Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is the American football stadium for the college team representing the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. It was originally built in 1930 as Florida Field, which is still the name of the playing surface, and has expanded over the years from a seating of 21,000-plus to its current seating capacity of more than 90,000. It is the location for all home games for the Florida Gators football team, which plays as part of the Southeastern Conference. The games played with the University of Georgia Bulldogs are in Jacksonville, Florida at what is known as The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, except for 1994 and 1995 when the Gator Bowl was upgraded to NFL standards as the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Related Topics:
American football - Stadium - University of Florida - Gainesville, Florida - 1930 - Seating capacity - Southeastern Conference - University of Georgia - Jacksonville, Florida - The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party - The Gator Bowl - NFL - Jacksonville Jaguars

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The stadium is best known as The Swamp, a nickname given to it by legendary former head coach Steve Spurrier. He noted that a "...swamp is where Gators live. We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous."

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The greatest games to have ever taken place in the stadium are mostly from the Spurrier era, including an upset of then #1 ranked Florida State in 1997, when the Gators were projected to be up to a 33-point underdog.

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Befitting the nickname, the structure of the stadium is enclosed on all sides by high-angled stadium seats that can create a closed, claustrophobic feel on the field. Also a factor is the game-day temperature at field level, which can reach in the 110 degree Fahrenheit range (low 40s degrees Celsius) on Saturday afternoons and early evenings when most games take place. Every home game has been sold out since 1979, and the fans (students and alumni) attending join in on shout-outs and chants such as "ORANGE" (chanted on one side by the students) and "BLUE" (chanted on the other side by the alumni), creating a loud and intimidating environment that can hinder a team's ability to hear playcalls and rattles nerves. The theme is completed by the pre-game video played shortly before the players run out on to the field that shows clips of alligators while playing the theme from Jaws and closes with the quote, "The Swamp...Only Gators get out alive!"

Related Topics:
Alligators - Jaws

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On the facade of the south endzone are painted the years of each of the team's Southeastern_Conference championships and its 1996 National Championship. Also painted inside the stadium are tributes to the school's two Heisman Trophy winners, Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel complete with their name, jersey, and year of winning. Also are large messages saying "This is... THE SWAMP" and "This is... GATOR COUNTRY."

Related Topics:
Southeastern_Conference - 1996 - Heisman Trophy - Steve Spurrier - Danny Wuerffel

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Over time, the stadium has gained a national reputation as an incredible home field advantage. EA Sports' respected college football video game franchise, NCAA Football, ranked Ben Hill Griffin Stadium the #1 toughest place to play in both the 2005 and 2006 versions.

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The stadium is located in the central part of the north side of campus, bordered by West University Avenue on the north side, Gale Lemerand Drive (formerly North-South Drive) on the west side, and Stadium Drive on the south side. On the east side are the Raquet Club fitness center and food court as well as Murphree Hall, one of the older dormitories on campus. Across Gale Lemerand Drive is the Stephen C. O'Connell Center and Alfred A. McKeethan Stadium, home of the UF baseball team.

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