I went to the very first Gator game after Tom Petty died and once they announced "I Won't Back Down" would be played after the 3rd quarter in his honor, people went crazy... And then we all got really crazy once the 3rd quarter was over and the song started to play. Nothing quite like 70,000 people of different ages singing the same song as one... Even if some of them didn't know all the lyrics, they still knew the chorus. It was a memory I'll never forget.
A lot of schools are calling for full stadiums this fall! Covid ruined a lot of people full stadiums will make it so so so so much better and it’s gonna be louder than ever in a lot of these stadiums!
Thanks. You guys do a stand up job honoring us to in bad times and good times. We may see things different sometimes but hopefully we will all still be Allies in the end.
Thank you Sir. MUCH appreciate the words. And might I say that this "Yank Bird" feels the same about British things. I've become a bit obsessed with all things British.
My ancestry is mostly British and I hope to visit someday. Tom Petty was as cool as the other side of the pillow. Love hearing these fans sing for their hometown boy from Gainesville Florida. RIP Tom Petty
I never thought I'd cry watching a football crowd sing. Gainesville was where I first saw Tom Petty perform in the late 70s. That was an awesome tribute.
I'm a Michigan State fan through and through but I grew up on Tom Petty, and this is incredible stuff. A legend gone too soon. An amazing, beautiful tribute.
I keep returning to this video. There is something so warming in it. I am from the north east of England and love Tom Petty, although I never saw him live. Not only was his music fantastic, he was clearly a nice guy (otherwise he wouldn’t have been in the Traveling Wilburys). This display of affection from the crowd shows how adored Tom was. Well done to all those who were there that day.
I'm from the north west of England and keep coming back to this video too. I never saw him live either but his music was a part of my early adulthood. Was playing his greatest hits today in the car which prompted me to come back and watch this again
Be in the stands for this or see the two Super Bowls I have been to or the game 7 nba finals I was at or the 5 Bama chips I have been to....? No you can keep this shit because I am there for the game.
Take it and watch it for what it's worth - an awesome tribute to a rock n' roll legend who was born in Gainesville. To write a song, then have 80,000 or whatever people singing that sing in tribute after you've died...kinda humbling.
Hardcore Noles fan here giving respect to the Gator crowd who respectfully paid homage and their respects to a music icon. One of the best performers in concert to ever embrace a crowd and stage. Was blessed to see him live here in L.A. at the Hollywood Bowl before his passing. You Got Lucky babe!
I still think about him every day, and he's from my dad's day. But I'm Making an album off of his sound and style. I get the top song in my head thinking it is his song. Pretty much it is. The Story Lives On!
Gators fans did this right. I'm a Syracuse guy but I was a Tom Petty fan first. First time I saw this it brought tears to my eyes. Tom was my favorite musician of all time and trust me, with the way the music industry is today, that's not changing any time soon. I'm supposed to be moving with family to Florida in the next year or so. You best believe I'll be at that stadium singing this song.
Same here, I’ve never seen any other Tom Petty tribute this big. Music is only going downhill now. Ask anyone else my age who he is and they’ll just say, “who’s that?”. I’m 13 and my taste of music will never change, I’ve never heard a Tom petty song that I didn’t like. Next time I see my team losing for anything, I’m gonna sing that song with my dad. I thank Florida for the idea😂
Worked in El Reno for five years at the federal prison, I've met Waymann Tisdale who played for the House of Lights come to the joint. But now I'm home and was in the stands when we did that. We do it every home game, ever Tom passed away.
Watching that just brought me to tears. My whole body is tingling. The power of 90,000 singing as 1. Another awesome human being has left us too soon. He left us with decades of brilliant music to enjoy forever. R.I.P Tom Petty. You never did back down.
This is amazing. Many of Skynyrd’s fans showed up at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis the night of the concert they didn’t make. Local radio station played their music and we sang every song. I’m a Bama fan but y’all honored Mr Petty in a great way.
Texas Longhorns fan here! Outstanding tribute to one of my favorite artists. This is why I love college football 🏈. Great 👍🏽 job Gator nation for this and bringing tears to millions of college football fans.
Tom would of been extremely honored and humbled at this... I can picture him looking down from the heavens and giving that subtle nod is if to say thank you so very much and saying to the crowd, your gonna put me out of a job😊. We miss you TP. Gator fans, u r awesome. 3 years later I still have my xm radio stuck on the Tom Petty channel in my big rig... it will stay there 24/7 till I die. From Orlando Fl
@Polar Desert Its true that when you die you get to be a sprit instantly that sees earth still? Where did you learn this information? It certainly wasn't in the Bible when I read it cover to cover, so I'm wondering where it is. . . .?
@Polar Desert Oh, I'm sorry I thought your statement had something to do with the _topic_ of what I was talking about so I responded as if it were. If you'd like to discuss the SOURCE of the after life _beliefs,_ that would be the topic. For truth that we know there's a source, for example Planck's constant. We know where that came from. Where did this belief that there's a gallery of family members and famous people pertaining to a subject you liked in life to greet you as you look upon your still living loved ones when you die come from? It appears pulled from the asses of stupid people who think its in the bible, because they've never read it.
Absolutely beautiful. Tom Petty in my top 5 of artists. What a fantastic tribute and I hope he looked down with a smile on Gator Nation in the small town he came from, Gainesville Florida. See you on the other side, Tom!
Do a concert, fill a stadium and have people sing along...Great. Do the same thing without you or band even being there....PRICELESS!!! Thanks for the many years of hits Tom. RIP
This brought tears of Joy, and Courage, to Stand My Ground against this Hellish, World Tyranny! Tom Petty, Thank You, for all the bad times you got me through. God Bless!
As far as restoring my "faith in humanity"!,I think I would rather they sing,"Jesus loves me this I know,for the Bible tells me so" rather than a tribute to a "great rock musician",who was also an ex-drug addict! But,we love to put our rock musicians up on pedestals! Most of them find sex,drugs,and rock and roll leads to an early grave!
I may not be a UF fan, but this is such an underrated tradition. Amazing song by the late great Tom Petty. May he rest in peace. Goosebumps every time I hear the “HEEEEEEEEY” part
I've been to tons of concerts, seen the biggest and most legendary bands and performers. The very best concerts I've seen are Tom Petty, and Kid Rock .
I saw Tom Petty and Pearl Jam play together. Pearl Jam made a crapton more money, but they made sure the headliner that night was Tom Petty (because we all know he's better) Petty was awesome, pearl jam was good
I have seen a lot of Bands over a long time, seeing Tom Petty at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, CANADA was truly a treat. The sound was incredible. The band was spot on, tightest sounding Band I have ever seen. Tom Rocked. R.I.P.
I hope that Tom could hear this. I got to see him in July for the first and only time. It was a once in a lifetime experience literally. I remember the day he died I was home from school sick doing the work my teachers emailed me. My mom came in and said he was dead. The thought that when we saw him and it was the only time really makes me sad. I’m still very heartbroken(no pun intended) that he left so soon. Rip Mr Petty we miss you so much.
Canadian music producer here. I never knew much about Tom Petty, but the fact that all of you Gators fans, and maybe even some Aggies fans, came together and honoured him in the greatest way possible is really heartwarming. God bless all 86,114 of you.
Caryl, here. What a tribute! In 1980 after canada helped free the hostages from iran, the l.a. kings played the toronto maple leafs ( i think, it had to be, the first game with canada after the rescue). Anyway, they played the national anthem, all the players were on the ice and the place literally exploded with emotion; it must have lasted 10 minutes! It was awesome. I had never seen anything like it. We lost to toronto that night but i don't think anybody cared. What a privilege to have been there!!
Tom Petty was such a huge part of my cultural life from, well, more or less the time I started listening to music and appreciating it (maybe 3 years old?), and "I Won't Back Down" was always my favorite track by him. I now have 2 kids that will ask me to play this song over and over. What a fantastic tribute to a truly amazing artist who inspired, comforted, and offered understanding to so many. Much love from Austin, Texas.
Tom petty is the true king of rock and roll. Still to this day I cant believe hes gone. His music touched everybody's heart on every level and this is the best tribute I've seen for him. I know he was smiling and crying when he heard them sing his song. RIP to a legend of all time TOM PETTY
SC Gamecock here and never been much of a Gator fan but..... I'm not even sure the Florida Folks realize they are so totally beyond the coolest new Gator end of 3rd quarter thang ever 'I Won't Back Down'. It is a one of a kind happening that is, "Freakin Awesome". As one SEC fan to the SEC Florida nation - I salute you!
SEC just rules so hard. South wrote Americas song book and this tribute to Petty is just incredible. North Florida is so overrepresented in music that one has to think there is something magical in the water in those parts lol. Remember that Tom Petty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, 38 Special, Limp Bizkit(laugh all you want) ShineDown, Derek Trucks and Red Jumpsuit apparatus have all come from North Florida.
Thank you South Carolina folks for thinking of us, as fellow SEC members and people with a Southern Accent. BTW ,We love Hootie and The Blowfish and James Brown as much as yall do !! ( To Whatsit Matter : Allman Brothers were from Daytona Beach before they moved to Macon, and Ray Charles was from Tallahassee)
Bernie Leadon of Gainesville helped form the EAGLES, he was Petty's guitar teacher. Add in Stephen Stills of Crosby Stills and Nash, spent his high school years with Petty in Gainesville. Allman brothers were 50 miles East in Daytona. All these guys played together as teenagers around Gainesville, it's remarkable.
Brilliant; loved that man so much. One of the best gigs of my life. Fell in love at 18 and never fell out. From Alligator City, Gainesville Florida...was how he was introduced on a live show he did here in UK. For crowd involvement of the awesome kind see: Liverpool Football Club's Kop End, 1964 singing The Beatles in glowing black & white!
just hair standing all over my body man! This is special man. this was played on our graduation. Everybody was standing up singing. I was in full tears. Like i’m talking about sobbing out of breath kinda crying. i couldn’t explain it
My uncles favorite song was this one. He could have challenged willie Nelson and snoop dogg with how much pot he smoked. One of his favorite things to do was to smoke a spliff and watch football.
As a UF alumni I have many fond memories of the "swamp". Tom Petty an awesome rock star and also had a special connection to UF as Gainesville was his hometown.
Thank you for filming this. Tom Petty was a Gainesville native. Being Tom Petty and Florida Gator fan and living here in the Gainesville area it is great seeing The Swamp filled with Gator fans and showing resect for Tom.
Can you imagine his family watching this? Goosebumps.
Amazing.
A beautiful thought 🎸
I think I’ve watched it more than his family.
Us Gators love us some Tom petty.. We love to honor our Gainesville native!!
I went to the very first Gator game after Tom Petty died and once they announced "I Won't Back Down" would be played after the 3rd quarter in his honor, people went crazy... And then we all got really crazy once the 3rd quarter was over and the song started to play.
Nothing quite like 70,000 people of different ages singing the same song as one... Even if some of them didn't know all the lyrics, they still knew the chorus.
It was a memory I'll never forget.
Beautiful
Tom is from Gainesville.
Same here. It was sad that he died, but hearing everyone around me singing it at the game made me realize how important he was to all of us
90,000* 😀
Man those pre-COVID crowds were something to behold.
Amen!
It was a different time.
Get ready for this fall
Just got back from UFC 261 full crowd of 15k. It was amazing to be back in a packed arena!!!
A lot of schools are calling for full stadiums this fall! Covid ruined a lot of people full stadiums will make it so so so so much better and it’s gonna be louder than ever in a lot of these stadiums!
Always liked the way the Americans honour their own from a Brit
Thanks. You guys do a stand up job honoring us to in bad times and good times. We may see things different sometimes but hopefully we will all still be Allies in the end.
Thank you Sir. MUCH appreciate the words. And might I say that this "Yank Bird" feels the same about British things. I've become a bit obsessed with all things British.
My ancestry is mostly British and I hope to visit someday. Tom Petty was as cool as the other side of the pillow. Love hearing these fans sing for their hometown boy from Gainesville Florida. RIP Tom Petty
Merica!!!!
I was able to see Tom Petty perform in the Royal Albert Hall. Great performance!
I never thought I'd cry watching a football crowd sing. Gainesville was where I first saw Tom Petty perform in the late 70s. That was an awesome tribute.
I'm a Michigan State fan through and through but I grew up on Tom Petty, and this is incredible stuff. A legend gone too soon. An amazing, beautiful tribute.
I keep returning to this video. There is something so warming in it. I am from the north east of England and love Tom Petty, although I never saw him live. Not only was his music fantastic, he was clearly a nice guy (otherwise he wouldn’t have been in the Traveling Wilburys). This display of affection from the crowd shows how adored Tom was. Well done to all those who were there that day.
We still do this every game with a light show from our phones. I was just there rocking out last Saturday. His family is always in attendance.
@@PM4K That is great to learn. Thanks for posting your message. I’ll watch it with that thought in mind each time I visit in future. RIP Tom Petty.
I'm from the north west of England and keep coming back to this video too. I never saw him live either but his music was a part of my early adulthood. Was playing his greatest hits today in the car which prompted me to come back and watch this again
@@gillhodgson8014 Wonderful. Glad you liked it too. Keep enjoying the Petty brilliance.
RIP, Tom... “October 20, 1950 - October 2, 2017” This is such a wonderful tribute to a phenomenal artist. You will be missed.
That was by far the most powerful Tom Petty tribute I’ve seen
JCPierce I mean it is Gainesville
This gives me chills.
😊😊😊🥰🥰♥️♥️👍👍🇮🇪🇮🇪
To be in the crowd when something like this happens is worth the price of admission alone..
Check out sunshine on lieth at Hampden park in scottish fa cup final magic
Be in the stands for this or see the two Super Bowls I have been to or the game 7 nba finals I was at or the 5 Bama chips I have been to....? No you can keep this shit because I am there for the game.
@@waynewayne9693 your not the only one who's been to a stadium
I'd give you my list but its too long
Just enjoy without being so clever
I was just thinking the same thing
Take it and watch it for what it's worth - an awesome tribute to a rock n' roll legend who was born in Gainesville. To write a song, then have 80,000 or whatever people singing that sing in tribute after you've died...kinda humbling.
Hardcore Noles fan here giving respect to the Gator crowd who respectfully paid homage and their respects to a music icon. One of the best performers in concert to ever embrace a crowd and stage. Was blessed to see him live here in L.A. at the Hollywood Bowl before his passing. You Got Lucky babe!
I was here and I have to be honest, one of my all time favorite moments during my college experience.
I hope it was loud enough for Tom to hear and look down and smile
Michael Bennett it totally was.
I'm sure he heard it, and it filled him with joy!
It was!!
Petty is rocking in hell with good company
He sure brought a lot of smiles!☻
From a Tennessee fan, That was just fantastic!...Very well done Gators.
Okay, I'll admit it. This brought me to tears. Tom was special. It's been years since his passing but it is still just as upsetting.
I still think about him every day, and he's from my dad's day. But I'm Making an album off of his sound and style. I get the top song in my head thinking it is his song. Pretty much it is. The Story Lives On!
RIP Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison
armando tapias best super group ever .the travelling wilburies
Missing those amazing. traveling Wilbury’s.
Tom petty was the best out of all of them
@@ThePandora622 That was my thought exactly I think Dillon is the only one left 😢
Wambli Paytah Jeff Lynne is touring with his original band ELO.
Gators fans did this right. I'm a Syracuse guy but I was a Tom Petty fan first. First time I saw this it brought tears to my eyes. Tom was my favorite musician of all time and trust me, with the way the music industry is today, that's not changing any time soon. I'm supposed to be moving with family to Florida in the next year or so. You best believe I'll be at that stadium singing this song.
Same here, I’ve never seen any other Tom Petty tribute this big. Music is only going downhill now. Ask anyone else my age who he is and they’ll just say, “who’s that?”. I’m 13 and my taste of music will never change, I’ve never heard a Tom petty song that I didn’t like. Next time I see my team losing for anything, I’m gonna sing that song with my dad. I thank Florida for the idea😂
New York? Homie!
l am an Alabama girl, but I love Tom Petty. This made me cry. I can't imagine what being there must have felt like. I'm in awe.
Lorrenda ss nice I'm from graysville AL where are you from?
Tracy Weber nice, I'm glad it was memorable
Crystal Andis burn in hell
Crystal Andis eat shit and go to hell
Bama? err *chomps tongue*
This was my first ever gator game. I didn’t even mind getting beat. This moment made the whole game worth it. Glad it’s became a 4th quarter tradition
Very classy, post!! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts
I was at a home Gator game during this time ... it was AMAZING to scream this song with everyone ... Tom Petty was one of Gainesville’s finest.
Oklahoma Sooner fan here, this moved me to tears. Gators fans are badass for this!
BOOMER!
Kyle Puckett SOONER!!
Kyle Puckett I'm gator by blood... Live on sooner road between Moore and Norman... This was awesome... Prob never match it in our lives!
Worked in El Reno for five years at the federal prison, I've met Waymann Tisdale who played for the House of Lights come to the joint. But now I'm home and was in the stands when we did that. We do it every home game, ever Tom passed away.
Kyle Puckett ok boomer
Ok boomer
Watching that just brought me to tears. My whole body is tingling. The power of 90,000 singing as 1. Another awesome human being has left us too soon. He left us with decades of brilliant music to enjoy forever. R.I.P Tom Petty. You never did back down.
so true, and well said! See ya later Tom
The Rush in Rio (live) version of YYZ died that to me also. Fans were singing an instrumental!
Tennessee fan coming in peace . On the field , I dislike everything about you , but this was amazing . Rock and Roll will never die
Only in the US 🇺🇸 what a truly great nation!
From a Brit X
Watch some British football fans singing videos. Then stand corrected.
Rob Shepherd well he's a man united fan from Surrey, so what would he know.
@@DMWBN3 The Hibernian fans after the 2016 Scottish Cup final video is amazing
@@DMWBN3 Salford (Swinton M27) to be accurate 👍
This chokes me up everytime I watch. Great people honoring a great musician. World Class.
This video embodies how important Tom Petty was to rock music.
Jason Heavner I second that emotion!❤ RIP...Tom Petty.😔💔
Sad that younger generations will switch Petty, Springsteen and Beatles for Lil Wayne, Bieber and Weekend
And to Gainesville.
@Brazilian Atlantis Lynyrd Skynyrd
GiacoC sad that you’re such an old man that you think college students still don’t play this song.
I was in section 17 and this was EPIC! First home game after his passing & first time this was done at Ben Hill Griffin. Amazing!
That brought me to tears... Greetings from Brazil and all my respect to the gators fans.
What a great man. He deserved every second of this.
This is amazing.
Many of Skynyrd’s fans showed up at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis the night of the concert they didn’t make.
Local radio station played their music and we sang every song.
I’m a Bama fan but y’all honored Mr Petty in a great way.
Jacksonville loves them! Skynyrd made this town!
3 years on and still brings a tear to the eye
Texas Longhorns fan here! Outstanding tribute to one of my favorite artists. This is why I love college football 🏈. Great 👍🏽 job Gator nation for this and bringing tears to millions of college football fans.
Tom would of been extremely honored and humbled at this... I can picture him looking down from the heavens and giving that subtle nod is if to say thank you so very much and saying to the crowd, your gonna put me out of a job😊. We miss you TP. Gator fans, u r awesome. 3 years later I still have my xm radio stuck on the Tom Petty channel in my big rig... it will stay there 24/7 till I die. From Orlando Fl
Yeah that was really cool,!!
What religion is it where you get to be a spirit looking down from "heaven"?
@Polar Desert Its true that when you die you get to be a sprit instantly that sees earth still? Where did you learn this information? It certainly wasn't in the Bible when I read it cover to cover, so I'm wondering where it is. . . .?
@Polar Desert Oh, I'm sorry I thought your statement had something to do with the _topic_ of what I was talking about so I responded as if it were. If you'd like to discuss the SOURCE of the after life _beliefs,_ that would be the topic. For truth that we know there's a source, for example Planck's constant. We know where that came from. Where did this belief that there's a gallery of family members and famous people pertaining to a subject you liked in life to greet you as you look upon your still living loved ones when you die come from? It appears pulled from the asses of stupid people who think its in the bible, because they've never read it.
from what i read Tom was not a christian . He said music was his religion.
To hear 80,000 plus come together and remember Tom Petty speaks volumes. Just beautiful, dang ol' beautiful
Tom Petty: LEGENDARY. Nice gator fans, respect.
He used be a groundsman for the sports fields before he made it big.
I was there for this moment. It was incredible. It still sends shivers up my spine. What a great tribute to Tom Petty. A Gator native son!
Tom would have loved this.....R.I.P. my friend
1200bonzo oh trust me, he saw it. And Loved every second of it.
My Moms favorite Tom Petty song. Miss em both.
Rip to our moms. 🕯
Absolutely beautiful. Tom Petty in my top 5 of artists. What a fantastic tribute and I hope he looked down with a smile on Gator Nation in the small town he came from, Gainesville Florida. See you on the other side, Tom!
I wouldnt call Gainesville, Fl a small town, theres a new skyrise being built every other day in Gainesville, lol
Congratulations Florida! You created a legend! One of my favorite singers of all time. What a noble tribute.
One of the greatest Tom Petty from Gainsville Florida,so proud!! RIP and cheers
Do a concert, fill a stadium and have people sing along...Great. Do the same thing without you or band even being there....PRICELESS!!! Thanks for the many years of hits Tom. RIP
Great tribute from a long time Petty fan in the UK. Had the pleasure to see him on his first ever UK tour.
He probably would have cried if he saw this. RIP Petty
I sure as heck did. Tom was one of a kind!
Proud Seminole here and I have to say, this nearly brought me to tears. Showing respect to a true legend
This brought tears of Joy, and Courage, to Stand My Ground against this Hellish, World Tyranny! Tom Petty, Thank You, for all the bad times you got me through. God Bless!
Amen to that!!
I just saw this video...
You guys make me cry. RIP Tom.
Greetings from Argentina.
Straight chills and tears, things were a lot easier when Tom was alive, his music will forever help me whenever I’m having a hard time
VOL FAN here, and a huge Tom Petty fan. YOU guys fucking rock! RIP Tom, you will be missed
Matthew Dagnan yes, he was a brave rock star
THIS VIDEO RESTORES MY FAITH IN HUMANITY.
Respect from Burkina Faso.
As far as restoring my "faith in humanity"!,I think I would rather they sing,"Jesus loves
me this I know,for the Bible tells me so" rather than a tribute to a "great rock musician",who was also an
ex-drug addict! But,we love
to put our rock musicians up on pedestals! Most of them find sex,drugs,and rock and roll leads to an
early grave!
#humanityfirst #Yang2020
Far more touching tribute than any bands playing one his songs badly.
But there are a few honest to goodness excellent tributes as well. Some are even here on CZcams.
Its a more touching tribute than any other band playing his songs well!
I may not be a UF fan, but this is such an underrated tradition. Amazing song by the late great Tom Petty. May he rest in peace. Goosebumps every time I hear the “HEEEEEEEEY” part
Gamecock and Volunteer grad.......awesome dedication to a legendary American.
SEC strong!
When Tom Petty sang, we listened, without a doubt! Gators fans are Tom's home town fans too!
Tennessee girl here but wow! This is awesome! Made me cry. RIP Tom Petty.
Love seeing a new tradition take hold organically. RIP Tom Petty!
LSU ruined the first one. it would go against the message of the song to stop doing it
This is realy amazing. Respect from Germany.
Karpuffel Toffer is it? 99 percent of them kids don't listen to him
Gs Hsdx How nice that these young people now came in contact with this great artist. One more good reason for this happening.
@@gshsdx9658 don't disrespect a German man. He is your superior (especially because you are a fat American)
Biggest regret I have is not seen him live in concert before he died
I've been to tons of concerts, seen the biggest and most legendary bands and performers. The very best concerts I've seen are Tom Petty, and Kid Rock .
I saw Tom Petty and Pearl Jam play together. Pearl Jam made a crapton more money, but they made sure the headliner that night was Tom Petty (because we all know he's better) Petty was awesome, pearl jam was good
It was on on my bucket list !!!
I got to see him twice. Great shows
Beautiful, the Gators and Gainesville Florida... Big respect from University of Alabama Tuscaloosa.
On bended knee...much respect and props to Gator Nation. From Syracuse University local.
Dusty B go Orange! Class of ‘22
Orange 1994
Our Oline sucks!
I have seen a lot of Bands over a long time, seeing Tom Petty at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, CANADA was truly a treat. The sound was incredible. The band was spot on, tightest sounding Band I have ever seen. Tom Rocked. R.I.P.
I hope that Tom could hear this. I got to see him in July for the first and only time. It was a once in a lifetime experience literally. I remember the day he died I was home from school sick doing the work my teachers emailed me. My mom came in and said he was dead. The thought that when we saw him and it was the only time really makes me sad. I’m still very heartbroken(no pun intended) that he left so soon. Rip Mr Petty we miss you so much.
Canadian music producer here. I never knew much about Tom Petty, but the fact that all of you Gators fans, and maybe even some Aggies fans, came together and honoured him in the greatest way possible is really heartwarming. God bless all 86,114 of you.
Never underestimate the impact and power of thoundands of people being happy at the same time in the very same place
From a Big 10 Buckeye fan this is killer RIP
That's pretty cool.....90,000 fans know the chorus, 9,000 knew the verse, lol.
Big boy!
Darth Insidius your right the stadium holds 91,916 people not 90,000
@Darth Insidius lmfao get shit on
This is Tom's home town and they claim him as their own.
They were displaying the lyrics on the jumbotron for everybody, but I guess the chorus is more fun/louder.
I was at this game, was a great experience glad to be apart of it. Still play the song in the stadium every Friday at noon!
My parents attend every game as die hard season ticket holders. They were brought to tears and said it was truly amazing
This will always bring a tear to my eye. Gainesville's Number One Son! Rest in peace, Tom. We'll love you forever. GO GATORS!
Respect & Peace from Belgium!
Ohio State fan here..this gave me goosebumps.
Caryl, here. What a tribute! In 1980 after canada helped free the hostages from iran, the l.a. kings played the toronto maple leafs ( i think, it had to be, the first game with canada after the rescue). Anyway, they played the national anthem, all the players were on the ice and the place literally exploded with emotion; it must have lasted 10 minutes! It was awesome. I had never seen anything like it. We lost to toronto that night but i don't think anybody cared. What a privilege to have been there!!
I remember being there, I was really sweaty but worth it since my dad and I love Tom Petty
How brilliant is this, how anyone can dislike this is beyond me.
So many Gator Haters around, but not many Petty haters !!
Haters with no heart
My dad was a Gator fan from Live Oak,Florida and was until he died!!Rest in Peace Tom Petty!!This was awesome!!!💗💗🎸🎙🐊🐊🐊🏈
Absolutely fantastic! Thank you for sharing and God bless everyone
Tom Petty was such a huge part of my cultural life from, well, more or less the time I started listening to music and appreciating it (maybe 3 years old?), and "I Won't Back Down" was always my favorite track by him. I now have 2 kids that will ask me to play this song over and over.
What a fantastic tribute to a truly amazing artist who inspired, comforted, and offered understanding to so many.
Much love from Austin, Texas.
Wow, talk about goosebumps. Such an amazing tribute. Mad respect.
Tom petty is the true king of rock and roll. Still to this day I cant believe hes gone. His music touched everybody's heart on every level and this is the best tribute I've seen for him. I know he was smiling and crying when he heard them sing his song. RIP to a legend of all time TOM PETTY
SC Gamecock here and never been much of a Gator fan but..... I'm not even sure the Florida Folks realize they are so totally beyond the coolest new Gator end of 3rd quarter thang ever 'I Won't Back Down'. It is a one of a kind happening that is, "Freakin Awesome". As one SEC fan to the SEC Florida nation - I salute you!
Todd Watlington Florida started it, so of course they get it.
Clemson girl here and a huge Petty fan going back to the Mudcrutch days...major respect for Florida, rest easy Tom.
SEC just rules so hard. South wrote Americas song book and this tribute to Petty is just incredible. North Florida is so overrepresented in music that one has to think there is something magical in the water in those parts lol. Remember that Tom Petty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, 38 Special, Limp Bizkit(laugh all you want) ShineDown, Derek Trucks and Red Jumpsuit apparatus have all come from North Florida.
Thank you South Carolina folks for thinking of us, as fellow SEC members and people with a Southern Accent. BTW ,We love Hootie and The Blowfish and James Brown as much as yall do !!
( To Whatsit Matter : Allman Brothers were from Daytona Beach before they moved to Macon, and Ray Charles was from Tallahassee)
Bernie Leadon of Gainesville helped form the EAGLES, he was Petty's guitar teacher. Add in Stephen Stills of Crosby Stills and Nash, spent his high school years with Petty in Gainesville. Allman brothers were 50 miles East in Daytona. All these guys played together as teenagers around Gainesville, it's remarkable.
We should sing this song before every 4th quarter from here on out. Make it a tradition!
They said that it will be sung every game
Awesome! Can't wait to go to the next game at the Swamp :D
I am a Georgia Bulldog fan but this great.
It is in basketball too
Joshua Ebanks I like that idea
I saw him in the O Dome the first time he came back to Gainesville. Brought Stevie Nicks with him. Great show.
Great & heartwarming tribute to one of your own .. respect from 🇬🇧
Vol fan here. Classy sign of respect for a legend. RIP TP!
I imagine they sang loud and proud enough for Tom to hear it in Heaven. RIP Mr Tom Petty.
Too Bad the city of Gainesville bulldozed the house he was born in :/
I'm glad these Gators pay respects to the singer! Very entertaining.
Brilliant; loved that man so much. One of the best gigs of my life. Fell in love at 18 and never fell out. From Alligator City, Gainesville Florida...was how he was introduced on a live show he did here in UK.
For crowd involvement of the awesome kind see: Liverpool Football Club's Kop End, 1964 singing The Beatles in glowing black & white!
One of my favorite songs and my favorite sport
A very touching scene. It put a lump in my throat....
No words... Respect to Gators Fans. The man is a legend.
I'm a Gamecock fan but I think this is so cool. If I were in the stands I'd be singing along as well.
just hair standing all over my body man! This is special man. this was played on our graduation. Everybody was standing up singing. I was in full tears. Like i’m talking about sobbing out of breath kinda crying. i couldn’t explain it
A Gainesville hippie being honored by a stadium full of sports fans!
More than that my friend. Had one of his band mates as my psychology teacher and football coach.
My uncles favorite song was this one. He could have challenged willie Nelson and snoop dogg with how much pot he smoked. One of his favorite things to do was to smoke a spliff and watch football.
Well done America, nice to see you thinking.
If only we could bottle that unity and positive energy.. Great tribute to a great song from a great man.
As a UF alumni I have many fond memories of the "swamp". Tom Petty an awesome rock star and also had a special connection to UF as Gainesville was his hometown.
Beautiful gesture for a Great Artist. RIP Great One.
Who would've thought a little guitar player from Gainesville could have such an impact on so many people
Thank you for filming this. Tom Petty was a Gainesville native. Being Tom Petty and Florida Gator fan and living here in the Gainesville area it is great seeing The Swamp filled with Gator fans and showing resect for Tom.
Brings tears of joy to my eyes.