Orlando attorney Stumpy Harris remembered for passion, generosity
On college football Saturdays going back decades now, Gordon “Stumpy” Harris knew how to make an entrance.
Harris wore his passion for the Florida Gators on his sleeve — and anywhere else he could showcase his allegiance to his alma mater.
Harris’ April 1 death at age 82 was a dark day for the Orange and Blue and the state’s flagship university.
“The ultimate Gator fan,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “UF obviously meant a great deal to him, and he incorporated the Gators into seemingly every part of his life.”
Harris graduated from UF’s College of Law in 1965, ranked third in his class. He would make his name and his fortune as a prominent Orlando attorney, founding several law firms and developing expertise in eminent domain.
Florida superfan and diehard donor served as Harris’ second career.
Gators-centric outfits and vehicles were his trademark. Harris donned shirts, ties, cufflinks, pants and shoes featuring the iconic Gator head logo.
A full-size alligator head jutted out of the rear end of both Harris’ 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe and 1952 MG TD Midget, vehicles he auctioned for more than $50,000 last fall to donate to the Gators. He owned an RV with a matching Gator trailer, along with a full-size van and various orange-andblue emblazoned bicycles and scooters.
The centerpiece of the fleet was a Ford F-350 he dubbed the “Mother Ship” and played the school’s fight song when Harris blew the horn. Painted orange and blue, with matching leather seats, a football-helmet hood ornament and a tailgate reading, “Tailgator Litagator,” the vehicle was Harris’ pride and joy.
“When I get it in, I feel good,” he told the Orlando Sentinel in 2011.
Harris’ generosity also gave him infinite pleasure, along with access to the best views in the house and the ear of coaches and administrators.
“He was always so kind to (wife) Megan and I when we were here as an assistant, and was excited and supportive when we returned as the head coach,” Dan Mullen said. “He loved the Gators through and through. He will be sadly missed.”
Harris’ absence during the 2021 season will be glaring.
A football season-ticket holder since 1957, Harris had a luxury suite at the Swamp larger than the UF president’s suite. All told, Harris held 48 season tickets inside the stadium.
Harris made more than $3 million in lifetime contributions to Gators’ athletics, earning a title, “Legacy Director,” held by just about a dozen boosters.
Harris’ magnanimity extended to the university he attended after graduating from Jacksonville’s Robert E. Lee High School in 1956.
Harris eventually served as president of University of Florida National Alumni Association in the early 1980s when the football program was just emerging from NCAA probation. He also served as president of Gator Boosters.