Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is popularly known as The Swamp. And now the Florida Gators will look the part.
For Saturday's football game against Texas A&M, Florida will wear a new uniform designed to evoke the look and feel of an alligator. The uniform, which was under development for two years and was unveiled Monday night, features a "swamp green" jersey with an alligator-skin pattern. The helmet, pants and socks are rendered in the same color, but without the gator-skin treatment.
The new uniform will mark the first time the team has deviated from its familiar blue and orange color scheme, according to the school.
Reaction to the uniform on social media was swift and, for the most part, intensely negative.
I am a Gator fan...and those are HIDEOUS. Not feeling them.
— Miami Sports Network (@MiamiSportsNet) October 10, 2017
Dear Florida,
— Caleb Wilson (@wilscale) October 10, 2017
Please take these uniforms, put them in a nice little pile....and set that pile on fire.
Thanks,
Everyone's eyes
Is it April Fool's Day? My calendar says October 9 but it's April Fool's Day, right?
— Gene Bromberg (@genebromberg) October 10, 2017
This is not the first time that Nike, Florida's uniform outfitter, has created a college football uniform based on a rough-skinned aquatic creature. The company has created various frog-skinned uniforms for the TCU Horned Frogs in recent years.
Florida will host Texas A&M at 7 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN2.