At a press conference in Gainesville, FL on September 5, the AAFL's Florida team announced that Shane Matthews will become the team's first coach. Also, the team announced that it signed players including...
All American Football League to Play Three Home Games at Florida Field
The University of Florida and the All-American Football League have finalized an agreement that will allow the Florida team to play three of its five home games in Gainesville. Tampa and Jacksonville have been selected to host the other two games. Read more in the Miami Herald.
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The photo gallery below is from the Team Florida tryouts held in Tampa, FL on October 12. Former players from Florida powerhouses including the University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of Miami tried out to make the team.
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September 15, 2007 Florida Fan Fest. Shane Matthews and Travis McGriff signed autographs at Alumni Hall before the Florida/Tennessee game in Gainesville.
Coaching Staff:
Shane Matthews, Head
Coach:
Shane Matthews will serve as
Team Florida's Head Coach
and will coach the team just
like he played -- wide open.
You might recall that Shane
never lost a game in The
Swamp... and he plans to run
the fun-n-gun offense as
Team Florida's coach. As a
player, Shane starred as the
quarterback at the
University of Florida, where
he set 50 school records and
finished his college career
with 9,287 passing yards and
74 touchdowns. Shane had a
28-8 record as a starting QB,
including 19-4 in SEC games,
while leading Florida to its
first official SEC
championship in 1991. Shane
earned SEC Player of the
Year honors in both 1990 and
'91, and finished fifth in
Heisman Trophy balloting as
a junior in 1991. Shane
played in the NFL from 1993
to 2006 for th e Chicago
Bears, Carolina Panthers,
Washington Redskins,
Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo
Bills, and Miami Dolphins.
During his NFL career, Shane
completed 492 of 839 pass
attempts for 4,756 and 31
touchdowns.
Players:
Travis McGriff, WR:
Travis McGriff was a third-team All-America and first-team All-SEC in 1998. Travis was also one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, set SEC and UF single-season record with 1,357 yards receiving in 1998. Travis averaged 19.4 yards per catch and was third-best in SEC history and best in UF history in 1998. Travis tied for tops in Gator history with eight 100-yard receiving games in 1998. Travis was a third-round choice by Denver in the 1999 NFL Draft.
Ran Carthon, RB:
Ran Carthon played in 48 games over his career (2000-2003) at the University of Florida, starting 11 games. He rushed for 1,353 career yards on 270 carries (5.0 avg) and 11 touchdowns, and had 56 career catches for 511 yards (9.1 avg) and a touchdown. Ran was named the team's "Most Improved Running Back" after 2002 spring drills. He signed a free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts in 2004.
Judd Davis, K:
Judd Davis was a walk-on at the University of Florida, who completed his career in 1994 with 225 total points, the most for a player in UF history. He received the Lou Groza National Place Kicker of the Year Award and was named First team All-America in 1993. Judd hit 33 of 38 field goals inside 50 yards (86.8%), set an SEC record with 65 PATs in 1994, and ended his career with a school record 81 straight PATs. In 1999 he was chosen to UF's Team of the Century.
Chris Doering, WR:
Chris Doering was a second-team All-America and First-team All-SEC in 1995. Chris is one of just 13 players in Division I-A history with 30 or more career touchdown catches. During his career at the University of Florida Chris set SEC and UF records for career TD catches (31) and single-season TD receptions (17 in 1995), as well as an NCAA record in 1995 for most games catching at least one TD pass (11). Chris was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the 1996 NFL draft and was on the Indianapolis Colts squad during the 1996- 97 seasons. He also played for Denver in 1999.
Tony George, DB:
In 1996, Tony George played in 11 games and recorded 7 tackles. In 1998, Tony started 9 games and recorded 53 tackles and 4 interceptions, and later played in the Senior Bowl in 1998.
Willie Jackson, WR:
Willie Jackson was All-SEC in 1992 and honorable mention All-America ('91, '92, '93). Willie completed his career at the University of Florida as the all-time leader in TD receptions (24) and second in catches with 162. He was selected to play in East-West Shrine Game and Hula Bowl in 1993. He played with the Dallas Cowboys in 1994, the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995-97 and the Cincinnati Bengals in 1998 and 1999.
Steve Rissler, OL:
Steve Rissler was a true senior offensive lineman in 2006. Prior to that season he had played in 28 games, and had made 10 starts.
Fred Weary, DB:
Fred Weary played at the University of Florida from 1994 to 1997, eventually earning first-team All-America honors in 1997 from The Sporting News, Football News, American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Foundation. He was one of three finalists in 1997 for the Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back. Weary completed his career with 15 interceptions, tops in school history, and his six interceptions in 1997 were the second-best seasonal total in UF history. He was a two-time (1996, 1997) first-team All-SEC choice.
Eli Williams, DB:
Eli Williams came to Florida as a highly touted running back before moving to cornerback, where he started as a senior and recorded 33 tackles, 1 interception, as well as a couple of blocked field goals on special teams. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, where he played 50 games over four seasons.
