Former Gators teammates Fred Weary, left, and Mike Peterson reunited as Hall of Famers on Friday. (Photo: Dennis Black/UAA Communications)
Weary and Peterson: Teammates, Cousins, NFL Vets, Florida-Georgia Hall of Famers
Friday, November 1, 2024 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mike Peterson and Fred Weary, former Gators teammates, parked next to one another on a raised stage Friday afternoon at EverBank Stadium.
The setup resembled a postgame press conference, and easy to picture the two doing the same during their days as standouts for the Gators' defense. They had printed nameplates on the table so the crowd would know who was who, with Georgia's Mike Fisher and Bill Goldberg on the opposite side of the stage.
But instead of Peterson and Weary taking questions from reporters as they did many times during their college and NFL playing careers, each took a turn at the dais to share memories that earned them a spot in the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame.
They did so with their families looking on, taking it all in.
Weary recalled how he put himself into the Auburn game as a freshman in 1994 to ensure he got on the field and show the coaches what he could do.
Fred Weary signs a football on Friday before his induction into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame. (Photo: Dennis Black/UAA Communications)
"Self-confidence is important,'' he said. "You've got to have it to succeed at what you want to accomplish."
Weary's bold move paid off.
A cornerback from 1994-97 at Florida, Weary finished his college career with 15 interceptions, including six during his final season, which helped him earn first-team All-SEC and consensus All-American honors. He later played in the NFL for six seasons.
His favorite memory of playing Georgia?
"Just going 3-1 against them,'' Weary said. "Great memories of coming away with wins. Putting up 52 between the hedges. Playing them in the home-and-home. We had a win at The Swamp."
In Weary's freshman season, the Florida-Georgia game was played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium because the Gator Bowl had been torn down to build a new stadium for the NFL's expansion Jacksonville Jaguars. Florida won 52-14 in Gainesville in 1994, 52-17 in Athens in '95, and 47-7 in Jacksonville in '96. Weary's only loss to Georgia was in his senior season in '97.
Same for Peterson, a hometown linebacker who signed with the Gators in 1995, one season after Weary. Peterson is in his third season as an assistant coach for the Gators and will be on the sideline Saturday when the Gators face No. 2-ranked Georgia.
"I teach them the history,'' Peterson said. "Why everybody is all pumped up on a Tuesday or a Wednesday. You can go into the history books if you play well in this game."
Peterson's sons presented him his Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame jacket on Friday, a full-circle moment for the 14-year NFL veteran.
"Very special,'' he said.
Gators assistant coach Mike Peterson, a standout UF linebacker from 1995-98, arrived early in Jacksonville on Friday to be inducted into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame. (Photo: Dennis Black/UAA Communications)
While the 1997 loss to Georgia was Peterson's only defeat in the annual rivalry game, he got revenge during his final season in 1998 when the Gators crushed the Bulldogs 38-7.
He has experienced the rivalry from the perspective of a player and coach and considers it unique in every way.
"I think I really appreciated it after I played in it,'' he said. "And then being able to play here in [the NFL with] Jacksonville and to do all the festivities and the buildup made me even appreciate it more.
"It's like having a bowl game in the middle of the season."
Peterson grew up in Gainesville and Weary in Jacksonville. However, Weary's mother is from Gainesville and when Georgia recruited him, his extended family in Gainesville pulled him toward UF.
Neither player said they attended a Florida-Georgia game until they played in it for the first time.
Florida fans remain closely connected to Peterson because of his role with the current team. Weary said he lives the retired life, and Saturday will be his first Florida-Georgia as a non-player.
He can't think of a better way to be inducted into the rivalry's hall of fame than with Peterson.
"I bass fish a lot. That's what I like to do,'' Weary said. "Most of the time, I'm on the water. But I'm going to sit back and enjoy this. It's very exciting. He's a teammate, and he's actually my cousin. I knew Mike would be a great player as soon as he stepped on campus."
