Remembering Stumpy

“It’s important to always be kind to your opponents, because without them, you would have no opponent.” And where’s the fun in that?

So said Stumpy Harris, the greatest Gator fan of all time, and as eulogized beautifully by his 16-year-old son, Routledge. Iconic Stumpy was a paradox. Standing 5-foot something, with a character as big as The Swamp. With boyish charm, and an astounding intellect, he could move molecules in a room. You knew when Stumpy was around, and he loved it.

He will become a legend in Florida law, and that’s fantastic, but ultimately not the most important thing. The most important thing is the indelible, loving hallmarks he left on countless Floridians. And here’s a fun fact: the man taught math to band members of Lynyrd Skynyrd in Jacksonville. He will be missed, even by a number of Seminoles, and he is seated presently at the pearly gates of heaven, cigar in mouth, the Bull Gator angel. God Bless the Harris family.

John Evans Winter Park