Century Tower which can be seen in the film Parenthood.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings who was portrayed in the film Cross Creek.

Don Johnson the actor who played Sonny in the television show Miami Vice.

The University of Florida is a major public university located in Gainesville, Florida, and has been portrayed numerous times in popular culture.

Cinema [edit]

• The 1983 film Cross Creek, is based on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings while she lived in Cross Creek, and while at that time she was a faculty member for the university.^[1]

• In the 1989 film Parenthood, a shot of the University Auditorium, Century Tower, and Turlington Plaza are shown in two scenes of the movie.^[2]

• In the 1990 film Days of Thunder, the character Harry Hogge, played by Robert Duvall can be seen wearing a University of Florida hat while talking to the protagonist Cole Trickle.^[3]

• In the 1991 film The Doors, the movie incorrectly states that singer Jim Morrison attended the university, while in real life he attended the cross-state rival Florida State University.^{[citation needed]}

• In the 1995 film Just Cause, a shot of the Memorial Organ at the University Auditorium was used for the film.^[4]

• In the 1997 film The Devil's Advocate, it is mentioned that the protagonist Kevin Lomax, played by Keanu Reeves, received his legal education from the University of Florida College of Law where he graduated the top of the class. The character also states that he met his wife Mary Ann Lomax, played by Charlize Theron while she attended the university.^[5][6]

• In the 1997 film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, it is mentioned that the lawyer named Sonny Seiler is planning to watch the annual Florida–Georgia football rivalry game, between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs.^[7]

• In the 2005 film Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo the character Earl McManus, played by Norm Macdonald is seen wearing a worn out Florida Gators hat.^[8]

• The 2006 film The Hawk Is Dying, is based on the University of Florida faculty member Harry Crews while he was working for the university during the 1970s.^[9]

• In his films Adam Sandler can often be seen wearing Florida's orange and blue sweatshirts and t-shirts in his movies.^[10]

Television [edit]

• In the 1980s television series Miami Vice the protagonist James "Sonny" Crockett, played by Don Johnson, had played wide receiver for the university and wore number 88.^[11]

• In the animated television series Squidbillies, the characters are Georgia Bulldog fans that hate the Florida Gators.^[12]

• In the television series The West Wing, the fictional Governor of Florida Robert Ritchie attended the University of Florida. In the show Governor Ritchie (who was played by the actor James Brolin) ran against incumbent president Josiah Bartlet in the 2002 presidential election.^[13]

• In the 2009 television show Cougar Town which takes place in Florida, Courteney Cox's character Jules Cobb is a self proclaimed University of Florida drop-out.

• In a May 2010 episode of Nurse Jackie, an early onset dementia patient named Marco is said to be a former Florida Gators linebacker and a former 1st round draft pick. Several of the main characters state or imply that they are fans of the Gators.^[14]

• In Season 1, Episode 3 of Malcolm in the Middle, a photo is shown of Dewey wearing a Gator Pride t-shirt.

Literature [edit]

• In the 1973 novel Rubyfruit Jungle the protagonist Molly Bolt received a full scholarship to the university and attended before she moved to New York to pursue an education in filmmaking.^[15]

• In the 2001 novel Big Trouble it talks about the Florida Gators and how they have an overly enthusiastic fan base.^[16]

• In the 2003 novel The Stingray Shuffle it makes a reference to some of the characters forming a book club while dorm roommates at the university.^[17]

• In the 2009 novel The Scarecrow one of the supporting characters is an alumnus of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.^[18]

• Clinton Tyree is a fictional character who has appeared in a number of Carl Hiaasen novels Double Whammy, Native Tongue, Stormy Weather, Sick Puppy, and Skinny Dip. In his background he previously served as an English Professor at the University of Florida.^[19]

• In Joe Haldeman's novel The Coming(2000) - Locus SF nominee, most of the setting is on the campus and in Gainesville, Florida. Many of the characters are faculty and staff of the university.^[20]

Other [edit]

Beaty Towers, subject of an urban legend about the song American Girl.

• In 1965, Gatorade was created by Robert Cade and a team of university researchers.^[21]

• The Beaty Towers dormitory is the subject of a popular — but false^[22] — urban legend that the 1977 song American Girl by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was written about a girl who committed suicide by jumping from one of the towers.^[22]

• In 2000 - 2001 the fictional time traveler John Titor from the year 2036 gained international attention for his predictions about the future. Titor's posted on several message boards during this two year time period. He claimed to have attended the University of Florida which in his time is later renamed Fort UF.^[23]

• In June 2007, Sports Illustrated ranked Albert E. Gator the University of Florida's official mascot as their top pick for their "Mascot Power Rankings."^[24]

References [edit]

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