The Gators had Cremesicle orange? Maybe not a complete surprise considering the winless 1979 season. Those orange jersey wouldn't have been bad news if it wasn't for Charley Pell and those A--holes from the NCAA. Let SMU keep their 1981 SWC title not the 1984 and 1985 SEC titles for the Gators. F-------------k the NCAA.
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Official Game Day Thread: Florida Atlantic @ Florida - 9/3: WIN 41 - 3
- Thread starter robdog
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The Gators had Cremesicle orange? Maybe not a complete surprise considering the winless 1979 season. Those orange jersey wouldn't have been bad news if it wasn't for Charley Pell and those A--holes from the NCAA. Let SMU keep their 1981 SWC title not the 1984 and 1985 SEC titles for the Gators. F-------------k the NCAA.
Exactly--in fact, that weird orange (jersey AND pants--yech!) was a carry-over with Pell from Clemson--he'd been real successful there the previous couple of years and came over to the Gators as this young, hot Bear-Bryant disciple who was going to save us, bring us out of the darkness after Doug Dickey left UF with the cupboard bare (I mean it, it was like they didn't do ANY recruiting in the mid-70's--all we had going into '79 was Cris Collinsworth and a few talented head-cases). The o-1o-1 '79 Gators weren't really Pell's fault--in fact, he brought us along fast: we were in the "Tangerine Bowl" (later renamed the Citrus Bowl and moved to New Year's Day) within a couple of seasons. Of course, maybe he did it "the old fashioned, SEC-way" that Bear had taught him at 'Bama, but I guess the NCAA wasn't about to let the Florida Gators into "the party" so easily--they preferred to keep "the sleeping giant" right where it was, as annual also-rans. First Charlie paid the price, then in came (of all people) Switzer-trained Galen Hall from Oklahoma: he got even more and better players than Pell, and "the f*ckin' NCAA" (always said as all one word) climbed all over us. History says that SS then came riding in to save the program and take us where we always deserved to be, and to a certain extent that's how it was. However, make no mistake, it was throughout the 80's, when first Pell, then Hall got first us, then the nation USED to seeing the Florida Gators in the (then) API and UPI Top 20's in their newspapers and on the TV screen at (then still pretty new) ESPN, that put us in the national discussion for the first time, and paved the way for Spurrier's success. I had the LA Times' Sports section page with the Gators ranked No.1 for the first time in my life taped to my fridge for YEARS (my then-wife finally put her foot down when we moved to the home we bought in the Hollywood Hills--she's a Gator, and should have known better: I STILL hassle her about this, albeit mostly light heartedly). Anyway, that's the origin of the orange uniforms, why I REALLY hated seeing them last year, and probably a whole lot more information than you neither needed, wanted nor bargained for. (And by the way, as I've recounted here at "the Envy" before, after that 1979 season, in 1980, whenever anyone asked how our team did the previous year, the standard answer was, "Oh, ten and one..." I know: real clever, right?).
I understand how the orange jerseys came to Gainesville, but as a younger, 35-year old, I am in the demographic of fans who first fell in love with the Gators in orange. I like it.
CaliZona_Gator
Super Senior Member
Reading all this now you guys really started to freak out with the back to back interceptions. Mistakes are gonna happen, just gotta relax and watch the rest of the game. 
I know--and as I noted, the orange now is that darker one with more reddish-undertones in it than the Clemson-influenced one Charlie brought with him; also noted, no ALL-orange, either...apparently, the senior players wanted the orange jerseys for the opening night in the Swamp, according to Coach M. I guess he gave them the choice, though he also said right after that everyone who didn't like it should direct their angry letters to HIM, "It was my call, my fault". Went on to say that normally home would be the "Blues", etc., but although there might be the odd "special occasion" they'd stick to "current traditions" and not have a bunch of different looks or "designer styles" (which is fine by me--I wasn't a big fan of most of that stuff the different companies have been draping their logos on the last couple of seasons...although I'm STILL looking for a pair of those white and gray "Gator Gloves" that went with one of last year's otherwise gaudy get-ups).
(laughing) Don't go too hard on us--everything just went from near-perfect to reminiscent-of-last-year so suddenly: just a loss of focus, it seemed. As I (and others) went on to note, the good side of this was that this time, just like with the bad snap in the first drive (the first time they went into the shotgun--and don't tell me there wasn't a part of YOU that went "Not THIS again!!!" when it happened), the defense came out and shut them down, then Brantley came back in and didn't miss a beat, calmly and confidently moving the team down the field again. All in all, Brantley AND the team's unflappably resuming their efficient work after each setback was the best news of all. I don't know if I'll EVER be able to "relax and watch the game", least of all after a mid-drive screw-up, but the more consistently improved and accomplished this team shows itself to be, the better I'll be at no longer "expecting the worst", a bad habit that crept into a lot of us last year.Reading all this now you guys really started to freak out with the back to back interceptions. Mistakes are gonna happen, just gotta relax and watch the rest of the game.
Swamp Person
Swamp Gator
DRU Noted::
As I (and others) went on to note, the good side of this was that this time, just like with the bad snap in the first drive (the first time they went into the shotgun--and don't tell me there wasn't a part of YOU that went "Not THIS again!!!" when it happened.
You took the words out of my mouth.Not THIS again!!!!Come ON Man....I did say it.I told my son i wish Brantley would shove him to wake him up....My mind went to instant replay mode....lol
As I (and others) went on to note, the good side of this was that this time, just like with the bad snap in the first drive (the first time they went into the shotgun--and don't tell me there wasn't a part of YOU that went "Not THIS again!!!" when it happened.
You took the words out of my mouth.Not THIS again!!!!Come ON Man....I did say it.I told my son i wish Brantley would shove him to wake him up....My mind went to instant replay mode....lol
(laughing) Man, I figure that line was echoed in homes and bars in every state across all of Gator Nation!
CaliZona_Gator
Super Senior Member
I get emotional during the games and I do have a swarm of thoughts going through my head every second. But I didn't let the "not this again" thoughts take over me. I don't think I can truly judge this team until the Tennessee game.
Not how good they can actually be THIS year, no...but as much as could be gained from the first game, against an out-matched opponent, as far as our energy overall AND most of the indicators when you break it down, hey, this was a damn good "Opening Night"--and "the Cast" deserved the applause...NOT that "the Director" should (or WILL--ha ha terrible pun) let them rest on their laurels, do ANYTHING but buckle down, redouble their efforts and get back to work, NOW with some concrete evidence of the many areas of error, weakness and potential for improvement. And that's a GOOD thing.
(...and if you DIDN'T harken back to LAST year for an instant at LEAST when that first shotgun snap sailed over JB's head, then I don't know if you should have been commended for your calm patience or elbowed in the ribs to make sure you were awake--man, that was a classic nightmare, WTF?-moment! Look, we had the stunning, "Welcome to the New Era!"-opening kick-off Demps runback immediately taken off the board by a dumb penalty away from the action, then had that old Pouncey-esque blooper-snap sail over Brantley's head at a crucial moment on the first drive, seemingly KILLING that drive...we can be excused I think for fearing that "Hey, we've seen THIS all before..." Fact is, though--and this is the REAL positive I took from that whole first half--in each case, we picked ourselves up and proceeded to take care of business, apparently undaunted--and Brantley led the way. Opening TD run flagged? Drive the field instead. Bad snap drives us way back, out of range? Get good chunk of it back with nicely designed and executed pass; kick long FG. Yeah, we made mistakes, but we didn't get down; confidence, energy and calm leadership on the sidelines AND the field allowed us to pick up and carry on. That is going to serve us well. I was really glad and relieved to see it.)
(...and if you DIDN'T harken back to LAST year for an instant at LEAST when that first shotgun snap sailed over JB's head, then I don't know if you should have been commended for your calm patience or elbowed in the ribs to make sure you were awake--man, that was a classic nightmare, WTF?-moment! Look, we had the stunning, "Welcome to the New Era!"-opening kick-off Demps runback immediately taken off the board by a dumb penalty away from the action, then had that old Pouncey-esque blooper-snap sail over Brantley's head at a crucial moment on the first drive, seemingly KILLING that drive...we can be excused I think for fearing that "Hey, we've seen THIS all before..." Fact is, though--and this is the REAL positive I took from that whole first half--in each case, we picked ourselves up and proceeded to take care of business, apparently undaunted--and Brantley led the way. Opening TD run flagged? Drive the field instead. Bad snap drives us way back, out of range? Get good chunk of it back with nicely designed and executed pass; kick long FG. Yeah, we made mistakes, but we didn't get down; confidence, energy and calm leadership on the sidelines AND the field allowed us to pick up and carry on. That is going to serve us well. I was really glad and relieved to see it.)
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