Why is Ben Hill Griffin Stadium called 'The Swamp'? True story behind how the Florida Gators home got its name
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is commonly known as 'The Swamp' among college football fans. The stadium opened in 1930 and has had several names over the years before adopting the nickname.
What is the history of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium?
While the Florida Gators played their inaugural season in 1906, they initially played at The Ballpark until 1910. They moved to Fleming Field before moving into their current home in 1930. The Gators' home was originally known as Florida Field, a name that lasted until 1989.
From 1989 to 2016, the name was Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field. The stadium was named after former businessman and politician Ben Hill Griffin Jr., who was a Florida alumnus.
In 2016, the current name of Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was adopted. Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy as a Gators quarterback and won the national championship as a Gators head coach.
How did Ben Hill Griffin Stadium become known as 'The Swamp'?
While he was still coaching the Florida Gators, Steve Spurrier was responsible for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium earning the nickname 'The Swamp'. Speaking to Mike Bianchi in June of 1992, a columnist from The Gainesville Sun, Spurrier stated:
"We're gonna start calling our home field 'The Swamp'. What do you think? 'The Swamp' is a place where only Gators get out alive. 'The Swamp' is where Gators live.
"We feel comfortable in there, but we want our opponents to feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous. We feel this is an appropriate nickname for our stadium."
The idea came to Spurrier after the Florida Gators had gone 12-0 at home during his first two seasons. That included their final home game of the 1991 season where they defeated the Florida State Seminoles 14-9.
Spurrier felt that the fans played a large role in the win leading him to want to create a nickname.
After going back and forth on several names with University of Florida communicators director and historian Norm Carlson, the pair eventually settled on 'The Swamp'.
Spurrier's home-winning streak lasted for 23 games and he finished his Gators tenure with a 68-5 record at 'The Swamp', including winning 56 of his first 58 home games as Florida's coach.