NCAA to Take Florida Off Probation Early

The University of Florida announced Thursday that the NCAA will remove the Gators’ football team from probation and declare them eligible for postseason play this year.

Interestingly, the Gators have a 1-3 record after two straight seasons in which teams with the best records in the school’s history had to sit out postseason competition.

The Gators were prevented from representing the Southeastern Conference in the 1985 Sugar Bowl and were stripped of their SEC title. Their 9-1-1 record was the best in the school’s history and they finished third in the Associated Press poll.

Last year, they were ranked No. 1 until a late-season loss to Georgia, then wound up 9-1-1, ranked fifth nationally.

The school said it was notified that its two-year probation would end effective Jan. 13, 1987. But Florida will be eligible to participate in a bowl game at the end of this season, if invited.

Florida was placed on probation in January 1985 after being found guilty of 59 violations of 38 NCAA regulations.

The NCAA investigation had earlier resulted in the ousters of Coach Charley Pell and assistant coaches Dwight Adams and Joe Kines.