"We Are the Boys From Old Florida" has been associated with the University of Florida since the 1920s. However, several other schools and universities across the United States—including the
University of Chicago, the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and the
Toledo, Ohio public school system— sing very similar
waltz-time tunes, often with very similar lyrics. In
Gainesville, Florida, the song has been attributed to Robert Swanson and John Icenhour, two University of Florida students who supposedly debuted the tune in 1919 with their
barbershop quartet and dance band. A collection of University of Florida pep songs from 1941, on the other hand, attributes "We Are the Boys" to Thorton W. Allen, a prolific composer and arranger of
marching band music in the early 20th century. However, the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln has long performed a very similar school song called "
Dear Old Nebraska U", which school records say was composed by Harry Pecha in 1924. And in
Toledo, Ohio, another very similar song called "We're Strong for Toledo" has been taught to public school students since the early 1900s, with a 1953 obituary for a local man named Joseph Murphy stating that he wrote the tune and lyrics in 1906. And although the University of Florida owns the rights to its band arrangement of the song, the tune and lyrics are in the
public domain. Whatever its origins and whoever initially composed it, "We Are the Boys" has been a popular pep song with UF students and fans since the 1920s, and since the 1930s, it has been played at
Florida Gators football games by
The Pride of the Sunshine (the school's
marching band) while students lock arms, sway, and sing the lyrics. It was once played at random times during breaks in game action, which limited fan participation since they were not prepared to sing. In the early 1970s, the band began playing the song exclusively at the end of the third quarter, allowing every fan in attendance at Gator home games to stand, sway, and sing along.
Pep bands at other UF sporting events also play the song, often at a similar time frame - a break in the action well into the contest. Since the early 1990s, a fast
march arrangement which does not involve audience participation has joined the UF band repertoire. ==Performance==