Former UF quarterback Tim Tebow has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced on Monday.
Tebow becomes the 13th overall Gator and the 10th Florida player be selected to the College Football Hall of Fame. UF has had seven inductees since 2006, the most by an SEC school.
Tebow – a consensus First Team All-American in 2007 – claimed the 2007 Heisman Trophy. He repeated as a Heisman finalist in 2008 and 2009 and became only the second player in college football history to repeat as the Maxwell Award winner (2007 and 2008), and he was awarded the 2007 Davey O’Brien Award.
During his tenure with Florida, Tebow led the Gators to two BCS National Championships, earning MVP honors following the 2009 title game. He set five NCAA records during his college career and helped the Gators to a top-three ranking in the final AP Polls in three of his four years. Florida went 48-7 during Tebow’s time in Gainesville, and the Gators became the first FBS team to record back-to-back 13-win seasons in 2008 and 2009.
During Tebow’s time at UF, the Gators appeared in four consecutive bowl games, including victories at the 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship Game, and the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Tebow was a three-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC selection (2007-09), while leading the Gators to the SEC title in 2006 and 2008 (MVP of 2008 game) and three SEC East titles (2006, 2008-09). He made the All-SEC Freshman Team in 2006 and was named the 2007 Roy Kramer SEC Male Athlete of the Year. He set 14 conference records during his career and his 48-7 career record made him part of the winningest senior class in SEC history.
The Gator’s two-time team captain set 28 school records at UF that included a school-record 22-game winning streak (2007-09). His statistics include 9,285 yards and 88 touchdowns passing and 2,947 yards and 55 touchdowns rushing. He is also the first player in NCAA history to rush and pass for at least 20 touchdowns in a season.