Gator Growl
The logo for Gator Growl 2012
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| Motto | 2015: Be the Tradition |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Dad's Day |
| Formation | 1923 |
| Type | Pep rally |
| Headquarters | Gainesville, Florida |
| Location | |
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Producer
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Millie Llanes |
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General Chairman
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Will Norris |
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Parent organization
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Florida Blue Key |
| Affiliations | University of Florida |
| Website | Official website |
Gator Growl, produced by Florida Blue Key, is a student-run pep rally at the University of Florida that was founded in 1932. It marks the culmination of Homecoming Week at the university.
Designated as the largest student-run pep rally in the world, the show is held annually on Flavet Field at the University of Florida. Before 2014, it was held in the University of Florida football stadium (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium).
Gator Growl is credited with inspiring Orange Peel, a similar event held annually at Oklahoma State University after a group of students, faculty and alumni traveled to Gainesville in 1995 to witness the event.
Gator Growl has been a University of Florida tradition over 80 years. Gator Growl has its roots in the tradition of “Dad’s Day,” a turn-of-the-century tradition in which fathers of the then all-male student body were invited to visit the new campus. In 1916, a pep rally replaced Dad’s Day and “Gator Growl” was born., known as “firing up” enthusiasm for the next day’s football game. In 1923, the tradition grew as skits, musical performances and guest speakers expanded the rally into a variety show. Students & alumni continued to express their Gator spirit by participating in cheers and enjoying performances by UF’s Marching Band, Cheerleaders and Dazzlers.
Over time, the Gator Growl production grew with the advancement of technology to its current scale. Today, it is a showcase of athletic talent and spirited tradition; a spectacle of fireworks, light displays, live music, and comedy. More than 500 student volunteers work for thousands of hours to coordinate the night of festivities for the University of Florida community. Producers, assistant directors, and staff members are in charge of the production, execution, promotion and dismantling of the show. These student volunteers earn Gator Growl its beloved nickname, “the world’s largest student-run pep rally!”
The majority of the manual labor associated with this major production, however, is provided by University of Florida students who work at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, the University of Florida's indoor sports arena. The event takes more than a week to physically set up and requires more than 200 student employees to do so. Because Gator Growl is always held the night before a home football game, these students must work all night to remove every trace of the event by the following morning. Like all aspects of Gator Growl, the physical construction is also student-run with primary responsibility falling on the Production Lead—the student technician charged with coordinating and supervising all of the other student employees. The Production Lead and the Head Electrician (also a student) will typically serve as an apprentice to the position the year prior.
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Wikipedia