Since 2010, no school has won more than the Florida Division I men’s track and field championship. With so much success, we have built a historic relay team of some of the greatest Gator men’s track and field athletes.
The NCAA Championships currently feature three relay events: the 4x100m relay, the 4x400m relay and the distance medley relay. But which team is the best in Florida history?
First, Florida State has never won a DMR title in program history, and only three Gators have ever won individual titles over 400 meters. Although the Gators won the indoor 4×800-meter relay in 1992, the competition was discontinued. The other options are 4×1 and 4×4.
The Gators have yet to win an indoor 4×4 championship, so comparisons will need to be made during the outdoor season. Florida has won 7 4×1 championships and 7 4×4 outdoor championships. Entering the 2023 season, the Gators hold college records in both relays. In 2023, Florida State posted faster relay times in both events and set the school record, but enters 2024 with only the college 4×4 record.
Deciding which relay best represents the Gators is difficult, but the choice for this all-time relay team is 4×1. 4×1 is better than 4×4 as only seven Florida sprinters have won individual titles in the 400 meters or hurdles, compared to 10 sprinters who have won individual titles in the shorter distance.
A 4×1 race requires an athlete with excellent starting ability. Nothing illustrates a fast start like three consecutive 60-meter titles, as Florida great Jeff Demps did from 2010 to 2012. That’s why Demps is the starter on this historic relay team and not the leadoff man, as he was in Florida’s 4×1 win in 2010.
Today, Demps may be best known for his performances at the 2012 Olympics or with several NFL teams, but his rise to stardom began with the Gators. Demps remains the only Florida athlete to win national championships in two different sports, winning the 2009 BCS National Championship on the football field and four team titles in track and field.
Demps’ victory in the 60 meters was pivotal in the beginning of Florida’s dominance as a men’s track and field team. He scored key points in the Gators’ first track championship at the 2010 Indoor Championships. He became one of the rare athletes to win three 60m titles in a row (Gator is another on that list), and also won the 100m title in 2010.
Bernard Williams was one of Florida’s first great sprinters of the 21st century. In 2000, Williams won the 100-meter dash and also took first place in the second leg of the 4×1 relay. Williams later showed off his relay skills in the second leg of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, leading Team USA to the 4×1 gold medal.
Clearly, Williams should be considered as a candidate for the return leg of this historic relay team. However, his individual 100 m title in 2000 put him ahead of everyone else considered for the position, allowing Williams to secure the record in that all-time relay.
During Grant Holloway’s final two years of college, he started 15 of 16 games, starting with the third leg of the 4×1 tournament. The greatest hurdler in college history and the 2019 Bowerman title winner is on this historic relay team.
Holloway personally brought three 60-meter hurdles championships to the relays from 2017-2019, three 110-meter hurdles championships from 2017-2019 and a 60-meter hurdles championship in 2019. During his collegiate career, Holloway dominated the hurdles for three consecutive years, setting collegiate records both indoors and outdoors. He also competed in the long jump during his Gator career.
If his personal success wasn’t enough, Holloway also ran a college record 37.97 seconds during the third leg of the 2019 NCAA Championships relay in Florida. This record will remain until 2023.
When it comes to putting this list together, one thing is for sure: Joseph Fahnbulle won’t lose his place at the top if he makes the all-time team. However, despite Farnbra’s struggles in college, he was still an elite runner with tremendous speed.
Fahnbulle won his first NCAA title in 2021 in the 200 meters outdoors. In 2022, he won again in the 200 meters, becoming the ninth Gator men’s athlete to win back-to-back NCAA outdoor championships. Fahnbulle also won the 100m at the same event in 2022, but his most notable performance may have been in the 4×1, which he lost.
Fahnbulle ran the main stage for the Gators and nearly caught the winning USC team in the final sprint. He ended up finishing second by 0.03 seconds, but his performance in that race saw him become a fixture on the Florida Gators 4×1 team.
Two notable omissions were missed because they went through the same phase throughout their college careers. Eddie Lovett started every game in his collegiate career and Dedrick Dukes started every game in his collegiate career.
Armand Hall ran 4×1 while in college, but didn’t make the list because he primarily ran the 400 meters. Hugh Graham is another interesting absence after winning the NCAA title in the second round in 2013 and 2014. He is the best candidate to succeed Bernard Williams.
Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since worked as a reporter for FCS, track and field, cross country and HBCU games. He has covered numerous NCAA championships, including the FCS Championships, DI Track and Field Championships and the Men’s Snow Quad. In addition, he will cover the 2022 College Football Playoff Peach Bowl and HBCU sporting events such as the Celebration Bowl and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in writing and played football for five years as a writer. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton.
Post time: Apr-07-2024