1949 Florida Gators football team

1949 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
1949 record 4–5–1 (1–4–1 SEC)
Head coach Raymond Wolf (4th season)
Offensive scheme T formation
Captain James W. Kynes
Home stadium Florida Field
(Capacity: 22,800)[1]
1949 SEC football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Tulane $ 5 1 0  7 2 1
No. 11 Kentucky 4 1 0  9 3 0
No. 17 Tennessee 4 1 1  7 2 1
Georgia Tech 5 2 0  7 3 0
No. 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

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,[2] and ending the Gators' "Golden Era."

Schedule

The highlight of the 1949 season was the Gators' 28–7 upset of the Georgia Bulldogs.[3] 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,[3] the Gators beat the Dawgs for the first time since 1940.

Date Opponent Site Result
September 24 The Citadel* Florida FieldGainesville, Florida W 13–0  
October 1 Tulsa* Skelly StadiumTulsa, Oklahoma W 40–7  
October 8 Auburn Ladd Memorial StadiumMobile, Alabama T 14–14  
October 15 Vanderbilt Gator Bowl StadiumJacksonville, Florida L 17–22  
October 22 Georgia Techdagger Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida L 14–43  
October 9 Furman* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 28–27  
November 5 Georgia Gator Bowl Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida W 28–7  
November 12 No. 14 Kentucky Phillips FieldTampa, Florida L 0–35  
November 18 Miami (FL)* Burdine StadiumMiami, Florida L 13–28  
November 26 Alabama Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida L 13–35  
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

Primary source: 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide.[2]

Mr. Two Bits

The otherwise lackluster season is notable for the beginning of the Mr. Two Bits tradition. Tampa insurance salesman George Edmondson, Jr., a former Citadel student, was in attendance at the season opening game against his former school and was struck by the lack of support shown by the fans at Florida Field. Feeling sorry for Florida's players, he began leading his section in the traditional "two bits" cheer. The Gators won, and the cheer was so well received that Edmonson returned to Gainesville later in the season to lead it again. This began a decades-long tradition, as Edmonson would continue to lead the cheer from the stands and (eventually) from the field as "Mr. Two Bits" until his retirement from the role in 2008.[4] Since then, Gator "celebrities" and selected students have filled the role.

Postseason

After Wolf left Gainesville, he returned to his alma mater, Texas Christian University, where he became a long-time administrator.

References

  1. The Department of Publicity and The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. "1949 Florida Football Facts 'n Figures" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  2. 1 2 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine., University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 110–111 (2015). Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Noel Nash, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois, pp. 11–13 (1998).
  4. Gators' Mr. Two-Bits to hang it up after 60 years at Florida – Orlando Sentinel
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