> Ormond's Monty Musgrave man behind 'Gator Chomp' tradition > > > > Monty Musgrave created the legendary Gator Chomp some 30 years ago in 1981 > when he was playing tuba in the UF band. > > David Massey/NEWS-JOURNAL > > By Brent Woronoff > Staff Writer > > Published: Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 5:30 a.m. > > Last Modified: Friday, August 31, 2012 at 3:23 a.m. > > Ormond Beach's Monty Musgrave was home in bed last Nov. 5, recovering from > surgery for a herniated disk and drifting in and out of sleep as he tried to > watch his beloved Gators play Vanderbilt on television. > > “I was all drugged up, but I thought I heard my name,'' he said. “Then, my > wife called out from the kitchen, ‘Did I just hear your name on national TV?' > '' > > Sure enough, she did. > > In the third quarter of the Vanderbilt-Florida football game, CBS presented a > feature spotlighting football traditions around the Southeastern Conference. > On this day, the reporter traced the origin of the ubiquitous Gator chomp — > crediting its birth in 1981 to a tuba player in the Florida band named Monty > Musgrave. > > As soon as the reporter described Musgrave's role in creating the cheer, > calls and emails rolled into his home from all over the country, Musgrave > said. The next day, ESPN called him for an interview. > > Musgrave, a 52-year-old curriculum specialist for performing arts at Volusia > County Schools, will probably blend into the Florida Field crowd at today's > season opener against Bowling Green. > > Thirty-one years ago, the college senior played those iconic two notes of the > "Jaws" theme on his sousaphone along with the other tuba players. > Cheerleaders directed fans with their outstretched arms to simulate a gator's > jaws snapping down, ending each “chomp'' in a clap, keeping in time with the > music, plodding at first and then faster and faster and faster until the arms > became a blur. > > Today, like every year since, Musgrave will have his hands free to chomp > along with the rest of the crowd. > > “It was a spontaneous thing,'' said Norm Carlson, Florida's assistant > athletic director/historian, in describing how the chomp took off. “People > started picking up on it, then the media picked up on it. Then it just spread > into a greeting among fans away from the athletic fields.'' > > In fact, Musgrave said he saw Gator athletes and fans “chomping'' at the > Olympic Games in London. > > “How it evolved to what it is now is amazing,'' Musgrave said. > > And the story of its origin is equally amazing. You can say what you want > about the chomp — and Florida and Florida State fans surely have differing > opinions — but one thing you can't say about it is that it's original. > > BORROWING FROM THE BULLDOGS > > Rob Hyatt, a graduate assistant and the director of the Gators' pep band at > the time, witnessed the Mississippi State band's tuba section playing the > "Jaws" theme and the Bulldogs' cheerleaders doing the rhythmic motion when UF > played MSU in Jackson, Miss., on Sept. 26, 1981. > > Hyatt said he leaned over to the band member next to him — Musgrave — and > said, “We need to be doing this.'' Musgrave said he agreed. > > “Rob went to a staff meeting the following Monday and asked if we could do > it,'' Musgrave said. > > Hyatt got the approval, and Musgrave, waiting outside, asked if he could > arrange the music for the tuba section. Hyatt said he gave him the go-ahead. > > “The first time ‘Gator Jaws' was ever performed was the next week at LSU,'' > said Hyatt, who still lives in Gainesville. “In the meantime, we let the > cheerleaders know what we were going to do.'' > > The band introduced the new cheer to the home fans on Oct. 10 in a game > against Maryland. The cheerleaders had already been using the motion in their > “Eat 'em up Gators'' cheer, but until the chomp was put to music, it never > caught on among the fans. > > “By the end of the last home game that year, everyone was doing it,'' Hyatt > said. > > Musgrave and Hyatt said the cheer was almost stopped in its tracks when > representatives of "Jaws" composer John Williams sent a letter to the school > asking that the band stop playing the music. > > “The university decided to change the name from ‘Gator Jaws' to ‘Gator Chomp' > and claimed it came from the last movement of Antonin Dvorak's “New World > Symphony,'' which features the same two notes, Musgrave said. > > Gerre Reynolds, the Gator band's public-address announcer who was a freshman > in the band in 1981, said he relayed the Gator Chomp story to Carlson at last > year's Vandy game. Carlson passed it on to the CBS broadcast crew. > > “In the past, ESPN and other outlets had incorrectly attributed (the chomp) > to coach (Steve) Spurrier in the early 1990s,'' Reynolds said. “Of course, it > started 10 years earlier.'' > > Musgrave turned out to be in the right place at the right time. He was picked > to be in the pep band the week of the Mississippi State game and happened to > be sitting next to Hyatt, giving him the opportunity to ask if he could write > out all the parts for the tuba section. And he was actually a trumpet player > who was playing tuba that season to protect his lips for his senior trumpet > recital. > > But like Hyatt, Musgrave is proud of his contribution to a Gator tradition. > > “Over the years, I never thought much about it,'' Musgrave said. “But it's > really cool to be a part of it.'' > > > > Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI > > Bob Parks Realty > > REO Department > > 1517 Hunt Club Blvd > > Gallatin TN 37066 > > Phone: 615-826-4040 > > Direct Line:615-265-4209 > > Fax: 615-822-2027 > > Mobile: 615-972-4239 > > [email protected] > > > >
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