Florida football great Maurkice Pouncey inducted into 2025 Florida Athletics Hall of Fame
Florida football great Maurkice Pouncey inducted into 2025 Florida Athletics Hall of Fame
The University of Florida announced its 2025 Florida Athletics Hall of Fame 2025 inductees on Wednesday and included offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey among the seven student-athletes to earn the honor.
Originally from Lakeland, Florida, appeared in 41 games for the Gators while starting 39 of them from 2007-2009. His efforts as an All-American right guard and center helped lead the Gators to their last SEC and national title in 2008.
He became the first Gator in program history to win the Rimington Trophy — awarded annually to the nation's best center — in 2009. He also collected First-Team All-America honors from Walter Camp, CBSSports.com, Sporting News and the FWAA following that season, and was a unanimous First-Team All-SEC selection on top of all that.
Maurkice Pouncey's NFL career
Pouncey was selected in the first round (16th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2010 NFL draft, beginning a 10-year career that kept him in the Steel City for a full decade by finishing third in the Rookie of the Year award vote.
He started all 134 games he appeared for the Steelers and was a two-time First-Team All-Pro, a three-time Second-Team All-Pro, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and a member of the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team.
Full 2025 Florida Athletics Hall of Fame Class
Theresa Andrews, swimming (1981-83)
Charlotte Browning, track and field/cross country (2008-10)
Kitty Cullen, lacrosse (2010-13)
Marquis Dendy, track and field (2012-15)
Lauren Haeger, softball (2012-15)
Kytra Hunter, gymnastics (2012-15)
Maurkice Pouncey (2007-09)
Florida Athletics Hall of Fame Class induction info
Inductees will be honored at the UF athletics Hall of Fame Banquet, scheduled for Oct. 17, ahead of Florida's home football game the following day against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark Nearly Got Indiana Fever in Trouble for Unbelievable Reason
Caitlin Clark Nearly Got Indiana Fever in Trouble for Unbelievable Reason originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Few would argue that Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the most popular and marketable star in the WNBA right now. Advertisement Clark's fame has grown so much since the Fever drafted her No. 1 overall in 2024 that she's seemingly setting ratings records every time she steps on the court. The Fever's 93-58 season-opening win over the Chicago Sky on May 17 drew an average of 2.7 million viewers and peaked with 3.1 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched WNBA regular-season game on the network and overall in the last 25 years. Last season, Clark played in the most-watched regular-season game of the season (vs. the Sky on June 3, 3.3 million viewers), he most-viewed WNBA game on any ESPN platform (vs. the Connecticut Sun on May 20, 2.97 million viewers), and the most-watched WNBA All-Star Game ever (3.44 million viewers). But viewership wasn't the only area Clark dominated. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts to a call in the second half against the Washington Mystics at Entertainment & Sports Faith Morgan-Imagn Images The WNBA Rookie of the Year had the best-selling jersey in the WNBA and the second-highest selling jersey across professional basketball behind only Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, according to Fanatics. Advertisement In fact the Fever sold so much Clark gear that the team store was actually looked into for its crazy Clark-related sales boom, according to Indiana-based journalist Travonne Edwards 'The quota has been reached in the team store to the point where they got audited,' Edwards said during an appearance on "The Right Time with Bomani Jones.' 'They sold so much [Caitlin Clark] gear that people thought it wasn't legit?' Jones asked. '…There's a shoe that's supposed to come out — a Kobe 5 with her colorway — it's on the internet for $5,000 right now. You know how you've been to the big school, like JJ Redick played for Duke, and he gets to Orlando and that motion don't follow — this followed.' Fortunately for the Fever, their bookkeeping was in order and the sales spike made sense once the final merchandise numbers were out. Advertisement Clark's home Fever jersey sold out less than an hour after being drafted last year, making her the highest-selling WNBA draft pick ever. Fanatics also reported that WNBA merchandise sales were up over 1,000% year-over-year thanks to Clark, Sky star Angel Reese, New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, and Clark's Iowa teammate Kate Martin, who played her rookie season for the Las Vegas Aces and is currently with the expansion Golden State Valkyries. They ranked No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 in merchandise sales, respectively. Related: It Took Caitlin Clark's Replacement Just 1 Game to Move Into Top 10 In This One Stat This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Candace Parker Breaks Silence on Rumored Caitlin Clark Tension
Candace Parker Breaks Silence on Rumored Caitlin Clark Tension originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There's no question that Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the face of the WNBA. The league went out of its way to feature Clark and the Fever is as many primetime games that it could this season, and Clark's impact is undeniable when looking at ticket sales, merchandise sales, and television ratings. Advertisement And while Clark's presence in the league has been a topic of dissension for some current and past players, most notably six-time All-Star Sheryl Swoopes, recently retired three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker went out of her way to let everyone know she's not one of them. During a recent appearance on 'The Take,' Parker admitted to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that despite what's been portrayed in the media (several reports have claimed retired players are resentful of the younger players for potentially earning more money than they did), she actually has zero problem with the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin ClarkGrace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images In fact, Parker went on record stating she's a fan of what Clark is doing a season and some change into her WNBA career. Advertisement 'You know, it's so crazy to me because I'm asked so many times if I'm resentful in any type of way for where the WNBA is right now,' Parker stated. 'My job was to leave the game better than I came into it. 'You think Cheryl Miller is resentful for me that I had a league to play in? No, she's being the mentor that she is, and she's supporting and loving and sitting courtside cheering on JuJu Watkins. And I'm doing the same for Caitlin Clark and all the women in the WNBA.' Legendary Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Lee-Imagn Images The WNBA's 'changing of the guard' has been a front-and-center issue for months — really since Chicago Sky star Angel Reese boldly stated if the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations don't go the way the players want in terms of salary increases, there will be the threat of a lockout. Advertisement And while Clark has done nothing but bring more eyes to televisions and more people to seats in WNBA arenas, any drastic changes happening in the league are being attributed to her. Related: Caitlin Clark Nearly Got Indiana Fever in Trouble for Unbelievable Reason Related: Brittney Griner Bracing for Punishment After Altercation With WNBA Official This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New $3 million addition could put Cowboys ahead of curve in revolutionizing red-zone play
It's not common practice to develop a specialist role for a key position such as quarterback in today's NFL. A starter is a starter and removing said player tips off intensions and frankly comes off as a little disrespectful. For the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott, replacing the QB in select goal-line packages could be seen as both, even if it seems like a smart course of action for all parties involved. The Cowboys touchdown scoring percentage in the red zone was just 46 percent in 2024. That was second to last in the NFL, ranking only above the lowly Giants. The Cowboys' inability to get into the endzone was a season-long issue, dating back before Prescott's season-ending injury. It left points on the board and ultimately demoralized an already fragile unit. Advertisement Prescott is scheduled to return in 2025 with a full bill of health. In previous seasons, he's been an assassin from the red zone, guiding the Cowboys to a No. 12 ranking in 2023 and to No. 1 overall ranking in 2022. Given his past proficiency, it's not preposterous to think he can bounce back to those levels again in 2025, but is the risk worth it? A major part of Prescott's redzone efficiency lies in his ability to run the ball. As a ball carrier Prescott operated at a 0.40 EPA/play with a 100 percent success rate on two attempts in 2024. The season before he was at 0.16 EPA/play with a 71.43% success rate on 14 attempts. QBs are universally a highly efficient rushing option from the red zone; the only downside is such plays open them up to hits and potential injury. The Cowboys can ill afford to suffer and injury of Prescott's magnitude so alternatives need to be explored. Prescott, 32, is the highest paid player in the NFL and an irreplaceable part on the Cowboys' machine. He's not injury prone, per say, but having missed five or more games in three of the last five seasons, he's not exactly made of metal either. Using him as a runner might be more risk than the Cowboys want to take on and finding a replacement option may not be as crazy as it sounds when all factors are under consideration. After adding Joe Milton in an offseason trade, the Cowboys have an intriguing option as a situational replacement to Prescott. The highly gifted, yet severely underdeveloped, quarterback prospect is sure to drive headlines throughout the summer with dazzling throws and highlight runs. Milton, who has three years and $3 million remaining on his rookie deal, could be the answer in the red zone based on his skillset and dispensability. If Prescott gets hurt tucking and running the season might be over for the Cowboys. If Milton gets hurt running the rock, it's unlikely to have any impact on the success or failure of the season, and the financial investment in him is already minimal. At 6-foot-5, 246-pounds, Milton is built for the part. Coming from an RPO-rich offense in college, Milton is an ideal dual-threat inside the redzone. His reads downfield and accuracy as a passer leave something to be desired, but if cast into zone-read role where he can either handoff or run it himself, he offers something Prescott does not. Incorporating a single read as a passer is a great way to take that zone-read attack into a simple, but multifaceted, RPO. Advertisement Once upon a time the idea of having a dedicated closer in baseball seemed absurd. It wasn't until the late 1970s when teams started to designate specialists and from there it took years before it became the norm. In much the same way an occasional red-zone specialist could be normalized on early downs in the NFL. For teams with veteran QBs who are too important to risk and somewhat susceptible to injury, bringing in a dual-threat QB on early downs (non-obvious passing downs) could be a great way to take advantage of the game's highest leverage situations. QB runs are an important part of an efficient redzone offense but with a QB1 who's too important to risk, situational alternatives should be explored. Can Milton be that alternative? You can follow Reid on X @ReidDHanson and be sure to follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans! This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Joe Milton could give Cowboys creative advantage in red-zone scenarios
