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Florida Gators | JohnFMurray.com johnfmurray.com | Absolutely Florida: Gators Galore! funandsun.com | Sarasota, FL, Florida, Sarasota, FL, Florida, Sarasota, FL, Florida,... kwoc.net | Gainesville, Home of University of Florida,... gatordental.com |
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as the "Gator Nation." [edit] Overview of Gators sports programThe Florida Gators athletic program has been recognized as the best overall in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) over the past two decades, and consistently as one of the best in the nation. During the 2008-2009 school year, the men's and women's teams combined to win the Southeastern Conference All-Sports Trophy for the nineteenth time in the past twenty-two years.[1] Every year since 1983, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has recognized the Gators athletic program as one of the ten best overall Division I athletic programs in the country in its annual Directors' Cup standings.[2] The Gators won the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments and the 2007 BCS National Championship Game in football, all in the space of 366 days.[3] Florida is the only school in NCAA history to hold the men's basketball and football championships during the same school year.[4] In January 2009, the Florida Gators football team won the 2009 BCS National Championship Game with a 24-14 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners.[5] All Gators sports teams compete in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I,[6] and twenty of twenty-one Gators teams compete in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[7] The University of Florida was one of the thirteen charter members who joined together to form the new Southeastern Conference on December 8 and 9, 1932.[8] Previously, the university was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1912 to 1921,[9] and the Southern Conference from 1922 until the SEC began play in the fall of 1933.[10] The University of Florida sports teams adopted orange and blue as their official colors in 1910, purportedly representing a combination of the main colors of the two primary institutions that merged to form the university in 1905.[11] The alligator, or "gator," was incidentally chosen as Florida's mascot when a Gainesville merchant sold school pennants with an alligator emblem in 1911.[11][12] Albert and Alberta are the official costumed mascots of the Florida Gators.[13] All Florida Gators sports teams have on-campus facilities, and most are located on Stadium Road, including Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for football,[14] the Stephen C. O'Connell Center for basketball,[15][16] gymnastics,[17] swimming and diving,[18] indoor track and field,[19] and volleyball,[20] Alfred A. McKethan Stadium for baseball,[21] and James G. Pressly Stadium for soccer[22] and outdoor track and field.[23] The Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium and the Florida Lacrosse Facility are located on Hull Road on the southwestern side of the campus.[24][25] The Mark Bostick Golf Course and Scott Linder Stadium for tennis are located on S.W. Second Avenue on the northwestern side of the campus.[26][27][28] The Florida Gators athletic program is administered by the University Athletic Association, Inc. (UAA), a private non-profit corporation that reports to the president of the university and its board of trustees.[29] For the 2009-2010 school year, the UAA has an operating budget of $85,832,812, projected revenues of $90,744,037, and will make a $6 million contribution to the university's general fund.[30]  Jeremy Foley is Florida's athletic director, having served in his present position since 1992.[31] Foley guided the searches that resulted in the hiring of national-championship coaches Becky Burleigh (women's soccer), Billy Donovan (men's basketball), Urban Meyer (football), and Roland Thornqvist (women's tennis). He was also fortunate to inherit national-championship men's golf coach Buddy Alexander and SEC-dominant volleyball coach Mary Wise, the only two current Florida coaches who predate Foley's tenure as athletic director. He has guided the successful expansion of Florida's varsity sports program over the past two decades, with the addition of women's soccer in 1995, softball in 1997, and women's lacrosse in 2010. The University of Florida currently fields teams in nine men's sports and twelve women's sports, including:[32]
The Gators men's and women's track & field teams are counted twice in the total number of sports teams because Florida's track & field athletes compete in the separate indoor and outdoor track & field seasons sanctioned by the NCAA. [edit] Football Main article: Florida Gators football The University of Florida fielded an official varsity football team for the first time in 1906, defeating the Gainesville Athletic Club 6-0 in its first game. Since then, the Gators have played in thirty-six bowl games, won three National Championships (1996, 2006, 2008) and eight Southeastern Conference Championships, and produced 138 All-Americans, thirty-eight National Football League (NFL) first-round draft choices and three Heisman Trophy winners. The Gators' most prominent current football rivals are SEC Eastern Division foes Georgia and Tennessee, annual SEC Western Division opponent LSU, and in-state rival Florida State from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Florida has historically shared rivalries with Auburn and Miami, too, but those games are no longer played annually, and have lessened in intensity. The Gator football team has been one of the winningest programs in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)[33] since 1990, the year Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Steve Spurrier returned to his alma mater as head coach. The 1996 team, coached by Spurrier and led by another Gator Heisman-winner, Danny Wuerffel, finished with a 12-1 record and won the national championship in the Sugar Bowl. Urban Meyer became Florida's new head football coach in December 2004, and his teams have had great success. The 2006 team won the school's second National Championship on January 8, 2007, defeating the number one-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 41-14. Florida's 2008 team won the 2009 BCS National Championship Game on January 8, 2009, beating the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners 24-14, for the Gators' third National Championship. The Gators have won the SEC Championship Game a record seven times in nine tries since the SEC instituted the championship game in 1992. The Gators won their first official conference title in 1991, the year before the first SEC conference championship game was played, for a total of eight SEC championships in the last nineteen seasons. The Gators football team plays its home games in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, the team's home field since 1930.[34] [edit] BaseballMain article: Florida Gators baseball Coach Andy Lopez took over the Gators baseball program in 1994, one season removed from leading Pepperdine University to its only national championship in the College World Series. In 1996, he coached the Gators to a fifty-win season and a College World Series bid. By 2000, the program had seemingly hit a plateau and Lopez was replaced. Pat McMahon became the Gators' head coach in 2001 after coaching at Mississippi State. The Gators' 2005 baseball season was the most successful to date, with the team winning the SEC title, and earning a place in the College World Series for the fifth time in school history. The team advanced to the championship round against Texas, ultimately losing two games to none. Following their 2005 College World Series run, the expectations for the Gators were high for 2006. They opened the season as the number-one-ranked team in the polls, but struggled through the regular season. The Gators finished the 2006 season with a 28-28 record (10-20 SEC), and failed to qualify for either the SEC Tournament or the NCAA Regionals. After missing the NCAA Regionals again in 2007, coach McMahon was fired.[35] Former Clemson associate head coach Kevin O'Sullivan agreed to become the Gators' new head baseball coach on June 13, 2007.[36] O'Sullivan's Gator teams showed immediate improvement. In 2008, the Gators finished the regular season with a 30-24 record (17-13 SEC), and received an invitation to the NCAA Regional in Tallahassee. The 2009 squad finished the regular season with a 38-18 record (19-11 SEC), won the NCAA Regional in Gainesville, and advanced to the Super Regional before losing to Southern Mississippi. Following the 2009 season, a school-record ten Gators were selected in the Major League Baseball draft. The Gators baseball team plays its home games at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field.[37] [edit] Men's basketballMain article: Florida Gators men's basketball  Florida had limited success in men's basketball before the late 1980s. Under the tenure of Coach Norm Sloan, Vernon Maxwell led the team to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen in 1987, and Sloan coached the team to the tournament again the following two years. After a drug scandal involving Maxwell, Sloan resigned and the program went on NCAA probation. Coach Lon Kruger brought renewed success and reached the NIT final four in his second year. During the 1993-1994 season, the pieces fell into place for the Gators. Led by Andrew DeClercq and Dametri Hill, the Gators went to their first NCAA Final Four following a dramatic victory over Connecticut in the Regional Final. Two years later, Kruger's final season ended in a losing record, and he left to coach at Illinois. Athletic Director Jeremy Foley, looking for a young coach with a proven track record, hired Billy Donovan, then the head coach at Marshall, as Kruger's replacement. Donovan's recruiting prowess was evident early, bringing future NBA star Jason Williams with him from Marshall and having early recruiting classes with future NBA players Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, and Matt Bonner. The Gators received invitations to the NCAA Tournament every year from 1999 through 2007, an eight-year streak that is a school record. Despite several regular-season titles under Donovan, Florida had never won the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament until the 2004-2005 season, when they beat rival Kentucky in the SEC title game. The 2005-2006 team's 17-0 start was the best in school history, surprising many with a young, selfless squad led by four sophomores. The team started the season unranked, but managed to win its second consecutive SEC Tournament championship. On April 3, 2006, the Gators defeated the UCLA Bruins 73-57 in the NCAA Tournament championship game to win the school's first men's national basketball championship. All five starters announced they would return for another season to try to win back-to-back championships. The University Athletic Association then purchased the floor used in Indianapolis for the Final Four, and had it installed in the O'Connell Center. Before the start of the 2006-2007 basketball season, the Gators were ranked first in both major preseason media polls for the first time in school history. The Gators won their second consecutive NCAA National Men's Basketball Championship on April 2, 2007, defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 84-75. They became the first team since the 1991-1992 Duke Blue Devils to win back-to-back tournaments and the first in history to do so with the same starting line-up. After the 2007 National Championship game, Florida's four star juniors announced they would enter the NBA draft. After spurning the open Kentucky coaching job, head coach Billy Donovan accepted the head coaching job with the NBA's Orlando Magic on June 1, 2007. A day later, Donovan informed the Magic he wanted to return to Florida instead. On June 6, 2007, the Orlando Magic released Donovan from the five-year contract he had previously signed. He signed a new contract with Florida on June 7, 2007 to become the highest-paid coach in college basketball. During the 2007-2008 season, the team had almost an entirely new set of starters. Billy Donovan led the team to the NIT Semifinals, and the season was widely considered to be a rebuilding year for the Gators. The 2008-2009 team had a winning record, but failed to receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Gators men's basketball team plays its home games in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.[38] [edit] Women's basketballMain article: Florida Gators women's basketball Women's basketall was approved as a sport by Florida in March 1972 and began play in 1973 as a club team. In 1975, the Lady Gators debuted as a varsity program under head coach Dr. Paula Welch. The Gators made local headlines in 1976 by winning the "state championship," beating the other three women's teams in the state at that time.[39] While traditionally being overshadowed by conference (and national) basketball powers Tennessee and Georgia, the Lady Gators have made several NCAA Tournament appearances and sent players to the WNBA, including DeLisha Milton-Jones. The winningest women's basketball coach in Florida's history is Carol Ross, who guided the team for twelve seasons from 1991 to 2003, but left to accept the head coaching job at her alma mater, Ole Miss. From 2002 through 2006, the women's basketball team was coached by Carolyn Peck, a former WNBA coach who won a national title with Purdue. Peck was fired midway through the 2006 season (though allowed to finish the season) after enduring the worst losing streak of any Gator sport. Former Gator player and previous Charlotte coach Amanda Butler was named the new women's basketball coach on April 13, 2007. During the 2008-2009 season, the Lady Gators received an NCAA tournament bid, and won a first-round game before being defeated by eventual tournament champion Connecticut in the second round. The Gators women's basketball team plays its home games in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.[40] [edit] Cross countryMain article: Florida Gators cross country The Florida Gators men's cross country team has won three Southeastern Conference Championships (SEC), and has competed in eight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournaments. The women's cross country team has also won three SEC Championships, and competed in eight NCAA tournaments. Coach Mike Holloway is the head coach of the men's and women's cross country teams. [edit] GolfMain article: Florida Gators golf See also: List of University of Florida golfers The men's golf team has won four NCAA Championships (1968, 1973, 1993, 2001), and has produced two individual NCAA champions, Bob Murphy in 1966 and Nick Gilliam in 2001. The men's golf team has also won fourteen SEC championships. The women's golf team has won two NCAA team championships (1985, 1986), and eight SEC championships. Former Gator golfers have regularly represented the University of Florida on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, and the program has produced over forty athletes who have competed in the professional ranks. Buddy Alexander is the head coach for the men's golf team, and Jan Dowling is the head coach for the women's team. Alexander is the dean of Florida Gators coaches, having served in his current head coaching position since 1988—longer than any other Gator coach. The Gators men's and women's golf teams play their home matches at the Mark Bostick Golf Course (formerly known as the "University Golf Course").[41] [edit] GymnasticsMain article: Florida Gators gymnastics Gymnastics was one of the first women's sports added at the University of Florida and achieved early success by winning the 1982 AIAW National Championship. Since the NCAA assumed sponsorship of the national gymnastics championships in 1982, Florida has earned invitations to the NCAA National Championships (top twelve teams nationally) fifteen times, and advanced to the NCAA "Super Six" ten times. Florida's highest finish in NCAA competition was a second-place national finish in 1998, and the team has only failed to qualify for the NCAA championships once in the past twenty-eight seasons. The Gators have have won a total of six SEC gymnastics championships since 1982. The team's biggest SEC rivals are Alabama and Georgia, both of which are also perennial national contenders. Rhonda Faehn has coached the Gators gymnastics team since 2003. Under Faehn, the Gator gymnasts have been nationally competitive and remarkably consistent----finishing 7th, 5th, 7th, 4th, 3rd, 4th and 4th at the NCAA National Championships over the past seven seasons. Faehn's Gator gymnasts won their most recent SEC championship in 2007. The Gators gymnastics team holds its home meets at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.[42] [edit] LacrosseMain article: Florida Gators lacrosse In June 2006, the University Athletic Association announced the creation of the new Gators women's lacrosse program, citing the phenomenal growth of high school lacrosse across the country and the increased availability of Division I competition. Florida became the second Southeastern Conference school to offer lacrosse as a varsity sport, following Vanderbilt University,[43] and will play its inaugural 2010 season in the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC) together with Vanderbilt. Amanda O'Leary is the Gators' inaugural head coach, and will lead the new women's lacrosse team when it officially begins play in February 2010. Before she was named to jump-start Florida's new program, O'Leary was head coach at Yale University for 14 seasons, and was honored as a two-time All-American midfielder at Temple University, where she led her team to an NCAA Championship in 1988. Assistant coach Jennifer Ulehla was previously the head coach at Temple and James Madison University, and was named an All-American at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she played on Maryland's two NCAA runner-up teams in 1990 and 1991. Assistant coach Erica LaGrow was a midfielder for the University of North Carolina, and was a key player on the U.S. national team that defeated Australia in the gold medal game of the 2009 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Women's World Cup. The Gators' first recruiting class of twenty-four freshmen features seven US Lacrosse High School All-Americans[44] and six Under Armour high school All-Americans.[45] The team is tentatively scheduled to play Cornell, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Navy, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn State, Vanderbilt and defending NCAA champion Northwestern, starting in February 2010. The Gators women's lacrosse team will play its home games in the new Florida Lacrosse Facility.[46] [edit] SoccerMain article: Florida Gators soccer Becky Burleigh has been the head coach since the women's soccer team first began play in 1995. Under Burleigh's leadership, the team quickly became a national contender. In 1998, in the program's fourth season, the Gators won the NCAA national championship by defeating the defending national champion University of North Carolina Tar Heels. The women's soccer team has also won nine SEC Championships and SEC tournament titles in its fourteen seasons of play.[47] Other notable former Gator soccer players include Abby Wambach, who is a member of the U.S. women's national team and scored the game-winning goal in the final game of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece; Heather Mitts, who played for the gold medal U.S. national team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China; Melanie Booth, who currently plays for the Canadian women's national soccer team, and Danielle Fotopoulos; who played professionally with the Carolina Courage. The Gators women's soccer team plays its home games at James G. Pressly Stadium.[48] [edit] Softball Main article: Florida Gators softball The University Athletic Association approved the women's varsity softball team in 1995, and the Florida Gators softball team officially started competing in the Southeastern Conference in 1997 under Head Coach Larry Ray. Since the beginning of the program, the Florida Gators have had several notable successes, including two SEC championships and two consecutive appearances in the Women's College World Series in 2008 and 2009.[49] The Gators won the SEC regular season championships in 1998, 2008 and 2009, as well as the SEC tournament titles in 2008 and 2009. During the 2009 season, they also played for the NCAA softball championship on the biggest stage in all of college softball, the Women's College World Series, losing to the University of Washington Huskies in the final game. The current head coach is Tim Walton, who is in his fourth year with the team.[50] He was previously the head coach at Wichita State University and he played baseball for the University of Oklahoma and a minor league team affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies.[50] Through the conclusion of the 2009 season, Walton has coached his Gators team to a record of 226-57 in four seasons, and he has an overall win-loss record of 349-121 during his seven seasons as a head coach.[50] The Gators softball team plays its home games at the Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium.[51] [edit] Swimming & diving Main article: Florida Gators swimming & diving The Florida Gators men's swimming & diving team have won two NCAA national championships (1983 and 1984), and has also won thirty-three SEC Championships.[52] The women's swimming & diving team has won two NCAA national championships (1979 and 1982), and has also won seventeen SEC Championships.[52] The Florida Gators' most famous female swimmer is four-time All-American and four-time Olympic gold medalist Dara Torres, the first United States swimmer to compete in five Olympic Games. Some of the most famous male swimmers are Ryan Lochte, Matt Cetlinski, Michael Heath, David Larson, Anthony Nesty, Darian Townsend, and Martin Zubero. Donnie Crane is the head coach of the men's and women's diving teams; Gregg Troy is the head coach of the men's and the women's swimming teams. The Gators swimming and diving teams hold their home meets at the Natatorium and the Carse Swimming Complex. [edit] TennisMain article: Florida Gators men's tennis Main article: Florida Gators women's tennis Florida has one of the strongest and most storied women's tennis programs in NCAA history, producing such former greats as Lisa Raymond and Jill Craybas. Only the Stanford University women's tennis team has won more NCAA Championships than the Gators.[53] The women's tennis team has won four NCAA championships (1992, 1996, 1998, 2003)[54] and six Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national indoor championships (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1999),[55] and twenty-three SEC Championships.[56] The men's tennis team has won nine SEC Championships,[57] and two singles and one doubles championships in the annual NCAA tournament.[58] Andy Jackson is the head coach of the men's tennis team, and coach Roland Thornqvist leads the women's tennis team. The Gators men's & women's tennis teams play their home matches at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.[59] [edit] Track & fieldMain article: Florida Gators track & field The Florida Gators men's track & field team has won five SEC Indoor Championships, and three SEC Outdoor Championships. In 2009, the men's track & field team was the runner-up in both the NCAA indoor and outdoor national meets. The women's track & field team won the NCAA Indoor Championship in 1992. In addition, the women's team has won five SEC Indoor Championships, and three SEC Outdoor Championships. The head coach for the track & field program is Mike Holloway, and he is responsible for both the men's & women's teams. The assistant coaches are Steve Lemke, Todd Morgan and Brian O'Neal. The Gators men's and women's track & field teams hold their outdoor home meets at Percy Beard Track, which is part of James G. Pressly Stadium.[60] [edit] VolleyballMain article: Florida Gators volleyball The Gators began competing in volleyball in 1984 under coach Marilyn McReavy, but did not become nationally competitive until coach Mary Wise assumed control of Florida's program in 1991. During her eighteen seasons as Florida's head coach, Wise has compiled a 576-60 (0.960) record, and her Gators teams have won eighteen consecutive SEC regular season titles and twelve SEC Tournament titles since 1991. The Gators have made 18 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including seven NCAA Final Four appearances (1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003), and advanced to the NCAA National Championship final in 2003, where they fell to undefeated Southern California. Florida landed the nation's top 2008 recruiting class, as ranked by Prepvolleyball.com and Volleyball Magazine, and signed the nation's top recruit and Gatorade National Player of the Year, Kelly Murphy, as well as four other recruits ranked among the top fifty.[61] Murphy garnered First-Team All SEC and a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team with fellow Gators Colleen Ward and Kristy Jaeckel. Murphy would also gain the SEC Freshman of the Year, AVCA All-South Region Freshman of the Year, the AVCA National Freshman of the Year, and Volleyball Magazine's Freshman of the Year. She was also honored as an AVCA Third-Team All-American and a Volleyball Magazine Second-Team All-American. The Gators volleyball team plays its home matches in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.[62] [edit] Former varsity sportsIn the past, the Florida Gators fielded varsity teams in men's boxing, men's wrestling, and men's volleyball. The boxing team was eliminated in 1943 due to World War II, and was never revived after the war.[63] The men's wrestling and men's volleyball teams were eliminated as a direct result of Title IX compliance issues.[64] The University of Florida Athletic Association desired to take a proactive role in Title IX compliance by balancing the number of available men's and women's athletic scholarships, and this unfortunately resulted in the elimination of two men's varsity sports programs. [edit] Gator athletes in the Olympic GamesSee also: List of University of Florida Olympians The University of Florida has a reputation and long history of producing athletes who compete in the Olympic Games. Hundreds of University of Florida alumni have competed or coached in the Olympic Games. In total, over 150 Gator athletes from over thirty different countries have competed in the Games, winning forty-four Olympic gold medals, twenty-three silver medals and twenty-three bronze medals (through the end of the 2008 Summer Olympics).[65] The list of notable Gator Olympians and gold medalists includes sprinters Kerron Clement, Dennis Mitchell, and Bernard Williams; marathon runner Frank Shorter; baseball outfielder Brad Wilkerson; basketball forward DeLisha Milton-Jones; soccer forward Abby Wambach; and swimmers Ryan Lochte, Tracy Caulkins and Nicole Haislett. Former Gator Dara Torres became the first American swimmer to compete in five Olympic Games (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2008).[66] At the age of forty-one, Torres competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in the 50-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter medley relay, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and won the silver medal in all three events.[66] Torres has won a total of twelve Olympic medals (including four gold) over her career.[66] [edit] Cheerleading & spirit programsMain article: Florida Gators cheerleading Main article: Florida Gators dazzlers See also: Mr. Two Bits See also: The Super Gators  A short video showing alligators moving in on their prey, with the famous Jaws theme playing in the background, is displayed on the Daktronics ProStar Video Board, commonly known as a jumbotron, during every football game before the players come out of the tunnel. ESPN's College Gameday analyst Lee Corso, a former coach and graduate of rival Florida State Seminoles, called it one of the most thrilling moments in college football. Gator will perform the Gator Chomp at athletic events to symbolize the Gators' swallowing of their opponents. "Orange and blue" is one cheer that is very popular at home games, with the student section yelling "Orange!", and the alumni section answering back with their loudest "Blue!" This can go back and forth for several minutes, with both sides competing to be the louder. The The Pride of the Sunshine is the marching band that performs at halftime and after big plays during the football season. The coordinated dance team that performs at many sports are known as the Dazzlers. The football team had a long-time tradition of having George Edmondson Jr.—-better known as "Mr. Two Bits"-—wandering through the stands with a sign and a whistle to pump up the crowd to the cheer of:
Though he officially retired in 1998, Edmondson has been seen at many football games since, and was made an honorary alumnus in 2005. Edmondson's final appearance as Mr. Two Bits was at the last home game of the 2008 season against The Citadel. Another tradition, at home and on the road, is the Gator fans' linking arms, swaying, and singing We are the Boys after the end of every third quarter. The song's lyrics are:
Traditionally, fans add "Hey!" at the end of the first stanza, and shout "Go Gators!" after the line "Down where the old Gators play," and at the conclusion of the song. The University of Florida Fight Song (Orange and Blue) is also sung frequently at all Florida sporting events.
The University of Florida Alma Mater is played by The Pride of the Sunshine Marching Band before every home football game. Following every home game, the entire football team gathers on Florida Field and joins fans in singing the Alma Mater while the band plays. Florida alumnus and former head football coach Steve Spurrier re-introduced to this tradition to Florida football in 1990. The Alma Mater's lyrics are:
[edit] Marching Band & GatorettesMain article: The Pride of the Sunshine Main article: Gatorettes The University of Florida Marching Band—-which is also known as "The Pride of the Sunshine"—-is one of the strongest college marching bands in the United States. The current band director is John M. Watkins. The Pride of the Sunshine plays at every home football game, and also performs at various events such as Gator Growl, parades, and the Orange and Blue Game (the annual spring football scrimmage). The Gatorettes are the twirling dancers, or majorettes, for the marching band. The Gatorettes perform choreographed dances, and are known for their baton twirling. The Gatorettes often perform acrobatics, cartwheels, and back flips, and sometimes twirl multiple batons at a time.[67] [edit] All-sports program rankings[edit] NACDA Directors' Cup
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has recognized the University of Florida as being among the top ten Division I athletic programs in the country every year since 1983–1984, and marked the Gators' twenty-sixth consecutive year among the nation's top ten best overall collegiate athletic programs.[2] No other Division I athletic program has matched that feat, and Florida has achieved this record while fielding fewer sports teams than many of the other perennial top collegiate athletic programs.[2] Following the 2008-2009 school year, Florida finished in third place in the NACDA Directors' Cup standings.[68] Remarkably, seventeen of twenty eligible Florida Gators athletic teams finished their 2008-2009 seasons ranked among the top twenty Division I teams in their respective sports, including:[69][70][71]
2008-2009 NACDA Directors' Cup Final Standings 1. Stanford University - 1,455.00 points [edit] SEC All-Sports TrophyThrough the end of the 2008-2009 school year, the Florida Gators have won 185 Southeastern Conference (SEC) team championships, the most in conference history.[72][73] The SEC All-Sports Trophy began in 1973 as the Bernie Moore Trophy and tabulated the league's best men's sports program.[74] In 1983, the SEC also began recognizing the best women's sports program in the conference, as well as the best overall SEC sports program.[75] In 1994, the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group assumed responsibility for awarding the trophies.[1] In the 37-year history of the awards, Florida has won sixteen Women's Trophies, thirteen Men's Trophies, and nineteen Overall SEC All-Sports Trophies (including nineteen of the last twenty-two).[1] SEC rival Georgia won the overall 2005-2006 All-Sports Trophy to snap Florida's record streak at 14 straight (1990-1991 through 2004-2005).[1] Florida reclaimed the SEC All-Sports Trophy for the 2008-2009 school year, and the Gators again swept the overall, men's and women's all-sports trophies.[1] The Gators are the only SEC sports program to earn all three SEC all-sports trophies in a single year, and have swept all three trophies nine times.[1] [edit] National championships In their 103-year history of intercollegiate competition, the University of Florida's varsity athletic teams have won twenty-two national team championships (including seventeen NCAA championships), and its individual athletes have won 191 individual NCAA national championships.[76][77][78] Florida is the only Division I school to hold both major men's championships at the same time (as the 2006 BCS Football Champions and the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions). The Gators men's basketball team's back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2006 and 2007 made the Gators the first "repeat champions" in men's basketball since the Duke University Blue Devils won back-to-back NCAA tournament championships in 1991 and 1992.[79] Men's National Championships
Women's National Championships
The national intercollegiate sports championships listed above were sponsored by the NCAA unless otherwise noted in the footnotes. [edit] Southeastern Conference championshipsThe University of Florida is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), one of the nation's premier intercollegiate sports conferences. Since the SEC began play in 1933, Florida's varsity athletic teams have won 185 SEC team championships, more than any other conference member.[89][90] Among the other eleven current members of the SEC, the University of Tennessee has won the next highest number of SEC team championships, with 149.[89][90] Through the 2008-2009 school year, Florida's 185 SEC team championships include: Men's SEC Championships
Women's SEC Championships
For purposes of counting "official" SEC team championships in baseball, men's and women's basketball, soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, and volleyball, the SEC currently only includes regular season team championships, not tournament championships. The Gators have won an additional thirty-nine SEC tournament titles in these sports which are not included in Florida's total of 185 SEC team championships. [edit] Athletic facilitiesThe University of Florida has invested significant capital and effort in the construction, expansion and betterment of its major sports facilities, including the following outdoor stadiums, indoor arenas, and training and practice facilities: Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field
Florida Basketball Practice Complex
James G. Pressly Stadium & Percy Beard Track
Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium
Mark Bostick Golf Course & Guy Bostick Clubhouse
Scott Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
[edit] List of notable Gator athletesMain article: List of University of Florida people See also: List of University of Florida golfers See also: List of University of Florida Olympians [edit] List of notable Gator sports benefactorsThe Florida Gators sports team have been fortunate to receive the financial support of many individuals, but some stand out by the magnitude of their contributions.[112] Among those who have made notably large contributions to the university's sports programs are:
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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