Just how does a NCAA Football rivalry get started? Is it the fanfare that happens from playing a team in a close game every year, year after year, or is there more to it? Is it the close proximity of the teams and the fans that support the teams? Is it the off field antics of students that go to the colleges, as in the banners or graffiti put on rival campuses that bring on the rivalry? In most cases I would say so.
In the case of the Florida Gators of the University of Florida and the Florida State Seminoles of the Florida State University there is a far more intense history behind is College football rivalry, and I found this out by trying to create trivia questions for the membership of this awesome site. So I feel compelled to write this very interesting story behind the scene, and behind this awesome rivalry.
Now please bear with me as I try to explain how this came about. The Florida State College system under went many name changes, and will be at best a little confusing to follow. But here goes!!
"The Battle for the Governor's Cup" or the "Sunshine Showdown", is an athletic rivalry between the two flagship universities of the state of Florida
It starts before the American Civil War, when Florida State University was established in 1851 as the West Florida Seminary, an all-male institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. 1853, is the University of Florida’s official date of founding, Gilbert Kingsbury was the first man to take advantage of the legislation passed in 1851 and established the East Florida Seminary in Ocala, Florida.
During the Civil War, the West Florida Seminary became the The Florida Military and Collegiate Institute. Cadets from the school defeated Union Forces at the Battle of Natural Bridge in 1865, leaving Tallahassee as the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi River not to fall to Union forces. After the fall of the Confederacy, campus buildings were occupied by Union forces and the West Florida Seminary in Tallahassee reverted to its academic role. The East Florida Seminary had to close during the Civil War, but reopened after the war, but relocated to Gainesville, Florida.
The West Florida Seminary in Tallahassee, Florida was renamed the University of Florida by the Florida Legislature in 1883. Football at the West Florida Seminary ( now renamed University of Florida ) started as early, or earlier than 1899.
In 1901, the school was renamed the Florida State College and the University of Florida name was dropped. In 1904 the football team was declared the champions of the state.
With the passage of the Buckman Act by the Florida Legislature in 1905, the coeducational Florida State College became the female-only Florida Female College, later renamed the Florida State College for Women. All male students, including the fraternity system and the football team, were transferred to the newly created University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida formerly the East Florida Seminary. Ironically, the championship team from the Florida State College became at least part of the start of the football program at University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.
Now, if that wasn’t confusing enough, war would play another role in restructuring the Florida State College System and it’s football history.
The end of World War II brought enormous pressure on the university system in Florida. The Florida Legislature responded by renaming the Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee, the Florida State University and again allowing men to attend the university for the first time since 1905. Football was again played by the university starting in 1947. The 42 year hiatus from football between 1905 to 1947 did not diminish the passion the school has for the sport.
So, football in Gainesville, Florida at the University of Florida started in 1905, by the transferred male college students and football team from the Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee, and the football program at Florida State University only restarted after World War ll in 1947 and the University again became coeducational.
Now if this isn’t enough to fuel the fire for one of this country’s top NCAA Football rivalries, then I challenge all of you to dig in, create some Trivia Qestions or some Quizzes, and you too might stumble across some very intriguing information about your favorite Pro or College team. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!!
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