Was with you on GatorNet and one of the early people to join GatorCountry when it started. Remember Gus well.
Joined around 1996/97 under some other variation using Boomer (my old highschool nickname) until I was forced to change it. I don't post too often but this is where I get ALL my gator news. Thanks GatorCountry!!! Geez time flies!!!!
I know I was here since before 9/11, because I remember the discussions here after 9/11 - - - - we all talked about acting like grownups in the future. Shame that didn't "take."
First of all, Ray (@Solari ) this is an awesome thread idea. I also am one of the folks from the Wayback Machine, being part of GatorNET before the Internet really existed. Or at least before there was a Gator Country or any other fan site. I believe I joined GatorNEWS in 1992, and started posting on GatorTALK at some point in '92 or '93. I honestly have no idea how I even heard about it. It seems like a lifetime later, although it was probably just a few years before Ray built his first website, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to be one of the first writers for the site. That was really fun. Ray was really good about making a lot of us feel like we were a real part of the budding community's success. I often think about all the names and personalities from the listserve, and I know some of them are on Gator Country now but use different screen names now. So here's a favor to ask for everyone: if you used to be on the list serve, could you let us know what your screen name was back then. I was always PD, but I used to have a comma (P,D) that the web technology wouldn't allow. I've never been the same since the change. A note for everyone on opportunities: Just a suggestion, but if you ever have the opportunity to go to one of the meet and greets or gator country outings, do yourself a favor and go. Back during the listserv days, we used to have tailgate meetings once a year for whoever could make it. I met a lot of great people, some of whom I lost touch with for 20 years and have recently reconnected, and a handful of whom I became very close lifelong friends. People I never would've known in real life if it weren't for going to one of these gatherings. As @bigemorygator mentioned, he and I and some others got together and played flag football for a year. We called ourselves Sons Of Spurrier (SOS). And did quite a few bar runs for Gator games. He is one of the coolest dudes in Gator Nation whom I also never would've met if not for this place. Then there was the opportunity to meet a couple other really great guys with whom we even had a short-lived but very fun and successful business. One was @helix139 and we got to meet up for an orange and blue game. Helix is another of the coolest cats here, and let me tell you, your football brain will never be the same after hearing helix break down plays and player technique in real time. So don't be shy. Jump in here and if a GC outing comes by and you can go...go.
Also had the opportunity to meet Bill a couple times. Gem of an human being. We don't talk politics, though.
I remember getting something called Prodigy for free. Didn't know what it was and it just sat around awhile. Then I got online and found a bunch of Gators. I didn't post much but watched. I remember when we signed Wuerffel and Gus and others immediate erected a virtual statue to him as a true freshman when he didn't even play. Then something happened with Prodigy and the group moved to GE or something I never figured out. Then back to Prodigy and sometime in that timeframe the list serve started. I also remember you talking about getting a new server or something that some of us pledged to donate for. I met a bunch of Gator fans at different times through that list serve. I think it is still going in some manner. If I recall right you started something before GatorCountry that didn't quite get off the ground. Then came GatorCountry and I got on pretty early. I remember Steven Manuel and the Big Blue Tent where one of the times I remember meeting you. As far as age, I am 80 years young. We gave up our season tickets after last year as the drive from North Carolina just became to much to do 7-8 times a year. Our two daughters and our son-in-laws still have their tickets and we did get three this year, LSU, Texas A & M and Georgia. Lost them all. We have four grandchildren at Florida right now, two seniors, a junior and sophomore. All third generation Gators as the two daughters I referred to above and a son graduated from there. I was the first of course. It's been a great ride and I hope to get some tickets for next season again to see Chip Kelly's team in action.
First time as I remember was at a Gator Gathering in Atlanta. I was at my sister-in-laws house in Atlanta and it just happened to be the weekend of the Gator Gathering. We almost always went to the one in Orlando, but that was the only time we went anywhere else. And you are right we don't talk politics. I stay far away from To Hot.
I joined in 1996 or 97 as Gatortrkyhtr. I can remember how exciting it was to read about the Gators in real time, especially after living through the snail mail days of Gator bait magazine. When I was in the Navy stationed in Iceland, they would arrive a week or two late.
essentially the same story. I remember paying extra for special postage to get the newspaper in Boston.
I was (and still am) on the GatorTalk and GatorNews listserv emails. Didn't realize that there was a web site until one of those gatherings PD referenced, under Stephen and Valerie's Big Blue Tent before the LSU game in 1997 (Ed Chester's injury - ouch!). I met several posters that day, including PD. At one point Domigator (Pierce?) asked me what my username was and I had no idea what he was talking about. When he let me know about this message board thingie (it was rec.sports.,college.football newsgroup for me before then) a monster was born. My claim is that all of the time I've "wasted" on GC has kept me out of trouble rather than keeping me from being productive - that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Been here since 96 but I had a different screen name back then. Being deployed and only getting a chance to read every once in a while this kept me going at some of the tuffest times in my life. GatorCountry will always be a very special place to me. My Screen name was SycoGator in 96.
Started on GC in the SOS days....then went on a different site for a while and then came back. Glad I did. When I first signed on and needed a board name my son and his buddies said I should be MrB (that's what they called me...last name begins with B). I thought it was too much and kind of silly and wanted something else (like Navy-Gator) but they kept insisting.
Been here for a long time back in the Hollywood Bob & Franz days, started with Swampie on dial up Used to subscribe to a number of sites, did not take long for me to sort the wheat from the chaff and drop the others (I did keep my lifetime subscription to Dave Stirt's Gator Bait).
Yep, that gathering in Atlanta, and I think once at the big blue tent. But I might be wrong on the second one, because there was always a lot of alcohol flowing there. It was either you or I might've been talking to one of the beer coolers.
