Florida football: 15 greatest quarterbacks in Gators history
By John Buhler
Shane Matthews starred in high school in his native Mississippi. He would be named Mississippi Player of the Year before committing to Florida. His arrival in Gainesville would coincide with the return of former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Steve Spurrier as head coach. So the “Fun ‘n’ Gun” began in The Swamp in 1990, Matthews’ first season as the Gators’ starting quarterback.
From the jump, Matthews was one of the better passers in Florida history. He completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 2,952 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 1990. This would be the first of two SEC Player of the Year honors for Matthews and the first of three First-Team All-SEC honors for the Florida signal caller.
In 1991, Matthews completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 3,130 yards, 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Not only did he repeat as SEC Player of the Year and be All-SEC First Team’s quarterback for the second season, Matthews led the Gators to their first-ever SEC Championship in school history.
In 1992, Matthews led the Gators to an SEC East crown, helping Florida get to the inaugural SEC Championship Game at Legion Field in Birmingham. Though Florida lost, it would be to the Alabama Crimson Tide, the eventual national champion.
Matthews started three years for Florida, completing 60.1 percent of his passes for 9,287 yards, 74 touchdowns and 46 interceptions. He averaged 7.7 yards per attempt during his college career and put together a 137.6 career passing efficiency rating down in Gainesville. Though he went undrafted, Matthews spent 14 years as a quarterback in the NFL with six franchises.
Matthews’ NFL career is best known for his seven years he spent as a member of the Chicago Bears over two stints. He made 32 starts in his journeyman NFL career, including a stop to reunite with Spurrier on the 2002 Washington Redskins. Matthews last played for the 2006 Miami Dolphins. He has since gotten into coaching at the high school level in the Greater Gainesville area.