[1] He attended Boyd H. Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida,[2] and played high school football for the Boyd Anderson Cobras.
[3] As a junior in 1979, he lived through the worst season in the history of the Florida football program,[4] when the Gators posted an 0–10–1 record.
[5] The following season, Golden was part of the biggest one-year turn-around in Division I football history,[4] when the 1980 Gators finished 8–4 after defeating the Maryland Terrapins in the Tangerine Bowl.
[6] He was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection and an honorable mention All-American in 1980.
[3] Golden graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in broadcasting in 1981.