JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If Florida defensive coordinator
Todd Grantham wants any help in firing up his squad on Saturday with a pregame speech, a pair of former UF defensive greats will be around to help.
They know how to beat the Bulldogs.
Brad Culpepper and Brandon Spikes, two of the most accomplished players to star for Florida's defense in the past 30 years, were inducted into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame on Friday afternoon at TIAA Bank Field.
Culpepper is one of only five Gators defensive linemen since 1990 to be named a first-team All-American, earning the honor as a senior in 1991. Spikes, a first-team All-American in both 2008 and '09, is the last Gators linebacker to earn that distinction. Culpepper and Spikes joined Georgia linebackers Jarvis Jones and Rennie Curran, former teammates of current UF inside linebackers coach
Christian Robinson, in the 2019 Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame class.
Culpepper cherished the honor considering that when he first connected with the Florida-Georgia game in the 1980s as a teenager, the Bulldogs dominated the rivalry. That started to change during Culpepper's college career (1988-91), and when the Gators beat the Bulldogs in 1990 and '91, Culpepper's junior and senior seasons, it marked the first back-to-back wins for the Gators in the series since 1963.
"There's some famous and great names on the list [of inductees],'' Culpepper said Friday. "Growing up, having my father play at the University of Florida, the Florida-Georgia game was huge. I would like to think I had a small part in flipping the tables a little bit in the '90s because Coach Spurrier came in and taught us not to be afraid of Georgia."
Spurrier won 11 of 12 games against the Bulldogs in his 12 seasons as Florida's head coach. Culpepper, a defensive tackle who set a school record in 1991 for an interior lineman with 21.5 tackles for loss, went on to play nine seasons in the NFL. He also earned a master's degree in sports administration and a law degree from UF.
After losing to Georgia in Culpepper's first two seasons, the Gators won 38-7 in 1990 and 45-13 in 1991 on the way to winning win their first official Southeastern Conference championship. The 50-year-old Culpepper, now a Tampa-based attorney, said Friday he continues to hold the memories of his final season close to his heart for what it means to the program.
"We put it to them in '90 and '91. I'm proud to be a part of that team,'' Culpepper said. "Winning that championship in '91 sticks out as maybe the great sports accomplishment or team I've been a part of."
Meanwhile, Spikes signed with the Gators out of Crest High School in Shelby, N.C., and from 2006-09, he was a two-time team captain and one of the most feared players in college football. Spikes left his mark in the 2008 win over Georgia with a bone-crushing hit on Bulldogs running back Knowshon Moreno that set the tone in Florida's 49-10 victory.
Spikes was named the Chevrolet NCAA Defensive Player of the Year his junior season as the Gators won their second national title in three seasons. Through all the success, Spikes never envisioned what happened at TIAA Bank Field on Friday.
"I'm at a loss for words. I really don't know what to say. I never thought about any of this,'' Spikes said. "I just wanted to win games and championships and rings. You dream of stuff like this."
The 32-year-old Spikes was a second-round pick of the Patriots in the 2010 NFL draft and went on to play six seasons, four with New England and two with Buffalo.
Spikes credited the collection of talent around him at UF in helping fuel his success. A pair of his former teammates on offense -- quarterback Tim Tebow (2017) and receiver Percy Harvin (2018) -- were inducted into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame the past two years.
"It was always big for me to not let them down and be accountable to those guys who put in so much work,'' he said. "They made it easy for me on Saturdays."
Unlike Culpepper, who had deep family ties to UF, Spikes turned down many other offers to sign with the out-of-state Gators. It's a decision that he is glad he made and one that he continues to impact his life through opportunities off the field.
"I knew it was the right decision when I was 17 years old,'' he said. "We all came in and had the same common goal and we got it done."
Culpepper and Spikes will be introduced at Saturday's game between the sixth-ranked Gators and eighth-ranked Bulldogs.
Gators head coach
Dan Mullen was entering his second season as Florida's offensive coordinator when Spikes arrived on campus 13 years ago.
Spikes senses a similar trajectory for the program.
"Dan the man is what I call him,'' Spikes said. "He's been phenomenal for this program and these kids. I know he has the blueprint and knows what it takes. This is only the beginning."
