The Florida Gators were a football powerhouse from 2006 to 2009, winning two college national championships in 2006 and 2008 and also producing two SEC titles and a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback.
Many of us are familiar with the heroics of Tim Tebow and the talented Gators teams he led, but this new Netflix docuseries titled “Swamp Kings” promises to give an unprecedented inside look at what was really happening during those legendary years at the University of Florida.
The series is a product of Netlflix’s sports documentary production called Untold, which just recently gave an inside look at the rise of fall of Johnny Manziel’s college and pro football career. It seems like they’ve really carved out a lane for telling college sport’s most infamous stories…
Untold: Swamp Kings will be a four-part series that releases on August 22nd, serving as the perfect appetizer for the college football season (“Week 0” kicks off next weekend). And though football fans will be excited to see what the 2023-2024 season has in store, they’ll surely be excited to look back on the chaotic and complicated height of Florida Gators football.
From the outside looking in, the program that was run by head coach Urban Meyer and featured talented players like Tim Tebow, Aaron Hernandez, and even Cam Newton (for a short period of time) looked like an unstoppable and cohesive force. And that might have been true on the football field, but off the field, it’s one of the most troubled and convicted (literally) teams to ever be assembled.
For reference, here’s a list of some of the 30 players from the Florida teams that committed crimes and what they were charged with:
-Tight End Aaron Hernandez was convicted of murder in 2015 and later killed himself in prison
-Safety Tony Joiner reached a plea deal after being charged with murder in 2022
-Defensive back Jamar Hornsby was arrested for 70 fraudulent charges on a credit card in 2008
-Offensive Lineman Ronnie Wilson shot off an AK-47 in a nightclub and was dismissed from the program in 2007
The crazy thing is that I could go on and on about all the things that Florida Gators got in trouble for, either during their time with the team or after the fact. Even Cam Newton transferred out of Florida at one point after he stole a laptop from a University of Florida classmate.
All while Tim Tebow was kneeling in the end zone (praying, not protesting) and writing “John 3:16” on his eye black.
Apparently Urban Meyer didn’t run a very tight ship during his tenure at Florida, which honestly makes sense considering the recent dumpster fire that was his NFL stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Swamp Kings is sure to cover the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Meyer and Tebow led Florida Gators teams, and the trailer looks phenomenal.
Take a look:
Fans are excited to re-live the Florida Gators dynasty and learn more about the “underbelly” of the program, leaving replies underneath the trailer saying:
I am so hyped for this.
— Blake Walker (@Blake_Walker8) August 18, 2023
I can’t wait to hate Urban even more after seeing this
— KML (@giveemKell83) August 18, 2023
Been waiting for a documentary series on the Meyer era gators. It was a crazy time in Gainesville. Curious to see how people react to it!
— Matt (Moirayn) (@g8rmwr) August 18, 2023
