Tim Tebow to be sixth member of Florida Ring of Honor, Gators set for 2008 championship reunion

By Adam Silverstein
July 11, 2018
Tim Tebow to be sixth member of Florida Ring of Honor, Gators set for 2008 championship reunion
Football

Image Credit: ESPN Images

Two-time national champion and 2007 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow will become the sixth man inducted into the Ring of Honor for the Florida Gators football program.

The Gators announced Wednesday that Tebow will be inducted on Saturday, Oct. 6. Florida hosts LSU that day and also plans to honor the 2008 national championship team at halftime of the game.

“I am so humbled and thankful to be able to receive this blessing, being inducted into the Ring of Honor,” Tebow said in a statement. “I know in my heart that I truly couldn’t have done it without amazing coaches and teammates who loved and sacrificed for each other so that we could accomplish our goals.

“Loving Florida wasn’t just something I did for four years, but it has been a lifelong passion. I want to thank the University of Florida and all the fans for making Gator Nation so special. I was born a Gator, I played as a Gator, and I’ll always be a Gator!”

One of the most decorated college football players in history, Tebow joins Emmitt Smith, Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel, Jack Youngblood and Wilber Marshall in the Ring of Honor. He is only the second player the Gators have inducted following the initial creation of the Ring of Honor back in 2006 as Marshall was inducted in 2007.

One reason so few Florida players have received the honor is that the criteria are extremely exclusive. In order to merit consideration for the Ring of Honor, an athlete or coach must meet at least one of the following criteria: Heisman Trophy winner, All-American inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, All-American who stands as an NFL career category leader, collegiate career category leader, two or more consensus All-American honors, coach with a national championship, coach with three SEC championships.

Tebow won national championships with the Gators in 2006 and 2008 (the latter as the starting quarterback) and became the first sophomore to win the Heisman when he captured the award in 2007. He was a Heisman finalist twice more and racked up a litany of other awards, honors and statistical records over the course of his career, including becoming the first player in NCAA history to rush and pass for at least 20 touchdowns in a single season.

The atmosphere on Oct. 6 will be a unique one at Florida as more than 100 members of the Gators’ 2008 national championship team will be in attendance at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for a 10-year reunion. (Former head coach Urban Meyer will be unable to attend as Ohio State is playing Indiana that day.)

While the championship team will be honored at halftime, it is presently unknown when UF plans to hold the ceremony for Tebow, who will see his Ring of Honor sign unveiled atop the North Endzone.

Tebow is presently playing minor league baseball for the Binghamton Rumble Poines in the New York Mets farm system. Many believe he will have an opportunity to be called up to the majors before the season is out. He also serves as a college football analyst for ESPN and SEC Network, so one should expect that the station’s “SEC Nation” show will emanate from Gainesville, Florida, on Oct. 6.

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