By: Kate Manly, UF Communications
Say the words “lefty” and “quarterback” to a group of Florida Gator fans and they would all assume you're speaking of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. However, there was another left-handed quarterback at Florida who made his mark with the Orange and Blue and later made his mark on society. Former Gator Tom Shannon led the Gators to three solid seasons from 1962-64 and then took the business world by storm, becoming principal owner of all of the Outback Steakhouses in California.
Originally from North Miami Beach, Shannon enrolled at the University of Florida in 1961 after a successful high school football career at Archbishop Curley. He originally joined the Gators as a defensive back and even ranked among the best on the squad, but according to head coach Ray Graves, his skills were needed more offensively.
He made an immediate impact at Florida, starting on the 1961 team and earning the recognition of his teammates and coaches. Three games into his sophomore season, Shannon took over as the starting quarterback for Larry Libertore in October of 1962 for a match-up against Duke. He led the squad to a 5-2 record as a starter and the squad earned a bid to the Gator Bowl. It was the 17-7 victory over Penn State in Jacksonville that earned Shannon much-deserved recognition in UF's third bowl win in four appearances. He was chosen as the Most Outstanding Player after tossing two touchdowns. In his breakout season, Shannon set a school record for passing accuracy with 56 completions out of 100 attempts (56.0).
“More good stuff happened in 1963,” Shannon fondly recalled. “We had a 6-3-1 record, beating Georgia a second-straight time, 21-14. We won against a strong Miami team, 27-21, and a terrific quarterback, George Mira, but the capper was a 10-6 upset of third-ranked Alabama and (head coach) Bear Bryant in Tuscaloosa.”
Shannon displayed his natural athleticism and versatility as a first baseman for the Gators' baseball team as well. In fact, Jim Powell, who recruited Shannon out of high school was intent on Graves allowing Shannon to participate in baseball as a condition of his commitment to the Gators. Although he may not be known for his career on the baseball diamond, he made the All-SEC Eastern Division team in both 1964 and 1965 and helped UF to runner-up performances in the East all three years he lettered. Shannon was a crucial member of the Florida team and was honored by the UF Hall of Fame for his excellence in both football and baseball. He even considered playing professional baseball after his football career with the Orange and Blue.
Shannon's senior campaign marked the breakout season for an up-and-coming sophomore who was also born in Miami. Although Shannon started all but three games with a 7-3 record, Spurrier began to shine and 1964 was only the starting point for a record-breaking career for Spurrier, capped with the program's first Heisman Trophy win two years later. Although the two South Florida natives were only teammates for a couple of seasons, their time spent at Florida forged a tight-knit friendship that continues to this day. According to Shannon, if you looked up the words “competition” and “intensity” in the dictionary, you would find a photo of Spurrier.
While at Florida, Shannon met his future bride, the former Kathy Green. The two were married on April 22, 1967. After graduation, Shannon became widely successful as a real estate developer in the Tampa Bay area. In the early 90s, the couple created a company of restaurants in California called the T-Bird Restaurant Group. Shannon became the president of the Group, which owns more than 60 Outback Steakhouse franchises in California. His limited partners include NFL television analyst John Madden and former NFL football player Vinny Testaverde.
Although Tom and Kathy found tremendous success as part of the T-Bird Restaurant Group, but they never forgot their roots at the University of Florida. The Shannon family is full of Gator grads, including two of the couple's three children, their son-in-law, Tom's sister and two of her children. Shannon looks back on his time at Florida with fond memories and that may be why he has been a major contributor to University-related projects.
The Shannon family donated over $1 million to help fund the Hough Graduate School of Business in UF's Warrington's College of Business Administration. In recognition of their donation, the top floor of the three-story, 57,000 square-foot building will be named The Tom and Kathy Shannon Family Leadership Gallery. Shannon is a strong believer in supporting the University in return for all of the support that UF and The Gator Nation has given in return.
“It means a lot to our family to maintain a closeness with the growth of the University; our tradition is to be involved,” said Shannon.
Through the Tom and Kathy Shannon Family Foundation, the couple actively supports many charities, most of which involve children in need. For Shannon, his experiences at Florida both academically and athletically have taught him how truly blessed he is and not to take advantage of everything he has been given.
“If you are lucky enough to be successful, how can you not get into helping those who need it?” Shannon said.
Sure, Shannon is lucky to be successful, but The Gator Nation is even luckier to have such a Gator Great representing the Orange and Blue.
