Florida football Top 30 players countdown from 1996 | No. 2 Reidel Anthony

It was a breakthrough national championship, highlighted by the Fun' N' Gun offense, a Heisman-winning quarterback and a visor-wearing coach with swagger that stretched from Key West to Pensacola. Florida football won its first national title 30 years ago, capping a 12-1 season in 1996 with a 52-20 win over rival Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. Two of the three statues erected in front of The Swamp played a key role in the championship season. Heisman winner Steve Spurrier, in his sixth season as UF coach, guided an offense that lit up scoreboards like a pinball machine. With Spurrier calling the plays, the Florida Gators led the nation in total offense (503.9 ypg) while leading the SEC in scoring offense (47.0 ppg, an SEC record that still stands). Starting quarterback Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy, passing for 3,625 yards and 39 TDs. Defensively, Florida transformed into a more aggressive, blitzing unit under first-year coordinator Bob Stoops. UF ranked third in the conference in total defense (250.2 yards per game allowed) and third in turnovers forced (2.2 per game). To honor the 30th anniversary of 1996 national title team, the Gainesville Sun is counting down the top 30 players from the team. Here's a look at No. 2: No. 2 Reidel Anthony Why Anthony is No. 2: The 5-foot-11, 176-pound Anthony was a dominant receiver during Florida's national championship 1996 season, catching 72 passes for 1,293 yards and 18 TDs, an SEC record that stood until Ja'Marr Chase caught 20 TDs for LSU in 2019. After earning consensus first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors, Anthony was taken in the first round (16th overall) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1997 NFL Draft. In five seasons with the Buccaneers (1997-01), Anthony had 144 catches for 1,846 yards and 16 TDs. He finished his NFL career in 2002 on Washington's practice squad. Florida football Top 30 player countdown from 1996 championship team No. 30: Cooper Carlisle No. 29: Ryan Kalich No. 28 Shea Showers No. 27 Demtric Jackson No. 26 Travis McGriff No, 25 Tim Beauchamp No. 24 Cameron Davis No. 23 Tremayne Allen No. 22 Jevon Kearse No. 21 Tony George No. 20 Zach Piller No. 19 Mo Collins No. 18 Johnny Rutledge No. 17 Teako Brown No. 16 Reggie McGrew No. 15 Terry Jackson No. 14 Mike Peterson No. 13 Fred Taylor No. 12 Elijah Williams No. 11 Donnie Young No. 10 Fred Weary No. 9 Anthone Lott No. 8 Ed Chester No. 7 James Bates No. 6 Jeff Mitchell No. 5 Jacquez Green No. 4 Ike Hilliard No. 3 Lawrence Wright Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football Top 30 players countdown from 1996 | No. 2 Reidel Anthony