Florida Gators football , 1990 – 99 The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football . The University of Florida fielded its first official varsity football team in the fall of 1906 , and has fielded a team every season since then , with the exception of 1943 . During the 1990s , the Gators competed in Division I - A of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) . They played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium ( formerly known as Florida Field ) on the university ' s Gainesville , Florida campus . This article includes a game - by - game list of the Florida Gators ' ten football seasons from 1990 to 1999 . During the 1990s , the Gators were coached by Stephen O . " Steve " Spurrier ( 1990 – 2001 ) , who led the Gators to six SEC championships , one consensus national championship and an overall win - loss record of 122 – 27 – 1 ( . 817 ) . 1990 . Season overview . The 1990 college football season marked the return of the Gators ' Heisman Trophy - winning quarterback Steve Spurrier to his alma mater as the new head coach of the Florida Gators football team . Before Spurrier returned to Gainesville , the Gators had never won a Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) or national football championship ; before Spurrier resigned to seek a coaching position in the National Football League in January 2002 , the Gators would win six SEC titles , play for two national championships , and win one in 1996 . During Spurrier ' s first season , he was able to build on the strong talent recruited by departing Gators coach Galen Hall , but the Gators also reaped the benefits of Spurrier ' s " there are no excuses for losing " mantra . The 1990 season ' s highlights included a confidence - building 17 – 13 signature road win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa , Alabama , which set the tone for the remainder of the season , followed by conference blowouts of the Mississippi State Bulldogs ( 34 – 21 ) , LSU Tigers ( 34 – 8 ) , fourth - ranked Auburn Tigers ( 48 – 7 ) , Georgia Bulldogs ( 38 – 7 ) and Kentucky Wildcats ( 47 – 15 ) . The Gators also suffered two disappointing road losses to the fifth - ranked Tennessee Volunteers ( 3 – 45 ) in Knoxville , Tennessee , and the eighth - ranked Florida State Seminoles ( 30 – 45 ) in Tallahassee , Florida . Even as Spurrier ' s new " fun ' n ' gun " offensive scheme led by quarterback Shane Matthews , wide receiver Ernie Mills and tight end Kirk Kirkpatrick was breaking team scoring and yardage records , defensive coordinator Jim Bates coached one of the best defensive squads in team history , including two first - team All - American s , defensive end Huey Richardson and safety Will White . Matthews finished the season with 2 , 952 passing yards and twenty - three touchdowns — then the most passing yards in Gators history . Spurrier ' s 1990 Florida Gators , while ineligible to win the SEC title or receive a bowl bid because of lingering NCAA probation , nevertheless posted a best - in - the - SEC record of 6 – 1 and an overall record of 9 – 2 , and laid the foundation for the Gators ' run of six SEC championships and a national title during the next decade . They finished twelfth in the last Associated Press Poll . 1991 . Season overview . The 1991 college football season was Steve Spurrier ' s second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The Gators were led by quarterback Shane Matthews and first - team All - American defensive tackle Brad Culpepper . The highlights of the season included dominating Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) victories over the seventeenth - ranked Alabama Crimson Tide ( 35 – 0 ) , twenty - first - ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs ( 29 – 7 ) , LSU Tigers ( 16 – 0 ) , fourth - ranked Tennessee Volunteers ( 35 – 18 ) , Auburn Tigers ( 31 – 10 ) and twenty - third - ranked Georgia Bulldogs ( 45 – 13 ) , a hardfought win over the Kentucky Wildcats ( 35 – 26 ) to clinch the Gators ' first officially recognized SEC championship , and an upset of the third - ranked Florida State Seminoles ( 14 – 9 ) . The 1991 season also included a disappointing 38 – 21 road loss to the seventeenth - ranked Syracuse Orangemen in the Carrier Dome . Among the Gators ' 1991 victories , the 14 – 9 defensive upset of the Florida State Seminoles was a particularly memorable victory played in front of an overflow home crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium . The Gators scored touchdowns on a first - quarter run by tailback Errict Rhett , and a 72 - yard bomb from Shane Matthews to wide receiver Harrison Houston in the third quarter , and held on to win . Gators defensive end s Darren Mickell and Harvey Thomas kept Seminoles quarterback Casey Weldon off balance and on the run in the second half , and , in the fourth quarter , Gators safeties Will White and Del Speer combined to break up a fourth - down pass to the end zone by Weldon , thus saving the victory for Florida . Spurrier ' s 1991 Florida Gators compiled the first - ever ten - win season in program history , an overall record of 10 – 2 and a perfect SEC record of 7 – 0 . The Gators closed out their season with their first New Year ' s Day bowl appearance since 1974 , a 28 – 39 defeat by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl , and were ranked seventh in the final Associated Press Poll . 1992 . Season overview . The 1992 college football season was Steve Spurrier ' s third as the Florida Gators football team ' s head coach , and the wins were harder to come by as the star - studded senior classes from 1990 and 1991 had graduated . The Gators racked up six tough Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) wins over the Kentucky Wildcats ( 35 – 19 ) , LSU Tigers ( 28 – 21 ) , Auburn Tigers ( 24 – 9 ) , seventh - ranked Georgia Bulldogs ( 26 – 24 ) , South Carolina Gamecocks ( 14 – 9 ) , and Vanderbilt Commodores ( 41 – 21 ) . They also suffered two crushing SEC losses to the fourteenth - ranked Tennessee Volunteers ( 14 – 31 ) in Knoxville , Tennessee , and the twenty - fourth - ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs ( 6 – 30 ) on a Thursday night in Starkville , Mississippi . The Gators ' non - conference schedule included a homecoming victory over the Louisville Cardinals ( 31 – 17 ) , and another surprisingly difficult win over Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles ( 24 – 20 ) . They closed their regular season with a road loss to the third - ranked Florida State Seminoles ( 24 – 45 ) in Tallahassee . The Gators finished their SEC schedule with a 6 – 2 conference record , placing first among the six teams of the new SEC Eastern Division and earning a berth in the first - ever SEC Championship Game in Birmingham , Alabama . Spurrier ' s scrappy young Gators , however , fell short against the SEC Western Division champion , the second - ranked Alabama Crimson Tide ( 21 – 28 ) . The Crimson Tide would later defeat the Miami Hurricanes in the Sugar Bowl to win the 1992 national championship . Spurrier ' s 1992 Florida Gators posted a 9 – 4 overall record , concluding their season with a victory over the twelfth - ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack ( 27 – 10 ) in the Gator Bowl , and ranking tenth in the final Associated Press Poll . 1993 . Season overview . The 1993 college football season was the fourth for Steve Spurrier as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The players ' and fans ' preseason expectations for the Gators ' fourth season under Spurrier were high , and some commentators began to speak openly about the possibility of the Gators making a run for the national title . The Gators finished the regular season with a conference record of 7 – 1 , and in first place among the six teams of the SEC Eastern Division , thus earning a berth in the second SEC Championship Game in Birmingham , Alabama . The Gators were paired against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the championship game — a rematch of the 1992 SEC Championship Game . The Gators defeated the Crimson Tide 28 – 13 , winning their first SEC Championship Game and their second SEC football championship in three seasons . Spurrier ' s 1993 Florida Gators compiled a 10 – 2 overall record . Although the Gators fell short of their hopes for a national championship , the 1993 season marked the first time that they were ranked in the top ten of the Associated Press Poll during every week of the season , and they were ranked fifth in the final AP Poll , following their 41 – 7 Sugar Bowl victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers . 1994 . Season overview . The 1994 college football season was Steve Spurrier ' s fifth as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . Spurrier ' s 1994 Florida Gators posted an overall record of 10 – 2 – 1 and a 6 – 2 record in the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) , placing first among the six SEC Eastern Division teams and winning the SEC championship . 1995 . Season overview . The 1995 college football season was the Florida Gators football team ' s sixth year under head coach Steve Spurrier . The Gators won their first twelve games of the season , defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 34 – 3 in the 1995 SEC Championship Game , and were ranked second in the nation , before losing the Bowl Alliance national championship game 24 – 62 to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl . Spurrier ' s 1995 Florida Gators compiled an overall record of 12 – 1 and a Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) record of 8 – 0 , placing first among the six SEC Eastern Division teams and winning the SEC championship . 1996 . Season overview . The 1996 college football season was Steve Spurrier ' s seventh as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . Spurrier ' s 1996 Florida Gators posted a 12 – 1 overall record an 8 – 0 record in the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) , placing first among the six SEC Eastern Division teams and winning the SEC championship . The Gators capped their season by defeating the top - ranked Florida State Seminoles 52 – 20 in a rematch in the Sugar Bowl and winning the national championship . 1997 . Season overview . The 1997 college football season was the eighth for Steve Spurrier as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . Spurrier ' s 1997 Florida Gators finished with a 10 – 2 overall record and a 6 – 2 record in the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) , tying for second place among the six SEC Eastern Division teams . 1998 . Season overview . The 1998 college football season was the Florida Gators football team ' s ninth under head coach Steve Spurrier . Spurrier ' s 1998 Florida Gators compiled an overall record of 10 – 2 and a Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) record of 7 – 1 , placing second among the six teams of the SEC Eastern Division . 1999 . Season overview . The 1999 college football season was Steve Spurrier ' s tenth as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The Gators returned to the SEC Championship Game after a two - year hiatus , but did not bring home another SEC Championship trophy . After losing the SEC Championship Game 34 – 7 to the Alabama Crimson Tide , the Gators ended their season with a last - second 37 – 34 loss to the Michigan State Spartans in the Citrus Bowl . Spurrier ' s 1999 Florida Gators posted a 9 – 4 overall record and a 7 – 1 record in the Southeastern Conference , placing first among the six SEC Eastern Division teams .