Six-foot-5, 270-pound offensive lineman Bruce Mulliniks was a big player for his era. (Photo: UAA archives)
Carter's Corner: Remembering Former Gators OL Bruce Mulliniks
Tuesday, December 12, 2023 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The buildup to Florida's final regular-season game of 1976 was much like it will be for the Gators' next regular-season game when Miami visits The Swamp in nine months.
The Gators and Hurricanes don't like each other anymore today than they did then, and whenever they play, anticipation runs high. Miami players spewed trash talk in the days heading into the matchup 47 years ago at Orlando's Tangerine Bowl. Bruce Mulliniks
By the time the game started, Gators starting offensive tackle Bruce Mulliniks had heard enough.
"They talked too much,'' Mulliniks said afterward in Florida's locker room. "That's all we heard. They were going to do this, and they were going to do that."
Meanwhile, the Gators did some talking, too, but they saved most of it for the field in a 19-10 win over the Hurricanes. Mulliniks was one of the stars of the day.
Matched up against Miami All-American defensive lineman Eddie Edwards — the third overall pick of the NFL Draft behind running backs Ricky Bell and Tony Dorsett a few months later — the 6-foot-5, 270-pound Mulliniks forced Edwards to play mostly the role of spectator.
Edwards became an NFL star for 12 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals but was a nonfactor on a sunny afternoon against the Gators.
"Bruce played a great game, the best he has ever played for us,'' said Gators offensive line coach Kim Helton after the game. "He did a whale of a job against Edwards."
A Winter Haven High School graduate, Mulliniks signed with the Gators over offers from Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, among others. He was a big offensive lineman of his era and never took off a play despite a lingering shoulder injury suffered early in his career.
"He plays with great intensity, great effort, and he's extremely smart,'' Helton said during Mulliniks' career. He was a three-time letterman and part of a Florida offensive line called "The Family."
Mulliniks and fellow linemen Gerald Loper, Mike Williams, Robbie Moore, Joe Pupello and Keith Tribble paved the way for running back Jimmy DuBose to rush for more than 1,300 yards in 1975. The 1975 Gators, running the wishbone offense that head coach Doug Dickey installed early in his tenure, still own the school record for most rushing yards (3,326) and average rushing yards per game (302.4) in a single season.
Bruce Mulliniks, standing on the left in the back row, was a member of Florida's famed "The Family" offensive line in the mid-1970s. (Photo: AP file from a Newspapers.com clipping)
Following his signature performance against Miami, Mulliniks finished his college career in the Sun Bowl against Texas A&M and then waited to hear his name called in the NFL Draft. Instead, Mulliniks went undrafted despite interest from the New York Giants and Dallas.
"I was pretty sure I would go in the late rounds,'' he told the Lakeland Ledger in 1977.
Mulliniks assumed the shoulder he had taped before each game scared teams away, and he made plans to move on with his life after football.
The man his teammates called "Moo Moo" and "Big Mull" returned to Polk County and went to work in a long career with stops at Florida Tile and Orkin. He retired from his final job at Lowe's less than two years ago.
Bruce Allan Mullinikspassed away nine days ago on Dec. 3 at the age of 69. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 16, at Oak Ridge Funeral Home in Auburndale.
Mulliniks played in an era much different than today, but a victory over Miami still means something to Gators fans.
It certainly did to Mulliniks.
"Last year, Edwards talked the whole game to me,'' Mulliniks said on his special day. "This year, he was quiet."
