Here’s a gallery of my all-things Florida Gators | Gator Nation photos.
Below, click one image for larger photos in a gallery format!
It’s 2024 and just a little shy of seven months to go before the next college football season. To celebrate the off-season, I bought this University of Florida Gators shirt. The photo doesn’t do the color of the shirt (it’s a brighter mint than you see in the photo) and has the Gator head logo on the front. It’s a nice style change from my usual Gators arch T- or polo shirts. Let’s hope the Gators have a glorious coming season! I got this shot at our home here in Naples, Fla., on Jan. 9, 2024, after receiving the shirt in the mail.
I’m not typically the recipient of hats or shirts or any other gear about my beloved University of Florida Gators. I typically buy my own tailored to my own taste. However, I did receive a hat at Christmas 2023 … and it was black with the Gators logo. Sorry! The colors of the Florida Gators are orange and blue, not black. Some folks think the black gear (especially uniforms for the football team) are “cool,” but it’s my opinion that looks like … well, to be succinct … crap. So, when the gift-giver said it could be exchanged for an orange hat, I took them up on the offer. Thank you very much! I got this shot of the hat at our home here in Naples, Fla., on Jan. 6, 2024.
All my co-workers know that I’m a die-hard, dyed-in-the-wool, to-die-for fan of the University of Florida Gators. So, yesterday (Christmas Day 2023), I opened a present from one of them and received this wonderful pillow! What a nice gift! BTW … I’ve been banned for two generations of Christmases from opening any present early, so, even though I received this one last week, I had to wait until yesterday to open it. I got this shot at our home here in Naples, Fla., today (Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023).
As the iconic song notes (and pun intended): “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” and what better way to show than with an ornament on your Christmas tree? Well, here’s my contribution to the Gator Nation … the best ornament on the tree outside the ones made by our children when they were young. Just a glimpse at this University of Florida Gators ornament makes the season even brighter! I got this shot at our home here in Naples, Fla., yesterday (Dec. 7, 2023).
Thankfully the college football season ended more than a week ago for my beloved University of Florida Gators. It was a long, unsuccessful season of misery and despair. However, a new season will be upon us in 2023 with spring practice just around the corner. I got three new UF caps for myself as a way to start the new year off without the bad juju from a losing season. As you can tell, I’m superstitious and I do the hat thing … at the drop of a hat! For this purchase, I got three different colors to fit any ensemble I might choose to wear. I got this shot of the caps on Dec. 25, 2022, at our home here in Naples, Fla.
My beloved University of Florida Gators football team has a new coach and that means one thing – time to get some new team apparel. I just received these two hats from the Gator Sports Shop at our home here in Naples, Fla. Our team will be better in 2022 with Billy Napier as our head coach. Unfortunately, the team had a rocky 2021 campaign and now is looking for leadership on and off the field. I can’t wait to wear my new hats!
Although I enjoyed this tumbler of tea on Thursday, I’m posting this photo today as a reminder that we’re at the start of a weekend and it’s time to take a moment and enjoy something. It is black tea with lemon and I made it from Gold Silk Black from my favorite tea retailer, the Holy Mountain Trading Company. I got this shot on Jan. 5, 2023, at our home here in Naples, Fla., and enjoyed my tea in one of my favorite tumblers, since it has the old-school logo of my beloved University of Florida Gators.
Tonight – Sept. 8, 2018 – will be the second game of the football season at The Swamp for the University of Florida Gators. Here’s a scene I photographed while at our Sept. 1 opening game. It is a tribute held to the late rocker Tom Petty (a UF favorite), where fans turned on their cell phones’ flashlights and waved as his song “I Won’t Back Down” played throughout the stadium. The tribute was first done in October 2017 just after he passed. I hope all goes well tonight as well for my Gators.
Well, today, Saturday, Nov. 10, is the next game in the 2018 college football season for my beloved University of Florida Gators. I was given this tea mug as a belated birthday gift this past week and hope it brings the team luck today! As you can see, my laptop has a Gators logo on it, too! I got the shot at our home here in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 6.
OK, so I went to Walt Disney World on a day when my beloved University of Florida Gators played football. Well, I wasn’t the only fan of the Gators at WDW on Sept. 7, 2019. Here’s another fan’s vehicle … and his or her decal is bigger than mine! Oh, BTW, the Gators beat UT-Martin by the score of 45-0 and I managed to watch every minute on ESPNU, since that channel is available on the TVs at WDW resorts – and we stayed at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort. Oh, and I removed the tag number for the owner’s privacy.
The baseball game today between the University of Florida Gators and the interlopers from the University of Miami (Saturday, March 4, 2023) was delayed a few minutes by rain. The game was being played in Gainesville as I posted this image in the early evening. It was the second of a three-game weekend series. My best friend and his wife were at the game – they have season tickets – and he texted me this photo of the grounds crew with the covering on the field.
I didn’t bring this gift into our house before Christmas Day 2021 (today) because of the rotten season my beloved University of Florida Gators just ended on an extremely sour note. The gift was given by a co-worker and I took the photo on Dec. 23, but the gift didn’t count until it was inside the house. Whew! Thankfully, I can now keep it. A new year brings a new coach and a better season ahead for my Gators.
I don’t often add to or upgrade my paraphernalia showcasing my beloved University of Florida Gators. Well, I recently saw and then decided to buy this Tervis tumbler and handled cup with UF logos. One, the Gator head, is a current logo of the university’s sports teams. The other is a throw-back Gator logo. I got this shot on the patio of our home here in Naples, Fla., on Feb. 2, 2021.
My beloved University of Florida Gators opened the head coach Dan Mullen era and the 2018 season with a 56-3 win over Charleston Southern on the evening of Sept. 1 at home in Gainesville in The Swamp. Here’s a shot of fireworks going off after a touchdown by the Gators in the first half. We are out of the football darkness of the Muschamp-McElwain regimes that failed so miserably over the past seven seasons. A new day has dawned in the Gator Nation.
After years in a wilderness of not having any evidence of an offence, my beloved University of Florida Gators now have head coach Dan Mullen and we are out of the wilderness. In this photo from the first game of the 2018 season on Sept. 1, The Swamp was rockin’ and we notched a 56-3 win over Charleston Southern. Great for the Gator Nation to be excited about football again!
Anyone who’s a fan of the University of Florida Gators will understand this photo today (Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023). I try to avoid all mentions during the Florida-Georgia football weekend, but I’m going with this one this morning. I got the shot today while visiting family in Knoxville, Tenn.
If you’re a Gator, then it is “R” team! I got this shot stopped in traffic here in Naples, Fla., on Sept. 24, 2023. I always notice the Gator plates on vehicles in our community, but I certainly enjoyed this person’s statement about our beloved University of Florida Gators. Remember that supporting your team or cause with a so-called “vanity” tag in the state of Florida benefits a specific institution.
Although these coasters are not the oldest University of Florida Gators objects in our home, they are more than 20 years old. These coasters are porous, soak up condensation off glassware and are therefore efficient. We have newer coasters that match our family room décor that are solid and, of course, any condensation from a glass runs right onto the wooden table. I keep these coasters next to my computer and I’ll be using them for a long time to come. BTW … I have other mementos from my days at UF that are more than 40 years old. I got this shot of the coasters on May 20, 2022.
It was a gorgeous late afternoon in Gainesville on Sept. 1 for the first game of the 2018 season for my beloved University of Florida Gators. Here’s a shot of our iconic venue Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – better known as simply The Swamp. The Gators beat an over-matched Charleston Southern team 53-6 to open the head coach Dan Mullen era.
We’re at Walt Disney World for a little family vacation time and I’m watching my beloved University of Florida Gators play their second football game of the new season. I hope they have better fortune this week than last. We’re staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and here’s the view of the big-screen monitor on the wall. UF is playing McNeese State in its home opener.
Even the University of Florida Gators marching band sounded better on opening night for 2018 on Sept. 1! It was the start of the era of new head coach Dan Mullen and everyone was excited. I still like the great dance bands of the South, but the Pride of the Sunshine marching band did its part, too, and appeared more energized. I got the shot during halftime of the game at The Swamp on campus in Gainesville.
I saw University of Florida Gators logos everywhere I looked in our hometown of Naples, Fla., yesterday (Friday, Sept. 21, 2018) in a run-up to today’s football contest against UcheaT … that’s what we call the University of Tennessee’s football team. It’s a great rivalry. I don’t believe it will take anyone but a moment to know which one is my favorite team. Heck, there was one on a lawn service truck! Go Gators!
I brought hot tea with lemon to work today (March 17, 2022) in my insulated tumbler with the University of Florida Gators throwback-design logo. This type of mug keeps your refreshment either cold or hot and I can say that this one kept the tea hot for a couple of hours. Of course, the photo was taken here in Naples, Fla.
I saw University of Florida Gators logos everywhere I looked in our hometown of Naples, Fla., yesterday (Friday, Sept. 21, 2018) in a run-up to today’s football contest against UcheaT … that’s what we call the University of Tennessee’s football team. It’s a great rivalry. I don’t believe it will take anyone but a moment to know which one is my favorite team. Heck, there was one on a lawn service truck! Go Gators!
Any graduate of the school or fan of the University of Florida Gators football team can tell you what this means! It’s part of a traditional school cheer started in 1949 by a man named George Edmonson, who became known for the cheer as “Mr. Two Bits.” He did it for the next five decades! The cheer goes, “Two-bits, four-bits, six-bits, a dollar! All for the Gators, stand up and holler! I got this shot of a license plate on July 18, 2018, as I was stopped in traffic here in Naples, Fla., on my way home.
I got some a couple of new shirts honoring my beloved University of Florida Gators and the rejuvenated spirit of the Gator Nation with new head coach Dan Mullen. I’ll still get my annual pre-season football gear in August, but I needed to replace a polo – which worked nice in the drizzle recently at Walt Disney World – and wanted a new shirt with “Golf” on it for the Gators. I took this photo May 14, 2018, at our home here in Naples, Fla.
I’ll be on the road again today to head up to Gainesville for the first University of Florida Gators football game coached by Dan Mullen. I accidentally got this shot of myself showing my iPhone’s UF logo on Aug. 25, 2018, while trying to get a sunrise-in-the-mirror shot without taking my eyes off the road. It was during a trip to Walt Disney World. Today, it’s college football again!
The University of Florida marching band is called “The Pride of the Sunshine.” Here’s a shot of the drummers that I got at the UF spring football game on April 14, 2018, at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
With an announced crowd of just over 53,000, the University of Florida spring football game was a major success. Here’s a shot I got at the game in Gainesville on April 14, 2018, and it shows a pretty full west-side stands of Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that is also known as The Swamp. It was the debut “game” of newly hired head football coach Dan Mullen, who has been working tirelessly to re-energize the Gator Nation for football. On this Saturday, he certainly succeeded!
The flags come out when the University of Florida football team scores. And here the cheerleaders go carrying the flags after a score during the UF spring football game on April 14, 2018, at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium).
At the Gator Walk on April 14, 2018 (that’s where players walk along and greet fans at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium), you had to be tall to get your smartphone video. Here’s a fan using his height to get a photo of 6-foot-5 quarterback Felipe Franks before the spring football game at the University of Florida at Gainesville.
We were in Gainesville, Fla., at the University of Florida for a men’s basketball game on Feb. 24, 2018. I got this shot of the setting sun’s rays on the football stadium known as The Swamp. Ah, it was nice to be back on campus … and we won that night!
Well, my University of Florida Gators need to make some noise in the Southeastern Conference tournament that begins today (March 7, 2018). I’m posting this photo today that I took at the game in Gainesville, Fla., on Feb. 24 against the Auburn Tigers in celebration of the season and to give good luck in the tournament to the team. If we do well, then (hopefully), we’ll earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.
I can’t ever not get a special patriotic feeling at the national anthem. Here’s the flag unfurled before the University of Florida basketball game at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., on Feb. 24, 2018. Ah, the rockets’ red glare! Just as good: My Gators beat the visiting Auburn Tigers in an upset win!
Today, March 3, closes out the 2017-2018 men’s basketball season for my beloved University of Florida Gators. Here’s a shot from the light show at the beginning of the game on Feb. 24, 2018, against the Auburn Tigers – an upset win at home at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville over a ranked team by my Gators. Today we play the University of Kentucky. After today, we have the Southeastern Conference tournament and then (hopefully) a bid to the NCAA tournament.
With my University of Florida Gators men’s basketball team playing in the Southeastern Conference tournament tonight, The Swamp will be rockin’ back home in Gainesville. Here’s a shot of the kind of busy night of Feb. 24, 2018, we found there before we beat Auburn in an upset. So, in the tourney … GO GATORS!
My cherished University of Florida Gators have a great light show to start each home basketball game at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Here’s one of the views from the game on Feb. 24, 2018, in Gainesville, Fla. The Gators beat the visiting Auburn Tigers in an upset win!
We visited Gainesville and the University of Florida to see Allison as well as catch a basketball game. Here’s a shot from the opening of the evening at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Although underdogs, my Gators prevailed over the ranked Auburn Tigers. The game was Feb. 24, 2018. It was the first Gators (or any other college) basketball game I attended since 1980 — my senior year in college.
Tomorrow, March 7, 2018, begins the Southeastern Conference tournament in men’s basketball and my University of Florida Gators need to notch some wins. I’m posting this photo today that I took at the game in Gainesville, Fla., on Feb. 24 against the Auburn Tigers in celebration of the season and to give good luck in the tournament to the team. If we do well, then (hopefully), we’ll earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.
The setting sun’s rays can cast a beautiful light on just about anything. Here’s a construction crane in Gainesville near the University of Florida campus. We were in town for a men’s basketball game on Feb. 24, 2018, when I got this shot.
I’m feeling ORANGE! ORANGE! ORANGE! OK, only those in the Gator Nation will understand, but I’ve begun wearing some solid orange – not just accents – in my clothing. As a University of Florida grad, I’ve long been “blue” – that’s the color most associated with alumni. Now, with a new football coach (Dan Mullen), excitement is back where it’s been missing too long. I got this shot as I headed out on an errand from our home in Naples, Fla., on the evening of Jan. 25, 2018.
My posting of photos showing images of the logos of my beloved University of Florida Gators continues today. After Allison brought me back a a Mickey Mouse emblem from Disneyland Paris, I had room at the top of the front of my new laptop for the helmet script logo. Ah, love it! I took this photo with my iPhone at our home in Naples, Fla., on Jan. 11, 2018.
Here’s my latest photo of how Amazon ships small things in big boxes. I ordered these University of Florida Gators stickers and look at the size of the box – and it had all that padding! I took the photo at our home here in Naples on Jan. 11, 2018.
It almost feels like I’m cheating on my University of Florida Gators with this Florida Panthers magnet on the back of my car. Our daughter became a Panthers fan four years ago and now we’re all-in on hockey for the Panthers. She just got me this Panthers magnet while she was at a game on Dec. 23, 2017 (a win over Ottawa). Now it’s on my car. I got this shot Dec. 31, 2017, at our home in Naples, Fla. BTW, I Photoshopped out my license plate number. You can also see the reflection of the Gator cover on my iPhone in the photo.
Here’s an early Christmas present from family friends. I’d never seen a decorative wrap for a gas grill tank before, but now I have one that celebrates my beloved University of Florida Gators. So, not only do I have an early present, but I also have a Gators item here in Naples, Fla.
I got cranky with a fan of my beloved University of Florida Gators in a recent post because he let his license plate holder become ragged – kind of like the pitiful offense our football team continues to field (and today, Oct. 14, 2017, is our game against Texas A&M at home in The Swamp). Well, here’s a driver who has let his Gator Nation plate become ragged. I only partially obscured the number to keep the feel for the damage to plate. I got the shot Oct. 9, 2017, near our home here in Naples, Fla.
As we are in the 2017 football season for my beloved Florida Gators, you’ll have to look close to this photo. We need to fix our team’s offense and this fan of the Gators needs to get a new license plate holder. If you’re a fan, you make sure your accoutrements are in prime shape. I got the shot in Naples, Fla., on Sept. 5, 2017.
Here is my oldest University of Florida memento. I got this on campus in 1978 and have used it as a desk receptacle for several decades – rather than have it crack or discolor through use as it was intended. It’s much nicer to hold classic No. 2 pencils, Gators pencils and my somewhat rare Montblanc letter opener. Today (Saturday, Sept. 2) is the opening day of the 2017 football season and my Gators play Meatchicken (or the University of Michigan for you Wolverine fans).
Here’s a sight that always brings a smile: The red barn-like building along Interstate 75 in Marion County. When I see it, I know I’m only a few miles from Alachua County, which, of course is home to my beloved University of Florida. I’ve been smiling while driving at the 368-mile marker for decades now. The building currently houses an antique shop but has also been a store for Christmas supplies. I got this shot as I drove to UF for a baseball game on June 3, 2017.
The evening sky must always be beautiful just before dark at University of Florida baseball games. Here’s a beautiful sky on the evening of June 3, 2017, at the Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field. I got this nice shot just before dark. My iPhone’s focus is the net. UF won the game in 12 innings over the University of South Florida in a regional NCAA baseball playoff.
OK, so I like photographing contrails. For my latest, I was at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field at my beloved University of Florida in Gainesville when I got this shot. What you see is the contrail crossing near the sun and the glare and lens flare. You also see the protective net screening behind home plate. I got the shot on June 3, 2017, before the first pitch of an NCAA Regional game between Bethune-Cookman and Marist. BC won 4-2 and UF played later.
Today, May 20, 2017, is the 18th annual International Gator Day and it is celebrated by University of Florida Gator Clubs across the globe. Its motto is “All Strong for Our Community.” As a proud Gator, I’m posting this photo today in honor of IGD. It shows the iconic slogan “This is Gator Country” at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field … better known as “The Swamp.” I got the photo before kickoff of the UF-University of Kentucky football game on Sept. 10, 2016.
Here’s Albert the Alligator – the mascot for my beloved University of Florida – working the small(ish) crowd at the Gators baseball game against South Carolina on April 22, 2017. The Gators won in dramatic fashion on a grand-slam homerun. I got the shot at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field while watching the game with friends.
Look closely in the background at the tallest building – you’ll see that it is Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field. This is the walkway that fans use to get and leave from Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field at the University of Florida. It’s nice to see The Swamp, even just a slice of it, when you’re on campus. I got this shot after UF beat South Carolina in baseball on April 22, 2017.
I’m on a roll seeing contrails and here’s another two-photo post. I got the shot of this contrail while walking into the Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field at the University of Florida in Gainesville for a regional playoff baseball game. I got this shot on June 3, 2017.
I’m on a roll seeing contrails and here’s another two-photo post. I got this shot of this contrail while walking into the Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field at the University of Florida in Gainesville for a regional playoff baseball game. I got the shots on June 3, 2017.
A license plate, a license plate frame or a decal for my beloved Gators always brings a smile. I was driving home in Naples, Fla., on April 13, 2017, when I got this shot of a very proud Gator Mom. BTW: I used Photoshop to erase the license plate number.
Go Gators! It’s always nice to walk into an unfamiliar business and see your alma mater’s banner! I got this shot on Feb. 19, 2017, during my first visit to Sport Clips here in Naples, Fla. I tried them out after completely poor service at a nearby shop that believes its cuts are “super.”
Today (Dec. 3, 2016) is the SEC football championship being played in Atlanta and my believed University of Florida Gators are in it against Alabama. So, in honor of today, here’s a photo I took earlier this year. It was a great day in The Swamp at the University of Florida on Sept. 10, 2016, when I got this shot at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field. UF beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 for its 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats and before the game we honored the UF back-to-back national champion basketball team from 2006-2007. So, GO GATORS!
It was hot, hot, hot in The Swamp at the University of Florida on Sept. 10, 2016, and I used the hand-out fan that you see here in our home in Naples, Fla. We watched the Gators beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 and then I got this shot the next day after we got home. It’ll come down some day, but not right now …
Here is a shot of the “Gator Walk” at the University of Florida. I got this shot on Sept. 10, 2016, and you can see Head Football Coach Jim McElwain in the light-colored jacket as he leads players into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field. The “walk” happens before each home game. As for the game later, UF beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 for its 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats.
Gosh, it was fun being back at The Swamp at the University of Florida on Sept. 10, 2016. I was at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field on campus in Gainesville and saw UF beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 for its 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats. Here’s just a shot of the north endzone with the afternoon sun fading fast.
It was time for the University of Florida Fightin’ Gator Marching Band (the “Pride of the Sunshine”) as the stands filled before kickoff at The Swamp on Sept. 10, 2016. I was at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field on campus in Gainesville and saw UF beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 for its 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats.
I wonder if the Gainesville Police Department was expecting trouble at the University of Florida on Sept. 10, 2016, when I got this shot outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field? Of course not, but they had to be ready (although why the Forensic Crime Unit was on the scene is a mystery – as is the name: forensics commits crimes?). UF beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 for its 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats.
Even the Gainesville Police Department officers have a tough time parking at football games. I got this shot at the University of Florida on Sept. 10, 2016, outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field. UF beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 for its 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats.
Look close! Here’s the SkyCam camera at the University of Florida football game on Sept. 10, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve-Spurrier Florida Field. It doesn’t just capture the football action, here it’s shooting the band. As for the game, UF beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 for its 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats.
Look close for two details: the moon and the fact the lights in The Swamp at the University of Florida were turned on in bright daylight at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2016. I was at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field on campus in Gainesville and saw UF beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 for its 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats. At halftime, I noticed the rising moon – look close, it’s above the lights and a little to the right. I imagine the lights were turned on because of the television broadcast and that the field was in shadow.
It was a great day in The Swamp at the University of Florida on Sept. 10, 2016, when I got this shot Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field. UF beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 for its 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats. The facility was nicknamed “The Swamp” by former Head Coach Steve Spurrier in the 1990s during his hugely successful career. It was simply “Florida Field” from its opening in 1930 until 1989 when a big donor named Ben Hill Griffin Jr. got his name on it because of donations. It was just earlier this month re-christened Steve Spurrier-Florida Field in honor of Steve.
Go Gators! I’m in Gainesville today (Sept. 10, 2016) for the University of Florida’s second game of the season. I’ve typically purchased blue-theme Gator attire since alumni typically sit on the “blue” side of the stadium for the “Orange & Blue” cheer, but I got this shirt (called an “arched Florida” t-shirt) and hat in all orange because we’re playing the University of Kentucky Wildcats, whose main color is blue. So, I’ve gone all Orange today!
Today is the opening game of the 2016 college football season for my University of Florida Gators! We play the University of Massachusetts in a game expected to be won (and by a large score) by the Gators. Here’s a shot of the legendary “Swamp,” which is the newly named Steve Spurrier-Florida Field (we’ll pass over the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium part since he was just a donor). Debbie got this shot Aug. 28, 2016, on her iPhone as she and Allison checked out our seats for the Sept. 10 contest against the University of Kentucky. So, today and every day … GO GATORS!
Well, I posted a photo of the “lucky cup” Allison gave me for the 2015 football season. She’s at the University of Florida and rooting for the Gators. Last night (Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015), the Gators won the biggest game under new coach Jim McElwain. Allison got this shot of fireworks that were set off after the Gators’ final touchdown (the scoreboard says 37-3 because UF had not kicked the extra point when she got the shot). We completely pounded the THIRD RANKED University of Mississippi (or Ole Pi$$ as we say in trash talk) by a score of 38-10. Click here to view my “lucky cup” and you can also click here for all my Gators photos.
Allison got this shot of University of Florida Gators Head Football Coach Jim McElwain during the “Gator Walk” in Gainesville on Sept. 26, 2015. The “Gator Walk” precedes each home football game and the team walks past a line of fans into the locker room area. The Gators had a tremendous late rally and beat the University of Tennessee (we call them UcheaT) 28-27 for our 11th straight victory over the Volunteers in football.
I found this wonderful model of a University of Florida Gators football player in my closet on Aug. 14, 2016. If you push the button at his feet, the “Go Gators!” cheer plays. The figurine shows the correct colors for the UF football team (never white helmets and never orange jerseys with orange pants … yuck!).
Well, Allison got her first football ticket today (Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015). She’s in her freshman year at the University of Florida. Her first game will be to watch UF against New Mexico State on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015.
Here’s Allison’s spot where she did a bit of reading today (March 7, 2016) after returning to the University of Florida in Gainesville. Or is it her bit where she did a spot of reading? A (reading) room with a (Swamp) view. Yes, it’s the legendary Florida Field (officially called Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field by those who forget that it will always be just Florida Field to true Gators.
Here’s a cross-over blog post … I’m using this in my Naples spot to show my recent driving companion: Duffy the Disney Bear. I was driving up to Gainesville, Fla., from our home in Naples on March 12, 2016, to see a University of Florida baseball game with a friend. I took Duffy with me to give to our daughter. Normally, I’d use this as a daily Disney photo, but since I have so many Disney photos I thought I’d make it apart from that category.
Here’s a shot I got June 11, 2016, at a University of Florida baseball game. Look closely at the letter “A” on the sign for the Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field. You can see a hole knocked into it by a foul ball from the other team. The Gators lost the game I was at, but came back to dominate with back-to-back shutouts of our hated rival FSU. It’s not a good photo, but all I could do with my iPhone.
My friend Brian and his wife Nina were at the University of Florida Gators regional baseball playoff game on June 3, 2016 (and UF won). Before the game, they got to see the football team’s relatively new indoor practice facility. Here’s a shot Brian got of it.
I was at a University of Florida baseball game for the first time in decades. The facility is now named Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field (it used to just be Perry Field; just like Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field used to just be Florida Field) and I got this nice shot of the evening sky near the end of the first game of a twi-night doubleheader on March 12, 2016, between the Gators and Harvard. UF won all three games.
Here’s another photo I got during University of Florida baseball game on March 12, 2016. The setting sun’s rays give a glow to the nearby Stephen C. O’Connell Center and “The Swamp” (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field) is in the far background. UF baseball games are played at the Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field.
The grounds crew is meticulous with its lining the field for a University of Florida baseball game. Here’s a shot through the backstop screen I got on March 12, 2016. I was at the Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field for the game against Harvard.
Here’s a photo of the south endzone and its scoreboard at the University of Florida victory over favored University of Mississippi on Oct. 3, 2015. In the game, the Gators won their biggest game under new coach Jim McElwain. Allison got the shot on her iPHone.
Here is my lucky cup for the 2015 football season for the University of Florida Gators. Allison left it for me as a surprise when she headed back to Gainesville in August 2015 for the fall term of her freshman year. As of today (Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015) the cup is 4-0 for my luck with the Gators this year. However, tonight’s game against the University of Mississippi (or Ole Pi$$ as we say in trash talk) will need more than luck. The Gators are big underdogs, but I don’t care. I’ve got my lucky cup.
Here’s the view (and ticket) Allison had on Saturday (Sept. 26, 2015) for the outstanding come-from-behind win by the University of Florida Gators over the University of Tennessee (we call them UcheaT). The good guys won 28-27 for our 11th straight victory over the Volunteers in football.
There was a threatening sky at this University of Florida baseball game on March 12, 2016, but only a couple of drops of rain fell (none officially, I’d imagine). I was at the Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field for the game against Harvard. The Gators swept a three-game set with the Crimson with a twi-night doubleheader this day. I got the photo during the early part of the first game.
Here’s a photo of a dorm fire at the University of Florida. The fire happened Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, in the Keys Complex. The photo was sent via social media. It wasn’t known at the time I write this information if anyone was hurt in fire.
Allison used her iPhone to get this panoramic shot during halftime at the University of Florida football game against the New Mexico State Aggies in Gainesville on Sept. 5, 2015. It was Allison’s first football game at UF in this, her freshman year. The Gators won, 61-13.
I got this shot in the residential Murphree area at the University of Florida when we were visiting Allison at her dorm on Oct. 25, 2015. The sun peeking through the trees even put a flare on the lens of my Nikon.
Cell phones and cameras captured the University of Florida Gators during the “Gator Walk” in Gainesville on Sept. 26, 2015. The “Gator Walk” precedes each home football game and the team walks past a line of fans into the locker room area. The Gators had a tremendous late rally and beat the University of Tennessee (we call them UcheaT) 28-27 for our 11th straight victory over the Volunteers in football. This was one of several Allison got on her iPhone.
Allison got this shot of the SEC Network setting up shop on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, in Gainesville at the University of Florida. UF will be playing the University of Tennessee in football on Saturday (Sept. 26, 2015). Fans of the Gators call their opponents team UcheaT.
Here’s another shot Allison got during the University of Florida football game against the New Mexico State Aggies in Gainesville on Sept. 5, 2015. Look closely just off center (right) and you’ll see Albert the Alligator mascot being held up by students.
Here’s another shot Allison got in July 2015 during her summer term as a freshman at the University of Florida, Allison has been running steps at The Swamp, which is home field of the Gators. Previously I posted a nighttime shot and this one is, of course, near sunset.
Here’s another shot I got this shot at the residential Murphree area at the University of Florida when we were visiting Allison at her dorm on Oct. 25, 2015. The sun was hitting the three limbs above the herd of scooters parked at the dorm area.
You can find a ton of construction underway these days at the University of Florida. I got a shot of this crane, which was on a weekend break at its spot east of the Sledd Hall at the Murphree area. I got the shot while we were visiting Gainesville on Aug. 22, 2015.
Since arriving in June 2015 for her summer term as a freshman at the University of Florida, Allison has been running steps in the legendary Swamp, which is composed of Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin stadium. Here’s a nice evening shot she got in July 2015 (I don’t know the specific date).
Allison shot this interesting angle of the stairwell at Sledd Hall at the Murphree area of the University of Florida. She got this photo on her iPhone in July 2015 (I don’t know the specific date).
I got this shot out of a window in the stairwell at Allison’s dorm building (Sledd Hall at the Murphree area) at the University of Florida on June 27, 2015. Note the very old wood frame of the window. Sledd Hall is one of the oldest dormitories on campus.
I had been driving our van for several years as it moved to its ultimate fate in the scrapyard. Well, I’m driving a sedan again and have a console … so my longtime Gator companion again has a home in my car. I got it in 1980 in Gainesville while I was at the University of Florida.
After all these years past graduation from the University of Florida, I still get a bit excited driving north on Interstate 75 when I spot the signature red building on a hill. It always let me know on my drives north from South Florida back to the university that I was nearing Alachua County and UF. I got this shot on June 27, 2015, as we were driving to Gainesville from Naples.
Here’s an exterior of Allison’s dorm building (Sledd Hall at the Murphree area) at the University of Florida. I got the shot June 27, 2015, and she begins the Summer B term on Monday.
Debbie got this shot of Sledd Hall at the University of Florida campus in Gainesville on June 3, 2015. It will be Allison’s dorm for her freshman year at UF. Go Gators!
Remember these players from the University of Florida’s offense in 2006. While the defense was on the field, Chris Leak (sitting far left) and Percy Harvin (sitting center) were waiting for another chance to score a touchdown … and they did a bunch of times that season.
Stephen and I had great seats with my friend Brian and his son Kevin during the Wyoming game at The Swamp (Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium) in 2005. Really great seats. It was even better that we won 32-14.
Here’s a shot I took of our tour group doing “The Chomp” while on a tour of the University of Florida campus in March 2014. Allison is preparing for her application to join the freshman class in 2015 and we did the official tour, which ended up in “The Swamp” (actually the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field). The two student guides led us in the signature gesture for the Gator Nation.
It won’t be this lonely at The Swamp on the campus of the University of Florida this coming Aug. 30 when the Gators kick off their football season against Idaho. If you are not looking at this on big monitor, you’ll have to check closely for the lone student taking a break from running the Ben Hill Griffin stadium steps. We were in Gainesville in March as Allison was taking a tour of the campus (she’ll be applying for admission in 2015) and I snagged some shots.
Allison will be at Sledd Hall at the University of Florida beginning this summer’s “B” term and continue on through her freshman year at UF. Debbie got this shot on June 3, 2015, during freshman preview.
Here’s a commemorative plaque on the campus of the University of Florida, near the Century Tower. We were on campus for a tour when I shot this in March 2014. Gosh, I always enjoy returning to UF and especially for football games.
Here’s a plaque at the Academic Advising Center at the University of Florida. Debbie got the shot while she and Allison visited for Freshman Preview on June 3, 2015.
Here’s the result of an order to Midnight Cookies in Gainesville, Fla. Allison and her roommate got this order one night in July 2015 during their summer term at the University of Florida.
It was a gloomy, drizzling evening outside of Sledd Hall at the Murphree area of the University of Florida during this past summer term. Allison got the photo sometime in July 2015.
Here’s another shot Allison got of the SEC Network setting up shop for today’s game (Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015) between the University of Florida Gators and the University of Tennessee. We call the Volunteers … UcheaT. She got the shot on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, in Gainesville.
A close-up photo of the scoreboard during the University of Florida victory over favored University of Mississippi on Oct. 3, 2015, shows the statistical dominance by the Gators in the game over the Rebels. Allison got the shot on her iPHone.
The clouds were moving in for a little rain on June 11, 2016, while I was at a University of Florida baseball game. It got a little wet at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field and UF lost before coming back to destroy hated rival F$U in a Super Regional series.
Yesterday I posted a photo showing clouds moving in for a little rain on June 11, 2016, while I was at a University of Florida baseball game. Well, today’s post shows the better weather only a little while after I took the original shot with my iPhone. I was at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field and UF lost before coming back to destroy hated rival F$U in a Super Regional series.
Bored again. Here’s the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida. I got this shot when we were at a UF football game on Sept. 10, 2016. We parked nearby and were on our way to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field. UF beat the University of Kentucky in football 45-7 that day for its 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats.
Here’s a photo from a University of Florida football game on Sept. 3, 2005. Stephen and I had our best seats ever (on the 47) courtesy of my friend Brian. We joined them for the Wyoming game at The Swamp (now officially named Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium) where the Gators won 32-14 in then-Coach Urban Meyer’s debut.
At the University of Florida Gators baseball games, fans call opposing players and coaches by the generic moniker “Earl.” Well, I discovered Feb. 24, 2018, at the basketball game at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., that the student fan section (they’re called the Rowdy Reptiles) uses “Earl” to taunt the opposing team. They did it against the visiting Auburn Tigers in an upset win!
Gainesville is in the center of the Florida peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, so it doesn’t get any dramatic beach sunsets or sunrises. Still, we got a nice sunset atmosphere on the evening of Feb. 24, 2018, when we were in town for a University of Florida men’s basketball game (we won!). We were waiting for a table at The Swamp restaurant when I got the shot.
OK, only a University of Florida Gator fan will know what’s wrong with this photo. I got it driving home from work in Naples, Fla., on June 7, 2018. Note the Gator license tag. Now, note the scUM magnet on the tailgate – that’s how Gator fans write the abbreviation for the University of Miami. Why is it on this truck with the Gator plate? And the truck is the color of our arch-enemy F$U. Wow. What a sight!
This weekend is a Go Gators! Weekend. I’m just going to leave it at that. Here’s my habitual black tea from China with lemon on the great afternoon of Nov. 24, 2018, at our home here in Naples, Fla.
It was a nice run to the SEC Championship Game in football for my beloved University of Florida Gators. However, we came out on the losing end of a 52-46 score against hated conference foe the Alabama Crimson Tide in Atlanta on Dec. 19, 2020. I got this shot of Gators ornaments on our Christmas tree here at our home in Naples, Fla., in the early morning hours of Dec. 20. Ah well, Santa can always bring fans of the Gators what we want this holiday season: the firing of our inadequate defensive coordinator.
Here is one of the few photos I’m posting in my daily spot for images from our trips to Walt Disney World that was not taken at WDW. I’ve seen this vehicle here before in my hometown of Naples, Fla., but never had a chance to photograph the WDW sticker that’s alongside one for my beloved University of Florida Gators (and this isn’t a great photo by any means). It must be a wonderful family to love both WDW and the Gators! I got the shot on Dec. 1, 2019.
A GATOR IN NAPLES 