'Gator Bait' chant returns for Florida football following 2020 ban
USA Today • • sports
Key Points:
- The University of Florida's marching band revived the "Gator Bait" cheer during the first quarter of the Gators' 2026 season opener against Florida Atlantic, ending a six-year ban.
- The cheer was originally banned in 2020 by then-president Ken Fuchs due to its association with racist imagery, despite the cheer itself not being deemed racist.
- The phrase "Gator Bait" was popularized in 1995 by former UF defensive star Lawrence Wright and became a rallying cry during the team's successful era under coach Steve Spurrier.
- The Jim Crow Museum has documented that the term "Gator Bait" was historically used as a racist slur and depicted African American babies as alligator bait in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- New UF president Stuart Bell expressed openness to reinstating the chant, emphasizing the importance of having meaningful discussions about its significance to the Gator community.
