For each of the last 10 years the University of Florida has ranked among the nations five best collegiate athletic programs and among the nations 10 best for 16 straight years, based on research conducted by USA Today and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Florida and UCLA are the only schools to finish in the top 10 in national all-sports rankings every year since 1983-84, while Florida, UCLA and Stanford are the only schools in the nation to finish in the top five in the nation over the past 10 years.
On the strength of 11 top 10 national finishes, highlighted by a national title by the women's soccer team, the University of Florida finished tied for fourth in the 1998-99 Sears Directors' Cup national all-sports competition.
The Directors' Cup program, conducted by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and sponsored by Sears, annually recognizes schools with the best overall sports performances in an academic year.
The all-sports champion is determined by points awarded for an institution's finish in up to 20 sports. Fielding 18 athletic teams, Florida captured fourth place with 580 points. Stanford seized the title with 910 points.
In addition to the women's soccer title, 10 other Gator teams finished in the top 10 of their respective sports in 1998-99: Women's Tennis (2nd); Volleyball (3rd); Women's Indoor Track & Field (4th); Men's Tennis (5th); Football (6th); Men's Indoor Track & Field (7th); Women's Swimming (8th); Men's Outdoor Track & Field (9th); Men's Basketball (9th); Gymnastics (10th ).
The Gators also captured four Southeastern Conference Championships in 1998-99, raising its total to 51 since the 1990-91 academic year. The Gators won SEC crowns in men's golf, soccer, women's tennis, and volleyball. The Gator athletics program collected its eighth consecutive SEC All-Sports Trophy. The men won their second consecutive SEC All-Sports Trophy, while the women finished second. Florida has now won the All-Sports Trophy for eight consecutive years and 10 of the last 12.
Individually, 59 Gator athletes earned All-America honors in 1998-99, and three Gators won individual national titles. Florida athletes also garnered five SEC Athletes of the Year honors and two Gator coaches were named SEC Coaches of the Year.
Florida was equally successful away from the athletic arena in 1998-99, with 121 student-athletes named to the Southeastern Conferences Academic Honor Roll, setting the league single-season record for recipients for a second consecutive year. Florida's 713 Academic Honor Roll recipients in the decade of the 1990s and 1,029 honorees since 1980 are the top totals in the SEC during those time spans.
In addition, in an era when the NCAA estimates 70 percent of Division I schools are losing money on intercollegiate athletics, the Gator athletic program continued to have an impact in regard to University academic programs. Since 1990, the University Athletic Association has contributed more than 16.3 million dollars to the University to help fund academic endeavors.
Florida's athletic program also serves as a focal point for the surrounding community and beyond. More than 6.8 million fans have filed through the gates to attend UF sporting events over the last eight years and more than 856,000 fans attended home events in 1998-99. Five of UF's athletic teams ranked among the top 10 in national attendance in 1998-99.
In addition, the "Goodwill Gators"--a program where UF student-athletes, coaches and administrators take part in community-related endeavors--was recognized by the National Consortium of Academics and Sports and received the 1998 Outreach and Service Award. Over the past two years, UF student-athletes have participated in more than 250 events by reaching out to more than 12,000 individuals of all ages.
Florida is a member of the National Collegiate Association of Athletics (NCAA) and competes in Division I for all 18 athletic teams.
The Gators field eight men's teams and 10 women's sports. The men compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, while the women participate in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, swimming & diving, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball.
Florida competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), a 12-member conference divided into Eastern and Western Divisions. Florida joins Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt in the Eastern Division, while Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Louisiana State, Mississippi and Mississippi State constitute the Western Division. Florida was a charter member of the SEC in 1933.
In addition to fielding some of the best college athletes, the University of Florida can also lay claim to some of the world's finest athletes, who are showcased every four years at the Olympic Games. Since 1968, spanning eight Olympic Games, 83 Gator student-athletes have represented 16 countries and claimed 51 medals--including 25 gold. Nineteen Gators and one UF coach participated in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and captured three medals.
When talk turns to facilities, the University of Florida's centrally-located athletic complex is among the nation's best.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (football stadium) serves as the hub for the athletic complex. With its 83,000 seats, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field is one of the eight largest on-campus football stadiums in the nation. UF has ranked among the nation's top 15 in average football attendance for 17 consecutive years and among the country's top five for eight straight years.
Since 1986, Florida has had $74 million in capital improvements, including two major expansions of the football stadium, a multi-purpose athletic field house and new tennis, track & field and soccer, softball, baseball, golf, soccer and swimming facilities.
Another sign of Florida's commitment to excellence within its athletic complex is the 12,000-seat Stephen C. O'Connell Center, which houses Gator basketball and also transforms into an indoor track & field facility. Undergoing an $8.1 million facelift in the summer of 1998 to give the facility a permanent roof and another $2.5 upgrade in 1999 to improve upper level seating and lobbies, the O'Dome also serves as home for the swimming & diving and gymnastic teams.
There are 101 courts and outdoor playing fields on the University of Florida campus, while the O'Connell center and a state-of-art recreation and fitness center is available for indoor sports. In all, Florida offers more than 50 intramural and club sports, and the campus is located near many recreational lakes and rivers. The beaches of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean are just a short drive away, as well as many of the attractions which the Sunshine State has to offer.