1951 Florida Gators football team

Last updated

1951 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
Record5–5 (2–4 SEC)
Head coach
Home stadium Florida Field
(capacity: 39,453)
Seasons
  1950
1952  
1951 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Georgia Tech + 7 0 011 0 1
No. 1 Tennessee + 5 0 010 1 0
LSU 4 2 17 3 1
Ole Miss 4 2 16 3 1
No. 15 Kentucky 3 3 08 4 0
Auburn 3 4 05 5 0
Vanderbilt 3 5 06 5 0
Alabama 3 5 05 6 0
Florida 2 4 05 5 0
Georgia 2 4 05 5 0
Mississippi State 2 5 04 5 0
Tulane 1 5 04 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1951 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1951 college football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The highlights of the season included two intersectional victories over the Wyoming Cowboys (13–0) and the Loyola Lions (40–7), and two Southeastern Conference (SEC) victories over the Vanderbilt Commodores (33–13) during Florida's homecoming and the Alabama Crimson Tide (30–21) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. For the second year in a row, Woodruff's 1951 Florida Gators finished 5–5 overall and 2–4 in the SEC, placing ninth among twelve conference teams.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 15vs. Wyoming *W 13–025,000 [1] [2]
September 22 The Citadel *W 27–740,000 [3]
September 29 Georgia Tech
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
L 0–2739,000 [4]
October 6at Loyola (CA) *W 40–715,350 [5]
October 13at Auburn L 13–1422,500 [6]
October 20 Vanderbilt Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 33–13 [7]
October 27No. 17 Kentucky
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
L 6–1431,000 [8]
November 10vs. Georgia
  • Gator Bowl Stadium
  • Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)
L 6–737,216 [9]
November 17at Miami (FL) *L 6–2161,602 [10]
November 24at Alabama W 30–2123,000 [11]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Related Research Articles

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The 1947 Florida Gators football team was an American football team that represented the University of Florida in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1947 college football season. The season was Raymond Wolf's second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Wolf's 1947 Florida Gators finished with a 4–5–1 overall record and a 0–3–1 record in the SEC, placing last among 12 SEC teams.

The 1948 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1948 college football season. The season was the third for Raymond Wolf as the Florida Gators football team's head coach. The season's highlights included the Gators' 16–9 win against the Auburn Tigers and their 27–13 homecoming victory over the Miami Hurricanes. Wolf's 1948 Florida Gators finished with a 5–5 overall record and a 1–5 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing tenth among twelve SEC teams.

The 1949 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1949 college football season. The season was Raymond Wolf's fourth and last as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Wolf's 1949 Florida Gators finished 4–5–1 overall and 1–4–1 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing tenth of twelve SEC teams, and ending the Gators' "Golden Era."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1950 Florida Gators football team</span> American college football season

The 1950 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1950 college football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's first of ten as the new head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Woodruff was a former college football player and assistant for coach Robert Neyland's Tennessee Volunteers, who made his name as an up-and-coming young head coach leading the Baylor Bears for three seasons in the late 1940s. Like Neyland, Woodruff emphasized stout defense, the kicking game and a ball control offense. In Woodruff's first season of 1950, the Gators offense, led by quarterback Haywood Sullivan and offensive coordinator Frank Broyles, posted record numbers. Sullivan was the first sophomore in SEC history to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season. He set nine school records. The highlights of the season included two Southeastern Conference (SEC) victories over the Auburn Tigers (27–7) and the No. 13-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores (31–27)—the first season since 1940 in which the Gators won two or more SEC games. The Gators' No. 20 ranking after the Vanderbilt game marked their first-ever appearance in the top twenty of the weekly Associated Press Poll. Woodruff's 1950 Florida Gators finished 5–5 overall and 2–4 in the SEC, placing tenth among twelve conference teams.

The 1952 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1952 college football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's third and most successful as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Woodruff's 1952 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 8–3 and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 3–3, placing sixth among twelve SEC teams.

The 1953 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1953 college football season. The season was the fourth for Bob Woodruff as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The 1953 season was a year of rebuilding and backsliding after the graduation of All-American Charlie LaPradd and the loss of fullback Rick Casares to the U.S. Army. The highlight of the season was the Gators' second consecutive victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, but the Gators began a pattern of agonizingly close losses to the Rice Owls (16–20), Auburn Tigers (7–16), Tennessee Volunteers (7–9) and Miami Hurricanes (10–14), as well as two ties with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0–0) and LSU Tigers (21–21). Woodruff's 1953 Florida Gators finished with a 3–5–2 overall record and a 1–3–2 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing ninth of twelve SEC teams.

The 1954 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1954 college football season. The season was the fifth for Bob Woodruff as the Florida Gators football team's head coach. The Gators' standout players included running back Mal Hammack. The season was one of mixed results for the Gators: their best-ever Southeastern Conference (SEC) win–loss record, balanced by five overall losses. The highlights of the season were five SEC wins over the fifth-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (13–12), Auburn Tigers (19–13), Kentucky Wildcats (21–7), Mississippi State Maroons (7–0) and Tennessee Volunteers (14–0). Woodruff's 1954 Florida Gators finished 5–5 overall and 5–2 in the SEC, placing third in the twelve-team conference—their best SEC showing to date.

The 1955 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1955 college football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's sixth as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The Gators played their only eight-game Southeastern Conference schedule before the 1990s, and probably the most difficult of the 1950s. The standout Gator players included offensive and defensive tackle John Barrow, halfback and punter Don Chandler, two-way halfback Jackie Simpson and defensive back John Symank. The highlights of the 1955 season included three conference victories over the Mississippi State Maroons (20–14), LSU Tigers (18–14), and Georgia Bulldogs (19–13). The Gators closed out the season with a knife's edge 7–6 road loss to the Miami Hurricanes in their home stadium in Miami, Florida. Woodruff's 1955 Florida Gators finished 4–6 overall and 3–5 in the SEC, placing tenth of twelve teams in the conference.

The 1957 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1957 NCAA University Division football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's eighth as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Woodruff's 1957 Florida Gators finished their abbreviated season with an overall record of 6–2–1 and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 4–2–1, tying for third place among the twelve SEC teams.

The 1958 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1958 NCAA University Division football season. The season was the ninth of ten for Bob Woodruff as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Woodruff's 1958 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 6–4–1 and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 2–3–1, placing eighth in the twelve-member SEC.

The 1959 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's tenth and last year as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The Gators celebrated a close conference win over the Mississippi State Maroons (14–13), and suffered close conference defeats to the Vanderbilt Commodores (6–13), the top-ranked LSU Tigers (0–9) and the eighth-ranked Auburn Tigers (0–6). Woodruff finished his tenure on a high note, with the Gators' victories over the Florida State Seminoles (18–8) and the twelfth-ranked Miami Hurricanes (23–14), their primary in-state rivals. Woodruff's 1959 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 5–4–1 and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 2–4, placing ninth among twelve SEC teams.

The 1960 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1960 NCAA University Division football season. The season was Ray Graves' first of ten and one of his three most successful as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Graves' 1960 Florida Gators finished with a 9–2 overall record a 5–1 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing second among the twelve SEC teams—their best-ever SEC finish to date.

The 1964 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1964 NCAA University Division football season. The season was the fifth for Ray Graves as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Graves' 1964 Florida Gators posted an overall record of 7–3 and a 4–2 Southeastern Conference (SEC) record, tying for second among the eleven SEC teams.

The 1990 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season marked the return of the Gators' Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Steve Spurrier to his alma mater as the new head coach of the Florida Gators football team.

The 1991 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season was Steve Spurrier's second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The Gators were led by quarterback Shane Matthews and first-team All-American defensive tackle Brad Culpepper.

The 1993 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama for the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season, competing in the Southeastern Conference Western Division. The team was led by head coach Gene Stallings, who was in his fourth season at the position.

The history of Florida Gators football began in 1906, when the newly established "University of the State of Florida" fielded a football team during its first full academic year of existence. The school's name was shortened to the University of Florida in 1908, and the football team gained the nickname "Gators" in 1911. The program started small, usually playing six to eight games per season against small colleges and local athletic club teams in north Florida and south Georgia. The Orange and Blue developed early rivalries with the Stetson Hatters from nearby Deland and Mercer Bears from Macon. During the 1910s, Florida began playing a wider range of opponents from more established football programs across the southeastern United States and faced off against several future rivals - such as Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, and Auburn - for the first time.

References

  1. "Wyoming Cowboys fall before Florida Gators in rain before 25,000 spectators". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. September 16, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Florida Gators Stun Wyoming in Opening Tilt, 13-0". The Pensacola News-Journal. September 16, 1951. p. 15 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Florida dumps Citadel, 27–7". The Greenville News. September 23, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Florida bows to Yellow Jacket punch 27–0". The Palm Beach Post. September 30, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Gators walk over Loyola Lions, 40–7". Long Beach Press-Telegram. October 7, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Auburn's late score beats Florida, 14–13". The Tampa Tribune. October 14, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Sullivan turns runner, Gators wallop Vandy". The Birmingham News. October 21, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Parilli pitches Kentucky to 14–6 triumph". The Paducah Sun. October 28, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Georgia edges Florida, 7 to 6". The Orlando Sentinel. November 11, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Miami trounces Florida 21–6 before 61,000 fans to win state college crown". The Tampa Tribune. November 18, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Casares' field goal paces Gator 30–21 victory". Panama City News-Herald. November 25, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com.