History of The oldest Quarterback Club in Florida

The Leesburg Quarterback Club was founded in 1948. This "Purely Social" club was formed with the purpose of attending one University of Florida road game each year. In the early days an annual banquet was held in the spring to select the game to attend the next season. The banquet was usually held at the Elks Lodge and a guest speaker would address the club. The speaker was always a Southeastern Conference coach, and the Gators' head coach came often. While we are not completely certain who the founder of the club was, we know the Herlong and Knowles families were involved. Many prominent Leesburg businessmen and families supported the club in the early days, and our club has many families who have had three or four generations take trips and work on the board of directors.

From 1949-1968, the club traveled by train on the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad and the Atlantic Coastline Railroad Company. The guys would board the train in Leesburg or Wildwood and travel to the destination, all the while telling tall tales, playing cards, eating, having an occasional libation, and sleeping in pullman cars. Several of the trips were to Atlanta then, on the day of the game, to Auburn or Tuscaloosa. The club would take a "special train" to the game, often in conjunction with the Gainesville, Tampa or Ocala clubs. Or if the destination was in the college town of the team - they would bus to the game then board the train after and head back to Leesburg. Several adventurous presidents added NFL games on Sundays for a doubleheader. The 1968 trip to Raleigh, NC, followed by Washington D.C., was a memorable one of these trips.

In 1969, the club took the first trip by jet to Atlanta. The jet tradition continues today with the club traveling to various destinations in the United States to watch the Gators play. Our rich history is filled with a long list of successful trips. We believe the Leesburg Quarterback Club is the oldest Quarterback Club in Florida. Our club has taken a trip continuously since 1949, when twenty six enthusiastic members went by train to Miami. Trips beginning in 1952 have had as many as 100 members and usually average 80 members.

The Leesburg Quarterback Club has over 400 members. We now hold the spring and fall barbeques at the Leesburg Boat Club on Lake Harris. We continue to travel to one road game each year to support the Gators, keeping it "purely social" as the tradition continues.