The 1911 Florida Gators football team represented the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

during the

1911 college football season The 1911 college football season was the last one before major reforms were made to the American game in 1912. In 1911, touchdowns were worth five points, the field was 110 yards in length, and a team had three downs within which to advance the ...

. The season was George Pyle's third as the head coach of the University of Florida football team. The University of Florida adopted the "

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

" nickname for its sports teams in 1911; the earlier Florida football teams were known simply as "Florida" or the "Orange and Blue." Pyle's newly christened Florida Gators finished their sixth varsity football season 5–0–1
2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.—the first, and to date, the only undefeated season in the history of the Florida Gators football program. It was a pivotal year in the growth of the young Florida football program. Florida played four different college football teams from the state of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, including

The Citadel Bulldogs The Citadel Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent The Citadel. All sports participate in the NCAA Division I except football, which competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Since 1936, varsity sports have ...

, the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

, the

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...

and the

College of Charleston Cougars The Charleston Cougars are the varsity intercollegiate athletic teams representing the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. The Cougars compete in NCAA Division I and are currently members of the Colonial Athletic Association. The ...

, and finished 3–0–1 against the four South Carolina college teams and returned home to Gainesville to celebrate with their new nickname: the "

." The 1911 season also saw the debut of Florida's first on-campus home field, University Athletic Field, which consisted of low bleachers on cleared land along University Avenue. Previously, the university's football and baseball teams had played their home games at The Ballpark, the city's municipal park in downtown Gainesville.

Before the season

The team was captained by Neal "Bo Gator" Storter. The team was also the first to use the nickname " Gators." He is as such one reason given for the nickname. A former player Roy Corbett sent a letter to ''The Gainesville Sun'' congratulating the 1928 team and mentioned the nickname coming from Storter. Carl Van Ness's research also posits Storter as the name's origin. Storter himself denied the above and stated the nickname 'Gators' came when a ''

Macon Telegraph ''The Telegraph,'' frequently called The Macon Telegraph, is the primary print news organ in Central Georgia, Middle Georgia. It is the third-largest newspaper in the State of Georgia (after the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' and ''Augusta Chron ...

'' reporter declared "Macon to be invaded by a bunch of alligators from Florida" before the game with

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader ...

in 1910.

Schedule

Season summary

The Citadel

The season opened with a 15–3 victory over

at the first game on University Athletic Field.

South Carolina

*Sources: In the second week of play, Florida fought the

to a 6–6 tie.

Earle Taylor Earle Abbott "Dummy" Taylor (February 2, 1891 – September 10, 1955) was a college football player and oil company distributor. He was one of the first star athletes for the Florida Gators football team. Early years Taylor was born in Ashlan ...

scored in the first quarter and the Gamecocks matched in the second. The starting lineup was Swanson (left end), Coarsey (left tackle), Lawler (left guard), Storter (center), Hancock (right guard), Bullock (right tackle), Buie (right end), Shackleford (quarterback), Davis (left halfback), Taylor (right halfback), Tenney (fullback).

Clemson

*Sources: Florida upset the

by a single point, 6–5, in the two school's first-ever meeting. "The game as a whole, was a poor exhibition of football." Clemson scored in the first six minutes when Webb took it over. Towards the end of the fourth quarter, the Gators'

Dummy Taylor Luther Haden "Dummy" Taylor (February 21, 1875 – August 22, 1958) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1900 to 1908 who was deaf. He played for the History of the New York Giants (NL), New York Giants and Clevela ...

picked up a fumble and ran 45 yards for a touchdown, and then kicked the extra point to win. Norm Carlson called it "Florida's first road win against a quality college opponent." On the winning extra point, the holder Sam Buie recalled "Doc Walker of Jacksonville bet Captain Hill of Georgia Tech, the referee, that Dummy would make it. They bet, and Dummy kicked it." "It was on the South Carolina trip that the Florida team was dubbed the ‘Alligators,’ and the battle that took place . . .between the Clemson Tigers and the Florida Alligators is one long to be remembered!" declared the Florida Pennant. The starting lineup was Bonus (left end), Bullock (left tackle), Wilson (left guard), Storter (center), Baker (right guard), Hancock (right tackle), Buie (right end), Shackleford (quarterback), Davis (left halfback), Taylor (right halfback), Tenney (fullback).

Columbia College

Florida beat Columbia College 9–0. Taylor kicked three

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

s. The starting lineup was Buie (left end), Hancock (left tackle), Wilson (left guard), Storter (center), Aker (right guard), Coarsey (right tackle), Swanson (right end), Shackleford (quarterback), Gavis (left halfback), Taylor (right halfback), Tenney (fullback).

Stetson

*Sources: Florida beat

Stetson Stetson is a brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company. "Stetson" is also used as a generic trademark to refer to any campaign hat, in particular, in Scouting. John B. Stetson gained inspiration for his most famous hats when he ...

26–0. ''The Stetson Weekly Collegiate'' called it "the greatest football game ever played in the state of Florida." Taylor drop kicked a 45-yard field goal and ran for two touchdowns. The starting lineup was Swanson (left end), Coarsey (left tackle), Baker (left guard), Storter (center), Wilson (right guard), Bullock (right tackle), Buie (right end), Shackleford (quarterback), Tenney (left halfback), Taylor (right halfback), Pound (fullback).

Charleston

Florida closed the season with a 21–0 defeat of

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

. "Florida should have made at least three more touchdowns."

Postseason

The Gators proclaimed themselves "champions of South Carolina" as well as the state of Florida. Earle "Dummy" Taylor, the only five-

letter Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet. * Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alphabe ...

winner in team history, scored 49 of the season's 84 points (including a school-record eight

s). He scored 25 points on the ground and points-after, and 24 on field goals. He also threw two touchdown passes.

Personnel

Linemen

Backfield

Subs

''The Seminole'', 1912 approx p. 84

Scoring leaders

Coaching staff

*Head coach: George E. Pyle *Manager: Roswell King

References

Bibliography

* * {{Florida Gators football navbox

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Florida Gators football seasons College football undefeated seasons

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