UF, NFF to Honor Tim Tebow During Gators-FSU Game
Monday, November 20, 2023 | Football
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced Monday that they will jointly honor Gators Great and 2023 College Football Hall of Fame electee Tim Tebow with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute. The Salute will take place during Saturday's, matchup against Florida State inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.
A consensus First Team All-American in 2007, Tebow claimed the 2007 Heisman Trophy, repeating as a Heisman finalist in 2008 and 2009. He became only the second player in college football annals to repeat as the Maxwell Award winner (2007 and 2008), and he was awarded the 2007 Davey O'Brien Award.
Tebow led Florida to two BCS National Championships, earning MVP honors following the 2009 title game, and he set five NCAA records during his career, helping the Gators rank in the top three in the final AP Polls in three of his four years. Florida went 48-7 during Tebow's time in Gainesville, and the Gators became the first FBS team to record back-to-back 13-win seasons (2008-09).
The Gators appeared in four consecutive bowl games during Tebow's time in Gainesville, including victories at the 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship Game, and the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl.
A three-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC selection (2007-09), Tebow led the Gators to the SEC title in 2006 and 2008 (MVP of 2008 game) and three SEC East titles (2006, 2008-09). He made the All-SEC Freshman Team in 2006 and was named the 2007 Roy Kramer SEC Male Athlete of the Year. He set 14 conference records during his career and his 48-7 career record made him part of the winningest senior class in SEC history.
The two-time team captain set 28 school records during his career and led UF during a school-record 22-game winning streak (2007-09). He threw for 9,285 yards and 88 touchdowns while also rushing for 2,947 yards and 55 touchdowns in his career. He was the first player in NCAA history to rush and pass for at least 20 touchdowns in a season.
A member of the 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, Tebow claimed NFF William V. Campbell Trophy, and he becomes the fourth Campbell honoree to enter the Hall. The first player to be named Academic All-America of the Year for University Division Football in two consecutive years, he won an NCAA Top VIII Award and was a three-time Academic All-American and SEC Academic Honor Roll selection. For his community work in college, he was awarded the 2008 Wuerffel Trophy and the 2008 Disney Wide World of Sports Spirit Award.
He was added to the Florida Football Ring of Honor in 2018 and inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame in 2020. He is included in the University of Florida Hall of Fame Bronze Statues on the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium along with College Football Hall of Fame inductees Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel.
Dratted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by Denver, he helped the Broncos to a playoff win during the 2011 season, and he played for the Jets in 2012. He played minor league baseball for the New York Mets from 2016-21.
Currently residing in Jacksonville, Florida, Tebow works as a philanthropist, motivational speaker, author, film producer and broadcaster with ESPN and SEC Network. His charitable work and the Tim Tebow Foundation focuses on special needs ministries, orphan care and prevention, children with profound medical needs and anti-human trafficking.
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and hotel rates at the ARIA.
The accomplishments of the 2023 Class will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
Tebow becomes the 13th overall Gator and the 10th Florida player to enter College Football Hall of Fame. Since 2006, UF has had seven inductees, the most by an SEC school.
Florida's College Football Hall of Fame Members
A consensus First Team All-American in 2007, Tebow claimed the 2007 Heisman Trophy, repeating as a Heisman finalist in 2008 and 2009. He became only the second player in college football annals to repeat as the Maxwell Award winner (2007 and 2008), and he was awarded the 2007 Davey O'Brien Award.
Tebow led Florida to two BCS National Championships, earning MVP honors following the 2009 title game, and he set five NCAA records during his career, helping the Gators rank in the top three in the final AP Polls in three of his four years. Florida went 48-7 during Tebow's time in Gainesville, and the Gators became the first FBS team to record back-to-back 13-win seasons (2008-09).
The Gators appeared in four consecutive bowl games during Tebow's time in Gainesville, including victories at the 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship Game, and the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl.
A three-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC selection (2007-09), Tebow led the Gators to the SEC title in 2006 and 2008 (MVP of 2008 game) and three SEC East titles (2006, 2008-09). He made the All-SEC Freshman Team in 2006 and was named the 2007 Roy Kramer SEC Male Athlete of the Year. He set 14 conference records during his career and his 48-7 career record made him part of the winningest senior class in SEC history.
The two-time team captain set 28 school records during his career and led UF during a school-record 22-game winning streak (2007-09). He threw for 9,285 yards and 88 touchdowns while also rushing for 2,947 yards and 55 touchdowns in his career. He was the first player in NCAA history to rush and pass for at least 20 touchdowns in a season.
A member of the 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, Tebow claimed NFF William V. Campbell Trophy, and he becomes the fourth Campbell honoree to enter the Hall. The first player to be named Academic All-America of the Year for University Division Football in two consecutive years, he won an NCAA Top VIII Award and was a three-time Academic All-American and SEC Academic Honor Roll selection. For his community work in college, he was awarded the 2008 Wuerffel Trophy and the 2008 Disney Wide World of Sports Spirit Award.
He was added to the Florida Football Ring of Honor in 2018 and inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame in 2020. He is included in the University of Florida Hall of Fame Bronze Statues on the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium along with College Football Hall of Fame inductees Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel.
Dratted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by Denver, he helped the Broncos to a playoff win during the 2011 season, and he played for the Jets in 2012. He played minor league baseball for the New York Mets from 2016-21.
Currently residing in Jacksonville, Florida, Tebow works as a philanthropist, motivational speaker, author, film producer and broadcaster with ESPN and SEC Network. His charitable work and the Tim Tebow Foundation focuses on special needs ministries, orphan care and prevention, children with profound medical needs and anti-human trafficking.
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and hotel rates at the ARIA.
The accomplishments of the 2023 Class will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
Tebow becomes the 13th overall Gator and the 10th Florida player to enter College Football Hall of Fame. Since 2006, UF has had seven inductees, the most by an SEC school.
Florida's College Football Hall of Fame Members
| Players | Position | Years at UF | Induction Year |
| Dale Van Sickel | E | 1927-29 | 1975 |
| Steve Spurrier | QB | 1964-66 | 1986 |
| Jack Youngblood | DE | 1968-70 | 1992 |
| Emmitt Smith | RB | 1987-89 | 2006 |
| Wilber Marshall | LB | 1980-83 | 2008 |
| Carlos Alvarez | WR | 1967-71 | 2011 |
| Danny Wuerffel | QB | 1993-96 | 2013 |
| Wes Chandler | WR | 1974-77 | 2015 |
| Lomas Brown | OT | 1981-84 | 2020 |
| Tim Tebow | QB | 2006-09 | 2023 |
| Coaches | Years at UF | Induction Year | |
| Charles Bachman | 1928-32 | 1978 | |
| Ray Graves | 1960-69 | 1990 | |
| Doug Dickey | 1970-78 | 2003 | |
| Steve Spurrier | 1990-2001 | 2017 |
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