Florida Gators
University	University of Florida
Conference	Southeastern Conference
NCAA	Division I
Athletics director	Jeremy Foley
Location	Gainesville, FL
Varsity teams	18
Football stadium	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Basketball arena	Stephen C. O'Connell Center
Baseball stadium	McKethan Stadium
Mascot	Albert and Alberta
Nickname	Gators
Fight song	The Orange and Blue
Colors	Orange and Blue
Homepage	GatorZone.com

The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that collectively represent the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern Jeremy N Foley (born December 1 1952 in Washington DC, USA is the Athletic director for the Florida Gators athletic program Gainesville is the largest City in and County seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Florida Gators football Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (aka The Swamp) is the American football Stadium for the University of Florida The Stephen C O'Connell Center, popularly nicknamed the "O-Dome" is a 12000-seat multi-purpose Arena at the University of Florida in Gainesville Alfred A McKethan Stadium at Perry Field is the Baseball Stadium for the Florida Gators baseball team Albert E Gator and Alberta Gator are the official mascots of the University of Florida. The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research Gainesville is the largest City in and County seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States. Lady Gators is an alternative often used for the women's teams.

All Gator athletic teams compete in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference, of which they are charter members, in NCAA Division I. The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern Division I (or D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States

The athletic department is run by the University Athletic Association (UAA), a private non-profit organization that was established in 1929. The University Athletic Association Inc (UAA was founded in 1929. Since 1992, the athletic director of the Gators has been Jeremy Foley. Athletic director (commonly "athletics director" is a position at many American Colleges and universities, as well as in larger High schools Jeremy N Foley (born December 1 1952 in Washington DC, USA is the Athletic director for the Florida Gators athletic program

All athletic teams have on-campus facilities for competition. Most of these facilities are adjacent to the half-mile-long Stadium Drive, including Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (dubbed The Swamp) for football; the Stephen C. O'Connell Center (also known as the O-Dome) for men’s and women’s basketball, women's volleyball and gymnastics; McKethan Stadium for baseball, Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium for softball and Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex for men's and women's tennis. Florida Gators football Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (aka The Swamp) is the American football Stadium for the University of Florida American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The Stephen C O'Connell Center, popularly nicknamed the "O-Dome" is a 12000-seat multi-purpose Arena at the University of Florida in Gainesville Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 active players (5 normal players and one 'libero' are separated by a net that is usually four feet Gymnastics is a Sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength agility and coordination Alfred A McKethan Stadium at Perry Field is the Baseball Stadium for the Florida Gators baseball team Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each

The overall athletic program is one of the best in the nation and arguably the best overall in the SEC for the past two decades. The men's and women's teams have combined to win the Southeastern Conference All-Sports Trophy in every year but one since its inception. The Gators have also been in the top 10 of the National All Sports rankings every year for the past two decades.

Most recently, the Gators completed an unprecedented "Triple Crown", winning back to back Division I Men's basketball championships while sandwiching a BCS National Title in football in between, all in 366 days.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Football 3 Men's Basketball 4 Women's Basketball 5 Baseball 6 Softball 7 Soccer 8 Volleyball 9 Golf 10 Tennis 11 Olympics 12 Gymnastics 13 Lacrosse 14 Cheers and Spirit Program 15 All-Sports Rankings 15.1 NACDA Directors’ Cup 15.1.1 2006-07 Directors’ Cup Standings 15.2 SEC All-Sports Trophy 16 National Championships 17 Notable alumni 18 References 19 External links

Overview

The University of Florida was one of the charter members in the Southeastern Conference. Previously the Gators were in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1912 to 1921, and in the Southern Conference from 1922 until the SEC was founded in 1932. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, or SIAA was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences formed in the United States The Southern Conference (or SoCon) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA 's Division I

Orange and blue were officially adopted as the school colors in 1910 from the main colors of the two institutions that had united to form UF in 1903. ^[1]

With the state of Florida being home to an estimated million alligators, the American Alligator ,often just called a "Gator" for short, was chosen as the mascot to represent the University of Florida in 1911. The American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, (known colloquially as simply gator) is one of the two living Species of Alligator, a genus The term mascot – defined as a term for any person animal or object thought to bring Luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common The official costumed mascots of the Florida Gators are Albert (Albert E. Gator) and Alberta.

The Gators' most prominent current rivals are SEC Eastern Division foes, the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers, and the ACC's Florida State Seminoles. The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of The University of Georgia. The Tennessee Volunteers, are the names of the college sports teams at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville Tennessee. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee Florida. Florida has also shared past rivalries with the Auburn Tigers and Miami Hurricanes which have lessened in intensity in recent years. Auburn Tigers is the name given to Auburn University athletic teams The Miami Hurricanes represent the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami.

There are 7 men's athletic teams and 10 women's teams currently fielded by the UAA. They are:

Men's Sports Baseball Basketball Football Golf Swimming & Diving Tennis Track & Field

Women's Sports Basketball Cross Country Golf Gymnastics Soccer Softball Swimming & Diving Tennis Track & Field Volleyball

In addition, women's lacrosse is scheduled to begin play in 2010.

Football

Main article: Florida Gators football

See also: List of University of Florida football players

Heisman Trophy Winners
Steve Spurrier	1966
Danny Wuerffel	1996
Tim Tebow	2007

Florida first fielded an official football team in 1906. Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945 in Miami Beach Florida) is a former American football player and currently the head coach Daniel Carl Wuerffel (born May 27, 1974 in Pensacola Florida) is a former American football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow (born August 14, 1987) is an American football Quarterback for the Florida Gators. Since then, the Gators have played in 34 bowl games, won seven Southeastern Conference titles, produced 135 All-Americans coming into the 2006 season, 35 NFL first round draft choices and three Heisman Trophy winners. The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern

The football team, as is the case for all other SEC schools, competes in the higher of two classifications, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which is still frequently referred to by its former designation of Division I-A.

Florida plays an eight-game conference schedule, headlined by annual SEC Eastern division showdowns against Tennessee and Georgia, the latter being held in Jacksonville, Florida every year and formerly dubbed "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Memorable games As with most rivalries there have been a number of close games over the years often generating controversy and anguish over how the game ended for one of the teams " The permanent SEC West team the Gators face every season is LSU. Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public, Coeducational In addition, the team has a yearly out-of-conference meeting with in-state rival Florida State at the end of the season. History Roots of a rivalry The University of Florida has been fielding an officially sanctioned football team since 1906

The football team has been one of the winningest in Division I-A/FBS since 1990, the year Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Steve Spurrier returned to his alma mater as coach. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945 in Miami Beach Florida) is a former American football player and currently the head coach The 1996 team, led by another Heisman winner, Danny Wuerffel, went 12-1 and won the national championship game in the Sugar Bowl, avenging an earlier loss to rival Florida State. Daniel Carl Wuerffel (born May 27, 1974 in Pensacola Florida) is a former American football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy The Sugar Bowl is an annual American College football Bowl game played in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans Louisiana. Florida State University (commonly referred to as Florida State or FSU) is a public Research University located in Tallahassee

Following the 2001 season, Spurrier left the program to try his hand at coaching in the National Football League. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Ron Zook, at one time the defensive coordinator under Spurrier, was hired as his replacement. Ron Zook (born April 28, 1954 in Loudonville Ohio) is an American football coach and the current Head coach at the University A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on an American football team who is in charge of the defense. Zook's squads were known for their inconsistency, and he was fired midway through the 2004 season, following a surprise loss to the Bulldogs of Mississippi State in Starkville, MS. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

Urban Meyer was announced as Florida Football's new head coach in December 2004. Urban Meyer (born July 10, 1964 in Ashtabula Ohio) is currently the head football coach at the University of Florida. December 2004: ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September His first season in 2005 brought an immediate improvement of Florida's record at 9-3, with signature wins over all three of Florida's top rivals. The team narrowly missed out on playing for the SEC title due to a shocking loss to Spurrier's new team, the South Carolina Gamecocks. The University of South Carolina 's 19 varsity sports teams are known as the Gamecocks, and USC is the only Division I school to use this nickname/mascot

The 2006 team played for the school's second National Championship in January 2007, defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes by the score of 41-14. The 2006 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 2006 college football season. The 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team representing the Ohio State University in the College football season of 2006-2007

The Gators have won the SEC Championship Game a record 6 times in 8 tries since the game began in 1992. The SEC Championship Game refers to the game determining the Southeastern Conference 's football season champion They won their first official conference title in 1991, the last year before the game was played.

Men's Basketball

Main article: Florida Gators men's basketball

See also: List of University of Florida basketball players

Florida had limited success prior to the mid-1990s. However, under the tenure of Norm Sloan, Vernon Maxwell led the team to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen in 1987, and Sloan coached the team to the tournament again the following two years. Norm Sloan ( June 25, 1926 – December 9, 2003) was an American College basketball coach Vernon Maxwell (born September 12, 1965, in Gainesville Florida) is a retired American professional Basketball player who played in the After a drug scandal involving Maxwell, Sloan left and the program went on probation.

Lon Kruger slowly brought the team to increased success and reached the NIT final four in his second year as coach. Lon Kruger (born August 19, 1952 in Silver Lake Kansas) is an American Basketball coach. The National Invitation Tournament (NIT is a men's college Basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. In 1993-94, the pieces fell into place for Florida. Behind Andrew DeClercq and Dametri Hill, the Gators went to their first Final Four following a dramatic victory over UConn. Andrew DeClercq (born February 1 1973 in Detroit Michigan) is an American professional Basketball player formerly in the The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut. Two years later, Kruger's final season resulted in a losing record, and he left to coach at Illinois. The Fighting Illini (also known as The Illini) are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Florida's Athletic Director Jeremy Foley, looking for a young coach with a proven track record, hired Billy Donovan, then at Marshall, as Kruger's replacement. Jeremy N Foley (born December 1 1952 in Washington DC, USA is the Athletic director for the Florida Gators athletic program William John “Billy” Donovan Jr (born May 30, 1965 in Rockville Centre New York) is the head coach of the Florida Gators basketball team Marshall University is a Coeducational public Research university in Huntington West Virginia, founded in 1837 as a private subscription His recruiting prowess was evident early, bringing future NBA star Jason Williams with him from Marshall and having early recruiting classes with future NBA players Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, and Matt Bonner, among others. Jason Chandler Williams (born November 18 1975 is a former American professional Basketball player Michael (Mike Lloyd Miller (born February 19 1980 in Mitchell, South Dakota, United States) is an American professional Basketball Udonis Johneal Haslem (born June 9, 1980 in Miami Florida) is an American professional Basketball player currently with the Matthew (Matt Robert Bonner (born April 5 1980 in Concord New Hampshire) is an American professional Basketball player currently The Gators have made the NCAA Tournament every year since Donovan's third season with the team, an eight-year streak that is easily the school record. The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination Tournament held each spring featuring 65 College basketball teams in the

The team had the distinction of never having won their conference tournament despite several regular-season titles under Donovan until the 2004-05 season, when they beat rival Kentucky in the SEC title game. The SEC Men's Basketball Tournament (sometimes known simply as the SEC Tournament) is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Southeastern The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public, Co-educational, University, and is also the state's land-grant university located

The 2005-2006 team's start of 17-0 was the best in school history, surprising many with a young but selfless squad led by four sophomores. The team started the season unranked, yet still managed to win its second consecutive SEC Tournament championship. On April 3, 2006, the Gators defeated the UCLA Bruins 73-57 in the National Finals to win the school's first men's basketball championship. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program established in 1920 owns a record 11 NCAA championships All 5 starters announced they were going to return for another season to try to win consecutive championships. The University of Florida Athletic Association then purchased the floor used in Indianapolis for the Final Four, and installed it in the O'Connell Center. The Stephen C O'Connell Center, popularly nicknamed the "O-Dome" is a 12000-seat multi-purpose Arena at the University of Florida in Gainesville

Before the start of the 2006-2007 basketball season, the Gators were picked as the preseason #1 in both major media polls for the first time in school history. The Gators won their second consecutive NCAA National Men's Basketball Championship on April 2, 2007, defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 84-75. The Ohio State University 's intercollegiate sports teams and players are called the "Buckeyes" (after the state tree the Buckeye) and participate in the NCAA They became the first team since the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils to win back-to-back tournaments and the first in history to do so with the same starting lineup.

The Thursday after the National Championship, Florida's four juniors announced they would skip their senior year and enter the NBA draft. After spurning the open Kentucky coaching job the week after winning the championship, head coach Billy Donovan accepted the head coaching job with the NBA's Orlando Magic on June 1, 2007. The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's athletic teams representing the University of Kentucky (UK a founding member of the Southeastern Conference The Orlando Magic is a professional Basketball team based in Orlando Florida. A day later, Donovan informed the Magic he wanted to return to Florida instead. On June 6, 2007, the Orlando Magic let Donovan out of the five-year contract he had previously signed. He signed a contract on June 7, 2007 to become the highest-paid coach in college basketball.

Women's Basketball

See also: List of University of Florida basketball players

Women's basketall was approved as a sport by UF in March 1972 and began play in 1973 as a club team. Basketball (Female Basketball (Male In 1975 they debuted as a varsity program under head coach Dr. Paula Welch. They made local headlines in 1976 by winning the "state championship" by beating the other three women's teams in the state at that time. ^[2]

While traditionally being overshadowed by divisional (and national) basketball powers Tennessee and Georgia, the Lady Gators have made several NCAA Tournament appearances and sent players to the WNBA, such as DeLisha Milton-Jones. The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual Basketball tournament for women DeLisha Milton-Jones (born September 11, 1974) is an American Basketball player for the WNBA 's Los Angeles Sparks. The winningest coach at Florida is Carol Ross, who guided the team for 12 seasons but now coaches at her alma mater, Ole Miss. The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational Research University located in Oxford

Florida's women’s team had been coached by Carolyn Peck, a former WNBA coach who won a national title with Purdue, since the 2002-03 season. Carolyn Arlene Peck (born January 22, 1966 in Jefferson City Tennessee) is former head coach in Women's basketball at Purdue University Boilermakers is the official moniker for the intercollegiate athletic teams of Purdue University. Her brother, Michael, had been an assistant on the staff since 2001. Peck was fired midway through the 2006 season (though allowed to finish out the year) after enduring the worst losing streak of any Gator sports.

Former UF player and previous Charlotte coach Amanda Butler was named the new women's basketball coach on April 13, 2007. The Charlotte 49ers is the name for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Amanda Butler (born March 6 1972 is an American Basketball player and coach and is currently the head women's basketball coach at the University of Florida[http

Baseball

Main article: Florida Gators baseball

Andy Lopez took over the program in 1994, one season removed from leading Pepperdine University to its only national championship in the College World Series. Alfred A McKethan Stadium at Perry Field is the Baseball Stadium for the Florida Gators baseball team The Florida Gators baseball team represents the University of Florida in NCAA Division I College baseball. Andy Lopez is currently the head baseball coach at the University of Arizona. Pepperdine University is a private University of higher learning affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The College World Series or CWS is a Baseball Tournament held in Omaha Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball In 1996, he coached the Gators to a 50-win season and College World Series bid. By 2000, however,the program had seemingly hit a plateau and Lopez was replaced in order to get the program to the next level.

Pat McMahon became head coach in 2001 after coaching at Mississippi State. Pat McMahon (born May 28, 1953) is the former Baseball coach for the Florida Gators. The Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team represents Mississippi State University in NCAA Division I College baseball.

The 2005 season was the best in school history, as the team won the SEC title and made the College World Series for the first time in seven years, and advanced all the way to the championship round against Texas, but ultimately lost two games to none. The College World Series or CWS is a Baseball Tournament held in Omaha Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Texas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin. The baseball team has made the Series five times in total.

The expectations for the team were high for 2006; they opened the season as the #1 team in the polls. The team struggled through the 2006 season, however. The Gators found themselves 1 game under . 500 (26-27) heading into their final series, against LSU in Gainesville. UF surprisingly took 2 of 3 to finish right at . 500, 28-28. However, the team's 10-20 SEC record was the second worst in the conference (only Auburn's 9-21 campaign was worse), and they didn't qualify for the SEC Tournament. The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern There was very slight hope that the team might be selected for the NCAA Regionals, but in the end their disappointing performance did not get them a bid.

After missing the NCAA Regionals again in 2007, McMahon was terminated as Florida baseball coach on June 7, 2007. ^[3] Former Clemson associate head coach Kevin O'Sullivan agreed to become the Gators' new head baseball coach on June 13, 2007. Kevin Michael O'Sullivan "Sully" (b December 27 1968, Goshen New York) is an American Baseball coach and the current head ^[4]

The baseball team currently plays at the Alfred A. McKethan Stadium. Alfred A McKethan Stadium at Perry Field is the Baseball Stadium for the Florida Gators baseball team [1]

Softball

The Florida Gators softball team started competing in the Southeastern Conference in 1997 under Head Coach Larry Ray. The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern The Gators won the SEC tournament in 1998 while they reached the Super Regionals in 1997 and were within one win of reaching the College World Series. The College World Series or CWS is a Baseball Tournament held in Omaha Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball The Gators compete at the Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium which is located on campus. ^[5]
On May 24, 2008, the Gators defeated the University of California Bears 4-2 to win the South Super Regional and reach its first ever College World Series. The University of California ( UC) is a Public university system in the state of California. The College World Series or CWS is a Baseball Tournament held in Omaha Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball With their 67th victory of the season, they also tied the all-time NCAA record for single-season wins, tying the 1998 University of Arizona, 1999 Illinois-Chicago and the 2005 University of Tennessee teams. The University of Arizona (also referred to as UA, U of A, or Arizona) is a Land-grant and space-grant public institution The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago. The University of Tennessee (also known as UT) sometimes called the University of Tennessee Knoxville ( UT Knoxville, or UTK) is the flagship Junior pitcher All-American Stacey Nelson is 45-3 with 337 strikeouts in 316. 2 innings pitched for a 0. 73 earned run average through May 28, 2008. ^[6]

Soccer

Becky Burleigh has been the coach since the team first began play in 1996. The team quickly became a contender and, in 1998, won the national title in its third year of existence against the storied North Carolina program. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( UNC, North Carolina, or simply Carolina) is a public, Coeducational Research A player from that team, Heather Mitts has enjoyed a career on and off the field, including a spot on the US women's national team. Heather Blaine Mitts (born June 9, 1978 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American Soccer player The United States Women's National Soccer Team is operated by the United States Soccer Federation. The soccer team currently plays at the James G. Pressly Stadium. [2]

Another former player, Abby Wambach, has become a recent star on the U. Mary Abigail "Abby" Wambach (born June 2, 1980 in Rochester New York) is an Olympic medalist and professional Soccer S. team and scored the game-winning goal in the final game of the 2004 Olympic Games. Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface in which a score is made The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated

Volleyball

Florida began competing in Volleyball in 1984 under the lead of Marilyn McReavy but didn’t achieve true success until Mary Wise took over the program in 1991. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Mary Wise (born August 1959) is an American Volleyball player author and current volleyball coach of the University of Florida Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar.

In her 17 years at Florida, Wise has compiled a 522-54 (0. 906) record, won 17 consecutive SEC regular season titles (1991-2007), 12 SEC Tournament titles (1992-96, 1998-2003, 2005) and the Gators have made 17 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, including 7 final four appearances (1992, '93, '96, '97, '98, 2002, '03) and a trip to the NCAA National Championship match in 2003, where they fell to undefeated Southern California, who won their second consecutive national championship. The NCAA has contested Team Championships in Women 's Volleyball since 1981. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

For the 2007 season, the Gators reached the Sweet 16, but fell at home to Texas. Texas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin.

Golf

See also: List of University of Florida golfers

Florida has won four team titles, in 1968, 1973, 1993, and 2001, and had two individual champions, Bob Murphy in 1966 and Nick Gilliam in 2001. The List of University of Florida golfers is a list of University of Florida Alumni who play Golf professionally The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, played in late May or early June is the top annual competition in U Robert Joseph Murphy Jr (born February 14, 1943) is an American Golfer Murphy was born in Brooklyn New York.

Tennis

See also: List of University of Florida tennis players

Florida has one of the strongest and most storied women's tennis programs in NCAA history, producing such former greats as Lisa Raymond and Jill Craybas. Tennis Nicole Arendt, former pro tennis player Dawn Buth, former pro tennis player Halle Cioffi Currently, they are second to only Stanford with 4 NCAA Championships.

Olympics

See also: List of University of Florida Olympians

Gymnastics

Gymnastics was one of the first women's sports added at the University of Florida and achieved early success winning the 1982 AIAW Championship. The List of University of Florida Olympians is a list of students and Alumni of the University of Florida who have competed in or coached for the Olympic The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships Since the NCAA took over the championships in 1982, Florida has advanced to the National Championships (Top 12) 15 times and an additional 10 times, has advanced to the Super Six. Florida's highest finish in NCAA competition was as runner-up in 1998.

Currently, the Gators are coached by Rhonda Faehn and finished 4th at the 2006 NCAA Championships. Rhonda Faehn (born April 28 1971 is the head gymnastics coach at the University of Florida.

Florida finished the 2007 season third overall behind Utah and Georgia despite being ranked #1 in the nation and defeated Georgia to win the SEC Championship earlier in the year.

Lacrosse

In early 2006, the UF Athletic Association announced they would soon begin play in women's lacrosse, due to the growth of the sport and increased availability of competition. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Lacrosse is a full contact Team sport played using a solid rubber ball and long handled racket called a crosse or Lacrosse stick. They became the second SEC school to offer lacrosse as a varsity sport, following Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt University is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research University in Nashville, Tennessee, They will begin play in 2010. For the film see 2010 The Year We Make Contact. For the book see 2010 Odyssey Two.

Cheers and Spirit Program

A short video showing alligators moving in on their prey, with the famous Jaws theme playing in the background, is displayed on the Daktronics ProStar Video Board, commonly known as a jumbotron during every football game before the players come out of the tunnel. Jaws is a 1975 thriller / horror Film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley 's best-selling A JumboTron is a Large-screen television technology developed by Sony, typically used in Sports stadiums and concert venues to show close up shots of the ESPN's College Gameday analyst Lee Corso, a former coach and graduate of rival school Florida State, called it one of the most thrilling moments in college football. Leland "Lee" Corso (born 1936 is a sports broadcaster and Football analyst for ESPN

"Orange and blue" is one cheer that is very popular at home games, with the student section yelling "Orange!," and the alumni section answering back with their loudest "Blue. " This can go back and forth for several minutes, with both sides competing to be the louder one.

The marching band that performs at halftime and after big plays during the football season is known as "The Pride of the Sunshine. "

The coordinated dance team that performs at many sports are known as the Dazzlers.

The football team has a long-time tradition of having George Edmondson Jr. --better known as Mr. Two Bits--wandering through the stands with a sign and a whistle to pump up the crowd to the cheer of:

Two bits, Four bits,

Six bits, A dollar.

All for the Gators,

Stand up and Holler!

Though he officially retired in 1998, Edmonds has been seen at many football games since, and was made an honorary alumnus in 2005.

Another tradition--at home and on the road--is when Gator fans link arms and sway, singing We are the Boys after the end of every third quarter. " We Are the Boys " is a song commonly sung as a unity and pep song during University of Florida sporting events

We are the boys from old Florida

F - L - O - R - I - D - A

Where the girls are the fairest,

the boys are the squarest

of any old state down our way.

We are all strong for old Florida,

down where the old Gators play.

In all kinds of weather,

we'll all stick together. for

F - L - O - R - I - D - A [3]

Traditionally fans add "Hey!" at the end of the first stanza, and shout "Go Gators!" after the line "Down where the old Gators play," and at the conclusion of the song.

The University of Florida Fight Song ("The Orange and Blue") is also sung frequently at all Florida sporting events.

So give a cheer for the Orange and Blue

Waving for-ev-er

Forever Pride of old Flor-i-da

May she droop nev-er…

We'll sing a song for the flag to-day

Cheer for the team at play!

On to the goal we'll fight our way for Flor-i-da.

All-Sports Rankings

NACDA Directors’ Cup

Annual Finishes in the National All-Sport Rankings

Academic Year	UF Finish
1983-84	5th
1984-85	4th
1985-86	8th
1986-87	4th
1987-88	5th
1988-89	9th
1989-90	5th
1990-91	5th
1991-92	5th
1992-93	4th
1993-94	4th
1994-95	5th
1995-96	3rd
1996-97	5th
1997-98	T2nd
1998-99	4th
1999-00	7th
2000-01	7th
2001-02	3rd
2002-03	7th
2003-04	6th
2004-05	6th
2005-06	5th
2006-07	6th

Florida has finished in the top 10 in national all sports rankings every year since 1983-84. UCLA is the only other program that has matched that feat. Perhaps more impressive is that Florida has managed this accomplishment while fielding fewer sports than other perennial top athletic programs.

In the 2006-07 academic calendar, Florida finished sixth place in the NACDA Directors' Cup. The NACDA Directors' Cup is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the colleges and universities with the most The finish marks Florida's 24th consecutive position among the nation's top-10 programs. Eleven different Gator teams finished in the top 10 of their respective sport.

· Men’s Basketball (No. 1)
· Football (No. 1)
· Gymnastics (No. 3)
· Men’s Swimming & Diving (No. 4)
· Women’s Tennis (No. T-5)
· Women’s Swimming & Diving (No. 7)
· Men’s Golf (No. T-9)
· Soccer (No. T-9)
· Softball (No. T-9)
· Men’s Tennis (No. T-9)
· Volleyball (No. T-9)

2006-07 Directors’ Cup Standings

1. Stanford - 1429. Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in 00 points
2. UCLA - 1257. The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United 00 points
3. North Carolina - 1161. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( UNC, North Carolina, or simply Carolina) is a public, Coeducational Research 33
4. Michigan - 1135. The University of Michigan Ann Arbor ( U of M, U-M, UM or simply Michigan) is a top-ranked Coeducational public research 25
5. Southern California - 1103. The University of Southern California (commonly referred to as USC, SC, Southern California, and incorrectly 50
6. Florida - 1064. The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research 25

SEC All-Sports Trophy

At the end of the 2005-06 season, Florida has claimed 168 SEC titles, the most in conference history. The next closest program is Tennessee with 141 titles. The University of Tennessee (also known as UT) sometimes called the University of Tennessee Knoxville ( UT Knoxville, or UTK) is the flagship

The SEC All-Sports Trophy began in 1973 as the Bernie Moore trophy and tabulated the league’s best men’s sports program. In 1983, the SEC also began calculating the best women’s sports program in the conference, as well as tabulating an overall champion. In 1994, the "New York Times" Regional Newspaper Group took over the awarding of the trophy.

In the history of the award, Florida has won 13 Women’s Trophies, 11 Men’s Trophies, and 16 Overall Trophies.

Georgia won the 2005-06 All-Sports trophy to snap Florida's record streak at 14 straight (1990-91 through 2004-05).

Florida reclaimed the SEC All-Sports Trophy for the 2006-07 athletic year. The Gators won in the overall, men's, and women's sports trophies. They are the only SEC program to earn all 3 in a single year, and had last accomplished the feat in 2000-01. [4]

National Championships

In its history, Florida has won 27 team national championships and 185 individual national championships. Florida is also the only team to hold both major championships at the same time (as the 2006 BCS Champions and the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions). The Gators basketball team repeated in NCAA Men's Basketball in the 2005-2006 season and in the 2006-2007 season being the first time since Duke in the early 90's.

• Men's Golf - 1968 NCAA Championship
• Men's Golf - 1973 NCAA Championship
• Women's Swimming - 1979 AIAW Championship
• Gymnastics - 1982 AIAW Championship
• Women's Swimming - 1982 NCAA Championship
• Men's Swimming - 1983 NCAA Championship
• Men's Swimming - 1984 NCAA Championship
• Women's Golf - 1985 NCAA Championship
• Women's Golf - 1986 NCAA Championship
• Women's Tennis - 1988 National Team Indoor
• Women's Tennis - 1991 National Team Indoor
• Women's Track - 1992 NCAA Indoor Championship
• Women's Tennis - 1992 National Team Indoor
• Women's Tennis - 1992 NCAA Championship
• Men's Golf - 1993 NCAA Championship
• Women's Tennis - 1996 NCAA Championship
• Football - 1996 AP & Coaches Polls Championship
• Women's Tennis - 1996 National Team Indoor
• Women's Tennis - 1997 National Team Indoor
• Women's Tennis - 1998 NCAA Championship
• Women's Soccer - 1998 NCAA Championship
• Women's Tennis - 1999 National Team Indoor
• Men's Golf - 2001 NCAA Championship
• Women's Tennis - 2003 NCAA Championship
• Men's Basketball - 2006 NCAA Championship
• Football - 2006 BCS Championship
• Men's Basketball - 2007 NCAA Championship

Notable alumni

• University of Florida Athletic Association

Main article: List of University of Florida people

See also: List of University of Florida football players

See also: List of University of Florida basketball players

See also: List of University of Florida baseball players

See also: List of University of Florida golfers

See also: List of University of Florida Olympians

References

External links

• Gatorzone.com - Official website of the Florida Gators.
  
• University Athletic Association - Official site of UF's athletics board.

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