Florida Gators football, 1940–49

The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The University of Florida fielded its first official varsity football team in the fall of 1906, and has fielded a team every season since then, with the exception of 1943. During the 1940s, the Gators competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and played their home games at Florida Field on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.

This article includes a game-by-game list of the Florida Gators' ten football seasons from 1940 to 1949. During the 1940s, the Gators were coached by Thomas J. "Tom" Lieb (19401945) and Raymond "Bear" Wolf (19461949). Lieb and Wolf compiled an overall record of 33503 (.401) during the decade.

Contents: 1940  · 1941  · 1942  · 1943  · 1944  · 1945  · 1946  · 1947  · 1948  · 1949

1940

1940 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1940 record 55 (23 8th SEC)
Head coach Tom Lieb
Captain Bud Walton
Home stadium Florida Field
1940 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#4 Tennessee 5 0 0     10 1 0
#9 Mississippi State 4 0 1     10 0 1
Ole Miss 3 1 0     9 2 0
Alabama 4 2 0     7 2 0
Auburn 3 2 1     6 4 1
LSU 3 3 0     6 4 0
Georgia 2 3 1     5 4 1
Florida 2 3 0     5 5 0
Kentucky 1 2 2     5 3 2
Tulane 1 3 0     5 5 0
Vanderbilt 1 5 1     3 6 1
Georgia Tech 1 5 0     3 7 0
Sewanee 0 1 0     3 5 0
Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Season overview

The 1940 college football season was the first of four for Thomas J. "Tom" Lieb as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Lieb was the former coach of the Loyola Lions, and had previously served as Knute Rockne's primary assistant and on-the-field replacement while Rockne was in the hospital during most of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's 1930 national championship season. The highlights of the Gators' 1940 season included victories over the Maryland Terrapins (190), the Georgia Bulldogs (1813), the Miami Hurricanes (466) and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (167). Lieb's 1940 Florida Gators finished with a 55 overall record and a 23 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing eighth among thirteen SEC teams.[1]

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Site Result
9281940 Mississippi State Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida L 727  
1051940 Tampa* Phillips FieldTampa, Florida W 230  
10111940 Villanova* Villanova Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania L 028  
10191940 Maryland* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida (Homecoming) W 190  
10261940 #5 Tennessee Shields-Watkins FieldKnoxville, Tennessee L 014  
1191940 Georgia Fairfield StadiumJacksonville, Florida W 1813  
11161940 Miami* Burdine Stadium • Miami, Florida W 466  
11231940 Georgia Tech Grant Field • Atlanta, Georgia W 167  
11301940 Auburn Memorial StadiumColumbus, Georgia L 720  
1271940 Texas* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida L 026  
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

1941

1941 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1941 record 46 (13 10th SEC)
Head coach Tom Lieb
Captain Bill Robinson
Home stadium Florida Field
1941 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#16 Mississippi State 4 0 1     8 1 1
#18 Tennessee 3 1 0     8 2 0
#20 Alabama 5 2 0     9 2 0
#14 Georgia 3 1 1     9 1 1
#17 Ole Miss 2 1 1     6 2 1
Vanderbilt 3 2 0     8 2 0
LSU 2 2 2     4 4 2
Tulane 2 3 0     5 4 0
Georgia Tech 2 4 0     3 6 0
Florida 1 3 0     4 6 0
Auburn 1 3 0     4 6 0
Kentucky 0 4 0     5 4 0
Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Season overview

The 1941 college football season was Tom Lieb's second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The highlights of the season included a 140 road win over the Miami Hurricanes in Miami, and a hard-fought 147 Homecoming victory the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. After the season was over, end Fergie Ferguson was named the Gators' second-ever first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection and an honorable mention All-American. Lieb's 1941 Florida Gators finished with a 46 overall record and a 13 record in the SEC, placing tenth among twelve conference teams.[1]

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Site Result
9201941 Randolph-Macon* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 260  
9271941 Mississippi State Scott FieldStarkville, Mississippi L 06  
1041941 Tampa* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 466  
10111941 Villanova* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida L 06  
10181941 Maryland* Byrd StadiumCollege Park, Maryland L 1213  
10251941 Louisiana State Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, Louisiana L 710  
1181941 Georgia Fairfield StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 319  
11151941 Miami* Burdine Stadium • Miami, Florida W 140  
11221941 Georgia Tech Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida (Homecoming) W 147  
12201941 UCLA* Fairfield Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida L 2730  
*Non-conference game.

1942

1942 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1942 record 37 (13 9th SEC)
Head coach Tom Lieb
Captain Bill Corry
O'Neal Hill
Home stadium Florida Field
1942 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#2 Georgia 6 1 0     11 1 0
#5 Georgia Tech 4 1 0     9 2 0
#7 Tennessee 4 1 0     9 1 1
#18 Mississippi State 5 2 0     8 2 0
#10 Alabama 4 2 0     8 3 0
LSU 3 2 0     7 3 0
#16 Auburn 3 3 0     6 4 1
Vanderbilt 2 4 0     6 4 0
Florida 1 3 0     3 7 0
Tulane 1 4 0     4 5 0
Kentucky 0 5 0     3 6 1
Ole Miss 0 5 0     2 7 0
Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Season overview

The 1942 college football season was Tom Lieb's third as Florida's head coach. By the autumn of 1942, World War II had begun to affect many college football programs. Florida lost several players and most of its coaching staff to the war effort before the season,[2] and lost several more players during the season,[3] leading to diminishing success as the schedule progressed. The highlight of the campaign was the Gators' 60 edging of the Auburn Tigers on Florida Field, the Gators' only Southeastern Conference (SEC) victory of the year. They also suffered through a crushing 750 defeat by coach Wally Butts' SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, Florida, the worst defeat in the history of Florida's football program.

The Gators began the season 3-1 but lost their final six contests to finish with a 37 overall record. Their 13 conference record placed ninth among twelve teams in the SEC.[1]

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Site Result
9191942 Jacksonville Naval Air Station* Fairfield StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 720  
9261942 Randolph-Macon* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 450  
1031942 Tampa* Phillips Field • Tampa, Florida W 266  
10101942 Auburn Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 60  
10161942 Villanova* Villanova Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania L 313  
10241942 #16 Mississippi State Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida (Homecoming) L 1226  
10311942 Maryland* Griffith StadiumWashington, D.C. L 013  
1171942 #1 Georgia Fairfield StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 075  
11141942 Miami* Burdine Stadium • Miami, Florida L 012  
11211942 #2 Georgia Tech Grant Field • Atlanta, Georgia L 720  
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

1943

1943 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1943 record 00 (00 SEC)

No team

For the first and only autumn since the modern University of Florida opened its Gainesville campus in 1906, the university did not field an official varsity football team during the 1943 college football season because most able-bodied men of college age were serving in the U.S. armed forces during World War II. Florida was one of seven Southeastern Conference schools that did not field a squad during the 1943 season.[4]

1944

1944 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1944 record 43 (03 10th SEC)
Head coach Tom Lieb
Captain Joe Graham
Home stadium Florida Field
1944 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#13 Georgia Tech 4 0 0     8 3 0
#12 Tennessee 5 0 1     7 1 1
Georgia 4 2 0     7 3 0
Alabama 3 1 2     5 2 2
Mississippi State 3 2 0     6 2 0
LSU 2 3 1     2 5 1
Ole Miss 2 3 0     2 6 0
Tulane 1 2 0     4 3 0
Kentucky 1 5 0     3 6 0
Florida 0 3 0     4 3 0
Auburn 0 4 0     4 4 0
Vanderbilt 0 0 0     3 0 1
Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Season overview

The 1944 college football season was the fourth for Tom Lieb as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The highlights of the season included the Gators' 136 Homecoming victory over the Maryland Terrapins and their 130 shutout of the in-state rival Miami Hurricanes on the Hurricanes' home field. The Gators also scored solid victories over teams from two U.S. Naval Air Stations in nearby Jacksonville. Lieb's 1944 Florida Gators finished with a 43 overall record and a 03 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing tenth among twelve SEC teams.`[1]

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Site Result
9231944 Mayport Naval Air Station* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 366  
9301944 Mississippi Fairfield StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 626  
1071944 Jacksonville Naval Air Station* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 2620  
10141944 #15 Tennessee Sheilds-Watkins FieldKnoxville, Tennessee L 040  
10281944 Maryland* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida (Homecoming) W 136  
1131944 Miami* Burdine Stadium • Miami, Florida W 130  
11111944 Georgia Fairfield Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida L 1238  
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

1945

1945 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1945 record 451 (131 10th SEC)
Head coach Tom Lieb
Captain Hugo Miller
Home stadium Florida Field
1945 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#2 Alabama 6 0 0     10 0 0
#14 Tennessee 3 1 0     8 1 0
#15 LSU 5 2 0     7 2 0
#18 Georgia 4 2 0     9 2 0
Ole Miss 3 3 0     4 5 0
Georgia Tech 2 2 0     4 6 0
Mississippi State 2 3 0     6 3 0
Auburn 2 3 0     5 5 0
Vanderbilt 2 4 0     3 6 0
Florida 1 3 1     4 5 1
Tulane 1 3 1     2 6 1
Kentucky 0 5 0     2 8 0
Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Season overview

The 1945 college football season was the fifth and last for Tom Lieb as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Among the season's highlights was the Gators' 2613 neutral site victory over the Ole Miss Rebels played in Jacksonville. The Gators also split a pair of games against teams from two U.S. military training bases. Lieb's 1945 Florida Gators finished with a 451 overall record and a 131 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing ninth among twelve SEC teams.[1] After Lieb's coaching contract was not renewed, he became the track & field coach and an assistant football coach at the University of Alabama, where his old Notre Dame teammate Frank Thomas was the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Site Result
9221945 Camp Blanding* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 312  
9291945 Mississippi Fairfield StadiumJacksonville, Florida W 2613  
1061945 Tulane Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, Louisiana T 66  
10131945 Vanderbilt Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida (Homecoming) L 07  
10191945 Miami* Burdine Stadium • Miami, Florida L 67  
10271945 Southwestern Louisiana* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 450  
1131945 Auburn Auburn Stadium • Auburn, Alabama L 019  
11101945 Georgia Fairfield StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 034  
11171945 Presbyterian* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 410  
11241945 U.S. Amphibious* Norfolk, Virginia L 012  
*Non-conference game.

1946

1946 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1946 record 09 (05 12th SEC)
Head coach Raymond Wolf
Captain William Raborn
Home stadium Florida Field
1946 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#3 Georgia § 5 0 0     11 0 0
#7 Tennessee § 5 0 0     9 2 0
#8 LSU 5 1 0     9 1 1
#11 Georgia Tech 4 2 0     9 2 0
Mississippi State 3 2 0     8 2 0
Alabama 4 3 0     7 4 0
Vanderbilt 3 4 0     5 4 0
Kentucky 2 3 0     7 3 0
Tulane 2 4 0     3 7 0
Auburn 1 5 0     4 6 0
Ole Miss 1 6 0     2 7 0
Florida 0 5 0     0 9 0
§ Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Season overview

The 1946 college football season was Raymond "Bear" Wolf's first of four as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Wolf's first Gators squad was composed mostly of college freshmen and returning World War II veterans who had not played football in several years. The winless 09 season was also the worst win-loss record in the history of Gators football to date, surpassing the winless 05 record of the overmatched 1916 Gators. Wolf's 1946 Florida Gators finished 05 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing twelfth of twelve SEC teams.[1]

The 1946 season was at the center of a school record 13-game losing streak which stretched from the last game of the 1945 campaign until the fourth contest of 1947. The players on these squads ironically dubbed their time at Florida the "Golden Era," and members of the "Golden Era Gang" regularly held reunions and raised funds for scholarships and facilities improvements at UF for many subsequent years.[5] Players on these teams included future Florida attorney general James W. Kynes and College Football Hall of Fame coach Marcelino Huerta.

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Site Result
9281946 Mississippi Fairfield StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 713  
1051946 Tulane Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana L 1327  
10121946 Vanderbilt Dudley FieldNashville, Tennessee L 020  
10191946 Miami* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida (Homecoming) L 1320  
10261946 #10 North Carolina* Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, North Carolina L 1940  
1191946 #5 Georgia Fairfield StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 1433  
11161946 Villanova* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida L 2027  
11231946 North Carolina State* Phillips Field • Tampa, Florida L 637  
11301946 Auburn Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida L 1247  
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

1947

1947 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1947 record 451 (031 12th SEC)
Head coach Raymond Wolf
Captain Charlie Fields
Home stadium Florida Field
1947 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#13 Ole Miss 6 1 0     9 2 0
#10 Georgia Tech 4 1 0     10 1 0
#6 Alabama 5 2 0     8 3 0
Mississippi State 2 2 0     7 3 0
Georgia 3 3 0     7 4 1
Vanderbilt 3 3 0     6 4 0
Tulane 2 3 2     2 5 2
LSU 2 3 1     5 3 1
Kentucky 2 3 0     8 3 0
Tennessee 2 3 0     5 5 0
Auburn 1 5 0     2 7 0
Florida 0 3 1     4 5 1
Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Season overview

The 1947 college football season was Bear Wolf's second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The Gators broke a thirteen-game post-war losing streak, dating back to the 1945 and 1946 seasons, when they upset the eighteenth-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack 76 on the Wolfpack's home field in Raleigh, North Carolina. Among the other highlights of the season, the Gators beat the in-state rival Miami Hurricanes in Miami, Florida, and ended the season with a 257 intersectional victory versus the Kansas State Wildcats. Wolf's 1947 Florida Gators finished with a 451 overall record and a 031 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing twelfth among twelve SEC teams.[1]

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Site Result
9271947 Mississippi Fairfield StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 614  
1041947 North Texas State* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida L 1220  
10111947 Auburn Cramton BowlMontgomery, Alabama L 1420  
10181947 #18 North Carolina State* Riddick StadiumRaleigh, North Carolina W 76  
10251947 North Carolina* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida (Homecoming) L 735  
1111947 Furman* Phillips Field • Tampa, Florida W 347  
1181947 Georgia Fairfield Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida L 634  
11151947 Tulane Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana T 77  
11211947 Miami* Burdine Stadium • Miami, Florida W 76  
11291947 Kansas State* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 257  
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

1948

1948 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1948 record 55 (15 T-10th SEC)
Head coach Raymond Wolf
Captain Fletcher Groves
Home stadium Florida Field
1948 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#8 Georgia 6 0 0     9 2 0
#15 Ole Miss 6 1 0     8 1 0
#13 Tulane 5 1 0     9 1 0
#12 Vanderbilt 4 2 1     8 2 1
Georgia Tech 4 3 0     7 3 0
Alabama 4 4 1     6 4 1
Mississippi State 3 3 0     4 4 1
Tennessee 2 3 1     4 4 2
Kentucky 1 3 1     5 3 2
Florida 1 5 0     5 5 0
LSU 1 5 0     3 7 0
Auburn 0 7 0     1 8 1
Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Season overview

The 1948 college football season was the third for Bear Wolf's as the Florida Gators football team's head coach. The season's highlights included the Gators' 169 win against the Auburn Tigers and their 2713 Homecoming victory over the Miami Hurricanes. Wolf's 1948 Florida Gators finished with a 55 overall record and a 15 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing tenth among twelve SEC teams.[1] Several members of the Florida Board of Control and a number of Florida alumni called for Wolf to step down after the 1948 season, but football player-led student rallies in his support ended with Wolf's contract being extended for another year.

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Site Result
9251948 Mississippi Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida L 014  
1021948 Tulsa* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 2814  
1091948 Auburn Phillips Field • Tampa, Florida W 169  
10161948 Rollins* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 4112  
10231948 #6 Georgia Tech Grant Field • Atlanta, Georgia L 742  
10301948 Furman* Greenville, South Carolina L 1439  
1161948 #13 Georgia Gator Bowl StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 1220  
11131948 Kentucky McLean StadiumLexington, Kentucky L 1534  
11201948 Miami* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida (Homecoming) W 2713  
11271948 Alabama Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama L 2834  
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

1949

1949 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1949 record 451 (141 10th SEC)
Head coach Raymond Wolf
Captain Jimmy Kynes
Home stadium Florida Field
1949 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Tulane 5 1 0     7 2 1
#11 Kentucky 4 1 0     9 3 0
#17 Tennessee 4 1 1     7 2 1
Georgia Tech 5 2 0     7 3 0
#9 LSU 4 2 0     8 3 0
Alabama 4 3 1     6 3 1
Vanderbilt 4 4 0     5 5 0
Auburn 2 4 2     2 4 3
Ole Miss 2 4 0     4 5 1
Florida 1 4 1     4 5 1
Georgia 1 4 1     4 6 1
Mississippi State 0 6 0     0 8 1
Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Season overview

The 1949 college football season was Bear Wolf's fourth and last as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The highlight of the season was the Gators' 287 upset of the Georgia Bulldogs.[6] Led by halfback Chuck Hunsinger, who rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns, and team captain Jimmy Kynes, who was the defensive star and played every minute of the sixty-minute game,[6] the Gators beat the Dawgs for the first time since 1940. Wolf's 1949 Florida Gators finished 451 overall and 141 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing tenth of twelve SEC teams,[1] and ending the Gators' ironically-named "Golden Era." After Wolf left Gainesville, he returned to his alma mater, Texas Christian University, where he became a long-time administrator.

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Site Result
9241949 The Citadel* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 130  
1011949 Tulsa* Skelly StadiumTulsa, Oklahoma W 407  
1081949 Auburn Ladd Memorial Stadium • Mobile, Alabama T 1414  
10151949 Vanderbilt Gator Bowl StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 1722  
10221949 Georgia Tech Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida (Homecoming) L 1443  
10291949 Furman* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 2827  
1151949 Georgia Gator Bowl Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida W 287  
11121949 #14 Kentucky Phillips Field • Tampa, Florida L 035  
11181949 Miami* Burdine Stadium • Miami, Florida L 1328  
11261949 Alabama Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida L 1335  
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 2012 Florida Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 107116 (2012). Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  2. Associated Press, "Tom Lieb Must Develop Not Only a Football Team but a Coaching Staff," St. Petersburg Times, p. 11 (September 3, 1944). Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  3. Lieb Expects Good Gator Grid Prospects," The Palm Beach Post, (May 27, 1944). Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  4. Associated Press, "New Colleges Set Grid Hopes: Florida And Kentucky To Field Elevens," Tuscaloosa News, (January 12, 1944). Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  5. Great Teams and Eras: The Golden Era - GatorZone.com
  6. 6.0 6.1 Noel Nash, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois, pp. 1113 (1998).

Bibliography

External links