Kicker Jeff Chandler remains Florida's all-time leading scorer more than a decade after his final game. (File photo)
Troupe, Chandler Take Places in Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame
Friday, October 28, 2016 | Football
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The former Gators each had their moments in the annual rivalry in Jacksonville.
By: Alex Peterman, Writing Intern
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ben Troupe and Jeff Chandler both had their moments in the Florida-Georgia game.
They now have a permanent place in the game's lore.
Ahead of Saturday's contest here between the Gators and Bulldogs, the 21st Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame ceremony is Friday afternoon at EverBank Field. The event honors the premier performers during the SEC East rivalry, and this year Troupe and Chandler are being recognized.
Chandler, who remains Florida's all-time career points leader, kicked five field goals in six tries during his Florida-Georgia matchups. Troupe caught the game-winning touchdown in Florida's 2002 victory over the Bulldogs and had a game-high 58 yards the following season.
The Merrill Lynch/Bank of America Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame is the only such ceremony to exist for an individual college football contest, pointing toward the sheer magnitude of the game for both sides, players and fans.
Troupe's first emotion upon receiving news of his induction was shock. Tight end Ben Troupe during his career at Florida. (File photo)
"It was disbelief, to be quite honest with you," he said. "To be inducted as one of the Hall of Fame inductees is still like a surreal moment. It's hard to believe, only because I never considered myself to be one of the greatest players. I just thank God for the opportunity to be able to display my talents, but to be able to be considered one of the greatest players to come through this game is definitely humbling."
Troupe's final stat line of 128 yards and one touchdown on eight receptions across the 2002 and 2003 matchups fails to tell the full story.
Dripping with the exhaustion of three quarters' playing time, in the red zone capping what would be a 10-play, 89-yard in the blistering afternoon heat, Troupe lined up against Thomas the Davis at safety in man coverage – the same Thomas Davis who would become a star with the Carolina Panthers following his college career.
Quarterback Rex Grossman flicked the ball toward Troupe, and the 6-foot-4 tight end, with Davis draped all over him, came up with it. The Gators would preserve the 20-13 lead the rest of the game.
"There are so many memories with that Florida-Georgia game," Troupe said. "And I never lost against them, but they definitely brought out the best in me."
And yet, despite the success, he still can't quite believe he's been inducted today, calling it a "pinch-myself" kind of moment.
"It's so prestigious because this is what people think of you, it's not what you think of yourself, to be voted in," he said.
With Chandler, his story is a unique one. He grew up in a family of Bulldogs fans, with flags of black and red practically hoisted on his doorsteps.
Invited to walk on as Florida's kicker, Chandler's unexpected path had a record-breaking ending.
"My dad was a track athlete at Georgia and he met my mom there, and so I come up on the exact opposite side of this rivalry," he said. "And I guess that's another reason why it's so special to me is that I kind of grew up seeing both sides of it and have been on both sides."
Chandler and Troupe went on to play in the NFL but both former Gators remember the Florida-Georgia game as a unique experience, for its raw passion and electrifying atmosphere that still makes it a go-to matchup for fans to mark on their calendars each year.
For athletes, it's walking out onto a field knowing they're part of a culture, representatives of a feud forged by long years of heated contests. For the fans, they are the environment, turning Jacksonville into a melting pot of Gainesville, Athens, and the highest energy level they can muster.
"The environment of having the stadium split 50/50, right down the middle, you can do it on the upright, you know," said Chandler. "And always being on CBS, the 3:30 game is very important as well. Yeah, there's a lot of cool, and unique factors that makes this game so exciting."
Troupe agrees, thankful to experience success in one of college football's most storied rivalries.
"It captures that experience," Troupe said. "To know that you've got half orange and blue, half black and red, the end zone split down the middle, I just think it captures why we love sports."
Saturday is the game, but Friday is when those who have truly helped make it the game are recognized.
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