For most Gator fans, the Billy Donovan Era is what is generally accepted as the modern era of Florida Basketball. Since the turn of the century, Florida has won three national titles and five total Final Fours. And given the recent success of the program, some of the accomplishments from the teams and players that paved the way have been cast aside.
But over the past couple of years, Florida has made attempts to bridge that gap to teams and players from the past. This week Florida announced two of its biggest stars from the 80s are going to be inducted into Florida’s Hall of Fame.
Vernon Maxwell and Andrew Moten named to Florida’s Hall of Fame
Florida announced that Vernon Maxwell and Andrew Moten would be inducted into the 2026 UF Athletics Hall of Fame class. The Gators made the announcement with a video of Todd Golden calling the pair to let them know.
Proud to be a Gator ‼️
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) May 22, 2026
Congratulations to Andrew Moten and Vernon Maxwell for being selected for the UF Hall of Fame pic.twitter.com/uTiDXxWmRR
Maxwell, in particular, has had a bit of a complicated legacy in Florida Gators lore. He and Moten helped lead Florida to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1987, and Maxwell would take the Gators to the Sweet 16 in 1988. Maxwell also left Florida as its all-time leading scorer, having racked up 2,450 points during his time with the Gators.
But those 1987 and 1988 teams were wiped off the record books after an investigation from the NCAA that centered around Maxwell taking money from agents. Maxwell also had his stats stripped from Florida’s record books.
But this past year, given the current landscape of NIL and players making money leagally that would have resulted in programs getting shut down in the 80s, Florida opted to restore Maxwell’s stats to enable him to reclaim his throne with the Gators.
Maxwell would go on to a lengthy NBA career that spanned from 1988 through 2001.
The ones that helped lay the foundation 🐊
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) May 22, 2026
ℹ️ https://t.co/S8ycgFOXL0 pic.twitter.com/QELuRQJun8
All the focus on Maxwell has somewhat made Moten a forgotten figure. After all, he racked up 1,930 career points, 4th best in Florida history. It’s also worth noting that only his 1986-87 campaign was with the three-point line.
He would go on to be drafted in the NBA but did not make an appearance.
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