Georgia and Florida will battle on the field in Atlanta on Halloween afternoon in the latest chapter of their storied SEC rivalry, with a national TV audience watching the 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC.
But the day before, on Oct. 30 at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame down the road in Atlanta, there will be another tradition taking place involving the 2 legendary programs. At noon ET, the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame will induct 4 new members during a ceremony and luncheon.
The quartet of new inductees to the prestigious Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame will feature 2 legends from each program. For Georgia, it will be wide receiver Andre Hastings and cornerback Brandon Boykin being inducted, and for Florida it will be running back Emmitt Smith and offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey.
The electrifying Hastings finished his Georgia career with 124 catches for 1,876 yards and 13 touchdowns, playing 3 seasons in Athens before being drafted in the NFL in 1993.
Boykin was a dynamic and versatile playmaker in the defensive backfield for the Bulldogs between 2008-11.
On the Florida side, Smith turned into one of the best running backs in NFL history before it was all over, but before that he was a legend in Gainesville, too. Smith starred at Florida during a memorable 3-year run from 1987-89, when he rewrote the Gators’ record book before going on to that amazing NFL career.
Finally, there is Pouncey, who was an anchor along the offensive line during an illustrious period in Florida football history. Pouncey played at Florida between 2007-09, and during his 3 seasons in Gainesville, he helped the Gators go 36-5, win 2 SEC titles and capture the 2008 national championship.
The Bulldogs and Gators will be playing each other later this season, but they’ll also be chasing the SEC crown that Georgia has captured the past 2 seasons. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about both teams’ chances to win that coveted conference trophy in December:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
