21 Days to Gator Football: Scot Brantley

Scot Eugene Brantley came to Gainesville as one of the top high school players in the country, having been named to the Parade All American list twice, and still being listed as one of the top 100 high school players in Florida history. Scot was even drafted to play baseball for the New York Mets before electing to play football for Doug Dickey's and Charley Pell's Florida Gators from 1976 to 1979. Scot was first team All SEC and All American in his sophomore year of 1977 and 1978. His senior season of 1979 was shortened by a major injury after he was knocked unconscious in the first home game of the season, a 7-7 tie against Georgia Tech (the only game that season that the Gators did not lose). The Gators had one of the worst seasons in NCAA history without Scot on the field. He was the team's leading tackler in 1976 and 1978, and his career total of 467 tackles is still 2nd on the all-time list. He was drafted in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he played from 1980 to 1987. He was selected for the University Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame in 2010.