University of Florida

The University of Florida, is a public university located in Gainesville, Florida. It is the fourth-largest university in the United States, with over 48,000 students; it also has the eighth-largest budget (nearly $1.9 billion per year) and is considered one of the top public universities in the United States. UF is also one of the Public Ivies, the only one in the Deep South.

Athletics

The school's sports teams are called the Florida Gators and compete in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference of the NCAA's Division I-A. Florida has one of the strongest collegiate athletic programs in the United States and dedicates about $44 million per year to its sports teams and facilities. For the sixth time, UF swept the overall men's and women's Southeastern Conference All-Sports Trophy in 2002. With its third-place finish in the 2001-02 Sears Directors' Cup rankings, Florida has ranked among the nation's top 10 athletic departments for 19 straight years.

Related Topics:
Southeastern Conference - NCAA - Division I-A

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The Gator football team is often ranked among the top 25 in the NCAA. In 1996, the Gators, led by head coach Steve Spurrier and quarterback Danny Wuerffel, won their first national championship. In January 2001, Spurrier left the Gators to coach the NFL's Washington Redskins. He was eventually replaced by Ron Zook, who failed to meet the high standards that Spurrier had set over the previous 12 years. In October 2004, Zook was fired in the middle of his third season but remained coach for the rest of the regular season. In December 2004, Urban Meyer, previously the coach of the Utah Utes, replaced Zook as the head football coach. He defeated his first SEC opponent as head coach, Tennessee. He was only the fourth coach in UF history to do so.

Related Topics:
Football - 1996 - Steve Spurrier - Quarterback - Danny Wuerffel - Washington Redskins - Ron Zook - October - 2004 - December - Urban Meyer - Utah - Utes

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Traditional football rivals include the Seminoles of Florida State University, the Hurricanes of the University of Miami, the Bulldogs of the University of Georgia, and since the early 1990's the Volunteers of the University of Tennessee. A hallmark of the Gator football season is "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party", the rivalry game against the University of Georgia, played in Jacksonville, Florida. The Gators' home stadium is Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, also known as "Florida Field" or "The Swamp".

Related Topics:
Florida State University - University of Miami - University of Georgia - University of Tennessee - The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party - Jacksonville, Florida - Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

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Basketball is another sport at which the Gators have seen success. The UF men's basketball squad won their first Southeastern Conference Tournament title in 2005, beating the University of Kentucky. They also appeared in the 1994 Final Four and lost in the 2000 NCAA Championship game to Michigan State. They are currently coached by Billy Donovan, who has been the head coach of the Gators since 1996. Florida's primary men's basketball rival is traditional SEC basketball superpower Kentucky - though the rivalry is felt more keenly in Florida than in Kentucky.

Related Topics:
Basketball - University of Kentucky - 1994 - Final Four - 2000 - Michigan State - Billy Donovan - 1996

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The Gators have also seen success in gymnastics, volleyball, tennis, soccer, and baseball. The 2005 Gator baseball team played in the 8-team College World Series and advanced to the final best-of-three round, which they lost in consecutive games to the University of Texas. Since 1990, Gator athletes have won over 100 individual national titles as well as team NCAA national championships in women's tennis (1992, 1996, 1998, 2003), men's golf (1993, 2001), women's indoor track (1992) and women's soccer (1998). UF's 164 SEC Championships are the most in league history.

Related Topics:
Gymnastics - Volleyball - Tennis - Soccer - Baseball - College World Series - University of Texas

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Since 1968, 118 Gator student-athletes have represented 27 countries in ten Olympiads and laid claim to 76 medals, including 39 golds.

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