Your first time on campus?

soflagator

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One of the things that really struck me was that even off campus everyone was a kid like me. It was like if an entire city was a high school.

That’s because certain people(ahem) never grow up. They just get wrist tats at 45, say popular cliches like “you do you”, and throw up gang signs whenever they hear a 90’s rap song.

Not anyone here per se. Just generally speaking. Oh hi, Stephen.
 

NOLAGATOR

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It was 1980 for me...transfered from JUCO...all piss and vinegar. I knew I was going to Vet School...Not.
We hung out at Rietz...my room mate and I watched the movie Alien...Yeah boring
 

CU-UF

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Sometime in the 80s, went up with some highschool friends who had a brother in Piike, quite the coke, whiskey, beer fueled evening, All a blur, but good time.
 

TN G8tr

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Sometime for a game approximately 1972. Got to tag along as a 5 year old with my big brother. All I could remember from that first game was the was when the crowd would yell "Dubose". Could not tell you the game or the team. But got to go and start my love for Gator Football and was fortunate to hang out with my big brother and older cousin who happened to be good friends with Burton Lawless. I can remember when he'd come over to go hunting with those two and Burton would just "step" over the fence while they crawled over. From then on I was always a big fan of his and through his entire career in the NFL with the Cowboys.

Starting in 1980 it was my annual ask for a birthday gift was a season ticket. And have had them ever since.
 

Detroitgator

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That’s because certain people(ahem) never grow up. They just get wrist tats at 45, say popular cliches like “you do you”, and throw up gang signs whenever they hear a 90’s rap song.

Not anyone here per se. Just generally speaking. Oh hi, Stephen.
Zook? :dunno:
 

Double Gator Dad

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Born in Shands, Nov 1969. Grew up in town, didn’t know any different. Parents lived in married housing.

Earliest memory was around ‘75-76ish(?) grabbing tickets off the curb (couldn’t give them away), going in at the end of the game and collecting upwards of 20 game cups. Biking home with them was tricky. Still have some of those today.

Also recall 85-87 me and my HS soccer buddies would go to the handball-racquetball courts on Univ ave outside the stadium and kick for hours. I recall bringing 32oz glass bottles of green Gatorade for our breaks.

I could be wrong but I believe that in 1969 you would have been born in J.Hillis Miller Medical Center. I don’t believe Shands had been named yet.
 

jdh5484

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donkey kong arcade GIF by lilcozynostril
 

stephenPE

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I could be wrong but I believe that in 1969 you would have been born in J.Hillis Miller Medical Center. I don’t believe Shands had been named yet.
My mom began working there in 1961, Retired in the 90s. It was very small then. Worked in accounting and retired as a buyer for Shands
 

FlyingGator

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1983, my freshman year of high school. Went with a buddy who had a brother going to school at UF so we could watch the game. Can't remember who we were playing, but Wayne Peace was the QB and it was raining. The ticket was maybe 5 bucks. Squeezed into the student section. Learned all the cheers. Saw my first "cup war." Helped pass scantily clad coeds hand over hand from the bottom of the stands to the top while changing "over the wall!" Walked along frat row afterwards and saw Wayne Peace, in the rain still, dancing on the roof of one of the houses while celebrating the win. Everybody was soaking wet, drunk, laughing, and hooking up. I knew I had found my home.

Those were the days! You must have been **** hammered though because the cheer was “Over the Top” not over the wall. On a good day the crowd at the top had a blow up doll and actually tossed it over the top just as the real girl got there! Good times!
 

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NOLAGATOR

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Those were the days! You must have been **** hammered though because the cheer was “Over the Top” not over the wall. On a good day the crowd at the top had a blow up doll and actually tossed it over the top just as the real girl got there! Good times!
Over the top...over the top
 

GatorTruth133

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So...this really is just a thread about first time setting foot on campus. Title wasn't specific and I thought I'd be walking into some Members Section Only type discussion
 

jeeping8r

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1980, State FFA ag mechanics finals for top 10 HS teams in Fl were held where greenhouses are across from Reitz union. Drove my 63 Chevy pickup there and at lunch break took a self guided tour of campus. Back then there was a guard shack in the area of 13th and univ ave and got stopped and asked what I was doing on campus. After that drove by Swamp, at that time there was no upper South endzone so you could look right onto field. Got lost but managed to make it back for round 2 of contest. We got 10th

Edit.. Just remembered when I was 5 or 6 had bad asthma, Doctor had my parents take me to Shands for allergy tests. At that time you'd get 18 small allergen injections in each arm, over the course of 3 visits it was in the area of 106 total injections. Turns out I was allergic to cows, horses, chickens, feather pillows and mexican teaweed. We had cows, chickens and mexican teaweed on our 20 acres. Google the weed, soon as you see it you'll know it.

During a full-blown asthma attack my airways were so contracted when I tried to breathe my chest would pull in an inch or so, basically giving myself CPR. take a trip to Monroe hospital in Ocala and get a shot of epinephrine and MAN what a rush. Until 20 minutes later and I'd puke my head off.

Put me on Marax pills, took one the day I was to run the 600 for presidential physical fitness test and ran it in 1:36..... Not bad for a skinny White kid
 
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Double Gator Dad

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My first trip on campus was in October 1966. I was 9 years old and my father was a student at UF.
It was a Monday or Tuesday night during football season and my dad took my brother and I to Reitz Union. We went into a theatre with maybe 100 people and they showed highlights of the gators game from the previous Saturday complete with narration. We got to watch SOS lead Florida to victory and everyone in the theatre screamed and hollered like it was live. It only lasted about 20 minutes but my brother and I thought it was THE coolest thing ever.

We only got to do this a couple of times but obviously, I will never forget it.
 

Double Gator Dad

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My mom began working there in 1961, Retired in the 90s. It was very small then. Worked in accounting and retired as a buyer for Shands
I had a feeling you would know if my memory was correct. J Hillis Miller was a very fine hospital back in the day.
 

Pablos Tunnel

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Summer of '85. Fly down from Detroit a week before I started boot camp/OSUT and wanted to bang the wife to be one more time before nothing for 16 weeks (she started at UF Summer C of '85). Had a great time. I remember watching a drunk girl stumble around in the original Balls and thinking "Jesus Christ, THAT is not going to end well." Next time back was 17 weeks later. We eloped in Gainesville on the day the Gators beat VaTech at home. Then off to Germany for 4 years and back to UF from 89-93 to get our degrees.
Me too, summer ‘85, but for a football camp. Stayed in Jennings and remember coaches waking us up at 6am to run the stadium before breakfast. It was an awesome week and then my brother went up the next year and I followed him.
 

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