1953 Florida Gators football team

1953 Florida Gators football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
1953 record	3–5–2 (1–3–2 9th SEC)
Head coach	Bob Woodruff
Home stadium	Florida Field

1953 SEC football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#13 Alabama $	4	–	0	–	3			6	–	3	–	3
#8 Georgia Tech	4	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
#16 Kentucky	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
Ole Miss	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
#17 Auburn	4	–	2	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
Mississippi State	3	–	1	–	3			5	–	2	–	3
Tennessee	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
LSU	2	–	3	–	3			5	–	3	–	3
Florida	1	–	3	–	2			3	–	5	–	2
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Georgia	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Tulane	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	8	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1953 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1953 college football season. The season was the fourth for Bob Woodruff as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The 1953 season was a year of rebuilding and backsliding after the graduation of All-American Charlie LaPradd and the loss of fullback Rick Casares to the U.S. Army. The highlight of the season was the Gators' second consecutive victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, but the Gators began a pattern of agonizingly close losses to the Rice Owls (16–20), Auburn Tigers (7–16), Tennessee Volunteers (7–9) and Miami Hurricanes (10–14), as well as two ties with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0–0) and LSU Tigers (21–21). Woodruff's 1953 Florida Gators finished with a 3–5–2 overall record and a 1–3–2 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing ninth of twelve SEC teams.^[1]

Schedule and results

Date	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	Result
9–19–1953	No. 12 Rice*	No. 15	Rice Stadium • Houston, Texas	L 16–20
9–26–1953	No. 3 Georgia Tech		Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida	T 0–0
10–3–1953	Kentucky		McLean Stadium • Lexington, Kentucky	L 13–26
10–10–1953	Stetson*		Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida	W 45–0
10–17–1953	The Citadel*		Gator Bowl Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida	W 60–0
10–24–1953	No. 14 LSU		Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida (HC)	T 21–21
11–31–1953	Auburn		Cliff Hare Stadium • Auburn, Alabama	L 7–16
11–7–1953	Georgia		Gator Bowl Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida	W 21–7
11–14–1953	No. 18 Tennessee		Florida Field • Gainesville, Florida	L 7–9
11–28–1953	Miami*		Burdine Stadium • Miami, Florida	L 10–14
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

Primary source: 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide.^[1]

References

1. 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.