Florida – Georgia football rivalry The Florida – Georgia football rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the University of Florida Gators and the University of Georgia Bulldogs nearly every year since 1915 . It is one of the great rivalry games in college football , and since 1933 it has been held in Jacksonville , Florida , with only two exceptions , making it one of the few remaining neutral - site rivalries . The game attracts huge crowds to Jacksonville , and the associated tailgating and other events earned it the nickname of the " World ' s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party " . Although both universities have dismissed the use of this name and the promotion of under aged drinking at the event . Most notably University of Georgia President Michael F . Adams and University of Florida President Bernie Machen banded together to discontinue the use of the nickname . Series history . The two universities do not agree on when the rivalry began . The University of Georgia ' s athletic department counts a 1904 match its football squad played against a team from a school known as the University of Florida . The game was held in Macon , Georgia , and Georgia won 52 – 0 . However , this was not the modern University of Florida in Gainesville , but one of its four predecessor institutions : a school previously known as Florida Agricultural College , based in Lake City . Florida ' s University Athletic Association does not include this game in the series record , as it occurred before the modern university was established by the Florida Legislature in 1905 , and before the new entity fielded its first officially - recognized football team in 1906 . The first game acknowledged by both schools was held in Jacksonville in 1915 . The rivalry has been renewed annually since 1926 , except for the 1943 season when Florida did not field a team due to World War II . For most of its history , the game has been played at neutral sites . From 1916 to 1932 , it was played at several sites in Georgia ( Athens and Savannah ) , and Florida ( Tampa , Gainesville and Jacksonville ) . Every year since 1933 , the game has been held in Jacksonville , except for 1994 and 1995 , when the contest was held at the respective schools ' campus stadiums due to the reconstruction of what is now EverBank Field for the National Football League ' s Jacksonville Jaguars expansion team . While the two universities agree that Georgia leads the overall series , they disagree as to the overall series record due to the disputed 1904 game . As of the 2012 contest , Georgia leads with a 49 – 40 – 2 record by its reckoning , and 48 – 40 – 2 by Florida ' s count . Georgia dominated the series before 1951 and had a 15 - 5 record in the 1970s and 1980s ; Florida compiled an 18 - 3 record from 1990 to 2010 . The designated " home " team alternates from year to year , with ticket distribution split evenly between the fans of the two teams . In past years , fans from Florida and Georgia were assigned seats grouped in alternating sections of the stadium , and the contrasting colors worn by the fans created a " beach ball " visual effect in the stands . Recently the seating arrangement has split the stadium lengthwise and fans sit on the side corresponding to the sideline their team occupies . Before the game , much tailgating takes place on the Jacksonville Landing , a riverfront plaza facing the St . Johns River . Nicknames and trophies . The game is one of the busiest annual events in downtown Jacksonville , and attracts huge crowds that congregate around the stadium for tailgating and other happenings . As a result the game and associated revelry have been known as " the World ' s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party " , a nickname first coined in the 1950s by Bill Kastelz , sports editor for " The Florida Times - Union " . Kastelz claimed he came up with the name after seeing a drunk , stumbling fan offer an alcoholic beverage to an on - duty police officer . The " Cocktail Party " nickname proved so popular that the City of Jacksonville used it for many years . However , the city dropped it from most official usage in 1988 following a series of alcohol - fueled outbursts . In 1984 , Florida fans stormed the field and tore down the goal post s after a 27 – 0 victory ; the following year , a 24 – 3 Georgia win led Bulldogs fans to do the same , ultimately resulting in 65 arrests . Thereafter , the city cracked down on excessive drinking and soon dropped its use of the name . In 2006 both schools and the Southeastern Conference asked CBS and the city to abandon the name in promotions due to concerns about alcohol abuse by students and other attendees . As a result , the rivalry has lacked an official name . It is generally called the " Florida – Georgia game " in Florida , or " Georgia – Florida game " in Georgia ; some entities , including the Jacksonville newspaper " The Florida Times - Union " rotate the name each year to list the designated home team first . Unlike many college sports rivalries , the Florida – Georgia game historically has not been played for a trophy . The city of Jacksonville announced that it would award the winning teams the goal posts from the game in 1986 , in order to persuade fans not to storm the field and destroy them as they had the previous two years . However , no goal posts were ever given out as neither university wanted them . In 2009 , the student governments of the two universities announced the creation of a new trophy , the " Okefenokee Oar " . The 10 - foot - long Oar was donated anonymously to the University of Florida in 2009 , and has opposing sides carved with symbols and logos from each school . The Oar was carved from the remains of a 1 , 000 - year - old cypress tree that once grew in the Okefenokee Swamp , which straddles the Florida – Georgia border and was the source of an interstate boundary dispute . Beginning with the 2009 contest , the Okefenokee Oar is presented to the winning university ' s student body president . No trophy is presented at the game , however . Site of game . By playing the game at a neutral site , rather than on their respective campuses , both universities ' athletic programs derive more revenue from the game than if the site rotated on a " home - and - away " basis . As of the 2009 contest , the universities made $ 1 . 7 million every year , or $ 3 . 4 million every two years , as opposed to an expected $ 2 . 2 million every two years if the game were played at their respective home stadiums . The game weekend is also extremely lucrative for Jacksonville businesses , particularly in the downtown area , with many reporting that it is their busiest weekend of the year . Some persons associated with the University of Georgia , including head coach Mark Richt , have expressed interest in moving the game away from Jacksonville periodically or entirely . The most frequently cited reason is Georgia ' s 5 – 18 win - loss record in the series since 1990 , leading to questions about whether Jacksonville , located from Athens but only from Gainesville , is truly a neutral site . As such , some Georgia fans and officials have suggested moving the game to the home stadiums , or playing alternately on the campuses , in Jacksonville , and in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta , Georgia every four years . Others , such as former Georgia athletic director Damon Evans , have dismissed the idea that Georgia ' s recent losing record is due to the game being played in Jacksonville . University of Florida officials maintain that it makes financial sense to keep the game in Jacksonville ; both universities stand to lose revenue if the game were played on a standard " home - and - away " basis . Furthermore , as a proposed alternate site , the Georgia Dome seats 13 , 000 fewer spectators than EverBank Field . In 2009 , Georgia ' s athletic board unanimously agreed to a six - year contract to keep the game in Jacksonville through 2016 . Notable games . As with most rivalries , there have been a number of close games over the years , often generating controversy and anguish over how the game ended for one of the teams involved . Like the series itself , most of the early memorable games favored the Bulldogs , with more recent ones favoring the Gators . Among the most memorable : 1928 : Ending the drought . When Charlie Bachman became the 1928 Gators ' new head coach , he inherited a team loaded with talent recruited by his predecessor . It was , however , a team that had never beaten the Georgia Bulldogs in six previous meetings , and had been out - scored by a total of 190 – 6 in those games . Bachman ' s Gators changed history ; led by All - American end Dale Van Sickel and the " Phantom Four " backfield of Carl Brumbaugh , Rainey Cawthon , Clyde Crabtree and Royce Goodbread , they decisively defeated the ' Dawgs 26 – 6 in Savannah , Georgia . In an era before national polling , the 1928 Gators outscored their opponents 336 – 44 , set a single - season national scoring record , and finished 8 – 1 . The 1929 Gators also defeated the Bulldogs , and the 1930 Gators tied them , but Florida would only win three of the next twenty games in the series against Georgia . 1942 : 75 and oh ! Having lost most upper - class players to service in World War II , the 1942 Florida Gators brought an inexperienced 3 – 4 squad into Jacksonville for the 1942 contest with Georgia . The Bulldogs , on the other hand , still had many veteran players thanks to the draft deferments of the players who were enrolled in the University of Georgia ' s ROTC program , and brought a 7 – 0 record and No . 1 ranking to Jacksonville . Georgia halfback Charley Trippi and Heisman Trophy - winning back Frank Sinkwich combined to score seven touchdowns as Georgia crushed Florida 75 – 0 — the largest margin in series history . The Bulldogs finished the regular season 10 – 1 , won the Southeastern Conference championship , defeated the UCLA Bruins 9 – 0 in the Rose Bowl , and were named national champions by multiple polls and ratings services . Meanwhile , the depleted Gators did not win another game during the 1942 season , and with even more players joining the war effort afterward , would not field a team at all in 1943 . 1949 : Hunsinger ends Georgia ' s streak . The post – World War II 1940s were a tough slog for the Florida Gators . Coached by Raymond Wolf , the Gators ' collection of recent high school graduates and returning war veterans suffered the indignity of four consecutive losing seasons — the lowest point in the history of the Gators football program , ironically remembered by the close - knit players as the " Golden Era . " But there were still stars and bright moments ; Wolf ' s 1949 Florida Gators were led by senior lineman Jimmy Kynes and running back Chuck Hunsinger . Given little chance by anyone to beat coach Wally Butts ' Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville , Kynes inspired his two - way linemen to their outstanding effort of the season , stopping the Bulldogs ' running game on defense , and blocking for Hunsinger on offense . Hunsinger rushed eighteen times for 174 yards and three touchdowns , and the Gators won 28 – 7 , breaking a seven - game Georgia winning streak . Wolf ' s overall coaching record doomed his four - year tenure in Gainesville , but on that day he was carried from the field by his players . 1964 : Vince Dooley arrives . Notwithstanding Georgia ' s overall advantage in the series , Florida enjoyed a 10 – 2 streak from 1952 to 1963 under head coaches Bob Woodruff and Ray Graves . That changed with the arrival of Vince Dooley as the new head coach of the underdog 1964 Georgia Bulldogs . In a game where the Bulldogs ' quarterback failed to complete a single pass and was intercepted twice , Dooleys ' ' Dogs relied on their running game , a staunch second - half defense , and a little bit of luck to beat Graves ' tenth - ranked Florida Gators . With the game tied at 7 – 7 in the fourth quarter , Bulldogs placekicker Bob Etter lined up for a potential game - winning field goal . Instead , in a wild broken play , the Bulldogs ' center and placeholder mishandled the snap , but Etter picked up the bobbled ball and ran it for a touchdown to win the game 14 – 7 . Dooley ' s teams would split their first seven games 3 – 3 – 1 against Graves ' Gators . Thereafter , Dooley ' s ' Dogs would go on to dominate the rivalry , winning fourteen of the nineteen games from 1970 to 1988 . 1966 : Heisman curse ? The seventh - ranked 1966 Florida Gators entered the game with a 7 – 0 record and the opportunity to clinch a share of their first - ever SEC title . The Gators ' senior quarterback , Steve Spurrier , had just locked up the Heisman trophy the previous week with a stellar performance versus the Auburn Tigers . The Florida – Georgia game turned out very differently , however , as the Bulldogs defense dominated the game , and Spurrier threw three interceptions in the 27 – 10 Georgia victory . Spurrier returned to Gainesville as the Gators ' head coach in 1990 , and emphasized the annual Florida – Georgia contest as the " biggest of the year , " and enjoying the Gators ' overwhelming 11 – 1 success against their bitter rivals during his tenure . 1970 : Rip , strip , and grip . The 1970 Florida Gators featured All - American defensive end Jack Youngblood , and he pulled off one of the most remarkable plays in Florida football history . With Bulldogs leading 17 – 10 and in possession of the ball at the Gators ' two - yard line , Youngblood stood up Georgia back Ricky Lake short of the goal , forced a fumble and fell on the football . " They ran a lead play to my side , and I cut it off , " Youngblood said . " I ' m standing there holding the ballcarrier and I take the ball away from him , and gave it back to our offense . " Gators quarterback John Reaves and wide receiver Carlos Alvarez then connected for two touchdown passes in the final 5 : 13 to rally the Florida Gators to a 24 – 17 victory . 1975 : Appleby to Washington . The 1975 Florida Gators came into the game with a 6 – 1 record and No . 7 ranking , while the Georgia Bulldogs were 5 – 2 and ranked No . 19 . The Gators ' offense was led by running back Tony Green , who ran an early one - yard touchdown to put the Gators ahead 7 – 0 . The Gators led 7 – 3 as time was winding down in the fourth quarter . Georgia ' s " Junkyard Dawgs " defense allowed yards between the 20 - yard - lines , but ceded little ground in the red zone . The Bulldogs set up at their own 20 - yard - line with 3 : 10 remaining , and head coach Vince Dooley did something he rarely did : he called a trick play . Tight end Richard Appleby accepted the handoff on a reverse to the right , but instead of running downfield , he threw the ball to wide receiver Gene Washington for an improbable 80 - yard touchdown play . The Gators ' final field goal attempt never had a chance , as the snap was rolled to the holder , and Georgia won 10 – 7 . 1976 : " Fourth and dumb " . The 1976 Florida Gators were 6 – 1 and ranked No . 10 coming into the game , and again seeking to secure their first SEC football championship . The Gators held a 27 – 13 halftime advantage and seemed to have the game in hand until the Bulldogs scored early in the third quarter to cut the lead to 27 – 20 . Then , faced with a fourth - and - one situation at the Gators ' own 29 - yard - line , coach Doug Dickey decided to go for the first down rather than punt . Gators running back Earl Carr was stopped short by Bulldogs safety Johnny Henderson . Led by quarterback Ray Goff ' s game management and running back Kevin McLee ' s 198 - yard rushing performance , the Bulldogs seized the momentum and scored three touchdowns on their way to a come - from - behind 41 – 27 win . After the game , Dickey said : " We were not outplayed . We were outcoached . I made some dumb calls . " Sports writers seized on Dickey ' s " mea culpa " , and in subsequent months and years popularized the phrase " fourth and dumb " to refer to Dickey ' s failed fourth down attempt and the game itself . 1980 : " Run , Lindsay , run ! " . Trailing the underdog 1980 Florida Gators with their perfect season and their No . 2 ranking in jeopardy , the Bulldogs executed one of the most famous plays in college football history . Georgia was behind 21 – 20 with time running out , facing third down and long yardage from their own 7 - yard - line . After scrambling around in his own endzone , Bulldog quarterback Buck Belue found wide receiver Lindsay Scott open in the middle of the field near the Georgia 25 - yard - line , and hit him with a 25 - yard pass . Scott darted through Florida ' s secondary and outran everyone down the sideline , scoring the game - winning touchdown with only seconds left on the game clock . Long - time Georgia radio announcer Larry Munson ' s legendary call of the play gave the game its nickname : " Florida in a stand - up five , they may or may not blitz . Buck back , third down on the eight . In trouble , he got a block behind him . Gotta throw on the run . Complete to the 25 . To the 30 , Lindsay Scott 35 , 40 , Lindsay Scott 45 , 50 , 45 , 40 . . . Run Lindsay , 25 , 20 , 15 , 10 , 5 , Lindsay Scott ! Lindsay Scott ! Lindsay Scott ! " The improbable 93 - yard pass play sealed the Bulldogs ' 26 – 21 victory , and kept Georgia ' s national championship hopes alive . The Bulldogs moved to No . 1 in the next round of polls and would go on to win the 1980 consensus national championship . 1984 : Bell to Nattiel . After suffering many a heartbreaking defeat to the Bulldogs with a conference championship at stake , coach Galen Hall ' s 1984 Florida Gators entered the contest undefeated in the SEC . The Gators dominated early , building a 17 – 0 lead by early in the second half . But the Bulldogs seemed to come alive in the third quarter , mounting a long drive ; however , Georgia ' s drive died in the shadow of the Gators ' goal line when they were stuffed on fourth down , checking the Bulldogs momentarily but pinning the Gators deep in their own territory . On the third play following the change of possession , Gators quarterback Kerwin Bell dropped back into his own end zone and lofted a long pass to streaking receiver Ricky Nattiel , who went 96 yards for a touchdown . The Bulldog momentum was snuffed out and the Gators went on to a convincing 27 – 0 victory , eventually completing an undefeated conference schedule for the first time in Gators history . 1985 : ' Dogs upset No . 1 Gators . The 1985 Florida Gators entered the contest on a roll : coming off an emotional win over the Auburn Tigers , undefeated , and ranked No . 1 in the nation for the first time in school history . This would not be a repeat of the 1984 game , however . As they had done so many times in the past , the Bulldogs spoiled Florida ' s season , defeating the Gators 24 – 3 with freshmen running backs Keith Henderson and Tim Worley both rushing for over 100 yards . 1993 : Timeout . In constant rain , the usually prolific passing game of coach Steve Spurrier ' s 1993 Florida Gators was stymied . Instead , the Gators relied on tailback Errict Rhett to amass 183 yards and two touchdowns to build a 33 – 26 fourth - quarter lead . Led by quarterback Eric Zeier , the Georgia Bulldogs mounted a drive into Florida territory in the final minute and a half . Zeier completed what appeared to be the game - tying touchdown to Jerry Jerman with five seconds remaining in the game . However , Gators cornerback Anthone Lott had called a timeout just before the ball was snapped , forcing the Bulldogs to play the down again . Lott was called for pass interference on the ensuing play , giving Georgia one last untimed chance to score . Zeier ' s final pass fell incomplete , and the Gators won a hard - fought , but controversial 33 – 26 victory . 1995 : " Half a hundred " in Athens . With Jacksonville ' s rebuilt Jacksonville Municipal Stadium still under construction , this traditional neutral - site showdown was held on the universities ' campuses for the first time in over sixty years in 1994 and 1995 . After winning at " The Swamp " the previous season , the undefeated 1995 Florida Gators hoped to repeat the feat at Sanford Stadium against a struggling Georgia Bulldogs team led by soon - to - be - fired coach Ray Goff . Gators starting quarterback Danny Wuerffel threw for 242 yards and five touchdowns before leaving the game in the third quarter . With the Gators leading 38 – 17 in the fourth quarter , Gators backup quarterback Eric Kresser threw for two more touchdowns , one with 1 : 21 remaining , to make the final score 52 – 17 . After the game , Gators coach Steve Spurrier stated that he had wanted to be the first opponent to hang " half a hundred " on the Bulldogs in their own stadium because " we heard no one had ever done that before . " The Gators ' fifty - two points remains the record for most scored against Georgia " between the hedges . " 2002 : Gators upset No . 4 Bulldogs . In twelve seasons as the Gators ' head coach , Steve Spurrier had led them to an 11 – 1 record against the Bulldogs , so his departure to the NFL following the 2001 season gave Georgia fans reason to cheer . The 2002 Bulldogs brought a perfect 8 – 0 record and No . 4 ranking to the annual grudge match in Jacksonville . Under new head coach Ron Zook , the Gators limped into the game with a 5 – 3 record and unranked for the first time in over a decade . Trailing 7 – 6 , the Gators took the lead with a key play on defense . Georgia head coach Mark Richt had inserted freshman quarterback DJ Shockley to run the offense for a series or two each game during the season . Upon entering the contest in the second quarter , Shockley was intercepted by Florida safety Guss Scott , who ran it back for a touchdown , giving his team a 12 – 7 lead after a failed two - point conversion attempt . The Bulldogs moved the ball but could not punch it into the endzone , settling for two field goals to take a 13 – 12 lead at halftime . Defense continued to dominate the game in the second half with the exception of an early fourth - quarter Gator drive that ended with a touchdown pass from quarterback Rex Grossman and gave Florida a 20 – 13 advantage . The Georgia offense failed to score again and failed to convert a third - down in thirteen attempts as Florida held on for the upset victory . Georgia finished the 2002 season 13 – 1 and won the SEC championship , but the defeat by the Gators almost certainly cost the Bulldogs a chance to play for the BCS National Championship . 2007 : The " Gator Stomp " . The 2007 Georgia Bulldogs are remembered for the " Gator Stomp , " a first - quarter mass celebration of the entire Georgia team in the Gators ' endzone after Georgia ' s first touchdown , a move that emotionally rallied the underdog Bulldogs . Because of the staged celebration , Georgia received two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and was forced to kick off from their own 8 - yard line . After the game , Georgia coach Mark Richt acknowledged that he ordered his team to draw an excessive celebration penalty after their first touchdown , but intended that only the eleven players on the field would celebrate , not the entire team . The motivational tactic paid off for Richt , as Knowshon Moreno ran for 188 yards and Georgia ' s defense sacked Gators quarterback Tim Tebow six times in a 42 – 30 victory . The high - scoring game was the first in series history in which both teams scored thirty or more points . 2008 : " A Big Deal " . Before the 2008 Georgia - Florida game , both coaches repeatedly stated that the previous year ' s incident would have no bearing on the contest . Florida coach Urban Meyer went so far as to issue a gag order to his players , instructing them not to talk about the 2007 game with the media . In his authorized biography , published following the season , Meyer said : " That wasn ' t right . It was a bad deal . It will forever be in the mind of Urban Meyer and in the mind of our football team . We ' ll handle it , and it ' s going to be a big deal . " Coming into the game , the Bulldogs and Gators were both ranked in the top - 10 , and the winner would have the inside track in the SEC Eastern Division race and a possible shot at a national title . Some commentators went so far as to call it the biggest match - up in the history of the series , or at least the previous 20 years . After the Bulldogs missed two field goals and failed to recover an onside kick after their first score , the Gators took a 14 – 3 halftime lead . In the second half , the Bulldogs turned the ball over four times and the Gators turned the game into a 49 – 10 rout . Tim Tebow accounted for five touchdowns and Percy Harvin added a pair of scores in the Bulldogs ' second worst loss of the series . ( The Bulldogs lost 47 - 7 against the 1996 Florida Gators football team . ) In a move widely assumed to be a response to the Bulldogs ' endzone celebration of the previous year , Meyer used both of his remaining timeouts with less than a minute to play , giving his team and their fans more time to celebrate the victory and prolonging the painful loss for Georgia players and fans . After the game , he broke his pre - game silence on the 2007 celebration . " Was it motivation for our players ? Yeah , it was . Losing doesn ' t sit well with our players , and it was the only rivalry game we lost last year . " Game results . " Florida victories are colored ██ blue . Georgia victories are colored ██ red . Ties are white . " Series record sources : " 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide " , " 2011 Georgia Football Media Guide " , and College Football Data Warehouse . Florida – Georgia Hall of Fame . The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission created the Florida – Georgia Hall of Fame in 1995 to recognize the players , coaches , and other representatives from each school who have made their mark on the rivalry . Each year , four new members ( two from each school ) are announced in June , and are formally inducted at a luncheon in Jacksonville the Friday before the football game . The Florida – Georgia Hall of Fame inductees through 2012 include : Florida : Carlos Alvarez , Reidel Anthony , Kerwin Bell , Howell Boney , Scot Brantley , Joe Brodsky , Norm Carlson , Kevin Carter , Rick Casares , Wes Chandler , Doug Dickey , Chris Doering , Jimmy Dunn , Larry Dupree , Jeremy Foley , Don Gaffney , Ray Graves , Rex Grossman , Galen Hall , Ike Hilliard , Chuck Hunsinger , Willie Jackson , Jr . , Doug Johnson , Charlie LaPradd , Buford Long , Wilber Marshall , Shane Matthews , Lee McGriff , Nat Moore , Ricky Nattiel , John Reaves , Errict Rhett , Steve Spurrier , Fred Taylor , Richard Trapp , John L . Williams , Lawrence Wright , Danny Wuerffel , Jack Youngblood . Georgia : Richard Appleby , Buck Belue , John Brantley , Zeke Bratkowski , Charley Britt , Kevin Butler , Wally Butts , Mike Cavan , Knox Culpepper , Vince Dooley , Robert Edwards , Bob Etter , Ray Goff , Cy Grant , David Greene , Rodney Hampton , Garrison Hearst , Terry Hoage , Dan Magill , Kevin McLee , Willie McClendon , Larry Munson , George Patton , David Pollack , John Rauch , Matt Robinson , Erk Russell , Bill Saye , Jake Scott , Lindsay Scott , Frank Sinkwich , Bill Stanfill , Tommy Thurson , Charley Trippi , Herschel Walker , Tim Worley , Shawn Savage , Gene Washington , Charles Wittemore , Eric Zeier .