Thursday, December 04, 2008

Hype Videos: Tide 'n Gators 1999, Part 1

"The Stomp in the Swamp!"

At least that's what I like to call it. (g) And I feel like I have naming rights because I was THERE to witness it. My 82 year-old grandmother & family matriarch (a life-long Tide fan who had season tickets for decades), when we called her later on that evening, called it "The greatest game I've ever SEEN!"

I was a freshman at UF when the Tide rolled into town to tangle with the Gators. I scored 4 tickets in the visitors section for my family & friends at face value. My buddies rolled in on their RV, and we just had the time of our lives.

We joke all the time about how we're going to tell our grandkids about that game...

"Not again, grandpa..."
"YES, you're gonna hear it again! And it'll be good for ya!"

A few other reflections:

• Florida entered this game #3 in the country & having not lost a game at home since 1994. Alabama entered the game having lost to Louisiana Tech 2 weeks prior.

• Shaun Alexander made great use of his face time in the post-game coverage on CBS. Being interviewed after producing 200 all-purpose yards & the game-winning touchdown, he glorified God and spoke about how the team embraced this game like David embraced facing Goliath. He talked about how a sermon at Alabama's FCA inspired them to take the fight right at the mighty Gators. I love Shaun.

• Speaking of Shaun, he was running right at our section on his game-winning 25-yard touchdown run. We were sitting in the corner of the endzone, and I can't even describe how awesome that moment was. I'm not even going to try.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

If my memory is right Alabama beat Florida twice that year. Once during the regular season and then in the SEC championship game?

III said...

Your memory is right. :)

That's why this was just "Part 1." Part 2 is coming later today> :)

Anonymous said...

I came to UF the summer after that with an Alabama plate on my car. I wondered if I should be worried.