The Florida Gymnasium is a historic building located on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. It opened in 1949 as a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena that was home to the Florida Gators men's basketball team and other UF indoor sports teams until it was replaced by the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in 1980. While serving as the home court of the basketball team, it acquired the nickname "Alligator Alley."HistoryBefore the Florida Gymnasium, UF's basketball team played and practiced in University Gymnasium, a small on-campus building which had opened in 1919. The University Gym was designed to be a recreational facility for students, not an arena to host spectators, so it was not considered a proper home court for an intercollegiate sports program. Design work on a larger facility was started in the early 1940s by university architect Rudolph Weaver, but the project was postponed during World War II. Plans were completed by Guy Fulton, and the building was completed in 1949, soon after the university became co-educational. The old University Gymnasium then became the Women's Gymnasium.Alligator Alley was a difficult venue for opponents because the seating was very close to the court and, when full, the noise level was "deafening". However, it had no air conditioning and few amenities, and the court had to be shared by all UF indoor sports programs. As years passed, it was increasingly seen as small and outdated, and was compared to a "dismal and dreary old high school gym" by observers. By the early 1970s, Florida was the only school in the Southeastern Conference without a modern basketball facility, a factor that affected the recruiting of top players and held back the growth of its long-mediocre basketball program.
