My family submitted a story to UF a few weeks back and to our surprise we were contacted and asked if we would be willing to travel to campus and tell our story on camera. So today at roughly 2pm the following story was filmed. No idea yet of when or how it will be used by UF. Just thought it was a cool story to share with you guys since we play LSU tomorrow.
In the early '60s, my granddad taught Army ROTC at UF. His brother's high school teammate, Larry Dupree, was a running back and at UF and feeling rather homesick. Coach Graves, fearing the loss of a great player, asked if granddad would take up time with him. As a result, Larry and Allen Trammell would often join our family for Sunday dinner after church. They insisted my grandmother attend a football game, but she always claimed Saturday was laundry day. Eventually, they talked her into sitting in the stands on game day, and it resulted in the first loss of the season. Just a coincidence? The following week, LSU was ahead at halftime. During the break, my mother received a call from Larry Dupree, in the Gators' Baton Rouge locker room, asking if she was doing laundry. "No, I haven't started yet," she replied. "Would you please put some on, Miss Dean?" She did; Florida came back and won the game; a tradition was born: At 83, grandmother continues to wash clothes every game day. If the Gators are behind, she'll often receive calls from those aware of her special touch. The laundry doesn't always result in a victory, but not washing ensures a loss. So she takes one for the team every week. The family joke is that when she passes away and joins granddad to watch from the goalpost, her right index finger will be mounted and preserved so that we might push the start button on the washing machine. Fortunately, her granddaughter has inherited the magic touch. Go GATORS!
In the early '60s, my granddad taught Army ROTC at UF. His brother's high school teammate, Larry Dupree, was a running back and at UF and feeling rather homesick. Coach Graves, fearing the loss of a great player, asked if granddad would take up time with him. As a result, Larry and Allen Trammell would often join our family for Sunday dinner after church. They insisted my grandmother attend a football game, but she always claimed Saturday was laundry day. Eventually, they talked her into sitting in the stands on game day, and it resulted in the first loss of the season. Just a coincidence? The following week, LSU was ahead at halftime. During the break, my mother received a call from Larry Dupree, in the Gators' Baton Rouge locker room, asking if she was doing laundry. "No, I haven't started yet," she replied. "Would you please put some on, Miss Dean?" She did; Florida came back and won the game; a tradition was born: At 83, grandmother continues to wash clothes every game day. If the Gators are behind, she'll often receive calls from those aware of her special touch. The laundry doesn't always result in a victory, but not washing ensures a loss. So she takes one for the team every week. The family joke is that when she passes away and joins granddad to watch from the goalpost, her right index finger will be mounted and preserved so that we might push the start button on the washing machine. Fortunately, her granddaughter has inherited the magic touch. Go GATORS!
