure from 1990 to 2001. He also won a Heisman while a player at Florida.
Former Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel won a Heisman in 1996. He was also an All-American in 1995 and 1996, and won the SEC championship four times.
Emmitt Smith was a Florida All-American who eventually made it to the Hall of Fame. He also satisfied another prerequisite for being an NFL career category leader with his all-time rushing numbers.
Jack Youngblood was also a Florida All-American who made the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Youngblood has also been inducted into the Los Angeles Rams’ Ring of Fame and had his No. 85 jersey retired by the Rams.
Spurrier, Wuerffel, Smith and Youngblood were the four inaugural members of the Florida Football Ring of Honor. They were inducted in a special pre-game ceremony in 2006.
A year later, Wilber Marshall became the fifth member. Marshall qualified for the Ring of Honor by being a two-time consensus All-American and 1983 National Defensive Player of the Year.
Tebow will now be the sixth man to join the Ring of Honor.
“I am so humbled and thankful to be able to receive this blessing, being inducted into the Ring of Honor,” Tebow told the Gators’ website. “I know in my heart that I truly couldn’t have done it without amazing coaches and teammates who loved and sacrificed for each other so that we could accomplish our goals.
“Loving Florida wasn’t just something I did for four years, but it has been a lifelong passion. I want to thank the University of Florida and all the fans for making Gator Nation so special. I was born a Gator, I played as a Gator, and I’ll always be a Gator!
“God Bless and Go Gators!”
Tebow’s accomplishments in Florida easily qualify him for the Ring of Honor. He was the first sophomore in Florida history to win a Heisman and be named an All-American in 2007. Tebow finished his collegiate career with five NCAA, 14 SEC and 28 Florida records.
Tebow’s record at Florida was a sparkling 35-6. Among those 35 wins were a pair of national championships.
The endless accomplishments at Florida still pale in comparison to the amazing philanthropic work that Tebow has done through his “Tim Tebow Foundation.”
On the field or off it, Tebow is more that deserving of his induction into the Florida Football Ring of Honor. It’s virtually inarguable.
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