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The late John Reaves was part of one of the most dubious moments in the history of the Orange Bowl stadium. A native of Tampa, Reaves was a record setting quarterback at the University of Florida from 1969 to 1971. On November 27, 1971, Reaves broke Jim Plunkett’s then NCAA record for career passing yards against the University of Miami at the Orange Bowl. Reaves is pictured below getting carried off the field by his Gator teammates. However, the record was set in controversial fashion. Late in the game, the Gators were leading the Hurricanes 45-8 with only a few minutes remaining. Florida defensive players dropped to the ground, allowing Miami quarterback John Hornibrook to score a meaningless late touchdown. The ploy allowed the Gators offense to get the ball back for Reaves with enough time to break the record. Reaves would set the record, completing a pass to receiver Carlos Alvarez. The ploy is known dubiously as the “Gator Flop” and is considered one of the most infamous moments in Orange Bowl history. After the game, Florida players jumped into the Orange Bowl fountain and celebrated behind the east end zone. Miami head coach Fran Curci refused to shake hands with Florida coach Doug Dickey.
After a great college career, Reaves was selected in the 1st round of the 1972 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. But his NFL career fizzled and was plagued with drug abuse off the field. He played 10 NFL seasons with 5 different teams. Reaves made a comeback in 1983 with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL, then coached by Steve Spurrier. He played three seasons with the Bandits.
After his playing career, Reaves went into coaching. He spent 5 seasons on Spurrier’s staff at the University of Florida from 1990 to 1994 as a quarterback coach He then joined Brad Scott’s staff at the University of South Carolina from 1995 to 1997. His daughter Layla was married to current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. His son Stephen was a former backup quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL. Off the field Reaves struggled off and on with substance abuse. He passed away on August 1, 2017. John Reaves was 67 years old. To read more stories about the Orange Bowl. visit on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/
