Florida Football: 10 greatest Florida State rivalry games, Part 1

9. 1966: Florida 22, Florida State 19 (depending on who you ask)

The “Silver 60s” were a special time for the Florida football team. Legendary head football coach Ray Graves was turning the Gators into a forced to be reckoned with and quarterback Steve Spurrier was emerging as a Heisman contender.

Meanwhile up the road, Florida State teams were finally starting to taste success, having beaten their rival Gators for the first time in 1964 and beating Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl that year to finish 9-1-1.

The 1966 matchup was a special one for the Florida vs. FSU rivalry.

The Gators were undefeated and seen as having a very real chance of a national title. The Seminoles were 1-1 but had beaten a bowl bound Miami of Florida team. It’s worth noting that the matchup took place a little earlier in the year in those days, occurring on Oct. 8 in Tallahassee. Both teams had only begun their seasons in mid-September.

Florida was an offensive juggernaut and the expectation was that Spurrier and his talented corps of receivers would have their way with the startup Seminoles. Instead, Florida State’s defense came of age, limiting the Gators to only 98 yards of rushing offense on the day. Spurrier still managed to throw three touchdown passes as the lead changed hands four times on the afternoon.

Late in the game, his Seminole counterpart Gary Pacjic found a streaking Lane Fenner on his way to the end zone and appeared to hit the receiver for a 45-yard touchdown, which would have given Florida State a 25-22 lead and likely won the game for the Noles.

Florida State fans were hooting and hollering in their perceived victory, only to watch with horror as the line judge ruled that Fenner was out of bounds. There was no coach’s challenge, no instant replay in the mid-1960s, so FSU had to live with the call. A last-ditch field goal attempt fell short, and the ‘Noles fell to the Gators, 22-19.

Florida would go on to a 9-2 year and victory over Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl, while Spurrier took home the Heisman. Florida State wound up 6-5, without a bowl bid in an era where the postseason was a much harder place to reach.

As a fanbuzz.com article on the 1966 clash put it, Florida State fans see the real star of this game as the referees. The 2014 Florida State media guide credits FSU with a 26-22 victory. Leave it to two arch rivals to not agree on who won a game. Clint Eiland of thedailynole.com cites the 1966 UF vs. FSU game as possibly “where the storied rivalry truly began”.