Fleming Field (Gainesville)

Fleming Field
Football game at Fleming Field, 1924. Note Thomas Hall, background right.
Owner	University of Florida
Operator	University Athletic Association
Opened	1911
Closed	1930

Fleming Field also known as University Athletic Field was the original playing surface for Florida Gators football.

In 1911, Florida teams began competing at University Athletic Field, which was simply a grassy field flanked by low bleachers located along West University Avenue immediately north of the present stadium site. Permanent bleachers were eventually installed,^[1] and the facility was rechristened "Fleming Field" in honor of former Florida governor Francis P. Fleming in the fall of 1915, catching on after the First World War. Besides the university's sports teams, Fleming Field hosted several Major League Baseball spring training games and practices featuring the Boston Red Sox, New York Giants, Philadelphia Athletics, and Boston Braves, among others.^[1]

From 1911 to 1930, Florida's football squads posted a 49–7–1 record at University Athletic / Fleming Field. But because of the facility's limited capacity (approximately 5,000) and the relative inaccessibility of Gainesville in the early 20th Century, most "home" games against top opponents were scheduled at larger venues in Jacksonville or Tampa, with a few also played in St. Petersburg or Miami.^[2]^[3]

References

1 2 Carlson, Norm (14 Sep 2009). "Gator talk: History lesson". Gatorzone.com. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
↑ Rex Saffer, "Crabtree Leads Gators to Victory Over Oregon", St. Petersburg Times, p. 1 (December 8, 1929). Retrieved April 9, 2010.
↑ Norm Carlson, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, p. 38 (2007).

Florida Gators football

Venues	The Baseball Park (1906–1910) University Athletic Field / Fleming Field (1911–1930) Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (1930–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Auburn Florida State (Florida Cup) Georgia LSU Miami (Florida Cup) Tennessee

Culture & lore	History The Pride of the Sunshine Gator Chomp Mr. Two Bits

People	Head coaches Ring of Honor All-Americans UF Athletic Hall of Fame Starting quarterbacks Statistical leaders NFL players Mick Hubert

Seasons	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

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