The Gators will play their 500th game all-time at their home stadium later this season. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: The Swamp's 500th Game Is Coming, And Here's How We Got Here
Thursday, September 10, 2026 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — He had imagined what the moment would be like, but when Jon Sumrall raced out of the tunnel and onto Spurrier/Florida Field for the first time as UF's head coach, he needed a second to recalibrate.
"Energy was electric,'' he said. "It surpassed my expectations."
The scene at Florida's 66-21 season-opening win Saturday over FAU was college football pageantry at its finest.
The Pride of the Sunshine roared. Ciatrick Fason served as Honorary Mr. Two Bits. Military jets performed a flyover. And at halftime, a coordinated drone show flashed iconic Gators images in the night sky.
If stadium renovation plans move accordingly, Saturday's opener will be the last in the current iteration of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Construction is slated to begin on a three-year renovation project after the 2026 season.
Florida will continue to play home games at The Swamp over the next three seasons, but fans can expect to see significant signs of the makeover set to be completed by 2030 – the 100th anniversary of one of college football's most storied venues.
Over the summer, as I thought about the changes ahead, I found myself looking backward.
Before Florida moves into the next era of The Swamp, I wanted to make sure we had the previous 95 seasons right. Florida did not field a team in 1943 due to World War II.
The quest originated last year when I noticed that based on UF's record at The Swamp printed in the media guide, the Gators were going to play their 500th all-time game on Florida Field during the 2025 season.
However, after noticing a game listed as having taken place in Gainesville that did not — and short on time in-season — I knew I'd have to wait until after the season for a deep dive, game by game, to verify the totals.
I spent days in late July and early August going through Newspapers.com, checking dates, locations and scores against contemporary newspaper accounts since UF dedicated Florida Field during the 1930 season.
The Gators played their first game at Florida Field on Nov. 8, 1930, a 20-0 loss to Alabama in front of state and local dignitaries on hand for the dedication of UF's new $118,000, 22,000-seat stadium.
As a testament to the many people who have maintained and updated the records over the decades in Florida's sports-information office, there was less misinformation than one might expect.
Still, determining Game No. 500 required checking each game's location.
In the end, all the games recorded as not taking place at Florida Field proved correct, though a handful were played somewhere other than listed and a few dates and scores were off. More importantly, four games recorded as having been played at Florida Field actually took place elsewhere:
As for my specific reason for tracking each game of the past 95 seasons – or insanity, depending on your sensibilities – we know that Florida's 2026 season opener was the Gators' 497th all-time game on that patch of earth.
One game deserves an asterisk: On Dec. 22, 1973, Florida lost to Miami (Ohio), 16-7, in the Tangerine Bowl — a game officially classified as a bowl but played at Florida Field because the Tangerine Bowl stadium in Orlando was undergoing renovations.
With the record straight, Florida will play its 500th all-time game at what is now known as Spurrier-Florida Field/Ben Hill Griffin Stadium/The Swamp on Oct. 10 against South Carolina.
This is the Gators' 96th season at the venue, and after Saturday's win over FAU, UF is 368-116-13 all-time on its home field.
Jon Sumrall is 1-0 and seeks to make it 2-0 when the Gators host Campbell on Saturday – the first time the Fighting Camels have paid a visit.
*****
First Win: Florida 27, Citadel 7 (Oct. 15, 1932)
First Two-Time Visitor: Florida 9, North Carolina 0 (Oct. 21, 1933)
First SEC Game: Florida 14, Auburn 7 (Nov. 25, 1933)
First Night Game: Stetson 16, Florida 14 (Sept. 24, 1938)
First U of Miami Visit: Miami 19, Florida 7 (Oct. 15, 1938)
First Game Post-WWII: Florida 36, Mayport NAS 6 (Sept. 23, 1944)
Longest Losing Streak: 5 (1946-47 seasons)
Longest Winning Streak: 30 (1994-99 seasons)
Last Tie: Florida 28, Rutgers 28 (Sept. 14, 1985)
First FSU visit: Florida 21, FSU 7 (Nov. 22, 1958)
Win No. 50: Florida 45, Stetson 0 (Oct. 10, 1953)
Win No. 100: Florida 41, Vanderbilt 20 (Oct. 25, 1969)
Win No. 200: Florida 41, Tennessee 34 (Sept. 18, 1993)
Win No. 300: Florida 33, Tennessee 23 (Sept. 17, 2011)
Win No. 350: Florida 29, Utah 26 (Sept. 3, 2022)
Game No. 100: Florida 22, LSU 14 (Oct. 26, 1957)
Game No. 200: FSU 37, Florida 9 (Dec. 3, 1977)
Game No. 300: Florida 48, South Carolina 17 (Nov. 12, 1994)
Game No. 400: Mississippi State 10, Florida 7 (Oct. 16, 2010)
"Energy was electric,'' he said. "It surpassed my expectations."
The scene at Florida's 66-21 season-opening win Saturday over FAU was college football pageantry at its finest.
The Pride of the Sunshine roared. Ciatrick Fason served as Honorary Mr. Two Bits. Military jets performed a flyover. And at halftime, a coordinated drone show flashed iconic Gators images in the night sky.
If stadium renovation plans move accordingly, Saturday's opener will be the last in the current iteration of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Construction is slated to begin on a three-year renovation project after the 2026 season.
Florida will continue to play home games at The Swamp over the next three seasons, but fans can expect to see significant signs of the makeover set to be completed by 2030 – the 100th anniversary of one of college football's most storied venues.
Over the summer, as I thought about the changes ahead, I found myself looking backward.
Before Florida moves into the next era of The Swamp, I wanted to make sure we had the previous 95 seasons right. Florida did not field a team in 1943 due to World War II.
The quest originated last year when I noticed that based on UF's record at The Swamp printed in the media guide, the Gators were going to play their 500th all-time game on Florida Field during the 2025 season.
I spent days in late July and early August going through Newspapers.com, checking dates, locations and scores against contemporary newspaper accounts since UF dedicated Florida Field during the 1930 season.
The Gators played their first game at Florida Field on Nov. 8, 1930, a 20-0 loss to Alabama in front of state and local dignitaries on hand for the dedication of UF's new $118,000, 22,000-seat stadium.
As a testament to the many people who have maintained and updated the records over the decades in Florida's sports-information office, there was less misinformation than one might expect.
Still, determining Game No. 500 required checking each game's location.
In the end, all the games recorded as not taking place at Florida Field proved correct, though a handful were played somewhere other than listed and a few dates and scores were off. More importantly, four games recorded as having been played at Florida Field actually took place elsewhere:
- Oct. 29, 1938 – Florida lost 33-0 to Boston College in the first of two trips to Fenway Park in consecutive seasons. The Gators beat Boston College at the historic ballpark, 7-0, the next season.
- Oct. 4, 1952 – Florida beat the Citadel, 33-0, at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
- Oct. 9, 1954 – Florida lost to Clemson, 14-7, at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
- Sept. 17, 1960 – The Gators beat George Washington, 30-7, at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville in their first game under head coach Ray Graves.
As for my specific reason for tracking each game of the past 95 seasons – or insanity, depending on your sensibilities – we know that Florida's 2026 season opener was the Gators' 497th all-time game on that patch of earth.
One game deserves an asterisk: On Dec. 22, 1973, Florida lost to Miami (Ohio), 16-7, in the Tangerine Bowl — a game officially classified as a bowl but played at Florida Field because the Tangerine Bowl stadium in Orlando was undergoing renovations.
With the record straight, Florida will play its 500th all-time game at what is now known as Spurrier-Florida Field/Ben Hill Griffin Stadium/The Swamp on Oct. 10 against South Carolina.
This is the Gators' 96th season at the venue, and after Saturday's win over FAU, UF is 368-116-13 all-time on its home field.
Jon Sumrall is 1-0 and seeks to make it 2-0 when the Gators host Campbell on Saturday – the first time the Fighting Camels have paid a visit.
*****
FUN FACTS
First Tie: Florida 0, North Carolina 0 (Oct. 10, 1931)First Win: Florida 27, Citadel 7 (Oct. 15, 1932)
First Two-Time Visitor: Florida 9, North Carolina 0 (Oct. 21, 1933)
First SEC Game: Florida 14, Auburn 7 (Nov. 25, 1933)
First Night Game: Stetson 16, Florida 14 (Sept. 24, 1938)
First U of Miami Visit: Miami 19, Florida 7 (Oct. 15, 1938)
First Game Post-WWII: Florida 36, Mayport NAS 6 (Sept. 23, 1944)
Longest Losing Streak: 5 (1946-47 seasons)
Longest Winning Streak: 30 (1994-99 seasons)
Last Tie: Florida 28, Rutgers 28 (Sept. 14, 1985)
First FSU visit: Florida 21, FSU 7 (Nov. 22, 1958)
Win No. 50: Florida 45, Stetson 0 (Oct. 10, 1953)
Win No. 100: Florida 41, Vanderbilt 20 (Oct. 25, 1969)
Win No. 200: Florida 41, Tennessee 34 (Sept. 18, 1993)
Win No. 300: Florida 33, Tennessee 23 (Sept. 17, 2011)
Win No. 350: Florida 29, Utah 26 (Sept. 3, 2022)
Game No. 100: Florida 22, LSU 14 (Oct. 26, 1957)
Game No. 200: FSU 37, Florida 9 (Dec. 3, 1977)
Game No. 300: Florida 48, South Carolina 17 (Nov. 12, 1994)
Game No. 400: Mississippi State 10, Florida 7 (Oct. 16, 2010)
Tuesday, September 08
Tuesday, September 08
Tuesday, September 08
Tuesday, September 08
