UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

TRADITION: Swaying to “We Are the Boys”

WHAT IS IT? At the end of the third quarter of every home game, over 80,000 fans wrap their arms around each other and sway in unison as the band plays the song We Are The Boys From Old Florida. The scene can be rather hypnotic, especially for those who have spent the better part of the day imbibing adult beverages. (Clearly another game day tradition on college campuses everywhere.)

ORIGIN: According to UF Historian Carl Van Ness in an interview with the Gainesville Sun in 2005, there is dispute over who wrote

TRADITION: Mr. Two Bits

WHAT IS IT? A certain former player or UF celebrity roams the stands during games, blowing into a whistle and leading certain sections in the cheer, “Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar; all for the Gators stand up and holler!” At which point, those in that particular section, well… stand up and holler. Go figure.

the song, as it is very similar to several others that popped up on college campuses in the early 1900s. A typical barbershop quartet ballad, the lyrics are likely borrowed and re-arranged from songs sung at the University of Toledo, University of Chicago and University of Nebraska. The song has been played at UF football games since the 1930s, but it was in the 1970s that it was relegated to being played strictly during the intermission between the third and fourth quarters. As for the swaying, there is no historical evidence pointing to its beginning, but what else to do during a barbershop quartet ballad?

ORIGIN: Mr. Two Bits was actually Tampa businessman George Edmondson who started the cheer at games in the late 1940s. He became a fixture leading the cheer and could be seen at every home game until retiring from amateur cheerleading in 2008. Since then, a celebrity guest has taken on the role as Mr. Two Bits along with mascot Albert the Alligator donning Mr. Two Bits attire.

TRADITION: Gator Chomp

WHAT IS IT? Fans extend their arms and clap in unison mimicking a Gators’ jaws clamping down on prey. Fans often employ the move while chanting “Gator bait” as opposing players take the field. The gesture is also used as a greeting between like minds. Fans should be wary on the streets of Knoxville, Tennessee, however, where there are reports of Gator fans being cited for “unlawful Gator chomping.” True story.

ORIGIN: According to floridagoalliners.com, two UF band members got the idea to transform John Williams’ Jaws theme while attending a game at Mississippi State in 1981. When UF returned home to face Maryland that year, the band played the song and other band members and fans “spontaneously began doing the chomp in time.” The arm motion was supposedly modified from a similar motion used in the “Eat ‘em Up Gators” cheer that had been used for many years prior. The next question is, does John Williams receive royalties every time the Gators band plays the Jaws theme?