Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - The Swamp

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, or “The Swamp,” is widely recognized as one of, if not the toughest, environments for a visiting team in all of college football. Several facelifts after the stadium’s original construction in 1930 have made Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium the state-of-the-art facility you see at today’s game. Without a bad seat in the house, "The Swamp" ranks as the largest stadium in the state of Florida. The Gators’ average attendance last season of 90,544 ranked ninth in the country. Florida’s home record of 106-13 (.891) since 1990 is the best mark in the country during that time.

One stadium, three names
The name of the playing surface has remained "Florida Field" since the stadium's original construction in 1930. The university renamed the stadium, but not the playing surface, in honor of citrus magnate Ben Hill Griffin, Jr., an alumnus and major benefactor of the university and its sports programs, in 1989.  In the early 1990s, in describing Florida's home-field advantage, then-coach Steve Spurrier noted that ". . . a swamp is where Gators live. We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous. Only Gators get out alive." Ben Hill Griffin Stadium has been commonly known as "The Swamp" ever since.

  
 
 
Florida Field Quick Facts
Seasons: 80 (first season was 1930)
Record: 294-92-13 (.753)
UF vs. SEC: 135-56-7 (.699)
Capacity: 88,548
Largest Crowd: 90,907 - Nov. 28, 2009 vs. Florida State
Longest Winning Streak: 30 games (Oct. 29, 1994-Sept. 18, 1999)
Largest Margin of Victory: 76 (82-6 vs. Central Michigan, Sept. 6, 1997)