Athlete Advisory Board
The Athlete Advisory Board is comprised of six former Gator football icons who helped launch the program into the rarefied air among the sport’s elite. With five national championship rings, nine SEC Championship rings, three first-team All-American honors, and six All-SEC honors between them, plus a genuine inherent desire in each of them to give back to the next generation of Gator athletes, our Athlete Advisory Board is a true dream team that our athletes can rely upon for any type of guidance they need.
Ben Troupe
A 2000 SEC Champion and a 2003 first-team All-American tight end for Florida, Ben Troupe went on to play five years in the NFL. Following his playing days, Ben knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life sharing his experiences with the world. Ben knows that both the positive and negative experiences encountered in life are what makes someone who they are, and he details what made him who he is in his autobiography, Uncommon And Unfinished, in the hopes that his own trials and tribulations resonate with athletes and non-athletes alike. Today, Ben continues to share his experiences as a motivational speaker, and talks and writes about college football for Southern Pigskin and Pigskin Radio. Ben also hosts the official Gator Collective podcast, 84 Reasons, which gives athletes a chance to tell their own stories.
Cornelius Ingram
Having transitioned from a quarterback to a tight end and then suffering an ACL injury in college, Cornelius is an excellent example of how life is more about how you react to unfortunate situations than the unfortunate situations themselves. With national championship rings on his fingers from 2006 and 2008 sandwiched around an All-SEC honor in 2007, Cornelius knew that imparting his championship-winning wisdom to younger athletes was his calling. Following a three-year career in the NFL, Cornelius went on to become the head coach for both the girls’ basketball team and the football team at Hawthorne High School in Florida.
Johnny Rutledge
Johnny Rutledge loves few things more in life than playing football, which he did very successfully as a linebacker for Florida’s 1996 national championship team and then for five years in the NFL. One of the few things he does love to do more is read to children. After years of reading bedtime stories to his four daughters, Johnny began volunteering his time reading to elementary school classes throughout the Atlanta area. Eventually, Johnny realized that he could use his storytelling skills to tell his own stories- so he started writing children’s books! Johnny continues to publish children’s books to this day, most of which are based on his own experiences both on and off the field.
Timothy Beauchamp
After a stellar career with the Gator football program that included helping Florida win the 1996 national championship, Timothy Beauchamp decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. Because family was always such a critical core value of his, he chose to move back close to his parents so he could spend more time with them and assist them with whatever they needed. Timothy is delighted to be able to have a role on the Gator Collective Athlete Advisory Board, as he feels a personal obligation to help out the next generation of Gator athletes however he can.
Shannon Snell
Shannon was a first-team All-American at Florida in 2003, capping a sensational four-year career on Florida’s offensive line that also included an SEC Championship in 2000. After playing for two years in the NFL, Shannon chose to pursue another passion of his: barbecue. In 2008, he became the General Manager of Sonny’s BBQ in Gainesville and never looked back. As he rose to fame as a pitmaster, Shannon always made sure to give back to the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Shannon cooked and donated meals to more than a hundred different families in need throughout central Florida. He also catered countless meals for the Florida Gator football team and is never hesitant to share a recipe or a cooking tip with a fellow Gator fan.