1952 Florida Gators football team

American college football season

1952 Florida Gators football

Gator Bowl, W 14–13 vs. Tulsa

Conference| Southeastern Conference
Ranking
AP| No. 15
Record| 8–3 (3–3 SEC)
Head coach|

* Bob Woodruff (3rd season)

Home stadium| Florida Field

Seasons

← 1951

1953 →

1952 Southeastern Conference football standings

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| Conf. |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |   | 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.[1]

## Before the season

[edit]

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.[2] 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.[3][note 1] Also in the backfield was Buford Long.

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Rank| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

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September 20| Stetson*| |

* Florida Field
* Gainesville, FL

| W 33–6| 20,000| [5]
September 27| at Georgia Tech| |

* Grant Field
* Atlanta, GA

| L 14–17| 30,939| [6]
October 4| vs. The Citadel*| |

* Gator Bowl Stadium
* Jacksonville, FL

| W 33–0| 21,000| [7]
October 11| Clemson*| |

* Florida Field
* Gainesville, FL

| W 54–13| 25,000| [8]
October 18| at Vanderbilt| |

* Dudley Field
* Nashville, TN

| L 13–20| 20,000| [9]
October 25| vs. Georgia| No. 20|

* Gator Bowl Stadium
* Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)

| W 30–0| 37,000| [10]
November 1| Auburn| No. 17|

* Florida Field
* Gainesville, FL (rivalry)

| W 31–21| 35,500| [11]
November 15| at No. 7 Tennessee| No. 18|

* Shields–Watkins Field
* Knoxville, TN (rivalry)

| L 12–26| 35,000| [12]
November 22| Miami (FL)*| |

* Florida Field
* Gainesville, FL (rivalry)

| W 43–6| 35,000| [13]
December 6| No. 19 Kentucky| No. 17|

* Florida Field
* Gainesville, FL (rivalry)

| W 27–0| 29,000| [14]
January 1, 1953| vs. No. 12 Tulsa*| No. 15|

* Gator Bowl Stadium
* Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)

| W 14–13| 30,015| [15]

* *Non-conference game
* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[1]

## Game summaries

[edit]

### Stetson

[edit]

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

### Georgia Tech

[edit]

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

### Citadel

[edit]

The Citadel lost to Florida 33–0.

### Clemson

[edit]

Florida blew out the Clemson Tigers 54–13.

### Vanderbilt

[edit]

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

### Georgia

[edit]

The Gators dominated rival Georgia 33–0 in Jacksonville, remaining the Gators' largest victory over the Bulldogs for almost forty years.[16] Casares ran for 108 yards, kicked a field goal, and made all the extra points.[17] Even National champion Georgia Tech needed a last-second field goal to defeat the Gators.

### Auburn

[edit]

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

### Tennessee

[edit]

The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Gators 12–26.

### Miami

[edit]

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

### Kentucky

[edit]

Florida defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 27–0.

## Postseason

[edit]

The season ended with the Gators' first appearance in an 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.[18]

LaPradd was All-American.[3]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ LaPradd became a football coach at FSU and then president of St. John's River Community College in Palatka.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b 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.
2. ^ Norm Carlson, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, p. 61 (2007).
3. ^ a b Associated Press, "LaPradd Is Thrilled By His Selection to All America", Daytona Beach Morning Journal, p. 7 (December 6, 1952). Retrieved March 21, 2010.
4. ^ McCarthy 2000, p. 44
5. ^ "Gators open grid campaign with 33–6 win over Hatters as aerial attack clicks". Tampa Sunday Tribune. September 21, 1952. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Field goal in 4th gives Georgia Tech 17–14 win". Asheville Citizen-Times. September 28, 1952. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Gators rip Citadel, 33–0". The Bradenton Herald. October 5, 1952. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Mistakes costly, Clemson is routed 54–13". The State. October 12, 1952. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Florida rallies but loses to Vanderbilt, 20 to 13". Panama City News-Herald. October 19, 1952. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Gators pulverize Georgia, 30–0". Orlando Sunday Sentinel-Star. October 26, 1952. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "Gators smash Auburn 31 to 21 before 35,500". The Palm Beach Post-Times. November 2, 1952. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Vols defeat Gators 26–12". The Palm Beach Post. November 16, 1952. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ "Florida trounces Miami in 43–6 runaway". Fort Myers News-Press. November 23, 1952. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ "Florida shames punchless Kentucky, 27–0". The Miami Herald. December 7, 1952. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ "Missed conversion nips Tulsa, 14–13". The Ponca City News. January 2, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ College Football Data Warehouse, Florida vs. Georgia Archived 2015-07-07 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
17. ^ Golenbock, Go Gators!, p. 64
18. ^ Noel Nash, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois, pp. 16–18 (1998).

## Bibliography

[edit]

* 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.

* v
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Florida Gators football

Venues|

* The Baseball Park (1906–1910)
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Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
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Culture & lore|

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* 1961 gambling scandal

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*[Conf.]: Conference record
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