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Comparing Billy Napier to Florida’s other first year head coaches throughout history

Billy Napier’s first season at the helm of the Florida Gators football program was not quite as successful on the field as most had hoped, but keeping in mind both the turnover of talent as well as what remained after the departure of Dan Mullen, the first-year head coach dealt with some significant challenges on the sidelines last fall.

Over the course of history, the debut campaign for new head coaches has been a bit of a crap shoot, with some like Steve Spurrier getting off to strong starts to their tenure while others like Charlie Pell starting off at rock-bottom. Much of their successes — or lack thereof — were dependent upon the strength of the roster left by the previous staff but there are also other variables in play as well.

Below is a look at every single first-year head coach of Florida’s football program dating back to Jack Forsythe, who kicked things off in Gainesville way back in 1906. This list should give the reader a good data set with which to compare the Gators’ current skipper to those of the past.

Jack Forsythe

Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun

Year: 1906

Record: 5-3

George E. Pyle

Syndication: Gainesville Sun

Year: 1909

Record: 6-1-1

C.J. McCoy

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 1914

Record: 5-2 (2-2 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association)

Alfred R. Busser

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 1917

Record: 2-4 (1-4 SIAA)

William G. Kline

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 1920

Record: 6-3 (1-3 SIAA)

James Van Fleet

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 1923

Record: 6-1-2 (1-0-2 Southern Conference)

Harold Sebring

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 1925

Record: 8-2 (3-2 SC)

Charlie Bachman

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Year: 1928

Record: 8-1 (6-1 SC)

Dennis K. Stanley

Matt Stamey-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 1933

Record: 5-3-1 (2-3 Southeastern Conference)

Josh Cody

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 1936

Record: 4-6 (1-5 SEC)

Tom Lieb

Courtesy: University of Florida SID

Year: 1940

Record: 5-5 (2-3 SEC)

Raymond Wolf

Courtesy: University of Florida SID

Year: 1946

Record: 0-9 (0-5 SEC)

Bob Woodruff

AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Michael C. Weimar

Year: 1950

Record: 5-5 (2-4 SEC)

Ray Graves

AP Photo/File

Year: 1960

Record: 9-2 (5-1 SEC)

Doug Dickey

Ray Graves (Left) and Doug Dickey (Right). Syndication: Nashville

Year: 1970

Record: 7-4 (3-3 SEC)

Charlie Pell

AP Photo

Year: 1979

Record: 0-10-1 (0-6 SEC)

Galen Hall

Allen Dean Steele/Getty Images

Year: 1984

Record: 8-0 (5-0 SEC)

Steve Spurrier

USA TODAY Sports

Year: 1990

Record: 9-2 (6-1 SEC)

Ron Zook

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Year: 2002

Record: 8-5 (6-2 SEC)

Urban Meyer

Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2005

Record: 9-3 (5-3 SEC)

Will Muschamp

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2011

Record: 7-6 (3-5 SEC)

Jim McElwain

Jim McElwain
Jim McElwain

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2015

Record: 10-4 (7-2 SEC)

Dan Mullen

James Gilbert/Getty Images

Year: 2018

Record: 10-3 (5-3 SEC)

Billy Napier

Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2022

Record: 6-7 (3-5 SEC)

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Story originally appeared on Gators Wire