University of Florida Homecoming and Gator Growl

Gator Growl is the flagship event of the University of Florida and a tradition that has continued to be a prominent for over 90 years. It is a University of Florida tradition that marks the culmination of Homecoming Week. The pep rally is rooted in the tradition of Dad’s Day when fathers of the then all-male students would visit their sons on campus. In 1924, Dad’s Day was replaced with a Friday night pep rally, which was then accompanied by the addition of comedy skits in 1932. Thus, Gator Growl was born. The massive production consists of musical and comedic entertainers, Gator athletics and performances by UF’s Cheerleaders, Dazzlers and Pride of the Sunshine Marching Band. Hundreds of students work endless hours to create the annual spectacle. The amount of student participation that goes into an event like this has given Gator Growl the right to call itself the largest student-run pep rally in the nation. Pat ActsRodney Dangerfield 1982 Robin Williams 1983 Bob Hope, Irene Cara 1984 Bill Cosby, Herbie Hancock 1986 Billy Crystal 1987 Jay Leno 1988 Steven Wright, Jerry Seinfeld 1989 Richard Jeni, Paula Poundstone 1990 Paul Provenza, Jeff Foxworthy 1992 David Alan Grier, Larry Miller 1993 Garry Shandling, Dennis Miller 1994 Sinbad, Bobby Slayton 1996 Paul Rodriguez, Craig Shoemaker 1997 Howie Mandel, Jeremy Hotz, Michael Buffer, Sister Hazel 1998 Ray Romano, Dave Chappelle, Carlos Mencia, Larry the Cable Guy 2000 Mitch Hedberg, John Pinette, D. L. Hughley 2001 Daniel Tosh, Dave Attell, Jim Breuer 2002 Bill Cosby, Harland Williams 2003 Sugar Ray, Christopher Titus, Arnez J 2004 Bill Engvall, Dane Cook 2006 Jim Gaffigan, Gabriel Iglesias 2007 Frank Caliendo, Lynyrd Skynyrd 2008 Jon Reep, Steve Miller Band 2010 Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart, Dan Levy 2011 Joel McHale, Goo Goo Dolls 2012 Tracy Morgan, Josh Turner, Dara Torres 2013 The Fray, Sister Hazel, New Directions Veterans Choir 2014 Brooks Wheelan, Foster the People, Ludacris[3] 2015 Jana Kramer,[4] Echosmith, T.I.