Colleges

Blow struck for tradition, albeit a drunken one

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published October 26, 2006

GAINESVILLE - So Florida and Georgia officials no longer want the annual football game to be associated with the term the World's Largest Cocktail Party?

Too bad.

ESPN and CBS may have agreed to drop all references to the long-popular slogan, but lots of folks aren't adhering to the new mandate.

Count David Garrison among them.

The president and CEO of Garrison Entertainment Group has purchased the rights to the Web site thewlcparty.com. And he's taking it one further. He's throwing the world's largest cocktail party.

The Friday night party in Waynesville, Ga., is being advertised as a kickoff for the annual game and is billed as something that will "give the fans of Georgia and Florida a party to remember." Garrison's Web site says Hank Williams Jr. is the featured entertainment, along with local and state artists.

Word is school presidents Bernie Machen and Michael F. Adams won't be among all Hank's rowdy friends.

Florida

BY THE NUMBERS

172 Players from both teams who are natives of Florida or Georgia.

67 Players on the UF roster who have never trailed Georgia or Florida State in their careers.

45 Points Georgia opponents have scored off 10 Bulldogs' turnovers. Georgia is 10th in the SEC in turnover margin (-3).

19-2 Record of Urban Meyer-led teams when having more than one week to prepare for an opponent.

84th Game on Saturday in the Florida-Georgia series.

Meet the team

Florida officials are inviting fans attending Saturday's game to greet the team as it arrives at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville. The team busses will turn off Gator Bowl Boulevard and park between J lot and TT lot adjacent to Gate 1, located on the southwest corner of the stadium, two hours before the 3:30 kickoff. Fans can greet the team as it heads for the locker room through Gate 1.

[Last modified October 26, 2006, 02:44:51]