The Streak: 30 straight, and counting...
-----
* Former Player Feedback: 10 Observations
* Teammates sound off on top performers
* McElwain Notebook: Hostile Environment Helped
* McElwain Press Conference Blog
* GET TWO MONTHS OF FREE ACCESS TO INSIDE THE GATORS
-----
On Tuesday afternoon, the Florida players who met with the media after practice went out of their way to downplay Florida's 30-game winning streak over Kentucky. Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Luke Ancrum, redshirt freshman linebacker Jeremiah Moon and sophomore wide receiver Freddie Swain all told reporters they were unaware of the streak.
“No, I wasn’t (aware). Now I am,” Swain said.
“That’s my first time hearing about that,” Ancrum said.
“I actually didn't even know that,” Moon said. “But this week we came off a big win, but we're focusing on staying locked in, not getting too high.”
Only redshirt senior safety Nick Washington appeared to be familiar with the much talked-about streak. He still managed to stick to the company line.
“We treat every game as the most important game of the season. We’ve gone on a streak for a very long time, but it’s not the focus this week,” Washington said. “The focus is we play Kentucky this week and it’s the biggest game of the week.”
The fact remains though that the last time the Wildcats defeated the Gators (10-3) was back on Nov. 15, 1986. Obviously, none of the players who will suit up Saturday night in Lexington were born at that time, but here are some of the things Gators fans who saw the game in 1986 may remember were going on:
*Ronald Reagan was president of the United States.
*The Challenger space shuttle came apart shortly after launch on Jan. 28, killing all seven crew members.
*The Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown disaster, which exposed millions of people to radioactive contamination, happened on April 26 in the USSR.
*The average price of a gallon of gas was 89 cents.
*”Top Gun” was the film No. 1 at the box office, followed by “Crocodile Dundee” and “Platoon.”
*”The Cosby Show” was the highest-rated TV show. “Family Ties,” “Cheers,” “Murder She Wrote” and “The Golden Girls” rounded out the top five.
*“That's What Friends Are For” by Dionne Warwick & Friends and The Bangles’ “Walk Like An Egyptian” were the top two songs of the year according to Billboard. Bon Jovi’s hit “You Give Love A Bad Name” would top the charts two weeks after the game.
*The New York Mets won the World Series.
*And on the football field, the Chicago Bears, led by quarterback Jim McMahon, were the defending Super Bowl champions.
*The national champion for the 1986 season was Penn State. The Nittany Lions defeated No. 1 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to win the title.
*No. 10 LSU (9-3, 5-1 SEC) won the SEC championship even though No. 6 Auburn (10-2, 5-2) and No. 9 Alabama (10-3, 5-2) were ranked higher.
*Florida’s loss to Kentucky in 1986 ended a four-game winning streak. The Gators were coming off back-to-back wins over ranked teams (No. 5 Auburn, No. 19 Georgia) heading into Lexington. After losing to UK, Galen Hall’s squad would bounce back against FSU, winning 17-13 to finish 6-5 overall on the year and 2-4 in SEC play.
*Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops was a freshman defensive back at Iowa.
*Florida head coach Jim McElwain was in his first college coaching job as a graduate assistant at Eastern Washington.
------
Thank you for reading this Inside the Gators article. To discuss it, please visit the Alligator Alley Forum.