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Frolics
Soon after the university was moved to Gainesville in 1906, dance
societies were established as one way to entertain the male students
and offer them social opportunities with the ladies of the Florida
State College for Women in Tallahassee, which later became Florida
State University. These dance societies soon evolved into the Fall and
Spring Frolics. These dances were, of course, chaperoned by faculty.
Introduced as seasonal balls, the festivities soon grew into some of
the largest social events in the state. The program often included
national acts performing concerts and brought in such greats as
Tommy Dorsey. The weekend was typically capped off with fraternity
functions and the crowning of Miss University of Florida.
Over time, the frolics moved from dances to sit-down concerts by various
stars, including the late Ray Charles. The frolics ended in the 1970s.
Freshman-Sophomore Competitions
The eternal struggle between fledgling freshmen and smug
sophomores gave rise to many unique traditions throughout the years
at UF. The first formal event was the Frosh-Soph Fight, which was
essentially a wrestling match between the two classes.
In the teens and 20s, the Fight evolved into Flag Rush, an event in
which sophomores were charged with guarding a small flag nailed 13
feet up a greased pine tree. If the freshmen successfully “attacked” the
sophomores and took the flag, they were allowed to remove their rat caps
before the semester was over. Due to their large numbers, the freshmen
typically overpowered the sophomore class. This tradition ended with
the beginning of World War II and never returned to campus.