Before their game against the LSU Tigers, Florida Gators legend Tim Tebow was inducted into the Ring of Honor at The Swamp.
Tim Tebow’s induction into the Florida Gators Ring of Honor at Ben Griffin Stadium, aka “The Swamp,” was long overdue. It should have been done as soon as he graduated from Gainsville.
For its time as a national powerhouse, the Gators have blessed us with a long list of football greats, from Emmitt Smith to Danny Wuerffel. No one, though, has ridden the way to Gator greatness the way Tebow did, which makes this induction special among the Gator faithful.
“I will die as a Gator,” he told the whipped up and rejuvenated crowd at The Swamp, as his name was officially adorned in the Ring of Honor for life, only the 6th Gator to achieve this honor.
Tebow’s induction was special because he didn’t ride into Gainsville as a hotshot who had star power out of the gate. He was one of the first athletes to take advantage of a Florida law that allowed homeschooled kids to play in high school sports, and at Allen D. Nease High School in St. Johns County (a suburban county of Jacksonville), he became a star.
When he got to Gainsville, Tebow became the second-string quarterback behind Chris Leak, and he became a fan favorite in Gator Nation for his goal line runs. When Leak moved on, Tebow assumed command of the Gators offense, and, man, was that offense something to watch.
In 2007, he became the third Gator QB to take home the Heisman, and in 2009, he led the Gators to the National Championship, and his legacy in Gainsville and Gator Nation was sealed.
It doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks of him. He will be a beloved Gator for life, and that’s just fine for this diehard Gator Fan.