Rex Grossman and Lawrence Wright Inducted Into Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame
Friday, October 30, 2009 | Football
Former University of Florida quarterback Rex Grossman and defensive back Lawrence Wright were part of the 14th Anniversary class inducted into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame Friday in Jacksonville. They were honored along with Garrison Hearst and David Pollack of Georgia.
In recognition of the nation's premier collegiate rivalry, the Jacksonville Sports and Entertainment Board created the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame to acknowledge the many great records, performances, career highlights and outstanding memories that have made the Florida-Georgia game one of college football's great traditions.
Grossman was 3-0 versus the Bulldogs in his career and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 2001. In a 24-10 victory over Georgia in 2001, he was 27-of-35 for 407 yards and two touchdowns and registered a passing efficiency rating of 182.25. The following season, Grossman set a UF single-game record (min. 30 completions) with a 78.3 completion percentage (36-of-41) and completed a school-record 36 passes in the Gators' 20-13 triumph over the Bulldogs.
During his career in the Orange and Blue, Grossman started each of his last 30 regular-season games and led the Gators to the 2000 SEC title. He posted a 23-8 record as a starter, highlighted by an 18-4 mark in league play. The Bloomington, Ind., native completed 677 of 1,110 passes for 9,164 yards and 77 touchdowns with 36 interceptions in his career for a pass efficiency rating of 146.77. He holds the NCAA FBS record with a combined 55 career touchdown passes during his freshman-sophomore seasons and is seventh all-time in the SEC and third at Florida with 77 career touchdown passes.
Grossman owns two of top three season completion totals in UF history (school-record 287 in 2002 and 259 in 2001), had a school-record 17 career 300-plus yard passing games and became the first Gator to throw for 300-plus yards in more than three-consecutive games (first nine games of 2001). As a sophomore, Grossman was a finalist for the Walter Camp Award, Maxwell Award, and O'Brien Award and was named the Associated Press National Player of the Year. He was a three-time All-SEC selection, being tabbed first-team in 2000 and 2001 and second-team in '02. A first -team All-America selection in 2001, Grossman was the first sophomore QB in school history to earn that distinction. He was a first-round selection in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and currently plays for the Houston Texans.
Wright owned a perfect 4-0 record against Georgia as a collegian and was part of a Gator senior class that claimed four-straight SEC championships and captured the program's initial national title in 1996. He was the 1996 recipient of the Thorpe Award, presented to the nation's top defensive back.
During the 52-17 victory over UGA in Athens in 1995, Wright totaled 14 tackles (eight of which were solo), forced two fumbles and had a quarterback sack on his way to SEC Defensive Player of the Week recognition. He earned first-team All-SEC in both 1995 and 1996 and achieved SEC Academic Honor Roll status four years in a row (1993-96). Wright played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals during the 1997 and 1999 seasons.
Current Hall of Fame Members
Florida: Reidel Anthony (2004), Carlos Alvarez (1999), Kerwin Bell (1996), Howell Boney (2000), Joe Brodsky (2000), Norm Carlson (2002), Rick Casares (1998), Wes Chandler (2004), Chris Doering (2001), Jimmy Dunn (1999), Larry Dupree (1998), Jeremy Foley (2005), Don Gaffney (2005), Ray Graves (1996), Rex Grossman (2009), Galen Hall (2007), Ike Hilliard(2006), Charles Hunsinger (1998), Willie Jackson, Jr. (2008), Doug Johnson (2007), Charles LaPradd (1998), Buford Long (2003), Shane Matthews (1996), Lee McGriff (2006), Ricky Nattiel (2002), John Reaves (2001), Errict Rhett (2003), Steve Spurrier (1996), Fred Taylor (2008), Richard Trapp (1998), Lawrence Wright (2009), Danny Wuerffel (1997), Jack Youngblood (1997)
Georgia: Richard Appleby (1999), Buck Belue (1996), Charley Britt (2001), Kevin Butler (2003), Wally Butts (1998), Mike Cavan (2000), Vince Dooley (1996), Robert Edwards (2001), Bob Etter (2002), Ray Goff (2002), Cy Grant (2005), Rodney Hampton (2006), Garrison Hearst (2009), Terry Hoage (1997), Dan Magill (2007), Kevin McLee (2005), Larry Munson (2004), George Patton (2003), David Pollack (2009), John Raunch (2000), Matt Robinson (1999), Erik Russell (2004), Jake Scott (1998), Lindsay Scott (1997), Frank Sinkwich (1996), Bill Stanfill (1998), Tommy Thurson (1998), Charlie Trippi (1998), Hershel Walker (1996), Gene Washington (2008), Tim Worley (2007), Eric Zeier (2008)
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