1997 Florida Gators football team

American college football season

1997 Florida Gators football

Florida Citrus Bowl champion

Florida Citrus Bowl, W 21–6 vs. Penn State

Conference| Southeastern Conference
Division| Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches| No. 6
AP| No. 4
Record| 10–2 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach|

* Steve Spurrier (8th season)

Offensive coordinator| Carl Franks (3rd season)
Offensive scheme| Fun and gun
Defensive coordinator| Bob Stoops (2nd season)
Base defense| 4–3
Home stadium| Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Seasons

<- 1996

1998 ->

1997 Southeastern Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

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Team |  | W |  | L |  |  |  |  | W |  | L |
Eastern Division
No. 7 Tennessee x$  |  | 7  | - | 1  |  |  |  |  | 11  | - | 2  |
No. 10 Georgia |  | 6  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 2  |
No. 4 Florida |  | 6  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 2  |
South Carolina |  | 3  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  |
Kentucky |  | 2  | - | 6  |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  |
Vanderbilt |  | 0  | - | 8  |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  |
Western Division
No. 11 Auburn xy  |  | 6  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 3  |
No. 13 LSU x  |  | 6  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 3  |
No. 22 Ole Miss |  | 4  | - | 4  |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 4  |
Mississippi State |  | 4  | - | 4  |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  |
Arkansas |  | 2  | - | 6  |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  |
Alabama |  | 2  | - | 6  |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  |
Championship: Tennessee 30, Auburn 29

* $ - Conference champion
* x - Division champion/co-champions

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Steve Spurrier, the Gators compiled an overall record of 10–2 with mark of 6–2 in conference play, tying for second place among the six SEC Eastern Division teams. Florida was invited to the Florida Citrus Bowl, where the Gators defeated Penn State. The team played home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Rank| Site| TV| Result| Attendance| Source

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August 30| Southern Miss*| No. 2|

* Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
* Gainesville, FL

| ESPN2| W 21–6| 85,439| [1]
September 6| Central Michigan*| No. 2|

* Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
* Gainesville, FL

| PPV| W 82–6| 85,347| [2]
September 20| No. 4 Tennessee| No. 3|

* Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
* Gainesville, FL (rivalry, College GameDay)

| CBS| W 33–20| 85,714| [3]
September 27| at Kentucky| No. 1|

* Commonwealth Stadium
* Lexington, KY (rivalry)

| CBS| W 55–28| 59,244| [4]
October 4| Arkansas| No. 1|

* Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
* Gainesville, FL

| ESPN2| W 56–7| 85,253| [5]
October 11| at No. 14 LSU| No. 1|

* Tiger Stadium
* Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry, College GameDay)

| ESPN| L 21–28| 80,677| [6]
October 18| at No. 6 Auburn| No. 7|

* Jordan-Hare Stadium
* Auburn, AL (rivalry, College GameDay)

| CBS| W 24–10| 85,244| [7]
November 1| vs. No. 14 Georgia| No. 6|

* Alltel Stadium
* Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)

| CBS| L 17–37| 84,297| [8]
November 8| Vanderbilt| No. 13|

* Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
* Gainesville, FL

| JPS| W 20–7| 85,305| [9]
November 15| at South Carolina| No. 12|

* Williams–Brice Stadium
* Columbia, SC

| JPS| W 48–21| 80,072| [10]
November 22| No. 2 Florida State*| No. 10|

* Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
* Gainesville, FL (rivalry, College GameDay)

| CBS| W 32–29| 85,677| [11]
January 1, 1998| vs. No. 11 Penn State*| No. 6|

* Florida Citrus Bowl
* Orlando, FL (Florida Citrus Bowl)

| ABC| W 21–6| 72,940| [12]

* *Non-conference game
* Homecoming
* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[13]

## Rankings

[edit]

See also: 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes| Week

|

Poll| Pre| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| Final
AP| 2 (12)| 2 (14)| 2 (14)| 2 (15)| 3 (14)| 1 (32)| 1 (36)| 1 (35)| 7| 6| 6| 13| 12| 10| 7| 6| 6| 4
Coaches| 1 (19)| 1 (19)| 1 (25)| 1 (25)| 1 (25)| 1 (43)| 1 (45)| 1 (48)| 6| 6| 6| 13| 12| 10| 8| 8| 8| 6

## Game summaries

[edit]

### Southern Miss

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025)

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### Central Michigan

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025)

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### Tennessee

[edit]

#4 Tennessee Volunteers (2–0) at #3 Florida Gators (2–0)

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Tennessee | 0 | 7 | 7| 6| 20
Florida | 14 | 6 | 6| 7| 33

at Ben Hill Griffith Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

* Date: September 20
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 95 °F (35 °C)
* Game attendance: 85,714
* Box Score, Box Score/Recap

Game information

First quarter

* UF – Jamie Richardson 11-yard pass from Doug Johnson (Collins Cooper kick), 9:43. Florida 7–0.
* UF – Tony George 88-yard interception return (Collins Cooper kick), 0:15. Florida 14–0.

Second quarter

* UT – Jermaine Copeland 22-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Jeff Hall kick), 1:33. Florida 14–7.
* UF – Jacquez Green 19-yard pass from Doug Johnson (kick failed), 0:45. Florida 20–7.

Third quarter

* UF – Collins Cooper 37-yard field goal, 8:33. Florida 23–7.
* UF – Collins Cooper 40-yard field goal, 3:44. Florida 26–7.
* UT – Jermaine Copeland 8-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Jeff Hall kick), 2:32. Florida 26–14.

Fourth quarter

* UF – Taran Ross 30-yard pass from Doug Johnson (Collins Cooper kick), 6:23. Florida 33–14.
* UT – Cedrick Wilson 16-yard pass from Peyton Manning (pass failed), 2:21. Florida 33–20.

Top passers

* UT – Peyton Manning – 29/51, 353 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
* UF – Doug Johnson – 14/32, 261 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

* UT – Mark Levine – 4 rushes, 27 yards
* UF – Fred Taylor – 17 rushes, 134 yards

Top receivers

* UT – Andy McCullough – 5 receptions, 105 yards
* UF – Jacquez Green – 8 receptions, 185 yards, TD

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The Gators seemed poised for another title, never trailing Manning-led Tennessee at home to regain the top spot in the polls.Tony George memorably returned an interception 88 yards for a score.[14] Peyton Manning went on to be the first overall pick in the NFL Draft and break numerous NFL records, but ended his career without a win against Florida.[15]

### At Kentucky

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025)

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### Arkansas

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025)

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### At LSU

[edit]

See also: 1997 LSU Tigers football team

They struggled midway through the schedule, however, first losing to LSU on the road. Humiliated by the previous season's 56–13 thrashing, LSU came into the 1997 game ready to play. Once again, the Gators were favored in this matchup in Baton Rouge. But it was LSU who jumped out to a big early lead, scoring two touchdowns in the first 8 minutes on runs by Herb Tyler and Tommy Banks. The Gators came right back with two TD runs by Fred Taylor, each of which capped off an 80-yard drive.

Then, Doug Johnson threw an ill-advised pass, and Cedric Donaldson picked it off and returned it for a touchdown to give LSU a 21–14 lead. The Gators' frustration mounted when another Johnson pass was picked off, this time by Mark Roman, and when Herb Tyler scored another touchdown to give LSU a 28–14 lead with 11:40 to go, the Gators appeared to be in big trouble.

Undaunted, Johnson tried to redeem himself with a 13-play, 78-yard drive that ended with Fred Taylor banging into the end zone to cut the Tigers' lead to 28–21. LSU could do nothing with their next possession, and Doug Johnson began moving the ball downfield again. He then faced a rush on a third and two and threw up a Hail Mary which was intercepted by Raion Hill. The Tigers held on for the 28–21 upset.

### At Auburn

[edit]

#7 Florida Gators (5–1) at #6 Auburn Tigers (6–0)

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Florida | 10 | 0 | 7| 7| 24
Auburn | 7 | 3 | 0| 0| 10

at Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama

* Date: October 18
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 65 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 85,244
* Referee: A. Sizemore
* Box Score

Game information

First quarter

* UF – Jamie Richardson 12-yard pass from Jacquez Green (Collins Cooper kick), 11:00. Florida 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 43 yards, 1:41.
* UF – Collins Cooper 22-yard field goal, 5:49. Florida 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 19 yards, 4:03.
* AUB – Tyrone Dillard 15-yard pass from Dameyune Craig (Jaret Holmes kick), 0:16. Florida 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 49 yards, 1:56.

Second quarter

* AUB – Jaret Holmes 20-yard field goal, 0:00. Tie 10–10. Drive: 11 plays, 81 yards, 2:28.

Third quarter

* UF – Jacquez Green 10-yard pass from Noah Brindise (Collins Cooper kick), 7:50. Florida 17–10. Drive: 14 plays, 97 yards, 5:20.

Fourth quarter

* UF – Jacquez Green 5-yard run (Collins Cooper kick), 4:27. Florida 24–10. Drive: 2 plays, 6 yards, 0:49.

Top passers

* UF – Jesse Palmer – 8/14, 92 yards, 2 INT
* AUB – Dameyune Craig – 18/34, 187 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

* UF – Fred Taylor – 34 rushes, 140 yards
* AUB – Rusty Williams – 8 rushes, 22 yards

Top receivers

* UF – Travis McGriff – 3 receptions, 44 yards
* AUB – Karsten Bailey – 4 receptions, 56 yards

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### Vs. Georgia

[edit]

#6 Florida Gators (6–1) vs. #17 Georgia Bulldogs (6–1)

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Georgia | 7 | 7 | 7| 16| 37
Florida | 0 | 3 | 14| 0| 17

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

* Date: November 1
* Game attendance: 84,297
* TV: CBS
* Box Score/Recap

Game information

First quarter

* UGA – Robert Edwards 27-yard run (Hap Hines kick), 10:16. Georgia 7–0.

Second quarter

* UF – Collins Cooper 36-yard field goal, 6:03. Georgia 7–3.
* UGA – Robert Edwards 1-yard run (Hap Hines kick), 3:23. Georgia 14–3.

Third quarter

* UF – Noah Brindise 1-yard run (Collins Cooper kick), 11:23. Georgia 14–10.
* UF – Rod Frazier 3-yard run (Collins Cooper kick), 6:32. Florida 17–14.
* UGA – Robert Edwards 1-yard run (Hap Hines kick), 1:30. Georgia 21–17.

Fourth quarter

* UGA – Dax Langley 27-yard field goal, 9:02. Georgia 24–17.
* UGA – Robert Edwards 37-yard run (kick failed), 5:58. Georgia 30–17.
* UGA – Olandis Gary 7-yard run (Hap Hines kick), 2:44. Georgia 37–17.

Top passers

* UGA – Mike Bobo – 16/27, 260 yards, 3 INT
* UF – Doug Johnson – 12/25, 115 yards, 2 INT

Top rushers

* UGA – Robert Edwards – 26 rushes, 124 yards, 4 TD
* UF – Fred Taylor – 18 rushes, 85 yards

Top receivers

* UGA – Corey Allen – 5 receptions, 116 yards
* UF – Jamie Richardson – 6 receptions, 97 yards

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First loss to Georgia since 1989.

### Vanderbilt

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025)

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### At South Carolina

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025)

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### Florida State

[edit]

#1 Florida State Seminoles at #10 Florida Gators

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Florida St | 10 | 7 | 9| 3| 29
Florida | 6 | 12 | 7| 7| 32

at Ben Hill Griffith Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

* Date: November 22
* Game attendance: 85,677
* USA Today

Florida ended the regular season with a 32–29 upset of top-ranked FSU known as the "greatest game ever played in the Swamp."[16] The Seminoles were driving late in the fourth quarter when the Gator defense stopped them at the 5-yard line, and they settled for a Sebastian Janikowski field goal for a 29–25 lead. On first down of the next drive, quarterback Doug Johnson passed to consensus All-American receiver Jacquez Green from the Gator 20-yeard line for a 62-yard gain. Running back Fred Taylor completed the drive with a touchdown, and Florida took the lead for good 32–29. FSU's final comeback attempt was stymied when senior linebacker Dwayne Thomas intercepted a third-down pass from Thad Busby, costing the Seminoles a chance at the national championship.[17]

Scoring summary

| Quarter  | Time  | Drive | Team  | Scoring information  | Score

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Plays | Yards  | TOP | FSU  | FLA
1  | 10:45  |  |  |  | Florida  | Fred Taylor 3-yard touchdown run, Collins Cooper kick no good  | 0  | 6
1  | 4:32  |  |  |  | Florida St  | Fumble recovery returned 15 yards for touchdown by Sam Cowart, Sebastian Janikowski kick good  | 7  | 6
1  | 1:51  |  |  |  | Florida St  | 28-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski  | 10  | 6
2  | 6:49  |  |  |  | Florida St  | Melvin Pearsall 5-yard touchdown reception from Thad Busby, Sebastian Janikowski kick good  | 17  | 6
2  | 7:10  |  |  |  | Florida  | Travis McGriff 6-yard touchdown reception from Doug Johnson, 2-point pass failed  | 17  | 12
2  | 4:13  |  |  |  | Florida  | Fred Taylor 4-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed  | 17  | 18
3  | 10:32  |  |  |  | Florida St  | 31-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski  | 20  | 18
3  | 9:25  |  |  |  | Florida  | Fred Taylor 61-yard touchdown run, Collins Cooper kick good  | 20  | 25
3  | 5:24  | 8  | 74  |  | Florida St  | Travis Minor 18-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass incomplete  | 26  | 25
4  | 2:38  |  |  |  | Florida St  | 20-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski  | 29  | 25
4  | 1:50  | 3  | 80  |  | Florida  | Fred Taylor 1-yard touchdown run, Collins Cooper kick good  | 29  | 32
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 29  | 32

### Florida Citrus Bowl (vs. Penn State)

[edit]

See also: 1997 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025)

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## Roster

[edit]

1997 Florida Gators football team roster

Players  | Coaches
Offense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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RB | `` | Ian Alestock
OL | `` | Cheston Blackshear
QB | `` | Noah Brindise
RB | `` | Bo Carroll
OL | `` | Mo Collins
TE | `` | Dwight Edge
FB | `` | Rod Frazier
WR | `5` | Jacquez Green | Jr
WR | `` | Darrell Jackson
RB | `` | Terry Jackson
TE | `` | Erron Kinney
RB | `` | Eugene McCaslin
QB | `7` | Jesse Palmer | Fr
QB | `12` | Doug Johnson | So
OL | `` | Ryan Kalich
WR | `` | Nafis Karim
WR | `3` | Travis McGriff | Jr
OL | `` | Zach Piller
WR | `` | Jamie Richardson
QB | `` | Larry Richart
OL | `` | Wyley Ritch
TE | `` | Taras Ross
WR | `` | Ian Skinner
RB | `21` | Fred Taylor | Sr
WR | `` | Travis Taylor
Defense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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DL | `` | Tim Beauchamp
DB | `` | Teako Brown
DL | `` | Ed Chester
DL | `` | Willie Cohens
CB | `1` | Tony George | Jr
DB | `` | Ron Graddy
DL | `` | Jevon Kearse
LB | `` | Keith Kelsey
DL | `` | Reggie McGrew
DL | `` | Mike Moten
LB | `` | Mike Peterson
DL | `` | Willie Rodgers
LB | `` | Johnny Rutledge
LB | `` | Dwayne Thomas
CB | `24` | Fred Weary | Sr
DB | `` | Elijah Williams
Special teams | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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K | `` | Jeff Chandler
K | `95` | Collins Cooper |
P | `` | Josh Korn
P | `` | Robby Stevenson

Head coach

* Steve Spurrier

Coordinators/assistant coaches

* Bob Stoops
* Rod Broadway
Defensive line
* Carl Franks
Offensive coordinator/Running backs
* Sammy McCorkle
Graduate assistant

* * *

Legend

* (C) Team captain
* (S) Suspended
* (I) Ineligible

* Injured
* Redshirt

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Gators crawl to win". Florida Today. August 31, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ "No. 2 Florida airs it out in 82–6 rout". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 7, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "Chokehold stymies Vols". Chicago Tribune. September 21, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Kentucky closes gap, but UF rolls". The Orlando Sentinel. September 28, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "No. 1 Gators butcher Hogs". The Bradenton Herald. October 5, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Motivated Tigers upset Gators". Albuquerque Journal. October 12, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Gators top Auburn with No. 3 QB". The Atlanta Journal. October 19, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "The party's over as Dawgs chomp on Gators". Tallahassee Democrat. November 2, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "To Gators, Vandy is handy". South Florida Sun Sentinel. November 9, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Florida pulls away from Gamecocks". The Times and Democrat. November 16, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "Gator redemption: Rally shocks FSU". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. November 23, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Somber ending; Senior Nittany Lions melancholy after loss to Florida". The Times Leader. January 2, 1998. Retrieved July 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.
14. ^ "No. 3 Gators Find Willing Volunteers". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 1997.
15. ^ "Looking back on Peyton Manning's four losses to the Florida Gators, 1994-97 - OnlyGators.com".
16. ^ Andy Hutchins (May 27, 2012). "Florida Football 2012 100 For 100, No. 97: Remember 1997, And The Greatest Game Ever Played In The Swamp". Alligator Army.
17. ^ "Best Florida-Florida State game ever? 1997".

* v
* t
* e

Florida Gators football

Venues|

* The Baseball Park (1906–1910)
* University Athletic Field / Fleming Field (1911–1930)
* Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (1930–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Alabama
* Auburn
* Florida State (Florida Cup)
* Georgia
* Kentucky
* LSU
* Miami (Florida Cup)
* Tennessee

Culture & lore|

* History
* The Pride of the Sunshine
* Gator Chomp
* Mr. Two Bits
* Gatorade
* I Won't Back Down
* 1961 gambling scandal

People|

* Head coaches
* Ring of Honor
* All-Americans
* UF Athletic Hall of Fame
* Starting quarterbacks
* Statistical leaders
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

National championship seasons in bold
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[No.]: Number