Florida
Three Former Florida Gators Nominated for 2025 Hall of Fame
The National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame on Monday announced the ballot for its 2025 class, which includes three former Florida Gators.
Former head coach Urban Meyer (2005-2010), defensive lineman Alex Brown (1998-2001) and defensive tackle Brad Culpepper (1988-2001) make up the group of Gators on this year’s ballot.
In six years leading the UF football program, Meyer brought Florida back to highs previously felt during the Steve Spurrier era. The Gators won two national championships in three seasons, two SEC championships in three seasons and won three SEC East titles in four years.
His 65 wins in his six seasons are third in school history, and his 81.7% winning percentage is second.
After leaving Florida, Meyer spent a year away from football before becoming Ohio State’s head coach prior to the 2012 season. He won his third national championship as a head coach in the 2014 season by winning the first College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Meyer left Ohio State after the 2018 season with an overall record of 83-9, three Big 10 titles and seven division titles (the Buckeyes finished first in their division in 2012 but were ineligible for postseason play.
Including his head coaching stops at Bowling Green and Utah prior to his stops at Florida and Ohio State, Meyer’s 85.4 winning percentage is third in FBS history.
Should he be inducted, Meyer would be the fifth UF head coach in the Hall of Fame joining Charles Bachman (1928-1932), Ray Graves (1960-1969), Doug Dickey (1970-1978) and Spurrier (1990-2001), who was inducted as both a player and a coach.
Brown and Culpepper’s nominations are the newest accolades in a long list of personal awards for the former Gators.
During his time in Gainesville, Culpepper was a consensus First Team All-American (1991), NFF Campbell Trophy winner (nation’s top scholar athlete) and two-time All-SEC winner. His 47.5 tackles-for-loss remain the sixth-most in school history. After his career ended, UF inducted Culpepper into its Athletic Hall of Fame as a “Gator Great.”
Brown left Florida in 2001 as one of the greatest to ever wear the Orange and Blue. His 33 career sacks and 13 sacks in a single season remain school records to this day. His 2001 campaign, during which he broke the sack record, led to him being a consensus First Team All-American, finalist for the Lombardi and Nagurski awards and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2025 inductees will be announced early next year with the induction to be held on Dec. 9, 2025 at the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas.
Overall, Florida has 14 former affiliates who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, 10 of those being players. Steve Spurrier was inducted as both a player and a coach. The Gators’ last inductee was former quarterback Tim Tebow in 2023.
Florida
Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold named in Florida court filing
Florida
Video: Injured Florida manatee rescued by authorities, receiving medical care at ZooTampa
FORT MYERS, Fla. – An injured manatee and her calf are recovering after authorities on a boat rescued them from the Orange River near Fort Myers on Thursday.
What we know:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said its Marine Unit, Advanced Technology Support Unit, drone pilots and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped in saving the pair after the mother was found hurt in the water and in need of medical attention.
READ: Missing Florida man found stuck in mud without food or water for days: PFD
Video shows authorities pulling the frantic manatees safely onto the boat in netting before taking them to shore.
Courtesy: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Both animals will be taken to ZooTampa for evaluation and medical care.
What we don’t know:
LCSO did not say the extent of the mother’s injuries.
By the numbers:
As of Feb. 20, there have been 85 manatee deaths across Florida in 2026, according to the FWC. Last year reportedly saw a total of 632 manatee deaths.
Dig deeper:
Earlier this month, the FWC began investigating a spike in manatee deaths, specifically in Lee County, where officials say 25 were found dead within a week.
READ: FWC investigating spike in manatee deaths over the past week
The FWC believes these manatee deaths could be from several factors: cold stress, a lack of seagrass and polluted waterways.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Florida
Cuba says 4 killed after speedboat from Florida opened fire in Cuban waters
Trump threatens tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba
Trump warned Cuba to reach an agreement with the U.S. after signing an executive order to impose tariffs on countries that supply the island with oil.
HAVANA (Reuters) – Four people were killed and seven others were wounded on Feb. 25 after a speedboat from Florida entered Cuban waters and opened fire on Cuban forces, who returned fire, Cuba’s Interior Ministry said.
All four dead were aboard the Florida-based speedboat, and another six were injured, Cuba said. In addition, the Cuban commander of border patrol boat was wounded, Cuba said.
The wounded foreign attackers were evacuated and received medical attention, Cuba said.
The incident took place amid heightened tension between Cuba and the United States, which has blocked virtually all oil shipments to the island, increasing pressure on the Communist-run government. American forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Jan. 3, removing a key Cuban ally from power.
“Faced with the current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban state in safeguarding its sovereignty and stability in the region,” the Cuban statement said.
Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Havana.
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