1952 Florida Gators football team

1952 Florida Gators football
Gator Bowl, W 14–13 vs. Tulsa
Conference Southeastern Conference
Ranking
AP No. 15
1952 record 8–3 (3–3 SEC)
Head coach Bob Woodruff (3rd season)
Home stadium Florida Field
(Capacity: 39,453)[1]
1952 SEC football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 2 Georgia Tech $ 7 –0 –0  12 –0 –0
No. 8 Tennessee 5 –0 –1  8 –2 –1
No. 7 Ole Miss 4 –0 –2  8 –1 –2
No. 9 Alabama 4 –2 –0  10 –2 –0
Georgia 4 –3 –0  7 –4 –0
No. 15 Florida 3 –3 –0  8 –3 –0
Mississippi State 3 –4 –0  5 –4 –0
Tulane 3 –5 –0  5 –5 –0
No. 20 Kentucky 1 –3 –2  5 –4 –2
LSU 2 –5 –0  3 –7 –0
Vanderbilt 1 –4 –1  3 –5 –2
Auburn 0 –7 –0  2 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

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.[2]

Before the season

After Sullivan's early departure for the Boston Red Sox left the Gators without a starting quarterback, Doug Dickey advanced from seventh on the Gators' depth chart to starter.[3] The Gators were led by fullback Rick Casares, halfback J. "Pappa" Hall, alternating quarterbacks Doug Dickey and Fred Robinson, and lineman Charlie LaPradd, the Gators' lightest tackle and one of their two captains.[4][note 1] Also in the backfield was Buford Long.

Schedule

Date Opponent# Rank# Site Result
September 20 Stetson* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 33–6  
September 27 Georgia Tech Grant Field • Atlanta, Georgia L 14–17  
October 4 The Citadel* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 33–0  
October 11 Clemson* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 54–13  
October 18 Vanderbilt Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee L 13–20  
October 25 Georgia No. 20 Gator Bowl Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida W 30–0  
November 1 Auburn No. 17 Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 31–21  
November 15 No. 7 Tennessee No. 18 Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, Tennessee L 12–26  
November 22 Miami (FL)* Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 43–6  
December 6 Kentucky No. 17 Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida W 27–0  
January 1 No. 12 Tulsa* No. 15 Gator Bowl Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida (Gator Bowl) W 14–13  
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

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

Season summary

Stetson

The season opened with a 33–6 defeat of the Stetson Hatters]].

Georgia Tech

The national champion Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets beat Florida on a last-second field goal, 14–17.

Citadel

The Citadel lost to Florida 33–0.

Clemson

Florida blew out the Clemson Tigers 54–13.

Vanderbilt

On a cold Dudley Field, Florida lost to Vanderbilt 20–13.

Georgia

The Gators dominated rival Georgia 33–0 in Jacksonville, remaining the Gators' largest victory over the Bulldogs for almost forty years.[6] Casares ran for 108 yards, kicked a field goal, and made all the extra points.[7] Even National champion Georgia Tech needed a last-second field goal to defeat the Gators.

Auburn

The defeat of Georgia was followed by another conference victory, 31–21 over Auburn Tigers.

Tennessee

The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Gators 12–26.

Miami

The Gators had another blowout of the in-state rival Miami Hurricanes 43–6.

Kentucky

Florida defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 27–0.

Postseason

The season ended with the Gators' first appearance in a NCAA-sanctioned bowl game, a closely matched 14–13 Gator Bowl victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on January 1, 1953, in which star fullback Rick Casares kicked the winning extra points for the margin of victory.[8]

LaPradd was All-American.[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ LaPradd became a football coach at FSU and then president of St. John's River Community College in Palatka.[5]

References

  1. ↑ The Department of Publicity and The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. "1952 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, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ Norm Carlson, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, p. 61 (2007).
  4. 1 2 Associated Press, "LaPradd Is Thrilled By His Selection to All America", Daytona Beach Morning Journal, p. 7 (December 6, 1952). Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  5. ↑ McCarthy, p. 44
  6. ↑ College Football Data Warehouse, Florida vs. Georgia Archived 2015-07-07 at the Wayback Machine.. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  7. ↑ Golenbock, Go Gators!, p. 64
  8. ↑ Noel Nash, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois, pp. 16–18 (1998).

Bibliography

  • Golenbock, Peter (2002). Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory. St. Petersburg, Florida: Legends Publishing, LLC. ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
  • McCarthy, Kevin M (2000). Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
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