1904 University of Florida Blue and White football team

1904 University of Florida Blue and White football
Conference Independent
1904 record 0–5
Head coach Marvin O. Bridges
Captain Bernard Bridges

The 1904 University of Florida White and Blue football team represented the University of Florida in Lake City in the sport of American football during the 1904 college football season. This was not the modern Florida Gators, but a team fielded by one of its four predecessor institutions that was previously known as Florida Agricultural College. The team played an ambitious schedule against several major programs, including Mike Donahue's first year coaching Auburn and John Heisman's first coaching Georgia Tech, but failed to post a win or score a point.

Florida's university system was reorganized the following year, and the school was consolidated with others to form the modern University of Florida in Gainesville, which fielded its first football team in 1906.

Before the season

For the first time, a college football team from Florida scheduled a season which included contests against several well-established programs from outside the state. To reduce travel costs, the team played four road games in Alabama and Georgia over two and a half weeks in October. Later in the month, they played their lone home game to wrap up their five game slate.

Schedule

Date Opponent Site Result
October 1[1] at Alabama The Quad • Tuscaloosa, AL L 0–29  
October 4 at Auburn Auburn, AL L 0–44  
October 15 at Georgia Macon, GA L 0–52  
October 17 at Georgia Tech Piedmont Park • Atlanta, GA L 0–77  
October 21 Florida State College Lake City, Florida L 0–23  
*Non-conference game.

[2]

Season summary

Alabama

The season opened with a 29–0 loss to Alabama. Touchdowns were scored by William LaFayette Ward (2), Chamberlain, Auxford Burks and Frank Clark.[3]

The starting lineup was: Weller (left end), Buck (left tackle), T. Cason (left guard), Keene (center), Bratton (right guard), T. McGuire (right tackle), B. H. Bridges (right end), McDonnell (quarterback), R. Cason (left halfback), B. T. Bridges (right halfback), C. McGuire (fullback).[4][5]

Auburn

The October 4, 1904 game against the University of Florida was considered a practice game by Auburn[6] and is not included in the official record of 5–0 for the season.[7]

Florida-Georgia dispute

The Florida team next traveled to Macon, Georgia to face the Georgia Bulldogs and lost 52-0. The University of Georgia still counts this game as a win against the Florida Gators even though the modern University of Florida did not yet exist, adding another layer of intrigue to the Florida–Georgia football rivalry.[8][9] UGA sports historian Dan Magill sums up Georgia's attitude: "That's where Florida was back then. We can't help it if they got run out of Lake City."[10]

Georgia Tech

1 2Total
Florida 0 0 0
• Ga. Tech 36 41 77
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
  • Source:

Only a single first down was scored on Tech, a 77–0 loss.The starting lineup was: Zealius (left end), Bratton (left tackle), T. McGuire (left guard), Keene (center), O'Berry (right guard), Rowlett (right tackle), R. Woller (right end), R. Cason (quarterback), Clarke (left halfback), Bridges (right halfback), C. McGuire (fullback) [11]

Florida State College

Florida State College wore purple and gold and were state champions.[12] The team's coach was Jack Forsythe, who would become the first head coach of the Florida Gators two years later. FSC's assistant was Jock Hanvey. Both coaches played for the Clemson Tigers the year before when it faced Bridges and Cumberland in the SIAA championship game.

A newspaper account reported: "The people of Lake City had expected at least one victory after a long series of defeats encountered by the university and were greatly disappointed. The university should be made stronger before it attempts to play again."[13]

Coach Marvin O. Bridges founded UF's Alpha Eta chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha at Lake City on November 17, 1904.[14][15]

References

  1. ↑ "Florida lost to Alabama". The Atlanta Constitution. October 2, 1904. p. 5. Retrieved February 12, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/florida/1904-schedule.html
  3. ↑ 1904 Alabama season Recap
  4. ↑ "Florida was beaten". The Montgomery Advertiser. NewsBank: America's Historical Newspapers. October 2, 1904. p. 5.
  5. ↑ "Florida lost to Alabama". The Atlanta Constitution. October 2, 1904. p. 5. Retrieved February 12, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "1905 Glomerata" Archived 2011-10-01 at the Wayback Machine. "(Annual),p182, Retrieved August 18, 2011"
  7. ↑ 2011 Auburn Tigers Football Media Guide, Auburn University Athletic Department, Auburn, Alabama, pp. 178–189, 191 (2011). Retrieved August 16, 2011
  8. ↑ Steve Rajtar. Gone Pro: Florida: Gator Athletes Who Became Pros. p. 25.
  9. ↑ 2011 Georgia Football Media Guide Archived 2011-10-16 at the Wayback Machine., University of Georgia Athletic Department, Athens, Georgia, pp. 157 & 158 (2011). Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  10. ↑ Patrick Garbin. I Love Georgia/I Hate Florida.
  11. ↑ "Georgia Score Badly Beaten". Atlanta Constitution. October 18, 1904. p. 9. Retrieved September 11, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-12-27. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  13. ↑ Tom McEwen. A Story of Florida Football. p. 33.
  14. ↑ "Pledging Athletes". Shield & Diamond: 17. Spring 2011.
  15. ↑ "Alpha Eta Chapter". Register of the Pi Kappa alpha fraternity: 470. 1916.
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