Florida football: Top 10 all-time passing leaders in Gators history
By Will Thomas
Florida football passing leaders – No. 3: Shane Matthews, 9,287 yards
Beating Tim Tebow out by two yards for a spot on the podium is probably something that feels pretty good for Shane Matthews, who comes in at third all-time on our list.
Shane had over 3,000 yards in the air in two of his three seasons playing for the Gators, with the only one shy of three grand less than 50 yards short.
He placed fifth in Heisman voting in 1991, the year he threw for 3,130 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions with a 60.4% completion percentage.
In that ’91 season, Shane led the SEC in passing yards, passing yards per attempt (8.7), passing touchdowns, passing efficiency rating (148.8), total yards (3,140), total yards per play (7.6), and touchdowns responsible for (30).
Matthews led the SEC in TD responsible for every year in Gainesville, actually, which is pretty remarkable.
He also brought home the honor of SEC Player of the Year in both 1990 and 1991.
He made three stops in the pros from 1996 to 2004 with Chicago, Washington, and Buffalo. Over his NFL career, he had a starters record of 11-11 with a completion rate of 58.6%, 4,756 passing yards, and 31 touchdowns to 24 interceptions.
While Matthews doesn’t have all the flare and fanfare of the Heisman winners, he’s still an undisputed all-time great in Gainesville.