1917 Florida Gators football team

Last updated

1917 Florida Gators football
Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record2–4 (1–3 SIAA)
Head coach
CaptainArtie Fuller, Rowdy Bill Wilkinson
Home stadium University Athletic Field
Seasons
←  1916
1918  →
1917 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Georgia Tech $ 4 –0 –09 –0 –0
Auburn 5 –1 –06 –2 –1
Clemson 5 –1 –06 –2 –0
Centre 1 –0 –07 –1 –0
Mississippi A&M 3 –1 –06 –1 –0
Alabama 3 –1 –15 –2 –1
Sewanee 4 –2 –15 –2 –1
Tulane 2 –1 –05 –3 –0
Vanderbilt 3 –2 –05 –3 –0
LSU 2 –3 –03 –5 –0
South Carolina 2 –3 –03 –5 –0
Wofford 1 –2 –05 –4 –0
Furman 1 –3 –03 –5 –0
Florida 1 –3 –02 –4 –0
Ole Miss 1 –4 –01 –4 –1
Howard (AL) 0 –2 –13 –3 –1
The Citadel 0 –2 –03 –3 –0
Mississippi College 0 –4 –00 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • There were several SIAA schools that did not field a team due to World War I.

The 1917 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1917 college football season. The season was Alfred L. Buser's first of three as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The 1917 season was a disappointment; the team completed their football season with an SIAA conference record of 1–3 [1] and an overall record of 2–4. [2]

Contents

Before the season

Coach Buser was a former All-American lineman for the Wisconsin Badgers, and promised to bring a Midwestern power football style of play to revive the Gators after the winless 1916 season. [3] Captain "Rowdy Bill" Wilkinson was the team's only returning letterman. [4]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResult
October 13 South Carolina
W 21–13
October 20 Tulane
  • Fleming Field
  • Gainesville, FL
L 0–52
October 27 Florida Southern *
  • Fleming Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 19–7
November 3at Auburn
L 0–68
November 17vs. Clemson
L 7–55
November 29at Kentucky *
L 0–52
  • *Non-conference game

[2]

Game summaries

South Carolina

South Carolina at Florida
1234Total
South Carolina070613
•Florida0021021

On opening day, Florida came from behind with three touchdowns in the third quarter to beat South Carolina 21–13. [3]

The starting lineup was Clemmons (left end), Wurtrich (left tackle), Connell (left guard), Wells (center), Swink (right guard), Brannon (right tackle), Thomas (right end), Fuller (quarterback), Wilkinson (left halfback), Ball (right halfback), Lightsey (fullback). [3]

Tulane

Tulane at Florida
1234Total
•Tulane72018651
Florida00000

Tulane overwhelmed the Gators 52–0, [5] several times skirting the ends for long gains. [6] The Gators were frequently penalized for offsides and hurdling. [6]

The starting lineup was Clemmons (left end), Wurtrich (left tackle), Connell (left guard), Wells (center), Otto (right guard), Brannon (right tackle), Thomas (right end), Fuller (quarterback), Wilkinson (left halfback), Ball (right halfback), Lightsey (fullback). [5]

Florida Southern

Florida Southern at Florida
1234Total
Southern00707
•Florida606719

The Gators extended their winning streak over the Florida Southern to four games, winning 19–7. [7] After the first ten minutes, Florida replaced its backfield with second-string men. [7]

The starting lineup was Clemmons (left end), Wutrich (left tackle), Swink (left guard), Dye (center), Cornell (right guard), Brannon (right tackle), Thomas (right end), Fuller (quarterback), Marshall (left halfback), Leifeste (right halfback), Lightsey (fullback). [7]

Auburn

Florida at Auburn
1234Total
Florida00000
•Auburn1419211468

Florida endured its sixth-straight loss to coach Mike Donahue's Auburn team. The Plainsmen had their biggest win on the season over Florida, 68–0. [8]

The starting lineup was Clemmons (left end), Wutrich (left tackle), Connell (left guard), Dye (center), Otto (right guard), Brannon (right tackle), Thomas (right end), Fuller (quarterback), Wilkinson (left halfback), Ball (right halfback), Fernald (fullback). [8]

Clemson

Clemson at Florida
1234Total
•Clemson21720755
Florida00077

Clemson defeated the Gators 55–7. [9] Florida's only score came on a forward pass, Loomis to Thomas. [9]

The starting lineup was Clemmons (left end), Wutrich (left tackle), Connell (left guard), Dye (center), Otto (right guard), Brannon (right tackle), Thomas (right end), Loomis (quarterback), Wilkinson (left halfback), Ball (right halfback), Lightsey (fullback). [9]

Kentucky

Florida at Kentucky
1234Total
Florida00000
•Kentucky131320652

On Thanksgiving, in the school's first-ever game against the Kentucky Wildcats, Florida lost 52–0. [11] Kentucky used its substitutes by the second half. [12]

The starting lineup was Clemmons (left end), Wuthrich (left tackle), Connell (left guard), Dye (center), Gunn (right guard), Brannon (right tackle), Thomas (right end), Loomis (quarterback), Wilkinson (left halfback), Ball (right halfback), Fernald (fullback). [11]

Personnel

Line

PlayerPositionGames
started		HometownPrep schoolHeightWeightAge
Cutie BrannonTackle6 Gainesville 5'7"17021
Gordon ClemmonsEnd6 Plant City 5'10"14019
Harvey ConnellGuard6 Orlando 6'0"18019
Colonel DyeCenter4 Bradentown 5'11"17019
Rat Paul HaymanEnd Punta Gorda 5'7"15021
P. C. SwinkGuard, tackle2 Spartanburg, SC 5'10"15520
Clarence ThomasEnd6Gainesville5'11"16018
Fats WuthrichTackle6 Brewster 5'8"17020

Backfield

PlayerPositionGames
started		HometownPrep schoolHeightWeightAge
Heinie BallHalfback5 Sanford 5'5"15520
Billy CanovaQuarterback Lake City 5'6"15019
Fernie FernaldFullback2 Tarpon Springs 5'9"15518
Horace LoomisQuarterback2Plant City5'9"13519
Alf MarshallHalfback1 Clearwater 5'7"14521
Rowdy Bill WilkinsonHalfback5Gainesville5'8"14525

Coaching staff

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References

  1. ↑ Roger Saylor, "Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine ," College Football Historical Society, The LA84 Foundation (1993). Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  2. 1 2 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Gators Smash Carolina Defense And Win Brilliant 21-13 Victory". The Florida Alligator. October 17, 1917.
  4. ↑ University of Florida 1918 , p. 73
  5. 1 2 3 "Tulane Swamps The Alligators". The Florida Alligator. October 24, 1917.
  6. 1 2 "Tulane 52, Florida 0". The Atlanta Constitution. October 21, 1917. p. 4. Retrieved July 26, 2016– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Southern Puts Up A Stiff Fight But Gators Prove Too Strong". The Florida Alligator. October 31, 1917.
  8. 1 2 3 "Auburn Had Little Trouble Defeating The Light Gator Eleven". The Florida Alligator. November 7, 1917.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Roy L. Bishop (November 21, 1917). "Superior Weight of Clemson Eleven Enabled Them To Defeat Florida Team". The Florida Alligator.
  10. ↑ "Clemson Defeats Florida's Eleven". Miami Herald . Miami, Florida. November 18, 1917. p. 8. Retrieved April 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  11. 1 2 3 "Florida Loses To Kentucky 52-0". The Florida Alligator. December 5, 1917.
  12. ↑ "State Wins Final Game". The Courier Journal. November 30, 1917. p. 7. Retrieved July 26, 2016– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  13. ↑ University of Florida 1918 , pp. 72–77

Bibliography

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