The 1916 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 ...

in the sport of

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

during the

1916 college football season The 1916 college football season had no very clear cut champion, with the ''Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book'' listing Army and Pittsburgh as national champions. Only Pittsburgh claims a national championship for the 1916 season. G ...

. The season was

C. J. McCoy Charles James McCoy was an American college football and basketball coach. McCoy was the third head coach of the Florida Gators football team and the first head coach of the Florida Gators men's basketball team that represent the University of F ...

's third and last as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Depleted of first-string football talent and lacking depth, McCoy's 1916 Florida Gators suffered through a disastrous season in which they posted an overall record of 0–5 and a

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) football programs were members of this conferen ...

(SIAA) conference record of 0–4 while scoring a total of three points, leading to the head coach's dismissal.Roger Saylor,
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
," College Football Historical Society, The LA84 Foundation (1993). Retrieved September 11, 2010.
2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015. Florida football's first losing season was notable for the first meetings with future Southeastern Conference rivals Tennessee and Alabama.

Before the season

Florida had posted a 9–5 record over the previous two seasons under Coach McCoy. Believing that he had the makings of a great squad, he arranged the most ambitious and difficult football schedule to date. McCoy's plans were thwarted, however, by a series of injuries and academic ineligibility problems, beginning when the Gators' starting quarterback,

Rammy Ramsdell Ashley Wakefield "Rammy" Ramsdell (November 6, 1894 – April 14, 1977) was a college football, baseball, and basketball player and track athlete for the Florida Gators of the University of Florida. Ramsdell's athletic career was prematurely ended ...

, broke his leg playing on Florida's baseball team and missed the entire football season. The team suffered the transfer of guard Ham Dowling, and tackle

Everett Yon Col. Everett Marion Yon, Sr. (January 13, 1895 – November 25, 1965) was a decorated United States Army, U.S. Army officer, athlete, coach and athletics administrator. Yon was director of athletics at the University of Florida in Gainesville, ...

was called by the National Guard to defend the Mexican border. Due to a shortage of men, captain

Rex Farrior Jewel Rex Farrior Sr. (October 5, 1896 – January 17, 1993) was an American college football and baseball player and coach for the Florida Gators of the University of Florida, as well as a lawyer. He became a founding partner in a prominent Tam ...

, previously a center, moved to fullback.

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 ...

scheduled a game with Florida, but several Mercer linemen were behind in their studies, and the game was canceled.

Schedule

Game summaries

Georgia

*Sources: The season opened with a 21–0 loss to Georgia in Athens. The contest was scoreless in the first half. Georgia had to send in two stars who were resting with dislocated shoulders. Walter Neville scored the game's first touchdown. The starting lineup was F. Henderson (left end), Baker (left tackle), Duvan (left guard), Robles (center), Golsby (right guard), Perry (right tackle), Wilkinson (right end), Fuller (quarterback), Wilson (left halfback), Hatcher (right halfback), Farrier (fullback).

Alabama

Led by Cecil Creen, the Crimson Tide beat the Gators 16–0 in the two's first ever meeting. Creen twice tackled Florida's Ward from behind with a clear field ahead. It was the Gators' first loss at University Field.

Tennessee

*Sources: The SIAA champion

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...

blanked the Gators in

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

24 to 0 in the two rivals first-ever meeting.

Buck Hatcher Adolphus Henry "Buck" Hatcher (May ll, 1896 – November 7, 1987) was an American college football player. University of Tennessee Hatcher was a prominent tackle for the Tennessee Volunteers football teams of the University of Tennessee from 19 ...

's punts were the feature of the contest. The starting lineup was F. Henderson (left end), Baker (left tackle), Perry (left guard), Robles (center), O. DeVane (right guard), Goldsby (right tackle), Wood (right end), Fuller (quarterback), Sparkman (left halfback), Wilson (right halfback), Farrier (fullback).

Auburn

*Sources: The Auburn Plainsmen beat the Gators 20–0. Auburn's fullback Scott was the star of the contest. The second touchdown was a 50-yard interception return by Godwin. The starting lineup was F. Henderson (left end), Bankston (left tackle), Rosenthal (left guard), Robles (center), Stockton (right guard), Goldsby (right tackle), Wood (right end), Fuller (quarterback), Sparkman (left halfback), Hatcher (right halfback), Farrier (fullback).

At Indiana

*Sources: Captain

broke his leg in the final two minutes of the final game, a 14–3 loss at

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, the only game in which the Gators scored when Paul Baker made a field goal. Up at the half 3–0, Florida lineman Orryl Robles was ejected, and Florida never recovered. The starting lineup was F. Henderson (left end), Baker (left tackle), Rosenthal (left guard), Robles (center), Stockton (right guard), Goldsby (right tackle), Wood (right end), Fuller (quarterback), Sparkman (left halfback), Hatcher (right halfback), Farrier (fullback).

Postseason

C. J. McCoy finished his three-year tenure as the Gators' coach with an overall record of 9–10.

Personnel

Line

Backfield

Coaching staff

*Head coach: Charles J. McCoy *Manager: W. D. Payne

Notes

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 winless seasons

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of ...