WATCH: Tim Tebow gives post-game speech to Florida after being inducted into Ring of Honor

By Adam Silverstein
October 7, 2018

Football

For just the sixth time in the history of the Florida Gators football program, a was inducted into the Ring of Honor that surrounds Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Quarterback Tim Tebow, the greatest player in program history, took his spot among his peers after the first quarter of Saturday’s 27-19 win over LSU when Florida inducted him into the exclusive club with a plaque in the north end zone of the stadium.

The Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion could not help but smile as he was inducted into the Ring of Honor on Saturday. Over his four-year UF career, Tebow completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 9,285 yards with 88 passing touchdowns to just 16 interceptions, all while carrying the ball 692 times for 2,947 yards with 57 touchdowns on the ground. In addition to scoring 145 total touchdowns, going 3-1 in bowl games and posting an 11-1 record against rivals Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee, Tebow was a three-time Heisman finalist who won nearly every award available to him. He went 26-2 in his final two years as a starter (35-6 overall as a starter, 48-7 combined in his four years) and also made a lasting impact in Gators history with the historic “Promise” speech following Florida’s lone loss to Ole Miss in 2008 on its way to a national title season.

Tebow joined linebacker Wilber Marshall, running back Emmitt Smith, quarterback Steve Spurrier, quarterback Danny Wuerffel and defensive end Jack Youngblood as the sixth member of the Ring of Honor. He was the first to be inducted since 2007, the second year of its existence after the Ring of Honor debuted in 2006, due to the extremely strict criteria the Gators have on the exclusive group

@FloridaGators Love you guys! #gatornation #memories pic.twitter.com/IOa2yUAVyv

— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) October 7, 2018

A legend takes his place.

Tim Tebow becomes the 6th member of the Florida Ring of Honor. pic.twitter.com/8De7dKI3SV

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 6, 2018

"It's not just what it means to me, it's what it means to my family.

"To be able to be a part of that stadium, and to be able to bring my kids back one day, that's really special to me." —@TimTebow on joining the Ring of Honor today. pic.twitter.com/dR9XM0rA5K

— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 6, 2018

“It’s not just about me… It’s about my family, it’s for all of Gator Nation. I truly feel like I bleed orange and blue.”

– @TimTebow on being inducted into the Florida Ring of Honor #SECNation pic.twitter.com/cjmKn7OEgk

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 6, 2018

After Florida’s big win over LSU, it’s first victory over a top-five opponent in three seasons, Tebow joined head coach Dan Mullen and the rest of the Gators in the locker room. He delivered a short speech to the team apparently playing off a theme Mullen used a few minutes earlier and then led Florida in its fight song, a staple of the program when Mullen was previously in town under Urban Meyer.