UF Students Have Responded to UAA's Efforts to Connect
Saturday, September 27, 2014 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. β A Gators football game has always been an event.
Whether you are a UF graduate, a longtime booster or grew up a Gators fan thanks to your parents, for a few Saturdays in the fall there is nowhere you would rather be than at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
UF students have always played an important role in the experience for everyone in the stands. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and often spreads throughout the stadium.
That fact wasn't lost on Gators head coach Will Muschamp when Florida ran onto the field for its season opener against Idaho. Despite a weather delay of more than two hours, the students gave the Gators a huge ovation when they finally emerged from the locker room.
The players noticed, too, and talked about the fan support over the next few days after the game was called due to inclement weather.
UF junior Nikki Rode is a regular at Florida football games as a student season-ticket holder. However, her vantage point changed drastically when the Gators ran onto the field against Eastern Michigan earlier this month.
Rode was one of approximately 50 student season-ticket holders randomly selected by the UAA to bring a guest and form an on-field tunnel as the Gators ran onto the field.
"I thought it was a great chance to go out on the field and experience something not many students get to,'' said Rode, a telecommunications major from Orlando. "It makes you feel even more part of the UF experience."
The on-field tunnel is just one of several fan initiatives aimed at students this season. The Sunday prior to the season opener, approximately 6,000 fans attended the inaugural "Rally in the Swamp."
Several football players manned the student-ticket windows before the first two games of the season to engage with students. The Gators have sold out of student tickets in each of their first three games.
On the same day Rode and her fellow students formed the on-field tunnel, UF senior Josh Comiter became the first student to serve as the honorary "Mr. Two Bits," a new tradition the UAA started last season.
"It's only the greatest day of my life,'' Comiter said of his opportunity to be a part of the game-day experience rather than just a spectator.
This past weekend, while the Gators played their first road game of the season at Alabama, more than 400 students attended a Gators-Alabama watch party at The Swamp.Β
Gator students are lined up, ready for the #UFvsBAMA watch party at the Champions Club. Greatest fans ever! pic.twitter.com/7pklNpcGoN
— Florida Gators (@FloridaGators) September 20, 2014
The increase in student fan initiatives has been a hit across campus.
UF senior Mackenzie Hagen, a food and resource economics major, also participated in the on-field tunnel for the Eastern Michigan game.
She got an email invitation and quickly replied "yes."
"I had a lot of fun,'' Hagen said. "I was not expecting to go to the middle of the field where the football players were. I got some high-fives as they ran by. I felt pretty special. I know some of my friends were jealous."
That is exactly the mission of the UAA, whose efforts to connect with students is a daily mission.
"WeΒ want all students to feel more connected and have that special moment," said Alicia Longworth, assistant athletics director for marketing. "We appreciate the fans."
There are talks of making the on-field tunnel and other student season-ticket initiatives regular events on the season calendar.
The UAA has also ramped up efforts in recent years to increase fan engagement through social media and GatorZone.com, the athletic department's official website.
Bruce Floyd joined the UAA earlier this year as its social media manager and is active in engaging students and fans on Facebook, Twitter and other social-media platforms.
"It's more important than ever that Gator fans realize that we appreciate them,'' Floyd said. "One of the best ways to do that is to show that we're listening to what they're saying on social media and that we're responding appropriately. It's also a great way to determine whether the new fan initiatives are resonating with the fans β by listening to their response on Twitter and Facebook."
A landscape architecture major, UF junior Donovan Bailey is a huge fan of Billy Donovan and the Gators men's basketball team. When he received an offer to participate in the on-field tunnel for the football team, he wasn't about to pass it up.
Bailey is glad to see the added emphasis on student participation in the football program.
"It was overwhelming, but in a good way,'' Bailey said of his experience. "I didn't know what to expect. I would say that whole tunnel experience would definitely be something I want to see pushed for in the future. It's a way to recognize students and make them feel more involved."
