Florida Gator Stadium

The University of Florida is located in Gainsville, Florida. But where do the Florida Gators play? The sprawling campus features a number of sports stadiums which are all tucked into less than a square-mile on the northern edge of campus. An impressive 18-hole golf course encompasses the northwestern corner of campus, providing a large barrier between Highway 121 and the rest of the sports venues. Linder Tennis Stadium, Perry Baseball Field and the O’Connell Center are all just a stone’s throw from the 18th green. Standouts Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah packed the O’Connelly Center regularly during the Gators championship season of 2006.Where do the Florida Gators play football? The biggest and most popular sports venue on the University of Florida campus is the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, otherwise known as ‘The Swamp.’ Seven or eight times every fall the Florida Gators stadium hosts over 90,000 fans that bleed blue and orange, creating an environment filled with excitement, camaraderie and high decibel levels. The venue was built in 1930 for just over $100,000, and it has certainly withstood the test of time. The architects, engineers and construction workers that built the stadium in just over six months couldn’t have possibly imagined that it would one day be the proud and passionate epicenter of all of college football. Saturday afternoon games are always marked by the wall of shadows that slowly creep over the field as the sun sets to the west of the massive upper façade and press box.

Since the inception of Florida Gators football in 1906, many greats of college football have taken long strides up and down the famed Florida Gators stadium. The Gators experienced several winning seasons throughout the many decades, but it wasn’t until the arrival of head coach Steve Spurrier in 1990 that the team formed a nationally-recognized identity. Spurrier brought a high-octane style of football to the Southeastern Conference that many opposing coaches weren’t used to seeing and many opposing defense ineffective in defending. Since 1990, Florida has achieved the single highest winning percentage of any program in all of college football.

Ron Zook took the baton from Spurrier in 2002 and after three uncertain and underachieving seasons, passed it onto Urban Meyer. Meyer proved to be the right thing at the right time for a proud team in a state of flux, and he quickly restored order and prestige to the program. The Gators would have had a chance to play for the SEC title in Meyer’s first year, but Steve Spurrier led the South Carolina Gamecocks to victory against his former employer in the last week of the regular season.

The Gators were ready for action in 2006, mowing through the regular season en route to a 13-1 record and a trip to the BCS National Championship Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Led by versatile QB Chris Leak, the Gators dismantled the Buckeyes and summited the mountain of Division-I football for the second time in school history. The 2008 season was an unforgettable one for Gators fans, as Tim Tebow delivered a tearful pledge in a press conference following the Gators only loss of the season. Tebow kept good on his words and the Gators played inspired football the rest of the year, beating the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 and claiming their third overall National Championship.

Meyer opted to step down following the 2010 season to tend to personal matters, but he engineered his team for long-term success and the Gators are likely to pick up right where they left off in their quest for their fourth title.