JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — They crossed paths at the University of Florida when the football program was in a major transition.
Defensive back Keiwan Ratliff signed with the Gators out of Youngstown, Ohio, and was a freshman in 2000. Two years later, in the first season after Steve Spurrier left to coach in the NFL and Ron Zook was hired to replace him, a freshman running back out of Jacksonville Fletcher High named Ciatrick Fason joined the team.
They were from different parts of the country but quickly recognized the talent in each other.
"Me and Keiwan always had a challenge: you make a play; I make a play,'' Fason said. "It kept me on my toes and it kept pushing me. Every time he made a play, I wanted to make a play."
By the time Ratliff was a senior in 2003, Fason was having a hard time keeping up. Ratliff was named Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year and set a single-season school record that still stands today with nine interceptions. Meanwhile, during Ratliff's rookie season in the NFL, Fason had his breakout year in 2004, earning All-SEC First-Team honors by rushing for 1,267 yards, which ranks sixth in Florida's single-season record book. Fason declared for the draft after the season.
The two former teammates were together again on Friday as Florida's inductees in the 2021 Florida-Georgia Game Hall of Fame Class. Jon Stinchcomb and Thomas Davis are Georgia's latest inductees. The annual luncheon was Friday afternoon at TIAA Bank Field, site of Saturday's game between the Gators (4-3, 2-3) and No. 1-ranked Georgia (7-0, 5-0).
"I'm going in with the Rat Dog,'' Fason said.
The ceremony was part of a memorable day for Fason on his 39th birthday. In his first season as head coach at his alma mater, Fletcher put its five-game winning streak on the line Friday night against Ponte Vedra High. He will be honored with the other inductees at Saturday's game.
Ratliff will be on Florida's sideline. He is in his third season as an assistant director of player personnel for the Gators and basked in the moment Friday. While Fason's NFL career consisted of 18 games over two seasons with Minnesota, Ratliff stuck in the league for 76 games over seven seasons, playing for Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.
Ratliff's primary job these days is helping identify and sign future Gators. An honor such as Friday's is something he did not consider as a player.
"I stand here before you all here today humbled and honored,'' he said. "It's a blessing any time playing this game you're rewarded for all the hard work you did. Right now, I stand before you as a 40-year-old man with gray hairs and kids running around that think they know more than me, now I truly understand."
Growing up underprivileged, Fason faced difficult circumstances long before he thought about transferring after Spurrier departed and Zook took over. He had two kids while in high school and was told by some close to him that he would not succeed at UF.
Once he decided to stay at UF and buy into the program, Fason's career and life began to blossom.
"I've got a crazy story. I'm an only child of my mom's. When I was younger, she allowed me to let her know that I wanted to be raised by my aunt, because my aunt had kids,'' Fason said. "I definitely want to thank my mom for giving me that chance and to make that decision at such a young age.
"This is unbelievable, especially coming from a kid from Hud Housing, welfare, having two kids in high school and a lot of people told me I couldn't make it. A lot of people told me – family, friends – that by having two kids in high school I made the worst decision of my life. But I just used that as motivation. I used that for a grind and a push, and luckily it landed me in the greatest university in the nation."
As Fason shared his journey with the crowd, he made sure to look toward the other inductees and offer his gratitude. He was not supposed to be on the stage with them based on his background.
His mission as a coach is to help others overcome the odds.
"I'm honored just to be honored going in with these guys. This is definitely a blessing. It's unreal. I never thought I would be standing in this position,'' he said. "I thought getting drafted would be the greatest accomplishment that I got in my sports career, but honestly, I can say going in as a Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame inductee, it's up there.
"Not because it shows my accomplishments, but more because it shows the youth that no matter what people tell you in life, no matter how you grow up, no matter the adversity you go through, you have a chance to make it. You can make it in life."
Once Fason finished speaking, the luncheon's host shared that it was Fason's birthday and requested the crowd sing him "Happy Birthday," perhaps a first in the history of the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame.
The event was not held last year due to Covid-19 protocols. Its return provided two former teammates with one special day.
"As a kid, I dreamed of being in the NFL,'' Ratliff said. "I didn't know all the steps it was going to take to get there, but now that I'm done and I can fill in those blanks, things like this allow me to reflect and realize that my dreams came true and this is just another day that I get to celebrate those dreams."
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