Florida and Georgia square off in the annual SEC rivalry. (Getty)
You will hear the phrase a lot when people reference the annual Florida and Georgia rivalry game. It is the “unofficial” nickname for the annual contest that is held in Jacksonville, Florida each season.
Where did the odd nickname come from? According to Dawg Nation, it came from the sports editor of the Florida Times-Union Bill Kastelz in the 1950’s. He witnessed an intoxicated fan offer a police officer an alcoholic beverage. The term now is mostly used by fans and is associated with the tailgating experience that starts days before the actual game.
Neither school uses the phrase officially for fear the name promotes alcohol abuse during the rivalry weekend. The city of Jacksonville used the terms until the late 1980’s when they officially dropped the name. Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity spoke with Dawg Nation about the decision for the school to not use the term:
I think it ignited the discussion, which was the most thing, let’s start dialogue on things that we could do to improve that environment. I just think the whole image turned a corner at that point in time because everyone was talking about it. I’m not aware of any major problems at the Landing [area of Jacksonville] or in the surrounding areas that have been to the level that they were when this effort was organized.”
That said, fans will continue to use the nickname despite’s each school’s best efforts. Websites such as StubHub still use the term to sell event tickets.