Heeeeeeeeere come the Gators,
is just one of the many traditions found at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium,
nicknamed "the swamp." Football at the University of Florida began in
1906, led by Coach James Forsythe. Towards the end of the 1920s, the
University of Florida decided to build a new stadium for its football
team, the Gators. On April 16, 1930 construction on the stadium began
and was completed by October 27, 1930 when the Gators played their
first game. Originally known as Florida Field, the stadium had a
capacity of 21, 769. The original section of seating now encompasses
the lower half of the current stadium. By 1950, the first of many
additions to the stadium was in the works and by the start of the 1950
season 10,000 bleachers were built on the west side. The Gators also
hosted the first night game at Florida Field on September 23, 1950.
Fifteen years later an additional 10,000 seats were
added to the east side and bleachers were constructed on the south end
zone bring the capacity to 62,800. In 1971, the team replaced the
grass field with Astroturf, but two decades later the surface returned
to grass. The south end zone with a skyboxes and a press box was
completed increasing the capacity of Florida Field to 72,000. In 1991,
Florida Field was named after Ben Hill Griffin a donor to the
University of Florida. The stadium was renamed Ben Hill Griffin
Stadium at Florida Field. Once again in 1991, construction was
completed on the north end zone bring the capacity to 83,000. The most
recent addition to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium came in 2001 when $50
million was spent expanding the press box, installing chair back seats
on the club level and building new luxury suites. Ben Hill Griffin
Stadium is now the largest stadium in the state of Florida with a
capacity of just over 88,548. Various levels of seating enclose the
playing field. The Florida Gators have had years of success at
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, including a 30 game winning streak between
1994 and 1999. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is one of the most formidable
venues for opposing teams to play at as the stadium is one of the
loudest in the nation, the temperature on the field often reaches 100
degrees and the passion of the Gators fans, selling out every game
since 1989.
Famous Players:
Emmitt Smith, Steve Spurrier, Tim
Tebow, Danny Wuerffel, Chris Collinsworth, Kevin Carter School Traditions: School Colors of Blue
& Orange, School Song, "Go Gators", Marching Band:
Pride of the Sunshine, Albert and Alberta the Gator mascots
Charleston Southern Buccaneers
vs. Florida Gators
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium September 5, 2009
TBA
Ben
Hill Griffin
Stadium
