  Let G be a reductive algebraic group over the algebraic closure of a finite
field F_q of good characteristic. In this paper, we demonstrate a remarkable
compatibility between the Springer correspondence for G and the parametrization
of unipotent characters of G(F_q). In particular, we show that in a suitable
sense, "large" portions of these two assignments in fact coincide. This extends
earlier work of Lusztig on Springer representations within special pieces of
the unipotent variety.
