60 Days to Gator Football: The Great Wall of Florida

[Escambia94]

"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.

 

[Leakfan12]

Actually SEC (not the university) that remove the SEC titles because those guys who ran the SEC at that time were dicks (still are if any of them are still alive). Probably bribed and given women to shoot the Gators down. Man, I like to typee their houses. I wish the Gators played in the SWC because SWC didn't remove s--t from SMU including their 1981 SWC even though they were on probation. I know they got the death penalty. I think if the BCS was around then those Gators would have won the national title beating Washington (BYU would have been Boise State, Utah). OK back to topic, Ker is now famous for Ker's Winghouse which has a few places in the Bay Area.

 

[Escambia94]

Actually SEC (not the university) that remove the SEC titles because those guys who ran the SEC at that time were dicks (still are if any of them are still alive). Probably bribed and given women to shoot the Gators down. Man, I like to typee their houses. I wish the Gators played in the SWC because SWC didn't remove s--t from SMU including their 1981 SWC even though they were on probation. I know they got the death penalty. I think if the BCS was around then those Gators would have won the national title beating Washington (BYU would have been Boise State, Utah). OK back to topic, Ker is now famous for Ker's Winghouse which has a few places in the Bay Area.

You are correct. UF president Marshall Criser did threaten to secede from the conference when the SEC board of knuckleheads voted to strip the title. However, the University has always had the right to do what other universities do and claim mythical titles, stripped or not. I would even be okay with calling it the "SEC Title*" (note the asterisk). If the University had controlled the program a little better, it would have been in a better position to stand up to the SEC title. Thanks to the backstabbers in the SEC, and to a large degree, the University itself, Florida was caught violating rules again and narrowly avoided the death penalty.

I did not know about Ker's Winghouse. I will be sure to check that out if I am ever in that area.

 

[DRU2012]

LOVED that team...Man, I can remember every one of the guys you mention dominating games, individually and together, but I don't think I EVER heard one OL's name called as often by announcers, local OR national, game-in/game-out in amazed excitement, as that of Lomas Brown's by '83-'84. He was surrounded by greatness, Zimmerman and Ker, it's true, but he would go on these ripping rampages for whole portions of games.
...And I didn't KNOW that "Ker's Steakhouses" belonged to THAT Ker--and I SHOULD have, since I loved going up to The City (SF--still do, but don't get to do so very often anymore), and those restaurants are well known there.
(As for the SEC, the NCAA, and that whole period of frustration and disappointment, having finally climbed to our feet like we knew we could and should, only to have it ripped down and torn apart, knowing we got shafted and not being sure who to blame, how or even IF we would be able to fix it and get it back up and going again...I get tense in my gut just thinking about it all again--but we DID, and were even eventually stronger for it. Each time we have been knocked down then and since we have come back in just that way, stronger, prouder and faster than the time before...and it is happening again NOW: As before, all it took was getting "the right guy" to take us there.)

 

[Escambia94]

I was a little younger, but I do remember that team, mainly because those Gators got my family amped up. As a youngster I only heard the names Lomas Brown, Jeff Zimmerman, and Big Daddy Ker. Even today it is hard to find interesting stories on the other guys. It was interesting to find out that Phil Bromley became the video coordinator for the Michigan Wolverines after being a GA at Florida. I also did not realize how many Gators, such as Big Daddy Ker, wound up playing for the Dallas Cowboys.

 

[Leakfan12]

You are correct. UF president Marshall Criser did threaten to secede from the conference when the SEC board of knuckleheads voted to strip the title. However, the University has always had the right to do what other universities do and claim mythical titles, stripped or not. I would even be okay with calling it the "SEC Title*" (note the asterisk). If the University had controlled the program a little better, it would have been in a better position to stand up to the SEC title. Thanks to the backstabbers in the SEC, and to a large degree, the University itself, Florida was caught violating rules again and narrowly avoided the death penalty.

I did not know about Ker's Winghouse. I will be sure to check that out if I am ever in that area.

Honestly I wish Mr (or Dr) Criser did follow through on his threat and go to the SWC or the ACC. SMU were on probation during the whole 1981 season and still kept there f--king SWC title, Florida was on probation after the 1984 season those f--king A--Holes in the SEC removed their titles. It was selected enforcement on NCAA and SEC part. They were after Charley Pell after he got caught during his Clemson days. Sad part the Gators could have hired Lou Holtz instead of Pell. Anybody think the SEC and/or NCAA would do the same thing to Bama, UT, or UGA in removing their SEC titles? I seriously doubt it even if there was a picture of Bear Bryant giving his star player cash. I was born that year (a few days I was born my parents saw the Gators play the U in Tampa). The Auburn coach at the time Pat Dye called the 1984 Gators "professionals". That same man was later fired for coaching professionals. and Bobby called the Gators getting the hammer "Justice" and What do you call keeping your tainted titles Bobby? Stroke of luck.