University of Florida - Tower / Seminole Yearbook (Gainesville, FL)

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Members of the band play at Growl. The senior football players take a bow at Gator Growl. Asa tradition the senior football players were introduced the night before the homecoming game each year in recognition of their accomplishments at UT. xt Student Life 25

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Gator Gow I crew. arrange the set on the foot hall in place and all cameras are set. The Gator Growl so that everyone in the audience could A student helps to t he cameras which bring a The Largest During football season, showed -Support for the team,; raced to games on and even traveled long distances to Jacksonville, and Tennessee watch the gators But for one week out of the year, students celebrated our school, fellow students and traditional Homecoming events. Gator Growl, said to be one of the largest student-run pep rallys in the country, took place the Friday night before the Homecoming game. For months in advance and during the summer, the, student of Gator Growl and da Blue Key worked on this event. They booked two held try-outs for and held the homecoming queen pageant. year. the big night Tara Taylor homecoming queen crowned homecoming queen quickly convert Stadium into a giant stage and lase light auditorium. And as show began fans of the gators members and dents came from all Gainesville for the biggest night event at UF. During Gator Growl st dents put on skits, the cheer leaders and Dazzlers formed and the band played The highlight of the night were the two comedians, in the past have include celebrities as Robin Williams Rosie O ' Donnell. And the finale a laser light shot across the stadium. Growl had become an event that students would look to returning to the next

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UF alumni tailgate before the Homecoming game Saturday outside of South Hall. Tailgating, picnics and dressing up in orange and blue was part on the festivities on game day. Three friends do the gator chomp at the game during the 2nd quarter. This and other cheers were especially popular when the game was in our favor. Lengthen Week During Homecoming the stadium is filled with fans cheering on the gators. During Homecoming, the traditional main events were the parade and Gator Growl, held the day before the game, and the football game which brought Homecoming to a close. But the celebration actually began about a week before the game. The smaller activities took place during the school week. An organizational expo traditionally occured outside the Reitz Union at which many pre-professional, special and service organizations set up informational tables. The two-day expo helped groups to recruit new and get more publicity on campus. Other events such as the bar-b-que and appearences made by the UF cheerleaders and football players kept excitement going throught the week. Finally, every Homecoming was marked with a concert. This year the group Kris Kros performed at the O ' Connell Center and drew a large crowd of students and Gainesville Homecoming was not just made up of large events but also smaller ones which stretched the annual festivities to one of the most important weeks during the fall And more events meant that more people and organizations could get involved. — by Monica Curry 26 Student Life