Danny Wuerffel Named Francis ‘Reds’ Bagnell Award Winner

Gators football legend Danny Wuerffel was named the winner of the Francis “Reds” Bagnell Award on Tuesday.

The award is presented to an individual who makes great contributions to college football each year. Wuerffel will receive the award at the 89th annual Maxwell Awards on March 14 at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

Wuerrfel spent four years at Florida from 1993 to 1996, leading the country in passing touchdowns in 1995 and 1996. He won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award in 1996, when the Gators defeated rival Florida State to win the program’s first national championship. Wuerffel won four SEC championships with Florida, setting 17 NCAA and Florida records in the process. He was named an All-American and won the Campbell award in 1996 as well. Wuerffel was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

The New Orleans Saints drafted him in the 1997 NFL Draft. He bounced around the league before retiring in 2004.

After retiring from playing football, Wuerffel stayed involved in the sport. The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy was named after him in 2005, which is college football’s premier award recognizing community service, leadership and impact beyond the game. He created Desire Street Ministries and the Wuerffel Foundation once his playing career ended. 

Florida inducted Wuerffel into the Florida Ring of Honor and retired his number in 2011, cementing his legacy in Gainesville forever.

Category: College Football, Former Gators, Gators Football