There are people who want Florida fans to believe that the Gators have only been relevant since 1990 when Steve Spurrier arrived. The legacy media continues to run a narrative that Florida fans should be grateful for its recent success and shouldn't have high expectations because of what Florida was in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
But as Ohio State just wrapped up a 12-0 regular season, they just joined a club that was once held by the 1975 Florida Gators defense.
Ohio State joins the 1975 Florida Gators
Ohio State just beat Michigan 27-9 to secure a spot in the Big Ten title game and a guaranteed bye in the first round of the playoffs.
The storyline for Ohio State has been their offense this season, but their defense has also been up to the challenge all season long.
By holding Michigan to nine points, the Buckeyes became the first team since the 1975 Florida Gators to hold 12 opponents in a season to 17 points or less.
The modern storyline is about Ohio State, but it does give a chance to highlight one of the more underappreciated Florida squads. The 1975 team was 9-3 under the coach Doug Dickey. It was the bellwether season for Dickey, who otherwise had a rather underwhelming era in Gainesville.
One could argue Florida could have won a national title that year if its offense had any pulse. In their three losses in 1975, Florida lost 8-7 to NC State, 10-7 to Georgia, and 13-0 to Maryland.
Finding individual stats from 1975 is tough, but the defense was led by All-American Sammy Green, who went on to be a 2nd round pick by Seattle in the 1976 NFL Draft. Green would go on to a five-year career in the NFL.
So while Florida looks for a new coach and some will try to tell Gator fans they shouldn't expect to be elite, Ohio State's feat served as a reminder that Florida does indeed have history prior to 1990.