The History Behind the Georgia – Florida Rivalry
The History Behind the Georgia – Florida Rivalry
As one of the oldest football rivalries in college football history, the Georgia – Florida showdown is one of the most anticipated football games of the year, at least for Bulldogs and Gators. The tradition is one of the last college football rivalries played on a neutral field.
Some will argue the first game was in 1904, but many Florida fans do not count it as the official start to the feud. However, the official first game was in
1915 when Georgia shutout Florida 37-0.
The teams continued to play each other every October, switching, mostly, neutral fields until 1933 when the rivalry settled in Jacksonville, Florida. Since then, only two games have not been played in Jacksonville due to construction on a new stadium which meant the teams played on their home fields.
The annual game brings millions of dollars to the Jacksonville economy and thousands of fans from all across the country. Originally, the River City was selected because its location was more convenient for both teams. In the 1930s, the railroads meant the city was larger and transportation made it easier to travel to a big city than for teams and fans to visit each other’s campuses.
Instead of a trophy or a bowl like in other significant games, the winner of the annual game gets a staff from a tree from the Okefenokee Swamp, which lays on the Georgia – Florida state border. The staff is currently in Georgia’s possession.
The stadium will host 76,000 fans this weekend and in the past as many as 150,000 have been in Jacksonville to tailgate and watch the game from the parking lot.
The rivalry has always been a tradition all students can rally around to cheer on the Bulldogs. Win or lose, the tradition will remain an iconic part of Georgia’s history.
Sources:
www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/florida-georgia-the-history-of-a-jax-tradition/