GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gators fans who wanted celebrate the national champion men’s basketball team gathered for a welcome home rally in Gainesville Tuesday afternoon.
The team, that got off the plane from San Antonio around 2:45 p.m., will be introduced at Flavet Field on the University of Florida campus. The event is free and open to the public.
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Head coach Todd Golden, university officials, and players who helped secure the historic win are expected to speak at the rally.
The celebration marks the culmination of a storybook season for the Gators that ended in thrilling fashion Monday night with a 65-63 come-from-behind victory over Houston in San Antonio.
“It was a crazy game, but they always find a way to come back. That’s the way that team is. They have a lot of heart. They believe in one another. Coach did a great job the entire season,” said Gators fan Bernie Carnevle, who once coached girls basketball at Palm Harbor High.
Students at the University of Florida were on Cloud 9 after the down-to-the-wire victory. Some even created an impromptu slip-in-slide in the rain as they celebrated.
“It was just unreal. I still have chills thinking about it. I’m pretty sure I lost my voice for a few minutes just cheering them on,” Gators fan DeDe Taylor said. “You could feel the energy out here last night and still today.”
Taylor said she remembers watching Florida’s last national championship win as a child in 2007.
“Being an adult now and just seeing the excitement. It’s something I’m definitely not going to forget,” Taylor said. “I can’t wait to tell my future kids about it one day.”
Attendees for the Tuesday afternoon rally are encouraged to enter from the north side of Flavet Field, closest to Stadium Road, due to ongoing campus construction. Garage 114 will be open for public parking.
