2001 Florida Gators football team

2001 Florida Gators football
Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 56–23 vs. Maryland
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 3
Record10–2 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive schemeFun and gun
Defensive coordinatorJon Hoke (3rd season)
Base defense4–3
Captains
Home stadiumBen Hill Griffin Stadium
2001 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Eastern Division
No. 4 Tennessee x  7 1   11 2  
No. 3 Florida  %  6 2   10 2  
No. 13 South Carolina  5 3   9 3  
No. 22 Georgia  5 3   8 4  
Kentucky  1 7   2 9  
Vanderbilt  0 8   2 9  
Western Division
No. 7 LSU xy$  5 3   10 3  
Auburn x  5 3   7 5  
Ole Miss  4 4   7 4  
Alabama  4 4   7 5  
Arkansas  4 4   7 5  
Mississippi State  2 6   3 8  
Championship: LSU 31, Tennessee 20
  • $ BCS representative as conference champion
  • % BCS at-large representative
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2001 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Steve Spurrier in his 12th and final season as head coach, the Gators compiled an overall record of 10–2 with mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing second in the SEC's Eastern Division title. Florida was invited to the Orange Bowl, where the Gators defeated Maryland. The team played home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.

Sophomore quarterback Rex Grossman threw for over 4,000 yards and was Heisman Trophy runner-up. Grossman, wide receiver Jabar Gaffney and defensive end Alex Brown were consensus All-Americans. Brown's 33 sacks is still a school record for a career.

In early January, Spurrier resigned as Florida's head coach.