Florida Football Stadium

The stadium is on the northern edge of the UF campus, bordered by West University Avenue on the north side, Gale Lemerand Drive (still called North-South Drive by many Gator fans) on the west side, and Stadium Road on the south side. On the east side are the Racquet Club fitness center and Florida Gym as well as Murphree Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus. Across Gale Lemerand (North-South) are the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, home of the UF basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball teams, and the football team’s practice facilities. Just beyond is Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, home of the UF baseball team.

The Florida Gator football team has played all of their home games on Florida Field with very few exceptions since 1930. The most notable example is the annual contest against the Georgia Bulldogs, which has been played in Jacksonville, Florida almost every year since the 1930s.

“Florida Field” (as it was first known) was completed in 1930. It was built in a shallow ravine (possibly an old sinkhole) and almost all of the original stands were below ground level. Comprising approximately all of the lower half of today’s east and west stands, the capacity was about 22,000. In 1934, the stadium was rededicated to the memory of Florida servicemen who died in the first World War, and a plaque was placed on the outside wall behind the old north endzone as a memorial.

Over the years, Florida Field has undergone many renovations, almost always adding more seats. First the west stands were expanded in 1949, then the east stands were expanded and bleachers added to the south endzone in 1968. With the enclosure of the south endzone in 1982, the north endzone in 1991, and expanded club seats and luxury boxes in 2003, the stadium had grown to be the largest sports facility in the state of Florida. The official current capacity is over 88,000, though the actual average attendance since the last stadium expansion has been over 90,000.

The field surface has also changed over the years. In 1971, artificial turf was installed and nicknamed "Doug's Rug" for then-coach Doug Dickey. The artificial surface remained until 1990, when newly hired coach Steve Spurrier insisted it be removed and replaced with natural grass.

Florida Field has acquired a reputation for being a very difficult place for opposing teams to play. There are several reasons for this.

For one, The Swamp lives up to its nickname. Game-day temperatures at field level have been known to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) with high humidity. (This was the impetus for a University of Florida researcher to develop Gatorade as a way to combat dehydration.) Teams from cooler climates sometimes wither in the heat, while the Florida players have become accustomed to it due to daily practices.

The heat is compounded by the stadium design. The various expansions over the years have enclosed the playing area on all sides with steep stands, cutting off the breeze and giving the playing surface a closed-in, claustrophobic feel and bringing the fans to within a few feet of the action.

Those fans are probably the main ingredient in the Gators’ home field advantage. Gator fans are loyal, having sold out every home contest since 1989, a span of 109 games and the 4th longest such streak in the nation.

They are also loud. The exuberance of the crowd combined with their proximity and the bowled-in shape of the stadium concentrate the noise at field level, making The Swamp one of the loudest stadiums in sports.

Combined, these factors create an intimidating environment which can rattle and disrupt opposing teams, making it difficult to hear playcalls and execute assignments. Florida Field has been repeatedly ranked by various publications as being the toughest stadium to play for opposing teams.In EA Sports' college football video game franchise, NCAA Football, The Swamp has been ranked as the #1 toughest place to play in every version in which home field advantage has been included.

The Gators’ stellar performance at home illustrates the effect. Florida enjoyed a 68-5 record in The Swamp under Head Coach Steve Spurrier (1990-2001). Under current coach Urban Meyer, they are 21-1 as of the end of the 2007 season.