In 1961, the Gator Bowl was held. The Gator Bowl was a football stadium located in Jacksonville, Florida. It first opened its doors in 1959 when it hosted the Northwestern University Wildcats football team. The game was played at the new stadium on December 15th of that year. The Miami Hurricanes won that first game 21-7.
The stadium underwent a major renovation in 1986 and was renamed Alltel Stadium. Two years later, it lost its status as a top-level college bowl game after the NCAA banned paid advertising on all its games. The Gator Bowl returned to Jacksonville in 1994 when it was relaunched as the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The new name made reference to the original sponsor of the game - the Gatorade product. In 2001, the name changed again when Allstate replaced Gatorade as the main sponsor. Now known as the Allstate Sugar Bowl, it is one of the most popular annual college football bowls in the United States.
The Gator Bowl has been played every year since its inception except for 1941 and 1945 due to World War II. The game has been played at various locations across Jacksonville before settling into its current home at Alltel Stadium. That stadium opened its doors in 1959 and has been renovated several times since then.
Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game hosted by Gator Bowl Sports in Jacksonville, Florida. It has been hosted continuously since 1946, making it the sixth-oldest collegiate bowl and the first to be nationally broadcast. The game features teams from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). It is sponsored by the Salem Media Group's Gator Bowl Association.
It is played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville on New Year's Day. The game features two 9-3 teams that have never met before. It is a clear-cut matchup between two powerful running attacks as the Gators try to win their third straight game while the Hurricanes look for their first victory of the season. The winner will likely finish in the top four of its conference and could go as high as #2 if they beat out Ohio State for the SEC East title. The loser will most likely drop out of the playoff race.
The Gator Bowl is the oldest ongoing college football bowl game and was originally known as the All-Southern Conference Game until the 1968 season when it became the first game to be televised nationwide by ABC. It is currently broadcast on ESPN or ABC in various stages of the season. The game was also one of the first college football games to be played in January instead of late December/early January.
Wikipedia: Gator Bowl, 1963. The 9th annual Gator Bowl was played on January 1, 1963, at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. North Carolina defeated Miami 34-7.
The game was televised by CBS with Bob Dickason calling the action from the booth. Jack Arute and Bill Cowher served as field reporters for the network.
This was the first season that the Gator Bowl used a computerized scoreboard. It was the only postseason college football game played that year.
The victory improved North Carolina's record to 7-3-1. Miami fell to 4-5-1.
North Carolina's head coach was Ray Tanner. The Miami quarterback was John Bonamego.
Here are the final scores: North Carolina 34, Miami 7.
The Florida-Georgia game rotated between the two schools' home stadiums while Jacksonville Municipal Stadium was being built, with Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium hosting in 1994 (which also hosted the 1994 Gator Bowl) and Georgia's Sanford Stadium hosting in 1995. The next year's game was played at Florida Field in Tallahassee.
Florida's last season as a member of the Southeastern Conference was 1993. They had been members since the SEC was formed in 1932. That year, they finished the season 11-1 including a victory over Virginia in the Sugar Bowl. Florida lost their first game as a member of the SEC, falling to Alabama 21-6 in Tuscaloosa.
After losing their first game, Florida went on a winning streak that lasted through the end of the season. They won their final five games of the regular season before suffering their only loss of the year in the Sugar Bowl.
In 1994, Florida went 9-3 during the regular season before defeating Michigan 24-7 in the Peach Bowl. It was their ninth consecutive win after starting 1-4. The Gators finished the season ranked No. 6 by both the AP and Coaches Polls. This was the highest ranking for Florida since its 1992 national championship team was ranked fifth.
Florida's only loss this season came to Tennessee in early November.
The history of Florida Gators football dates back to 1906, when the newly formed "University of the State of Florida" fielded a football team during its first full academic year. In 1908, the university's name was abbreviated to the University of Florida, and the football team was given the moniker "Gators" in 1911. The origin of this nickname is unclear but may be related to the presence of alligators on campus or perhaps as a parody of another Southern school with a bulldog mascot, Alabama Crimson Tide.
Florida has competed in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) since the league's founding in 1932. The Gators have won the SEC Eastern Division title five times, most recently in 2015 under head coach Jim McElwain. They have also made six appearances in the SEC Championship Game, winning once. The Gators last national championship came in 1996. As of December 5, 2016, the Gator Bowl chairman told ESPN that no agreement had been reached with any college or high school to host the game in 2017.
With a student body population of about 40,000, Florida is the largest university in the state of Florida. The school's sports program is renowned for its success in basketball, baseball, and football. Gator fans can see live video of home games via "GatorVision", which is broadcast throughout the stadium prior to each play.
The first game took place in 1958. The first encounter between the two teams took place in 1958, when the Florida State Seminoles traveled to Florida Field to face the Gators. The Gators triumphed by a score of 21-7. The contest came three years after Florida State had established itself as a major college football powerhouse. The Seminoles were undefeated and ranked No. 1 when they arrived in Gainesville.
Florida entered the game with only one win in its history. However, new head coach Doug Dickey brought a strong offense that outshined the Seminoles' defense, which was missing several key players. This game marked the beginning of a long relationship between the schools that has never been broken. As of today, they have met on the field eight times with Florida holding a 5-3 edge.
They will meet for the ninth time on November 25, 2018, in Jacksonville during College Football Week.
The Gators are 3-4 at home while the Seminoles are 2-1 away from Doak Campbell Stadium.
Florida is currently ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll while Florida State is unranked.
This game has become known as the Swamp Bowl because of the huts located near the stadium that sell beer, wine, and snacks. The term "swamp" refers to the fact that Florida's athletic department at the time did not have enough money to pay the players.
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