51 days to Gator football! #51 Brandon Spikes and #51 David Little

[Escambia94]

#51 Brandon “I’ll Rip Your Eyes Out” Spikes was born in Shelby, North Carolina. He played for Urban Meyer‘s Florida Gators from 2006 to 2009. Brandon almost committed to ‘Bama, but made the wise choice to follow Mr. Tebow to Titletown, Florida, where the pair brought two, count ‘em, two national championships to the Swamp. Mr. Spikes registered 307 tackles (178 solo), 31.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 2 fumbles forced, 4 fumbles recovered, six interceptions with 139 return yards and a TD, at least one set of eyeballs ripped out (Waushan Ealey), plus a few alleged decapitations on the field (don’t worry…they are University of Georgia players, so nobody is losing sleep over the missing bodies). Mr. Spikes had a great mentor in Brandon Siler, as the Gators set a record for most tackles by starting linebackers named Brandon. Mr. Spikes was named first-team All-SEC from ’07 to ’09, and first-team All-American in ’08 and ’09.

Mr. Spikes was drafted by the New England Patriots in round 2 of the 2010 NFL draft, where he played until 2013 before signing with the Buffalo Bills. He played in 78 games between 2010 and 2016, where he accrued 212 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions.

#51 David Little of Miami, Florida played linebacker for Doug Dickey and Charley Pell from 1977-1980). Little is the leading tackler in UF history with 475. Along with Scott Brantley (2nd on the all-time list with 469), the Gators had an extremely talented linebacker unit. As senior team captain in 1980, he was pivotal to the Gators having the biggest one-year turnaround in NCAA football. The Gators went from 0-10-1 his junior year to 8-4 plus a bowl game his senior year. David was first-team All-SEC, Consensus All-American, and recipient of the Fergie Ferguson Award.

Little was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in round 7 of the 1981 NFL draft, where he played until 1992. He was selected for the Pro Bowl in 1990. He died in 2005 as the result of a weightlifting accident.

David Little was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Association Hall of Fame as a Gator Great in 1991, and in 2006 the Gainesville Sun ranked him as #18 in the list of greatest Gators in the first century of Gator football.


Trivia: David's older brother, Larry, was an All-Pro guard for the Miami Dolphins.

 

[DRU2012]

#51 Brandon “I’ll Rip Your Eyes Out” Spikes was born in Shelby, North Carolina. He played for Urban Meyer‘s Florida Gators from 2006 to 2009. Brandon almost committed to ‘Bama, but made the wise choice to follow Mr. Tebow to Titletown, Florida, where the pair brought two, count ‘em, two national championships to the Swamp. Mr. Spikes registered 307 tackles (178 solo), 31.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 2 fumbles forced, 4 fumbles recovered, six interceptions with 139 return yards and a TD, at least one set of eyeballs ripped out (Waushan Ealey), plus a few alleged decapitations on the field (don’t worry…they are University of Georgia players, so nobody is losing sleep over the missing bodies). Mr. Spikes had a great mentor in Brandon Siler, as the Gators set a record for most tackles by starting linebackers named Brandon. Mr. Spikes was named first-team All-SEC from ’07 to ’09, and first-team All-American in ’08 and ’09.

Mr. Spikes was drafted by the New England Patriots in round 2 of the 2010 NFL draft, where he played until 2013 before signing with the Buffalo Bills. He played in 78 games between 2010 and 2016, where he accrued 212 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions.

#51 David Little of Miami, Florida played linebacker for Doug Dickey and Charley Pell from 1977-1980). Little is the leading tackler in UF history with 475. Along with Scott Brantley (2nd on the all-time list with 469), the Gators had an extremely talented linebacker unit. As senior team captain in 1980, he was pivotal to the Gators having the biggest one-year turnaround in NCAA football. The Gators went from 0-10-1 his junior year to 8-4 plus a bowl game his senior year. David was first-team All-SEC, Consensus All-American, and recipient of the Fergie Ferguson Award.

Little was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in round 7 of the 1981 NFL draft, where he played until 1992. He was selected for the Pro Bowl in 1990. He died in 2005 as the result of a weightlifting accident.

David Little was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Association Hall of Fame as a Gator Great in 1991, and in 2006 the Gainesville Sun ranked him as #18 in the list of greatest Gators in the first century of Gator football.


Trivia: David's older brother, Larry, was an All-Pro guard for the Miami Dolphins.

Didn't know about David's "weight-lifting accident" (guess I "forgot" about his passing at all, then followed up on the news E- raised above)...Sorry: The Littles have given the state of Florida a LOT out there on the field...
Spikes a more recent dazzling stalwart, of course, among the best of "the GOOD side of the Force" during the Meyer era. Man, those Tebow & Co. teams made us proud, had us riding HIGH, in every way, at their peak(s).

 

[Escambia94]

Didn't know about David's "weight-lifting accident" (guess I "forgot" about his passing at all, then followed up on the news E- raised above)...Sorry: The Littles have given the state of Florida a LOT out there on the field...
Spikes a more recent dazzling stalwart, of course, among the best of "the GOOD side of the Force" during the Meyer era. Man, those Tebow & Co. teams made us proud, had us riding HIGH, in every way, at their peak(s).

This is why I do these countdowns--to help Gator fans remember. I have seen other countdowns that focus on newer players. Wait until I get to #15 and talk about Gators not named Tebow.

 

[Leakfan12]

This is why I do these countdowns--to help Gator fans remember. I have seen other countdowns that focus on newer players. Wait until I get to #15 and talk about Gators not named Tebow.

Guessing that's the reason why the Pouncey twins were left out. I think Maurkice should have been mentioned at 56. I would have understood leaving out Mike.

 

[Escambia94]

Guessing that's the reason why the Pouncey twins were left out. I think Maurkice should have been mentioned at 56. I would have understood leaving out Mike.

On my blog I list all the notable Gators for each jersey number, but the format for this forum makes it too clunky to list all the notable players with the jersey number. If I do this again next year, I will just post the names and pictures without the biography. That should simplify the countdown.

 

[DRU2012]

This is why I do these countdowns--to help Gator fans remember. I have seen other countdowns that focus on newer players. Wait until I get to #15 and talk about Gators not named Tebow.

It is noted, and much appreciated--of course. Meanwhile, it all helps to reinforce an overall preference that we at least TRY and "maintain an even strain", as pilots put it.
As for "the FUTURE", what with the continued trend it seems toward push/pull, back'n'forth/up'n'down news-coming-in-waves that constitutes current internet "sports reporting"--the "smart phones", "twitter", "hat fake-outs" and all the rest that feeds into and feeds ON all of this, not to mention the premature supposed rankings that arise as a result-- well, it all seems irrelevant to the point of absurdity.
The more I see of it, the more I support OUR Coach's quiet, low key "trust our own developing judgement, analysis and gut feelings"; see how it all sets up and plays out come the actual decisions and deadlines. I won't say it has NO meaning or relevance--only that most of that is obscured by the eventual clarity of actual events... Whole lotta fools making predictions and projections based entirely on their supposed "crystal balls"! (LOL)