Florida football: Top 10 all-time passing leaders in Gators history
By Will Thomas
Florida football passing leaders – No. 7: John Reaves, 7,549 yards
Next on our list is John Reaves, who was under center for the Gators from 1969 to 1971 before being drafted by the Eagles and having a solid NFL career.
John’s best season was his freshman year in ’69. He led the country in completions, with 222, and also lead the SEC in passing yards (2,896), passing touchdowns (24), touchdowns responsible for (25), interceptions (19), and total yards (2,852).
It’s interesting to look back at this era to how quarterbacks never seemed to run, and all the sacks they took obviously made a dent in their production.
Reaves also won the Sammy Bough Trophy in 1971, which goes to the country’s most outstanding passer.
John was the 14th overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he would play three years before moving to Cincinnati, Houston, and Tampa before calling it a career in 1987.
He had a 4-13 record as a starting QB, a career completion percentage of 46.4%, and threw 17 touchdowns compared to 34 interceptions.
But that’s how Reaves always was going back to his days at UF. He’ll produce for you, but it comes with a couple more turnovers than you may like.
Or in the case of his NFL career, he wouldn’t produce a whole lot but still throw the picks.
But regardless, Reaves brought the Gators a very decorated career, and a successful one at that.