Albert & Alberta - University of Florida - Gainesville, Florida.
N 29° 39.138 W 082° 20.961
17R E 369400 N 3281019
Albert E. Gator & Alberta Gator are the official mascots of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. This bronze sculpture is an anthropomorphic representations of American alligators, often found throughout the state of Florida.
Waymark Code: WMRQ09
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/20/2016
Views: 6
Albert and Alberta the university of Florida alligator mascots.
A life-sized bronze statue of two the two ambassadors of the University of Florida are located at the UF Gator Club Plaza next to Emerson Alumni Hall.
"The University of Florida fielded its first official intercollegiate sports team (football) in the fall of 1906. It adopted orange and blue as its official colors, combining the orange and black of the former Florida Agricultural College in Lake City with the blue and white of the former East Florida Seminary in Gainesville, the university's two oldest predecessor institutions. The football team did not initially have an official nickname or mascot, and was often referred to as the "Orange and Blue" or "Pee Wee's Boys," after the team's first head coach, Jack "Pee Wee" Forsythe.
In 1908, local merchant Phillip Miller and his son Austin Miller, with no official sanction from the university or athletic association, selected the alligator as an emblem to represent the university on pennants offered for sale in Miller's Gainesville store. With the state of Florida being home to millions of alligators, the "gator" proved a popular choice among members of the student body, and the Florida football team began to refer to itself as the "Gators" during the 1911 fall season.
A live alligator named Albert first appeared at football games during the 1957 season, and served as the mascot of the football team on the field before the costumed version of Albert became the mascot in 1970.[1] He was joined by a female version, Alberta, in 1984. They often appear as a couple, but also appear alone. They both cheer on the football team, but Albert appears solo at Gators baseball and men's basketball games, while Alberta cheers on the women's basketball and gymnastics teams, among others.
In 2015, UF announced that Albert and Alberta would receive new costumes. As far as cosmetic changes, the Gator pair's eyes were "opened more" and the block "F" was replaced by a stylized "F" used on other Florida Gator marketing. The primary focus, however, was to design costumes that were more lightweight and better suited for the students performing in Florida's hot weather." Text Source: (
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