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The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The University of Florida (then known as the "University of the State of Florida") fielded its first official varsity football team in the fall of 1906, and has fielded a team every season since then, with the exception of 1943. During the early 1900s, the Florida football team competed in the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS), but was not affiliated with an athletic conference. The University of Florida did not adopt the "Florida Gators" nickname for its sports teams until 1911, and the early Florida football teams were known simply as "Florida" or the "Orange and Blue." The Florida football teams played their home games in a variety of locations, including the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.

This article includes a game-by-game list of the Florida football team's first four football seasons from 1906 to 1909. During the early 1900s, the Florida team was coached by Jack "Pee Wee" Forsythe (1906–1908) and George E. Pyle (1909–1913). Forsythe and Pyle compiled an overall record of 20–7–3 (.717) during the decade.


Contents: 1906  · 1907  · 1908  · 1909


1906[]

1906 Florida Gators football
ConferenceIndependent
1906 record5–3
Head coachJack Forsythe
CaptainT. G. Hancock
Seasons
1907 →

Season overview[]

The 1906 Florida football team was the first official varsity team fielded by the new University of the State of Florida (now known as the University of Florida).[1] The 1906 Florida gridders were known as "Pee Wee's Boys" in honor of their coach, Jack "Pee Wee" Forsythe,[2] a former Clemson Tigers lineman who played for coach John Heisman from 1901 to 1903.[3][4] "Pee Wee's Boys" beat the Rollins College Tars 6–0 in their first game played in Gainesville, Florida on October 26, 1906, and finished their inaugural season with a winning record of 5–3.[5]

Schedule and results[]

Date Opponent Site Result
10–26–1906 Rollins Gainesville, Florida W 6–0  
11–2–1906 Riverside Athletic Club Gainesville, Florida W 19–0  
11–4–1906 Savannah Athletic Club Savannah, Georgia L 2–27  
11–9–1906 Rollins Winter Park, Florida L 0–6  
11–16–1906 Mercer Macon, Georgia L 3–27  
11–18–1906 Athens Athletic Club Athens, Georgia W 10–0  
11–24–1906 Gainesville Athletic Club Gainesville, Florida W 6–0  
11–30–1906 Riverside Athletic Club Jacksonville, Florida W 39–0  

1907[]

1907 Florida Gators football
ConferenceIndependent
1907 record4–1–1
Head coachJack Forsythe
CaptainRoy G. Corbett
Seasons
← 1906
1908 →

Season overview[]

The 1907 college football season was Jack Forsythe's second as the head coach of the Florida football team.[1] The Orange and Blue lost to the Mercer Bears for the second season in a row, beat the Rollins College Tars in Gainesville, Florida, and tied the Tars on their home field in Winter Park, Florida. Forsythe's 1907 Florida football team posted an overall record of 4–1–1 in their second varsity season.[5]

Schedule and results[]

Date Opponent Site Result
10–13–1907 Columbia Athletic Club Savannah, Georgia W 6–0  
10–20–1907 Mercer Gainesville, Florida L 0–6  
10–27–1907 Jacksonville Athletic Club Jacksonville, Florida W 21–0  
11–3–1907 Rollins Gainesville, Florida W 9–4  
11–10–1907 Jacksonville Athletic Club Gainesville, Florida W 17–0  
11–22–1907 Rollins Winter Park, Florida T 0–0  

1908[]

1908 Florida Gators football
ConferenceIndependent
1908 record5–2–1
Head coachJack Forsythe
CaptainWilliam W. Gibbs
Seasons
← 1907
1909 →

Season overview[]

The 1908 college football season was Jack Forsythe's third and last as the head coach of the Florida football team.[1] The Florida football team lost to the Mercer Bears for the third consecutive season. Florida also played the Stetson College Hatters for the first two times, beating them 6–5 on the Orange and Blue's home field in Gainesville, and tying them 0–0 on the Hatters' home field in Deland, Florida. Forsythe's 1908 Florida football team posted a record of 5–2–1 in their third varsity season, and Forsythe finished his three-year tenure as Florida's football coach with an overall record of 14–6–2.[5]

Schedule and results[]

Date Opponent Site Result
10–10–1908 Mercer Macon, Georgia L 0–24  
10–17–1908 Jacksonville Athletic Club Jacksonville, Florida W 4–0  
10–21–1908 Gainesville Athletic Club Gainesville, Florida W 37–5  
10–24–1908 Columbia College Lake City, Florida W 6–0  
11–1–1908 Rollins Winter Park, Florida L 0–6  
11–7–1908 Stetson Gainesville, Florida W 6–5  
11–21–1908 Jacksonville Athletic Club Gainesville, Florida W 37–0  
11–26–1908 Stetson Deland, Florida T 0–0  

1909[]

1909 Florida Gators football
ConferenceIndependent
1909 record6–1–1
Head coachGeorge E. Pyle
CaptainRalph Rader
Seasons
← 1908
1910 →

Season overview[]

The University of the State of Florida officially shortened its name to the University of Florida in 1909, and the 1909 college football season was George E. Pyle's first as the head coach of the University of Florida football team.[6] The 1909 Florida football team played the Stetson College Hatters twice in the same season for the second year, losing 0–26 on the Hatters' home field in Deland, Florida, and tying them 5–5 on the Orange and Blue's home field in Gainesville. Florida also defeated the Rollins College Tars twice, and Pyle's 1909 Florida football team finished its fourth varsity football season 6–1–1.[5]

Schedule and results[]

Date Opponent Site Result
10–8–1909 Gainesville Athletic Club Gainesville, Florida W 5–0  
10–23–1909 Olympics Jacksonville, Florida W 9–0  
10–30–1909 Rollins Gainesville, Florida W 14–0  
11–6–1909 Stetson Deland, Florida L 0–26  
11–15–1909 Rollins Orlando, Florida W 28–3  
11–20–1909 Olympics Gainesville, Florida W 11–0  
11–24–1909 Stetson Gainesville, Florida T 5–5  
11–28–1909 Tallahassee Athletic Club Gainesville, Florida W 24–0  

See also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Norm Carlson, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, pp. 7–11 (2007).
  2. Tom McEwen, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama, pp. 38–42 (1974).
  3. Clemson Tigers Football, All-Time Starters, 1896–1905. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  4. 2008 Clemson Football Media Guide, Former Head Coaches, Clemson Athletic Department, Clemson, South Carolina, p. 170 (2008). Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 2012 Florida Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 107–116 (2012). Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  6. Carlson, University of Florida Football Vault, p. 14.

Bibliography[]

  • 2012 Florida Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 107–116 (2012).
  • Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
  • Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
  • Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
  • McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
  • McEwen, Tom, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). ISBN 0-87397-025-X.
  • Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.
  • Proctor, Samuel, & Wright Langley, Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida, South Star Publishing Company, Gainesville, Florida (1986). ISBN 0-938637-00-2.

External links[]

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