Five-cent apples from the Plaza and pajama parades may be long-gone traditions at UF, but the school’s 171-year-old history oozes into every tradition that has stuck around. From UF’s signature colors to the songs that fill the Gainesville air on gameday, UF boasts some of the best college traditions and the rich history to go with them.
Colors
Before UF became the collegiate powerhouse it currently is, it was made up of several institutions that were later consolidated into the school we all know and love. Two of these institutions were the East Florida Seminary, established in 1853, and the Florida Agricultural College at Lake City, established in 1884. UF’s colors were officially chosen around 1911, and it is believed that they honor the colors of the university’s primary predecessors: orange from the orange-and-black East Florida Seminary and blue from the blue-and-white Florida Agricultural College.
The Gator
The story behind the Gator mascot starts in Virginia in the early 1990s. A Gainesville native named Austin Miller who went to the law school at the University of Virginia was enjoying a visit with his father, Phillips Miller, who had come up to see his son. Phillips had a store in Gainesville, and he wanted to order some flags and banners that he could sell. The Millers went to the Michie Company, a manufacturer of the gear, and realized that unlike schools like Yale and Princeton, the new University of Florida didn’t have an emblem.
Austin was quick to suggest the gator not only because they are a Florida staple but also because no other school had claimed them as a mascot. The Michie manager agreed but admitted he had never seen a gator, so Austin returned with a suitable photo of a gator from the University of Virginia library.
Phillip brought his son’s bright idea back to Gainesville along with several pennants and banners, one of which is credited as the first time the gator appeared as the University of Florida’s official emblem.
The Millers’ gator idea took off, and in 1957, Albert, the first live gator, came to UF. Over the years, the mascot developed into the personified Albert we have today, and he received a friend in 1986 when Alberta was introduced.
Krishna Lunch
Krishna lunch at the Plaza of the Americas is relatively new to UF. It first began in 1970 when the Hare Krishnas arrived in Gainesville. The city’s first International Society for Krishna Consciousness was established by UF students in 1971, and that summer, Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness also known as the Hare Krishna movement, made a personal trip to Gainesville. Prabhupada inspired students to provide prasadam (karma-free food) to their peers and engage others in kirtan (musical mantra meditation) at UF. Since then, Krishna lunch has continued without interruptions, and it has become a fan-favorite among students.
Tom Petty
Believe it or not, but UF’s “I Won’t Back Down” tradition began in 2017, 28 years after the song that rocks the Gator stadium was released. The effort to turn it into a Gator fight song played after the third quarter at football games can be attributed to UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin, UF Assistant Athletic Director Alicia Longworth and former UF Associate Athletic Director Mike Hill. The trio wanted to find a song to honor Tom Petty, a Gainesville native, who died of a heart attack on Oct. 2 of 2017, and “I Won’t Back Down” was an easy top contender. Just five days after Petty’s death, the song was played at UF’s homecoming game against LSU. Videos of the crowd singing went viral, and the tradition has been ingrained in UF’s football culture ever since.
The Gator Chomp
Mississippi State can be thanked for the iconic Gator Chomp. In 1981, the Gators were playing Mississippi State in Jackson when Monty Musgrave and Rob Hyatt, members of the UF pep band, noticed that the opponent would play the “Jaws” theme song while cheerleaders performed hand movements to match. The band members wanted to replicate this movement and adopted “Gator Jaws,” a right-over-left movement to simulate a gator chomping down. The name has since been changed to “Gator Chomp,” and it has dominated game days and UF tours for 43 years.
Like any proud university, UF’s traditions make the school what it is. Its history is evident in every waved flag, every chant and every chomp, and it is these traditions that keep the spirit of the University of Florida alive now and for years to come.
UF PRISM 