Every fall, Florida football tears through the city of Gainesville. Fans flood the town with pure excitement at the prospect of a new season for their college team.
In 1990, a historical era was scheduled to begin as Heisman-winner Steve Spurrier spent his first summer working with the Gators. Florida had announced Spurrier’s return to Gainesville as head coach in December 1989.
In August 1990, just as students were preparing for classes and football to start, Sonja Larson and Christina Powell were murdered in their off-campus apartment. Excitement was traded for fear, and three more students fell victim to the “Gainesville Ripper.”
ESPN’s documentary series “30 for 30” will feature “14 Days in Gainesville,” an episode detailing Spurrier’s unsteady return to Florida. The documentary is scheduled to premiere on ESPN and the ESPN app on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
The episode will use multiple accounts, including Spurrier’s, to describe how the murders shaped the beginning of Spurrier’s coaching career for the Gators.
On Aug. 26, 1990, the bodies of Sonja Larson and Christina Powell were discovered, beginning what would become two weeks of terror as Danny Rolling’s identity remained unknown. The next day, Christa Hoyt was found. A day after that, Tracy Paules and Manuel Taboada were found as well.
In just four days, five University of Florida students had been murdered with football season scheduled to begin in just over one week.
The killer was finally caught on Sept. 7, when Danny Rolling was arrested in Ocala, 10 days after the last of the murders was discovered.
The following day, Spurrier made his debut, leading Florida to a 50-7 win over Oklahoma State in The Swamp. He went on to finish his first season 9-2, with a 6-1 conference record.
Clearly, the timeline alone does not tell the full story. The promise of a new age for Gator football provided students and Gainesville residents alike with a sanctuary from the horror movie they were living in.
ESPN’s official release said the documentary will cover “how a football program preparing for a new beginning became intertwined with a community confronting an unthinkable tragedy and a serial killer on the loose.”
