1960 Florida Gators football team

American college football season

1960 Florida Gators football

Gator Bowl, W 13–12 vs. Baylor

Conference| Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches| No. 16
AP| No. 18
Record| 9–2 (5–1 SEC)
Head coach|

* Ray Graves (1st season)

Offensive coordinator| Pepper Rodgers (1st season)
Home stadium| Florida Field

Seasons

<- 1959

1961 ->

1960 Southeastern Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

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|
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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 2 Ole Miss $  | 5  | - | 0  | - | 1 |  |  | 10  | - | 0  | - | 1
No. 18 Florida | 5  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 9  | - | 2  | - | 0
No. 9 Alabama | 5  | - | 1  | - | 1 |  |  | 8  | - | 1  | - | 2
No. 13 Auburn | 5  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 8  | - | 2  | - | 0
Tennessee | 3  | - | 2  | - | 2 |  |  | 6  | - | 2  | - | 2
Georgia | 4  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
Georgia Tech | 4  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 0
LSU | 2  | - | 3  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1
Kentucky | 2  | - | 4  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1
Tulane | 1  | - | 4  | - | 1 |  |  | 3  | - | 6  | - | 1
Mississippi State | 0  | - | 5  | - | 1 |  |  | 2  | - | 6  | - | 1
Vanderbilt | 0  | - | 7  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1960 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1960 college football season. The season was Ray Graves' first of ten and one of his three most successful as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Graves' 1960 Florida Gators finished with a 9–2 overall record a 5–1 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing second among the twelve SEC teams[1]—their best-ever SEC finish to date.

## Schedule

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

September 17| vs. George Washington*| |

* Gator Bowl Stadium
* Jacksonville, FL

| | W 30–7| 17,000| [2]
September 24| Florida State*| |

* Florida Field
* Gainesville, FL (rivalry)

| | W 3–0| 38,000| [3]
October 1| No. 10 Georgia Tech| |

* Florida Field
* Gainesville, FL

| | W 18–17| 39,000| [4]
October 8| vs. Rice*| No. 18|

* Miami Orange Bowl
* Miami, FL

| | L 0–10| 17,535| [5]
October 15| Vanderbilt| |

* Florida Field
* Gainesville, FL

| | W 12–0| 31,000| [6]
October 22| at Louisiana State| |

* Tiger Stadium
* Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)

| | W 13–10| 47,000| [7]
October 29| No. 14 Auburn| |

* Florida Field
* Gainesville, FL (rivalry)

| | L 7–10| 40,000| [8]
November 5| vs. Georgia| |

* Gator Bowl Stadium
* Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)

| | W 22–14| 48,622| [9]
November 12| Tulane| No. 20|

* Florida Field
* Gainesville, FL

| | W 21–6| 44,000| [10]
November 26| at Miami (FL)*| No. 19|

* Miami Orange Bowl
* Miami, FL (rivalry)

| | W 18–0| 60,122| [11]
December 31| vs. No. 12 Baylor*| |

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

| CBS| W 13–12| 50,112| [12]

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

[1][13]

## Before the season

[edit]

Graves was a former Tennessee Volunteers lineman and assistant under coach Robert Neyland, and became a long-time Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive assistant for coach Bobby Dodd.[14] Graves' arrival in Gainesville heralded a change in the Gators' football outlook: no longer would the Gators espouse Bob Woodruff's conservative, ball control, "go for the tie" philosophy.

## During the season

[edit]

Days before their second game of the season would officially begin, a gambler named Aaron Wagman and a University of Florida student named Phil Silber were arrested due to an attempted bribe at fullback Jon MacBeth before their season-opening game against their in-state college rivals in Florida State University began. These arrests would help lead to the full discovery of what eventually was called the 1961 NCAA University Division men's basketball gambling scandal, led by former NBA All-Star Jack Molinas.[15] That game would later be played without a hitch, though MacBeth would help later testify in court in order to maintain his innocence throughout the situation.

## Postseason

[edit]

The Gators capped their first-ever nine-win season with a hard-fought 13–12 victory over the twelfth-ranked Baylor Bears in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Eve 1960\. In the Gator Bowl, the Gators defense halted a 75-yard drive by Baylor on the half-yard line in the first quarter, then set the stage for two second quarter touchdowns. Baylor dropped a pass for the two-point conversion and the win, and quarterback Libertore was voted game MVP.[16]

## 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. 110–111 (2015). Retrieved August 14, 2015.
2. ^ "Gators crunch Colonials, 30–7". The Miami Herald. September 18, 1960. Retrieved February 8, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "Cash's boot lifts Gators by Seminoles, 3–0". Pensacola News Journal. September 25, 1960. Retrieved October 9, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Gators upset Tech in wild contest 18–17". Fort Myers News-Press. October 2, 1960. Retrieved October 9, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "Rugged Rice rips ragged Gators, 10–0". The Miami Herald. October 9, 1960. Retrieved October 9, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Gator sophs sink Vanderbilt, 12 to 0". The Miami Herald. October 16, 1960. Retrieved October 9, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Gators 'cash' in with two 3-pointers, nip LSU, 13–10". The Bradenton Herald. October 23, 1960. Retrieved October 9, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Auburn nips Gators, 10–7". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 30, 1960. Retrieved October 9, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Florida smacks Georgia by 22–14". Daily Press. November 6, 1960. Retrieved October 9, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Gator defense makes sure its greatest SEC season ever, 21–6". Tampa Bay Times. November 13, 1960. Retrieved September 19, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "Florida makes 18–0 shambles of Hurricanes". The Miami Herald. November 27, 1960. Retrieved October 9, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Florida wins Gator Bowl, 13–12". Monroe Morning World. January 1, 1960. Retrieved October 9, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ Department of Sports Publicity. "University of Florida 1961 Football Brochure" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
14. ^ Julian M. Pleasants, Gator Tales: An Oral History of the University of Florida, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, p. 189 (2006).
15. ^ Figone, Albert (2012). Cheating the Spread: Gamblers, Point Shavers, and Game Fixers in College Football and Basketball. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252037283.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link), pg. 102
16. ^ University Athletic Association / IMG College copyright 2015. "Gator Bowl Memories: Gators Hold Off Baylor in Wild Finish to Claim 1960 Gator Bowl". gatorzone.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2016.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

* v
* t
* e

Florida Gators football

Venues|

* The Baseball Park (1906–1910)
* University Athletic Field / Fleming Field (1911–1930)
* Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (1930–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Alabama
* Auburn
* Florida State (Florida Cup)
* Georgia
* Kentucky
* LSU
* Miami (Florida Cup)
* Tennessee

Culture & lore|

* History
* The Pride of the Sunshine
* Mr. Two Bits
* Gatorade
* I Won't Back Down
* 1961 gambling scandal

People|

* Head coaches
* Ring of Honor
* All-Americans
* UF Athletic Hall of Fame
* Starting quarterbacks
* Statistical leaders
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

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National championship seasons in bold
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*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number