Quite a few GC "old-timers" have surfaced lately -- check in here!

Ray, is there a way on your end to find out when we joined Swampie? or at least the original version of Gator Country? It would be cool to have that show up in our profile for when we joined not April 3, 2007.

And where is Swampie?

 

Ah, I remember that game and that gathering under the tent. Stephen made some really good ribs that day. And I think we all heard poor Ed's knee snap wherever we were sitting. Never seen the swamp go from jet engine loud too quiet as a church that quickly.

 

Member since 1997. Lurker and former Gainesville resident (1987-1995) who loves all things Gator and checks in several times a day. Live in Wisconsin and work in Philly area now. Especially enjoy the Bullgator and Recruiting insider forums. Too many great posters and contributors to mention, but anything by AS, KC or Zo is must reading in my book.

 

Joined in the early days. I remember Swampie and the Hot Asian Chicks and all the insiders that got chased away by people like the current chuckleheads. I used to get Gator Bait when they mailed print copies, but found Gator Country much more informative. Never been a member of any other site and never will.

 

I remember dialing into the internet and then finding a Gator site when I was working in Chicago back in 98..my first contact with you and stayed with you after the splits.

 

Been a Gator Junkie a long time. I can remember back in 1996 when you accessed the site it took a while for the masthead To load and you would first get a screen that said AWESOME GATOR LOGO

My original screen name was AFloridaMan. During one of the transitions I lost it and had trouble logging in and I called Gator Growl and he fixed it for me but I lost my name.

 

I was Gator Bill, but then we couldn't use two names any longer and I became gatorbill. I was fortunate to be able to keep my name during the merger and am still gatorbill.

PD, I guess you could have confused me with a beer keg.

By the time of the Blue Tent we had our season tickets with our two daughters and their husbands. They weren't big on staying at the tent and none of them drink much so our time there was limited.

One of the big pleasures of our Gator experience was going to the games with our family and now seeing our grandkids there when we go. It boggles my mind that within the next couple of years we will have grandkids who are graduated alumni.

Oh and three of our four grandkids there are in the marching band.

 

Starting looking at the free boards in high school some time between 20o0-2004. Became a paying member in 07. The one and only Gator site I will ever be a member of. Best Gators insiders are here and have always been here. Thanks Ray for all you do for us and for the few times you’ve helped me personally! Sorry I don’t post as much anymore but I love this place brother! Keep up the good work!

Go Gators!

 

I honestly don't remember the year I joined, but it's been a long time. I remember many of the names mentioned above. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I only post once in a while usually when I've had a few and get pissed at all the whining.

 

Been here since about 97 or 98, I think. Was on the free board initially but remember joining the paid boards during the recruitment of Brock Berlin. Have had the same user name through all the transitions. Live in Florence, Alabama. Hence floralagator. Living up amongst the Bammers, Gator Country is my lifeline.

 

Been here since before html. Conversed with Ray about doing some programming work and possible message board moderating for free at that time but was so busy with my Job that I didn’t really have the time. GC over the years has grown to consume all my time...go figure! Ray you’ve come along way baby! Talk about visionary! Keep on...keeping on! It’s amazing how many lives your site has touched over the years. Thanks for the journey!! Anytime you need a consult about your IT systems or Cloud let me know the advice is always free. Just pm me or find me on linked-in. It’s what I’ve done for going on 30 plus years!

 

Been here forever and spend too much time but love it!

 

I got my first computer in 1994 when I moved to NC, and when I tried AOL, the first thing I searched for was a Gator meeting place. It directed me to a website called Swamp Gas, run by Sean something. That was fine, but after the Fiesta Bowl next year he was so disgusted he shut the site down and told people to go to Gator Country, a new site he had heard of. So I came here.

My handle was initially The Gator, then during the various changes the space had to be removed, then the caps went away, then someone else had the same name and I added the year I graduated.

I remember my very first post, I basically had a typo, I either forgot the word "not" or left it in after an edit, so it sounded like I was saying the opposite of what was intended. The first reply was by someone named P,D, and he just lost his mind, attacking me in a lengthy rant over what it seemed I was saying. I don't remember anything about the topic, but I do remember thinking "well, this good fellow and the fine denizens of this board are certainly passionate!". Or something along those lines.

Been here ever since!

One other funny memory, the only time I ever had inside information and no one believed me. When Spurrier was out of the NFL, my wife heard from a law school buddy that he was doing the title work on a house in South Carolina for a Stephen Orr and Jeri Spurrier, and the attorney was told that it was because he was taking the Gamecock job, so he told my wife since he knew we were big Gator fans. I posted that here, and was told by "insiders" I was clueless, Spurrier would never take a job where he would have to play his beloved Gators!

 

Here since free sites, dial up, Gator Gus, etc. First Gator game was Gator Bowl in 1953 vs Tulsa... Rick Casares, J. Pappa Hall...and Gators won 14-13, I think...a missed extra point?

 

I was on AOL, Prodigy, GEnie, Compuserve. I was probably most active on GEnie. Back in those days newspapers weren’t online, so a lot of us bought scanners to scan in articles from around the state to share. News traveled very slowly then. BullGator, GatorBait, etc. , I subscribed to everything I could get my hands on. Couldn’t wait for the mail to come to give me a 3 day old Gainesville Sun or the weekly BullGator. I went by UFGatah back then also. I was incensed when our local columnist Bill Buchalter turned on SOS and his brown nosing of Bowden. I used to call him Bill (marry me Bobby) Buchalter. He was insufferable with his brown nosing of all things FSU.

We had some good posts even back then about recruiting and such, I even saved a bunch on an old floppy disc. Nothing to read it with now haha. Remember when Gus, Smith (lawyer?), Mullin (doctor?) Cook (friend of mine here in Orlando) and some others met in Tampa at Smith’s house to see each other face to face. Often wonder if those guys are on here.

 

I moved my family from Alpharetta to NY back in 1996 and just missed "home" immediately. That included access to all things Gator sports. I was always a recruiting nut and finding Swampie's Rumor Mill was an immediate fix. I found Gatorcountry right after and I've been here now for 20 years. I too had a different screen name back then but cannot remember it.

I have really enjoyed the community that Ray has provided and feel like I "know" many on here even though I've only met one person (Gatorhall) and that's because we went to school together. I would love to attend a GC meetup sometime now that I am back in Florida.

 

Yeah I was not the gentle flower I am now back in the "P,D" days.

The comma was very intrusive and agitating.

 

I've been here since 2000 and think I joined insiders in 01. There have been a lot of up's and downs but have always enjoyed being here!

 

I've also been around many years and attended Gator games in the late 1950's. I don't have much to say on your site Ray but really enjoy reading the opinions of fellow Gators. My first game at Florida field was against the Ramblin' Wreck of Georgia Tech when 'Little Larry Libertore' pulled out the win in the last few minutes. I've been an avid fan ever since.
Also, really looking forward to the fun, gun, and run that Chip Kelly is going to provide for us. Go Gators!!!