To this day, I can remember the very first Florida/Florida State game I truly watched. It was 2001, I was 9 years old and Florida was steaming ahead towards another trip to Atlanta and a possible national championship birth in Steve Spurrier's 12th season. The 4th ranked Gators cruised to a 37-13 victory in the Swamp. I don't remember many specific details of this particular game because it was a week before arguably the most gut wrenching defeat in Gators' history at the hands of underdog Tennessee. One thing that has always stuck with me from this game however was the CBS introduction that talked about the Florida-Florida State rivalry, which included the typical epic music and clips of past games in the relatively short, but storied history between both programs. Sure, it hasn't been around as long as Alabama-Auburn or Ohio State-Michigan, but in the last 30 years it is tough to find an end of the year rivalry that has had so much at stake beyond bragging rights nearly every time they play each other. This heated in state rivalry has featured six Heisman trophy winners, numerous top 10 showdowns, a plethora of quotes and controversy, and during the 1990s there were often national championship implications every time these two teams met on the gridiron. But even more interesting than the games this rivalry has produced in its 61 year history, is the story behind the making of one the most storied rivalries that college football has to offer.
Although the year was 1958 when the Gators from Gainesville and the Seminoles from Tallahassee first played each other, the history concerning both programs can be traced all the way back to 1905. The Buckman Act which was passed by the state of Florida legislature, turned Florida State College in Tallahassee from a coeducational institution into a female only college appropriately named Florida State College for Women. What made the Buckman Act so significant concerning Florida State College was it cut their football program, forcing the student athletes to find a new school. This school was located in Gainesville and was called the University of the State of Florida, (the name was shortened to the University of Florida in 1909) an all male school. In 1906, the former players and coaches from Florida State College officially formed the University of Florida football program. Following WWII, the state of Florida had to make changes to their university system to accommodate the large numbers of men returning from the war to start or continue their education. To fix this problem, the state turned Florida State College for Women into a coeducational institution called Florida State University in 1947. Being a major university in the South, it was only natural the Florida State officials formed a football team and the Seminoles, as they were known, began playing football that same year. Right away students and fans were calling for the newly formed FSU football program to play the University of Florida. Being the state of Florida's flagship University, the administration at UF was not immediately willing to play Florida State for a few reasons. Florida's in state rival at the time was Miami which was a private school and Florida officials felt that playing the Seminoles in football would legitimize their program and in turn, start receiving more state funds which were limited. Secondly, since both schools were part of the state's University system, Florida officials urged Florida State to play compete in only junior varsity sports. Florida continued to decline Florida State's offer to meet on the gridiron until the state legislature took action. In 1955 they proposed a bill that would mandate a game between the two programs. Although the bill did not receive enough votes to pass, Florida Governor Leroy Collins asked University of Florida President J. Wayne Reitz to put Florida State on their schedule. From there a contract was laid out and the Gators and Seminoles were set to play during the 1958 season. The long awaited showdown between Florida and Florida State finally kicked off on November 22nd, 1958, Nearly a decade after Florida State began playing football. The Gators saw victory, the first of six straight, versus the Seminoles that day, emerging victorious with a 21-7 win. Although the 1958 kickoff marked the beginning of Florida and Florida State's competition in intercollegiate athletics, the game already had the feeling of a rivalry because of the politics it involved between both schools to get to that point. Florida's reasoning for not wanting to play Florida State are certainly understandable. However, I think we can all agree we are glad that the rivalry game took off since that first meeting in 1958 because it has made for some great football. Florida currently leads the all time series, 34-25-2 tying twice in 1961 and 1994. Between both programs, there are a total of 6 national championships, including Florida's 1996 title where both teams played each other in the Sugar Bowl. From 1990 to 2001 both teams were ranked in the top 25 and in all of those meetings at least one of the teams were ranked in the top 10. The Sunshine State Showdown, as this game has been officially called in recent seasons may not have the history to match that of the Iron Bowl, Army-Navy, or Ohio State Michigan, but it certainly has had the passion and intensity to match any rivalry game in college football. Here's to 60 more years!
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