"The Great Wall of Florida" consisted of Lomas Brown (Gator Great, All American, All SEC, Jacobs Trophy), Jeff Zimmerman (All American, All SEC), Crawford Ker (JUCO All American, 2nd team All SEC), Phil Bromley (All SEC), Billy Hinson, and Scott Trimble, a fearsome mass of offensive linemen that paved the way for John L. Williams and Neal Anderson to lead the mighty Gators to what was their first SEC championship (later stripped by the University). Many consider the 1984 squad as one of the three best ever fielded by the Gators, alongside the 1996 and 2008 teams.
Gator Great Lomas Brown, Jr. played offensive tackle for Charley Pell and Galen Hall from 1981 to 1984. He was the anchor for the Gator offensive line for 34 games, and was team captain, First-Team All SEC, Consensus All American, and Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner in his senior year of 1984. He was the sixth overall pick of the 1985 NFL Draft and went on to play 18 years in the NFL where he went on to block for Barry Sanders for seven years, play for four-time playoff Detroit Lions teams, two-time NFC champion Lions teams and play on one Super Bowl winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers team.
Jeffrey Alan Zimmerman was an offensive tackle and offensive guard for Charley Pell and Galen Hall from 1983 to 1986. Zimmerman was a member of both the 1984 and 1985 teams that posted identical 9-1-1 records in what was then the heyday of Gator football. Jeff was named to the First Team All-SEC squad and All American squad in both 1985 and 1986.
Crawford Francis "Big Daddy" Ker is as tough as they come. Crawford is the son of a Buckingham Palace Guard, and grew up cutting grass in Dunedin, Florida before deciding to bulk up his junior year from 145 pounds to 210 pounds in order to make the high school football team. With little high school football experience, no football programs offered him a scholarship, so he used the one-year hiatus to bulk up again and add another 50 pounds. Arizona Western University offered him a spot on their team, where he played from 1981-1982 and earned a spot on the First Team Junior College (JUCO) All American squad. Big Daddy was offered the chance to move back home from Arizona to Florida where he earned a spot on Charley Pell's and Galen Hall's Florida Gators teams in 1983 and 1984. Big Daddy could bench press an amazing 510 pounds, and was known for his prowess at throwing defensive linemen down. He was named 2nd Team All SEC and Honorable Mention All American in 1984 before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, where he played from 1986 to 1990 before retiring from the Denver Broncos in 1992.
Phil Bromley was a two-time All-SEC (1983, 1984), 1st Team All American (1981, 1982), and 2nd Team All American (1984) center for Charley Pell and Galen Hall. Phil's younger brother, Scott, played linebacker for the Gators in overlapping years, where they both shared the sting of NCAA and school sanctions. Phil has the distinction of being the starting center in what was then the Gators' finest year, the 1984 SEC Championship. Phil remained at Florida to get his bachelor's and master's degrees while working as a graduate assistant from 1985-1986 before joining the University of Michigan staff.
Billy Hinson and Scott Trimble were lesser known members of the Great Wall of Florida. Little information is easily found on these two, but they are worth mentioning. Billy was an offensive guard from 1982 to 1985. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1985 and played one year for the Atlanta Falcons. The massive 6'6", 295 Barnard "Scott" Trimble lettered as offensive tackle for the Gators from 1982-1984. Scott went on to play for the San Diego Chargers from 1985 to 1988.
Together these Gators made it possible for Gator Greats Neal Anderson and John L. Williams to run over SEC opponents, and they kept quarterback Kerwin Bell upright as they won the first ever SEC championship in Gator history. These Gators made it possible for other Gators to win All American and All SEC honors at higher rankings than these fine offensive linemen.
Gator Great Lomas Brown, Jr. played offensive tackle for Charley Pell and Galen Hall from 1981 to 1984. He was the anchor for the Gator offensive line for 34 games, and was team captain, First-Team All SEC, Consensus All American, and Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner in his senior year of 1984. He was the sixth overall pick of the 1985 NFL Draft and went on to play 18 years in the NFL where he went on to block for Barry Sanders for seven years, play for four-time playoff Detroit Lions teams, two-time NFC champion Lions teams and play on one Super Bowl winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers team.
Jeffrey Alan Zimmerman was an offensive tackle and offensive guard for Charley Pell and Galen Hall from 1983 to 1986. Zimmerman was a member of both the 1984 and 1985 teams that posted identical 9-1-1 records in what was then the heyday of Gator football. Jeff was named to the First Team All-SEC squad and All American squad in both 1985 and 1986.
Crawford Francis "Big Daddy" Ker is as tough as they come. Crawford is the son of a Buckingham Palace Guard, and grew up cutting grass in Dunedin, Florida before deciding to bulk up his junior year from 145 pounds to 210 pounds in order to make the high school football team. With little high school football experience, no football programs offered him a scholarship, so he used the one-year hiatus to bulk up again and add another 50 pounds. Arizona Western University offered him a spot on their team, where he played from 1981-1982 and earned a spot on the First Team Junior College (JUCO) All American squad. Big Daddy was offered the chance to move back home from Arizona to Florida where he earned a spot on Charley Pell's and Galen Hall's Florida Gators teams in 1983 and 1984. Big Daddy could bench press an amazing 510 pounds, and was known for his prowess at throwing defensive linemen down. He was named 2nd Team All SEC and Honorable Mention All American in 1984 before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, where he played from 1986 to 1990 before retiring from the Denver Broncos in 1992.
Phil Bromley was a two-time All-SEC (1983, 1984), 1st Team All American (1981, 1982), and 2nd Team All American (1984) center for Charley Pell and Galen Hall. Phil's younger brother, Scott, played linebacker for the Gators in overlapping years, where they both shared the sting of NCAA and school sanctions. Phil has the distinction of being the starting center in what was then the Gators' finest year, the 1984 SEC Championship. Phil remained at Florida to get his bachelor's and master's degrees while working as a graduate assistant from 1985-1986 before joining the University of Michigan staff.
Billy Hinson and Scott Trimble were lesser known members of the Great Wall of Florida. Little information is easily found on these two, but they are worth mentioning. Billy was an offensive guard from 1982 to 1985. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1985 and played one year for the Atlanta Falcons. The massive 6'6", 295 Barnard "Scott" Trimble lettered as offensive tackle for the Gators from 1982-1984. Scott went on to play for the San Diego Chargers from 1985 to 1988.
Together these Gators made it possible for Gator Greats Neal Anderson and John L. Williams to run over SEC opponents, and they kept quarterback Kerwin Bell upright as they won the first ever SEC championship in Gator history. These Gators made it possible for other Gators to win All American and All SEC honors at higher rankings than these fine offensive linemen.