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Former Florida Gators coach Galen Hall, who coached the team from 1984 to 1989, will be back at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the Kentucky vs. Florida game Saturday night.
The Come Up
Hall started the ’84 season as the team’s offensive coordinator and the quarterback coach for freshman walk-on Kerwin Bell. Charley Pell was the head coach until he resigned after Week 3 due to an ongoing NCAA investigation.
With Hall named as the interim, the Gators excelled on the field. They won the rest of their regular season games and were crowned SEC champions for the first time in program history. Hall was subsequently named the program’s official head coach and continued to bring in more victories during the 1985 season.
On May 30, 1985, the Gators were stripped of their 1984 SEC title as the allegations from Pell’s term lingered. More consequences arose as the season went on, as the Gators were ineligible to win the SEC championship or make it to a bowl game.
In the following seasons, the Gators gradually won less and less games dues to the NCAA sanctions. During the middle of the ’89 season, Hall resigned due to new allegations the NCAA found against him.
Hall finished at UF with a 40-18-1 record and went on to be an offensive coordinator for the Orlando Thunder, a team in the World League of American Football.
Hall On The ’84 Team
The 1984 Gators were one of the most talented teams Hall has been around. Both Florida’s offense and defense dominated on the field:
Hall vividly remembers the celebration and praise the team received after arriving back in Gainesville from its win at Kentucky:
Well-Deserved Celebration
During Saturday’s game, Hall and the ’84 team will be recognized on the field. Hall and his former players will reunite and celebrate their championship squad.
You can watch the Homecoming game live on SEC Network at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday or listen to the coverage on ESPN Gainesville 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF.
