Former Florida Gators Fail to Capture Super Bowl Ring For First Time Since 2011

In the midst of an eventful and tumultuous season, the Super Bowl culminated in what many believed to be one of the greatest quarterback matchups of all-time between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs.

The bout between NFC and AFC heavyweights at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (Fla.) was underwhelming for many, but cause for celebration for others as first-year Bucs quarterback Tom Brady achieved the remarkable feat of capturing his seventh, and possibly most impressive, Super Bowl victory.

Going 21-for-29 passing, 201 yards and three touchdowns, Brady remarkably added another milestone to his legacy that already reigns synonymous with Greatest of All Time.

Orchestrating a dominant victory over the Chiefs, Tampa Bay put the talks of a high-scoring, back and forth affair to bed by holding Patrick Mahomes to one of his worst performances in the National Football League.

Completing just 53% of his passes for 270 yards and two interceptions, Mahomes received pressure all game long, leading to no touchdowns scored and just nine points for KC, the first time that a Mahomes-led offense was held under 20 points in the NFL.

Walking away with a 31 to 9 upset victory, the Buccaneers were awarded the Super Bowl LV victory for the first time since the 2002 season. With that win, they ended their nearly two-decade drought while also snapping a nine-year Gators streak in the process.

In all Super Bowls played since 2011, the Gators have had at least one representative hoist the Lombardi Trophy for each respective winner. The list includes 12 former players to wear the Gators orange and blue from a number of different regimes dating back to the early 2000s.

Since the New York Giants' Super Bowl XLVI victory over the New England Patriots in 2011, Florida has remained a constant force on the NFL’s biggest stage.

From that season on, Florida has seen Justin Trattou for the Giants, Deonte Thompson for the Ravens, Percy Harvin for the Seahawks, Dominique Easley for the Patriots, Max Garcia, Andre Caldwell and Lerentee McCray for the Broncos, Jacoby Brissett for the Patriots, Trey Burton, Jaylen Watkins and Caleb Sturgis for the Eagles, Trent Brown for the Patriots, and, finally, Demarcus Robinson for the Chiefs last season.

Looking to build upon that impressive résumé in 2020, 47 former Gators landed on 20 different teams to begin the year. In the NFL’s final game of the year, Florida was represented by punter Tommy Townsend and wide receiver Robinson on Sunday night, both residing with Kansas City in their repeat efforts.

As a result, a Chiefs victory would have allowed the Gators to extend the Super Bowl winning mark to ten. However, their incompetent efforts offensively — majorly due to the lack of three starters on the offensive line and a full-proof gameplan by Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles — resulted in the crushing defeat for Andy Reid's squad.

With the Buccaneers roster lacking a UF representative, Florida’s nine-year streak came to a screeching halt and will look to restart when the 2021 season comes about.