At a school where football is practically a religion, everyone wants a shot at gridiron glory.
Soon, students and faculty will once again have their chance. As UF student and faculty athletes embark on the intramural flag football playoffs, the stakes are higher than ever.
This year's intramural flag football championship games will be held at Florida Field on Dec. 3.
Marc Falkenstein, intramural flag football coordinator, said moving the championship games to The Swamp will only add to the already highly competitive nature of the games.
He said the move is very important to the players. They want to win a championship there, he said.
Falkenstein said playoff games have historically drawn very large crowds. As many as 200 to 300 spectators have shown up at some of the biggest games, he said.
Falkenstein said he hopes that by moving the championship games to The Swamp, they will be able to draw even larger crowds.
"We hope that we are able to give students a different experience than they usually have in that setting," he said.
If the idea of lacing up a pair of cleats and catching a touchdown pass on Florida Field isn't tantalizing enough, there is an even bigger incentive for players to reach the championship.
"We are hoping that Urban Meyer and his staff will be able to come out to watch the games," Falkenstein said. "Hopefully he will do an honorary coin toss for us."
Combatants on the gridiron also have a more familiar trophy worth playing for.
As always, teams will be battling it out for the coveted intramural championship T-shirts.
"That's what they play for," Falkenstein said. "They take pride in that T-shirt."
Championship T-shirts have become somewhat of a status symbol at UF, he said
"When you're walking around campus and you see someone wearing that shirt, you know that they won," Falkenstein said. "It's a big deal."
John Sigl, the captain of the Missouri Mud Ducks team, has been playing intramural football for three years and is excited about the prospect of playing on the same field he watches from the stands on Saturdays.
"It's pretty awesome," said Sigl. "It's a really cool opportunity."
Patrick Pomllampo, captain of another team, said he thinks moving the championship games to The Swamp will provide teams with a special atmosphere that will attract more spectators.
"I think that it is going to be very competitive," Pomllampo said. "It's definitely a lot of extra motivation."
Brandon Morris, a referee, worries that as the stakes rise, so too will tempers.
"You have some guys that are just hotheads and want everything to go their way," Morris said.
