1953 Auburn Tigers football team

1953 Auburn Tigers football
Gator Bowl, L 13–35 vs. Texas Tech
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 17
Record	7–3–1 (4–2–1 SEC)
Head coach	Ralph Jordan (3rd season)
Captain	Vince Dooley
Home stadium	Cliff Hare Stadium Legion Field Ladd Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1952 1954  →

1953 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 13 Alabama $	4	–	0	–	3			6	–	3	–	3
No. 8 Georgia Tech	4	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
No. 16 Kentucky	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
Ole Miss	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
No. 17 Auburn	4	–	2	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
Mississippi State	3	–	1	–	3			5	–	2	–	3
Tennessee	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
LSU	2	–	3	–	3			5	–	3	–	3
Florida	1	–	3	–	2			3	–	5	–	2
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Georgia	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Tulane	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	8	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1953 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1953 college football season. It was the Tigers' 62nd overall and 21st season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan, in his third year, and played their home games at Cliff Hare Stadium in Auburn, the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery and Ladd Memorial Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They finished with a record of seven wins, three losses and one tie (7–3–1 overall, 4–2–1 in the SEC) and with a loss to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 25	Stetson *		Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL	W 47–0	9,500	[1]
October 3	No. 15 Ole Miss		Cliff Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)	W 13–0	20,000	[2]
October 10	at No. 13 Mississippi State		Scott Field Starkville, MS	T 21–21	23,000	[3]
October 17	at No. 8 Georgia Tech	No. 19	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	L 6–36	39,500	[4]
October 24	Tulane		Ladd Memorial Stadium Mobile, AL (rivalry)	W 34–7	18,763	[5]
October 31	Florida		Cliff Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)	W 16–7	25,500	[6]
November 6	at Miami (FL) *	No. 15	Burdine Stadium Miami, FL	W 29–20	26,472	[7]
November 14	vs. Georgia	No. 20	Memorial Stadium Columbus, GA (rivalry)	W 39–18	26,000	[8]
November 21	at Clemson *	No. 14	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	W 45–19	20,000	[9]
November 28	vs. Alabama	No. 16	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Iron Bowl)	L 7–10	43,018	[10]
January 1	vs. Texas Tech *	No. 17	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	L 13–35	28,641	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[12] [13]}

Notable players

Vince Dooley

Serving as team captain, Dooley played quarterback and corner back for the 53' Auburn Tigers. Vince completed 25 of 47 passes for a 53.1 completion percentage. This was the best mark by an Auburn signal caller since All-American Travis Tidwell. Dooley was named to the Senior Bowl at the conclusion of the season and was invited to the annual Blue-Gray Game. He was named Offensive MVP after the Gator Bowl.

Ed Baker

Big Ed was named team co-captain to the 1953 Auburn Tigers. He opened up running lanes for future All-SEC back Fob James and was voted the SEC's "Best Offensive Center" at the conclusion of the regular season.

References

1. "Stetson clawed, 47 to 0". The Miami Herald. September 26, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Auburn slashes Ole Miss, 13–0, flashes best form in 11 years". The Atlanta Journal. October 4, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Auburn rally ties Maroons". The Chattanooga Times. October 11, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Georgia Tech buries Auburn hopes, 36–6". The Orlando Sentinel. October 18, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Auburn routs Tulane, 34–7". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 25, 1953. Retrieved September 19, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Auburn Plainsmen trample Gators 16–7". Fort Myers News-Press. November 1, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Ruffled War Eagle weathers Hurricane, 29 to 20". The Birmingham News. November 7, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Auburn continues bowl bid with 39–18 win over Georgia". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 15, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Auburn gains 45–19 nod over Clemson". Tampa Sunday Tribune. November 22, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Luna kicks Tide into Cotton Bowl". The Birmingham News. November 29, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Powerful Texas Tech topples Auburn with big second half". San Angelo Standard-Times. January 2, 1954. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
12. 2009 Auburn Football Media Guide (PDF). Auburn, Alabama: Auburn Media Relations Office. 2009. p. 188. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
13. "1953 Auburn University Football Schedule". Auburn University Athletics. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.