Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field ( popularly known as " The Swamp " ) is the football stadium for the University of Florida and the home field of the university ' s Florida Gators football team . It is located on the university ' s Gainesville , Florida campus . The stadium was originally built in 1930 , and has been regularly expanded , renovated and improved since then . Although it is the eleventh largest college football stadium as measured by its official seating capacity of 88 , 548 , attendance for the Gators ' home football games regularly exceeds 90 , 000 people . Location . Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is located on the northern edge of the university ' s campus , bordered by West University Avenue on the north side , Gale Lemerand Drive ( previously named North - South Drive ) on the west side , and Stadium Road on the south side . On the east side are the Racquet Club fitness center , Florida Gym and Murphree Hall , one of the oldest residence halls on campus . Directly across Gale Lemerand Drive from the Swamp is the Stephen C . O ' Connell Center , the indoor home arena of the Florida Gators men ' s basketball , women ' s basketball , gymnastics , volleyball , and swimming and diving teams . Just beyond the O ' Connell Center are the football team ' s practice facilities and Alfred A . McKethan Stadium , home field of the Florida Gators baseball team . One stadium , three names . The name of the playing surface has remained " Florida Field " since the stadium ' s original construction in 1930 . The university renamed the stadium , but not the playing surface , in honor of citrus magnate Ben Hill Griffin , Jr . , an alumnus and major benefactor of the university and its sports programs , in 1989 . In the early 1990s , in describing Florida ' s home - field advantage , then - coach Steve Spurrier noted that " . . . a swamp is where Gators live . We feel comfortable there , but we hope our opponents feel tentative . A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous . Only Gators get out alive . " Ben Hill Griffin Stadium has been commonly known as " The Swamp " ever since . Stadium history . Fleming Field . From the establishment of UF in Gainesville in 1906 , the university ' s football and baseball teams played their on - campus home games at Fleming Field . This facility was simply a grassy field flanked by low bleachers and was located along University Avenue immediately north of the present stadium site . Because of the limited fan capacity of Fleming Field and the relative inaccessibility of Gainesville in the early 20th Century , some Gators home games were hosted in Jacksonville , St . Petersburg , Tampa , and even the Madison Square Garden corporation ' s former winter sports facility in Miami . After the Gator football team earned its first national prominence in the 1920s , new university president John J . Tigert began the drive to construct a new and larger stadium facility shortly after accepting his position in 1928 . In the midst of the Great Depression , Tigert was determined to build a permanent football stadium without state funds . Tigert and ten friends and supporters of the university ' s athletic program took out personal loans to cover the $ 118 , 000 required to build the original 21 , 769 - seat facility . Construction . Construction began on April 16 , 1930 , and immediately faced serious engineering and geotechnical obstacles related to natural ground water and drainage . The stadium was built in a shallow ravine , and the lower thirty - two rows of the east , west and north stands were built below ground level of the surrounding land . When excavation reached the water table , water began to pour into the construction site from the north end , and men , mules and mule - drawn equipment became mired in the resulting mud . The drainage challenge was ultimately resolved by the installation of massive underground culverts leading to Graham Pond , two blocks south of the stadium site . Problems solved , the construction team of eighty laborers and mules completed " Florida Field , " as it was first known , in time for the November 8 , 1930 homecoming game against Alabama , the dominant Southern Conference team of the day . Florida Field was rededicated in 1934 to the memory of Florida servicemen who died in World War I , and a plaque was placed on the outside wall behind the old north end zone as a memorial . Expansions and renovations . Over the years , Florida Field has undergone many renovations , almost always adding more seats . First , 11 , 200 permanent seats were added to the west stands in 1949 – 1950 , which , together with temporary bleachers , yielded 40 , 116 seats for fans . Then 10 , 000 more permanent seats were added to the east stands in 1965 – 1966 , and temporary bleachers added to the south end zone in 1966 , to bring total capacity to 62 , 800 . With the permanent enclosure of the south end zone in 1982 , the addition of the north end zone upper decks in 1991 , and expanded club seats and luxury boxes in 2003 , the Swamp had grown to be the largest football stadium in the state of Florida , and the second largest sports facility in the state behind only the Daytona International Speedway . The current official seating capacity is 88 , 548 , although the actual attendance has averaged over 90 , 000 since the addition of the new skyboxes , in 2003 . Before the 2008 season , the Heavener Football Complex opened on the southwest corner of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium . The $ 28 million addition , which was funded entirely with private donations , is meant to be the " front door " of the football program and houses a museum highlighting Gator football history along with offices , meeting space , a new weight room , and other facilities for the football program Following the Gators ' 2008 BCS Championship , new video replay boards were installed in both end zones before the start of the 2009 season . The new scoreboards feature all - digital screens with high - definition resolution . After Will Muschamp ' s first season as Florida ' s Head Coach in 2011 , an extensive renovation of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium ' s west concourse began and is scheduled for completion by August of 2012 . Renovations include improved restrooms , lighting , concessions , graphics in addition to new flat - screen displays and an improved crowd - circulation design . Playing surface . The playing surface of Florida Field has also changed over the years . It was natural grass until 1971 , when Astroturf was installed and nicknamed " Doug ' s Rug " for then - coach Doug Dickey The original artificial surface was replaced with an updated version in the mid - 1980s . It remained until 1990 , when newly hired coach Steve Spurrier insisted it be removed and replaced with the current natural grass surface . During the 2011 - 12 football season the natural surface underwent significant wear and damage . In June of 2012 work began to remove the old Tifway 419 Bermuda hybrid turf , rework the field substrate , and install a Bermuda grass hybrid called Celebration Bermuda that should be more resistant to drought , disease , and damage . Other home fields . The Gators have played the overwhelming majority of their home contests at Florida Field since it opened in 1930 . The most notable exception is the annual Florida - Georgia game , which has been held in Jacksonville since 1933 with the two teams alternating being the official home team . The only seasons in which UF and UGA did not meet in Jacksonville were 1994 and 1995 , when the old Gator Bowl was being rebuilt as Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for the NFL ' s expansion Jacksonville Jaguars and the contest was held at Florida Field and Georgia ' s Sanford Stadium , respectively . In years past , Florida would occasionally move a home game to Jacksonville or to Tampa every few years . But besides the annual meeting with Georgia , the Gators have not played a regular season home contest anywhere besides Florida Field since 1980 , when they defeated the California Golden Bears in old Tampa Stadium . Home field advantage . The Swamp has acquired a reputation for being a very difficult place for opposing teams to play , and has regularly been ranked at or near the top of lists of top home field advantages and / or best game day experiences in college football One of the major reasons is the stadium ' s design . Originally built in a shallow sinkhole , the playing surface is below ground level . Various expansions over the years have enclosed the playing area on all sides with steep stands , and the fans are within a few feet of the action . The enclosed playing area also enhances the effects of Gainesville ' s warm and humid fall climate . Game - day temperatures at field level have been known to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit ( 37 degrees Celsius ) , creating a swamp - like atmosphere . ( This was the impetus for a University of Florida researcher Robert Cade to develop Gatorade as a way to combat dehydration . ) Furthermore , during hot and sunny day games Florida ' s sideline on the west side of the stadium is in the shade provided by the press box while the visiting team ' s sideline on the east side is exposed to the sun . Florida Gator fans are both loyal ( having sold out every home contest from 1979 until the first game of the 2011 season , when the streak ended against Florida Atlantic University ) and loud , thus creating a tremendous home field advantage for the Gators . The size and exuberance of the home crowds , when combined with the stadium ' s close - in design of the seats , concentrates the fan noise at field level , making the Swamp one of the loudest stadiums in America . Combined , these factors create an intimidating environment which can rattle and disrupt opposing teams , making it difficult to hear playcalls and execute assignments . Florida Field has been repeatedly ranked by various publications as being the toughest stadium in which to play for opposing teams . The Gators ' performance at home illustrates this effect . From Spurrier ' s arrival in 1990 until the end of the 2009 season , Florida posted a 113 – 13 home record , which is the best in the nation during that time period . The Gators enjoyed a 37 – 5 home record under Urban Meyer from his arrival in 2005 until his retirement after the 2010 season . Florida Field traditions . Like many other college football venues , the Swamp has its own unique features and gameday traditions : Other events . Even big - time college football teams play only six or seven home games per season . Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is mainly a place for fitness - motivated students to jog or run stadium steps during the time when no events are scheduled . However , the stadium does occasionally host events other than Florida Gators football games .