Albert Einstein Gator and Alberta Gator are the official mascots of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in Gainesville, Florida. Costumed in

plush Plush (from French ) is a textile having a cut nap or pile the same as fustian or velvet. Its softness of feel gave rise to the adjective "plush" to describe something soft or luxurious, which was extended to describe luxury accommodation, or s ...

, Albert and Alberta are

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

representations of

American alligator The American alligator (''Alligator mississippiensis''), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two extant species in the gen ...

s, which are commonly found throughout the state of Florida. He was named after Albert Einstein.

History

The University of Florida fielded its first official intercollegiate sports team (football) in the fall of 1906. It adopted orange and blue as its official colors, combining the blue and white of the former Florida Agricultural College in Lake City with the orange and black of the former East Florida Seminary in Gainesville, the university's two oldest predecessor institutions. The football team did not initially have an official nickname or mascot, and was often referred to as the "Orange and Blue" or "Pee Wee's Boys," after the team's first head coach, Jack "Pee Wee" Forsythe. In 1908, local merchant Phillip Miller and his son Austin Miller, with no official sanction from the university or athletic association, selected the alligator as an emblem to represent the university on pennants offered for sale in Miller's Gainesville store. With the state of Florida being home to millions of alligators, the "gator" proved a popular choice among members of the student body, and the Florida football team began to refer to itself as the "Gators" during the 1911 fall season. A live alligator named Albert first appeared at football games during the 1957 season, and served as the mascot of the football team on the field before the costumed version of Albert became the mascot in 1970. He was joined by a female version, Alberta, in 1984. They often appear as a couple, but also appear alone. In 2015, UF announced that Albert and Alberta would receive new costumes. As far as cosmetic changes, the Gator pair's eyes were "opened more" and the block "F" was replaced by a stylized "F" used on other Florida Gator marketing. The primary focus, however, was to design costumes that were more lightweight and better suited for the students performing in Florida's hot weather.

In popular culture

Like many college mascots, Albert and Alberta have made appearances in the highlights of national sports and highlight shows. The most notable appearance of either was in early 2006, when Albert was featured in a

This is SportsCenter This is ''SportsCenter'' is a series of comical television commercials run by ESPN to promote their ''SportsCenter'' sports news show that debuted in 1995, based on the show's opening tagline. The ads are presented in a deadpan mockumentary styl ...

commercial. He walked out of an elevator and became the object of

Steve Irwin Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 19624 September 2006), known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist. Irwin grew up around crocodiles and ot ...

's reptile wrangling tendencies. In June 2007, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

'' On Campus ranked Albert as the No. 1 mascot in their "Mascot Power Rankings."

Mascot Books Mascot Books is a full-service, multi-genre, independent book publisher and distributor. It is a hybrid publishing company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, USA. The company publishes a variety of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, child ...

has published three children's books featuring Albert and Alberta, entitled ''Hello, Albert!'', '' Albert's Journey Through the Sunshine State'' and ''Albert and Alberta's Game Day Rules''. The mascots both have their own unique personalities and characteristics.

References

External links

Albert wrestles with Steve Irwin in a retired Sportscenter commercial
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Albert And Alberta Gator Fictional duos Florida Gators Fictional crocodilians Southeastern Conference mascots