College Career
Ortega received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played linebacker for head coach Doug Dickey's Florida Gators football team from 1971 to 1974. Memorably, in 1973, he helped the Gators beat the Auburn Tigers for the first time at Jordan-Hare Stadium in fourteen visits. Ortega's big play was a crushing tackle that caused a fumble by Auburn tailback Chris Linderman inside the Gators' five yard-line shortly before halftime. The Gators won 12–8, with Auburn's only points coming near the end of the game. The Gators' coach, Doug Dickey, was carried from the field by his players after the game. At the time, it was called "one of the greatest moments in Florida Gators football history."
Ortega finished his four-season college career with 357 tackles, twelve forced fumbles (eight recovered), and five interceptions. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1973 and 1974, a first-team All-American in 1974, an Academic All-American, and the team captain during his senior year. He graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in management in 1976, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1978. In a 2006 article series written for The Gainesville Sun, the Sun sports editors recognized him as No. 40 among the top 100 players of the first century of Florida Gators football.
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