The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The University of Florida (then known as the "University of the State of Florida") fielded its first official varsity football team in the fall of 1906, and has fielded a team every season since then, with the exception of 1943. During the early 1900s, the Florida football team competed in the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS), but was not affiliated with an athletic conference. The University of Florida did not adopt the "Florida Gators" nickname for its sports teams until 1911, and the early Florida football teams were known simply as "Florida" or the "Orange and Blue." The Florida football teams played their home games in a variety of locations, includ