A line of people wraps around Emerson Alumni Hall, and students can be seen conversing in lawn chairs, sleeping on blankets or working on homework.
Some have been there since 4:30 that morning, some have been there since the previous night.
But they’re all there for one thing – a T-shirt.
About 2,000 people encircled the building Friday morning, waiting to pick up their “Beat LSU” T-shirt.
The shirts are given out to members of the Student Alumni Association before the five biggest games of the football season, said SAA Vice President Dylan Nuquist.
Nuquist said he is proud of the phenomenon the T-shirts have become on campus.
“It’s exciting to show the spirit we have here at the University of Florida,” he said. “I think it shows that common bond we all have. After a game like Bama, we came out here and we’re still strong.”
For some students, that is the exact reason they get in line.
“I love my school,” said Chris Koury, a 21-year-old microbiology major who got in line at 4:30 a.m. “I support it. I think it’s the most passionate university in the state of Florida.
But 4:30 a.m. is nowhere near the earliest people began to line up.
That achievement belongs to the die-hard of the die-hard, a 14-person group that has dubbed itself “Those Guys.”
The first members of the group arrived at 9:30 p.m. the night before, armed with an air mattress, blankets and laptops. More followed at 1 a.m.
The group, mostly comprised of freshmen, said they do this to show school spirit and stand out at the university.
“There’s 52,000 kids out here,” said Mathias Sengberg, an 18-year-old marketing major. “You’ve gotta be remembered for something. This is our tradition; our legacy.”
Farther down the line sat engineering junior Meghan Ferrall, who said she has collected 15 of the T-shirts since her freshman year in 2008.
She said she still waits in line to keep up with old friends despite her busy class schedule.
“We don’t see each other most of the time,” she said. “So it’s time to get together and see [each other.]”
In order to get the shirts, which have been handed out since 2006, students have to be SAA members. Non-members are able to register on-site and get shirts.
Once the doors opened, the line moved fast. Students at the front of the line collected their belongings and their bounty: the blue shirts with an orange gator and “Beat LSU” written on the front, the reward for the long wait endured by people like Chris Koury.
“Behind the word ‘beat’ is dedication,” he said.
