‘Enemy territory’: Former Gator James Bates’ storied battles against Georgia

On By Karl

One of the oldest and most storied rivalries in college football history has been played on a neutral field for nearly 30 years. However, former UF linebacker James Bates experienced all the crazy atmosphere that two passionate fan bases had to offer when the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs met on the field.

He said Bates, who grew up in Texas, wasn’t very knowledgeable about the Florida-Georgia matchup. Still, it didn’t take long for Bates to realize how important the decades-long rivalry was, with former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier at the helm during Florida’s run in the 1990s.

“You learn quickly where the rivalries are,” Bates said. “Especially with Coach Spurrier. I mean, if Coach Spurrier ever showed a little more emotion while preparing for a game, it was the Georgia game. “He loved beating the Bulldogs.”

Spurrier built perhaps the most illustrious coaching career in UF program history. His 122 victories in 12 years are the most in Florida history. Spurrier’s coaching resume also includes a dominant 11-1 record against Georgia.

Bates’ roots at UF run deeper than his playing days. His father was Spurrier’s first defensive coordinator with the Gators, but he wasn’t coaching when Bates arrived on campus as a redshirt freshman.

Late in the third quarter of Florida’s 1994 game against Georgia at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Bates intercepted a pass thrown by former UGA quarterback Eric Zeier and returned it for a touchdown.

“It was pretty cool because my dad was coaching in the NFL at the time and he rarely saw me play,” Bates said. “But whenever he came to our games, I always got interference.”

Bates had the unique experience of being one of the only players in UF history to compete in Florida-Georgia rivalry games in Gainesville, Jacksonville and Athens, Georgia.

Ben Hill said Griffin Stadium was Bates’ favorite place in the world. He stated that some of his best memories in life came from the time he spent under the lights there.

Along with his passion for playing in front of Florida fans, Bates was no stranger to shifting his skills and mentality into a different gear when taking on an away opponent.

“I loved loading it up and getting on the bus with my teammates and going into enemy territory,” Bates said. “It’s kind of like that gladiator feeling, there’s 100,000 people around you, you want to go down, but you and your boys are back to back.”

Bates helped lead Florida’s 1996 team to the national championship against Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. He appeared in 34 of UF’s games from 1994-96; this was a span in which the Gators posted a 34-4 record against their opponents.

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However, as Bates walks down memory lane, he fondly recalls a trip to Athens where Georgia fans hoped to see the Gators crumble under brutal crowd conditions. Instead, the Bulldogs were on the receiving end of a 52-17 loss to Florida in 1995.

“Given how big the rivalry was, the fact that we were able to get through the fences, it’s such a storied venue, it’s an incredible stadium in itself, and to go and not only beat them, but put them on it was great. It’s something I’ll never forget,” Bates said.

Today, you’ll find Bates wandering the halls of Weimer Hall at UF, teaching a play-by-play broadcast class as an adjunct professor. But right across from Weimer, he was sacking quarterbacks, tackling running backs, and returning tackles for touchdowns, sending the then-packed Ben Hill Griffin Stadium into turmoil.

Bates wants nothing more than for the program to return to the prominent place it has had throughout his playing career. He knows as well as anyone what a special place Gainesville can be when the Gators play at elite status.

“We’re playing a little better right now and it’s a lot of fun,” Bates said. “But I teach at UF and I tell them all the time, I want them to be here while we kick our asses because it’s so magical.”
Contact Max Tucker at: [email protected]. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.

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MaxTucker

Max Tucker is the third transfer student at UF. After earning her AA degree in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, she chose to continue her education at the Florida College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently studying for a Bachelor of Journalism, specializing in sports and media. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf with friends and going to the beach.