The University of Florida officially resumed the final two years of college statistics for basketball legend Vernon Maxwell, a move that once again made him an all-time leading scorer for the program.
Vernon Maxwell leads Florida to the first NCAA Championship
Maxwell scored 2,450 points in four seasons at Florida (1985-89). He averaged 18.8 points per game and led the Gators to their first NCAA Championship in 1987.
Prior to this week, Maxwell ranked 55th in the school’s all-time scoring list. Now he is ahead of Ronnie Williams (1980-84), ranking third in SEC history, behind only LSU’s “Pistol” Pete Pete Maravich (3,667 points, 1967-70) and Allan Houston (2,801, 1990-93).
According to college basketball reference, Maxwell ranked fourth in the SEC for professional shooting (921), second in the professional shooting attempt (1,995), and 15 minutes in the game (4,194).
Additionally, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard is a two-time first-team all-season pick.
NCAA imposes two-year sanctions on crocodiles
However, after Maxwell’s college career, Gainesville natives were the subject of the investigation, which ultimately led to the NCAA being placed on unauthorized probation.
The Gators were forced to evacuate three NCAA Championship victories (twice in 1987 and once in 1988) because he had an agent, Maxwell, who played.
At the time Florida athletic director Bill Arnsparger also decided to strip Maxwell’s statistics from those two years’ record books, scoring 1,404 points in 67 games.
Rewrite history✍️🗞️
Our historian has been restored‼ ️ @vernonmaxwell11
– Florida Crocodile Men’s Basketball (@gatorsmbk) September 18, 2025
35 years later, Scott Stricklin, the current Florida athletic director, finally restored Maxwell’s numbers.
“Vernon Maxwell is one of the greatest players of all time. Without him, you can’t write the history of Floridagators.com.”
“What happened to the program and the NCAA did not change Vernon’s achievements in court to help put the crocodile on the national basketball map. He won those views.”
Maxwell is happy to recover statistics
According to reports Associated Press.
“The legacy I created in my hometown of Gainesville can be celebrated again, and my 82-year-old mother will be able to see the fusion of this relationship, which means the world to me,” Maxwell wrote on social media.
I am honored and truly grateful that the legacy I created in my hometown in Gainesville can be celebrated again, and my 82-year-old mother will be able to see the restoration of this relationship, which means the world to me. #gogators @gatorsmbk
– Vernon Maxwell (@vernonmaxwell11) September 18, 2025
Maxwell played in the NBA for 12 years with eight teams: San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, Sacramento Kings, Seattle Superman and Dallas Mavericks.
He won back-to-back championships with Rockets in 1994 and 1995.
