We asked the CL Summer Interns to come up with interesting factoids about their universities. Here’s what they unearthed (or decided to brag about).
Florida State University (Amy Daire)
• FSU has one of only two collegiate circuses in the country.
• Leon County, where FSU is located, has an STD rate three times Florida’s state average.
• We won last year’s BCS National Championship and our quarterback won the Heisman. You probably knew that, but I never miss an opportunity to rub it in.
University of Florida (Cody Smith)
• All research performed at UF legally belongs to the school, not the researcher. This is because the university originally declined an offer to obtain the full rights to Gatorade in exchange for mass production and advertising.
• UF is the only university in the nation to have every one of its all-star teams make the top 10 finals since 1983.
• Actual alligators swim in bodies of water on campus, most notably in Lake Alice.
University of South Florida (Mario Baez)
• Some of USF’s alumni include Gallagher (the watermelon smasher), Hall of Fame baseball manager Tony LaRussa, Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan), a couple of Miss Americas, and a star of MTV’s Real World.
• In 2003 a ghost investigation began in the Human Services Building and led to Cooper Hall, where it eventually ended. The investigation was reported, but nothing came of it.
• USF’s Claw Golf Course can be seen in the 2004 film The Punisher.
• A miniature model of an on-campus football stadium that reads “Someday…” is located in a very special office at USF.
University of Tampa (Jackie Braje)
• Babe Ruth hit his longest home run where Pepin Field is now.
• The Rathskeller used to be a gentlemen’s club for billiards when UT was the Plant Hotel. Guests included Teddy Roosevelt, Stephen Crane and the Queen of England, and hotel amenities included a small zoo.
• There were 551 liquor law referrals on campus in 2011 and 523 referrals in 2012.
Washington and Lee University (Zebrina Edgerton-Maloy)
• W&L was founded in 1749, almost 30 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
• In 1796, George Washington donated $20,000 to the university. At the time, this was the largest gift ever given to an educational institution in the U.S. To this day, Washington’s endowment provides almost $1.87 a year toward every student’s tuition.
• The world’s first recorded streaker, George William Crump, was a Washington and Lee student (at the time, W&L was Washington College). Crump ran naked through town way back in 1804.
