Florida football: 15 greatest quarterbacks in Gators history
By John Buhler
John Reaves is right up there with Steve Spurrier as one of the best Florida quarterbacks in school history before the 1990s. Reaves played his high school ball in Tampa before committing to the Gators in 1968. He would become a three-year starter for the football program from 1969 to 1971, playing for head coaches Ray Graves and Doug Dickey.
Spurrier might have been a Heisman Trophy winner, but Reaves was a record setter with his passing abilities in his time under center for the Gators. In his first year as a starter, Florida achieved a then-best record of 9-1-1, as Reaves and the “Super Sophs” took the SEC by storm. He completed 56.1 percent of his passes for 2,896 yards for 24 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Reaves would be named First-Team All-SEC for his efforts that fall.
Strangely enough, that would be the only time in his college career where Reaves had more touchdown passes than interceptions in a season. He also never eclipsed any of his numbers as the signal-caller for the “Super Sophs” during his final two years as the Florida starter.
That being said, Reaves would be named a First-Team All-American during his senior season in 1971. He completed 54.2 percent of his passes for 2,104 yards, 17 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. His body of work at Florida helped him become the No. 14 overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Reaves struggled as a rookie in Philadelphia, going 0-7 in 11 games played for the 1972 Eagles. He was mostly a backup in nine NFL seasons, primarily split between Philadelphia and the Cincinnati Bengals. Reaves would towards the end of his professional career play for his hometown Tampa Bay Bandits in the CFL, coached by none other than the Head Ball Coach himself.
In three years as the Gators starting quarterback, Reaves completed 53.5 percent of his passes for 7,549 yards, 54 touchdown and 59 interceptions. He has been inducted into both the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame and the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. Reaves passed away on Aug. 1, 2017 at the age of 67 in his native Tampa.