#SwampMoment: Create and Capture Lasting Memories with UF
Monday, February 25, 2019 | Football
Beginning with Spring Football, Gators Nation is encouraged to use #SwampMoment to capture those fun moments and lasting memories when interacting with UF student-athletes, coaches and with each other at its events.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The vibe and fun environment that surrounds the Gators football program in 2019 is a direct correlation to Gators Nation and the buy-in that head coach Dan Mullen has cultivated within the fan base.
In fact, the environment and frenzy that was created inside The Swamp against LSU last October led to perhaps the most memorable play of the decade.
As FloridaGators.com Senior Writer Scott Carter chronicled that moment, he stated that "the earth shook," as safety Brad Stewart Jr. returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter to secure UF's win over fifth-ranked team in the country.
That play, along with Tim Tebow's induction into the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Ring of Honor, highlighted an amazing Saturday in Gainesville that gave all Gators a reason to Stand Up & Holler.
Being a member of Gators Nation instills pride in one another, as it showed during that aforementioned October fall Saturday, as there is no shortage of traditions that associated with the University of Florida and a Saturday inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
#Tradition ➡️ #TBT #GoGators pic.twitter.com/w0Na9ixRAw
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) January 25, 2019
Goosebumps are inevitable when everyone inside The Swamp sings Tom Petty's 'Won't Back Down,' together.
#Tradition ... Another reason why #WeCHOMP! #GoGators #TheSwamp pic.twitter.com/4pUj4YY7vk
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) March 2, 2018
Building that connection and creating that engagement is why only Gators know what it's like to be a part of this special brand.
#GatorsFanDay
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 20, 2018
A visual recap. #SparkMade
Link: https://t.co/3kngoBm3D4 #GoGators pic.twitter.com/TeweleYztU
Dan Mullen pumping up the crowd. Master motivator. #Gators @InsideTheGators pic.twitter.com/hthgAeD1Yh
— Jake Winderman (@jakewinderman) April 14, 2018
What is the Gators Standard and why is it some so important?
FloridaGators.com Senior Writer Scott Carter detailed how some moments on the field helped shape the mystique of Florida football and what they meant to him and the storied history of our program.
CHAMPIONSHIP MOMENTS:
- Moment:
- 3x National Champions
- Highlights:
- 1996 – Gators Defeat FSU
- 2006 – Gators Defeat Ohio State
- 2008 – Gators Defeat Oklahoma
- Significances of these Moments via @GatorsScott:
- Bear Bryant once called Florida's football program a sleeping giant. The Bear didn't live long enough to see it happen, but when Steve Spurrier took over the program in 1990, the Gators turned all that potential Bryant saw into a dominant program under Spurrier's direction, highlighted by the program's first national title in 1996. A few years after Spurrier's departure, head coach Urban Meyer and a lefty quarterback from Jacksonville named Tim Tebow arrived. They catapulted the Gators even higher, winning a pair of national titles in a three-year span. The giant was fully awake.
- Moment:
- UF clinched its first-ever SEC Championship on Nov. 16, 1991
- Highlights:
-
#WereYouThereWhen: UF clinched its first-ever SEC Championship
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 5, 2018
Date: Nov. 16, 1991#TheSwamp
2018 Tickets: https://t.co/MnipP8bmhD pic.twitter.com/I9veC8iyUy
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- Significance of Moment via @GatorsScott:
- This moment is one that resonates as much today as it did then. In his second season as head coach at his alma mater, and a year after his Gators finished with the best record in the SEC but were not an extended an invitation to the Sugar Bowl due to NCAA sanctions prior to his tenure, Steve Spurrier stood on Florida Field following a 35-26 win over Kentucky. The victory clinched Florida's first-ever official SEC title and as the Gators basked in a postgame celebration, Spurrier took a microphone. With then-SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer standing nearby, Spurrier officially accepted the long-awaited Sugar Bowl berth. The HBC then delivered one of those verbal pokes that earned him icon status in Gators Country. "We should have been there last year, too,'' he said.
HISTORIC MOMENTS:
- Moment:
- Naming of Steve-Spurrier Florida Field in 2016
- Highlight:
- Significance of the Moment via @GatorsScott:
- He won a Heisman Trophy as Florida's quarterback. He won a national championship and revolutionized the SEC as the Gators' head coach. He's in the College Football Hall of Fame as a player and coach, one of only four men to be inducted twice. Steve Spurrier often liked to say "God smiled down on the Gators" when good fortune came their way during his coaching career. On the night of Sept. 3, 2016, God smiled down on the HBC when the Gators' home turf was officially rechristened Steve Spurrier-Florida Field.
- Moment:
- Tim Tebow Induction into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Ring of Honor
- Highlight:
-
.@TimTebow ➡ Immortalized #GatorsAlways pic.twitter.com/tqVFldWeYC
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 7, 2018
-
- Significance of the Moment via @GatorsScott:
- On a beautiful October 2018 afternoon, Gators icon Tim Tebow returned to The Swamp to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the 2008 national title. He was joined by dozens of his ex-teammates. With the crowd chanting "Te-bow, Te-bow," No. 15 took center stage. It was time for Tebow to become only the sixth player in school history to join UF's Ring of Honor. If you were in the crowd that day, you probably had goose bumps. An emotional Tebow hit all the right notes during his speech, none more so than words that will live forever in Gators lore. "I was born a Gator, I played as a Gator and I'll die a Gator."
MEMORABLE MOMENTS:
- Moment:
- Tim Tebow Jump Pass vs. LSU in 2006
- Highlight:
- Significance of the Moment via @GatorsScott:
- The Gators and LSU were tied 7-all with less than 30 seconds to go in the first half. As was sometimes the case, UF head coach Urban Meyer inserted freshman quarterback Tim Tebow into the game in a goal-line situation. What happened next in a top-10 matchup at The Swamp introduced Tebow's unique ability to a national television audience on CBS. Veteran play-by-play announcer Vern Lundquist gasped: "Oh, a jump pass! How about that! Oh my gosh! That looks like 1955!" Tebow's 1-yard touchdown toss to tight end Tate Casey, who was falling toward the back of the end zone as he caught the ball, sparked the Gators to a 23-10 victory and instantly become one of the most famous plays in Gators football history.
- Moment:
- Brad Stewart INT for TD against LSU on Oct. 6, 2018
- Highlight:
-
#GatorNation -- You voted, we listened! Here's your favorite play from the 2018 season thus far.@B_Stew5 ➡ 🏡#TBT 🐊 #TheSwamp pic.twitter.com/N4UhCOAkpM
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 18, 2018
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- Significance of the Moment via @GatorsScott:
- Coming off road wins at Tennessee and Mississippi State, the Gators were back in the national polls. They were also back home for a much-anticipated showdown with No. 5-ranked LSU. The Gators did not disappoint the sold-out crowd at The Swamp. In the biggest home win in recent years, safety Brad Stewart Jr. returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown with less than two minutes left. The crowd roared. The earth shook. The Gators had a defining victory in Dan Mullen's first season back in Gainesville.
Whether it's been on the field, in the stands or interacting with UF's student-athletes, coaches and staff, there are moments that we never forget as fans. By using #SwampMoment, Gators Nation can now document these memories and help spread the pride of being a part of this program.
#WeChompWeekend
Over the course of that weekend (April 10-14), Florida's campus will feature nine different Gators sports events, highlighted by the Orange & Blue Game, Presented by Sunniland, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 13.
Fans attending any UF event on Saturday, April 13 are encouraged to use their clear bag as that policy will be in effect at BHG Stadium for the spring game.
Gate information, parking information and other #WeChompWeekend details will be announced soon.
Players Mentioned
DB
/ FootballRoad to Gameday: Florida Football
Thursday, April 30
Road to Gameday: Florida Football Spring Game (Season 2)
Wednesday, April 29
Jon Sumrall Postgame Press Conference 4-11-26
Saturday, April 11
Buster Faulkner Postgame Press Conference 4-11-26
Saturday, April 11
