1937 Florida Gators football team

The 1937 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1937 college football season. The season was the second for Josh Cody as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The highlight of the season was the Gators' only 1930s win over the Georgia (6–0) in Jacksonville, Florida, but the season was mostly remembered for its disappointments—three one-point losses to Temple (7–6), Mississippi State (14–13), and Clemson (10–9). Cody's 1937 Florida Gators finished 4–7 overall and 3–4 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing eighth of thirteen SEC teams in the conference standings.[1]

1937 Florida Gators football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record4–7 (3–4 SEC)
Head coach
CaptainWalter Mayberry
Home stadiumFlorida Field
Uniform
Seasons
← 1936
1938 →
1937 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 4 Alabama $ 6 0 0 9 1 0
No. 8 LSU 5 1 0 9 2 0
Auburn 4 1 2 6 2 3
Vanderbilt 4 2 0 7 2 0
Mississippi State 3 2 0 5 4 1
Georgia Tech 3 2 1 6 3 1
Tennessee 4 3 0 6 3 1
Florida 3 4 0 4 7 0
Tulane 2 3 1 5 4 1
Georgia 1 2 2 6 3 2
Ole Miss 0 4 0 4 5 1
Kentucky 0 5 0 4 6 0
Sewanee 0 6 0 2 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 25at LSUL 0–1915,000[2]
October 2Stetson*W 18–04,000[3]
October 9at Temple*L 6–710,000[4]
October 16Sewanee
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 21–05,000[5]
October 23at Mississippi StateL 13–147,500[6]
October 30at Maryland*L 7–1310,000[7]
November 6vs. GeorgiaW 6–020,000[8]
November 13Clemson*
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
L 9–106,000[9]
November 20Georgia Tech 
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
L 0–1216,000[10]
November 27vs. Auburn
  • Fairfield Stadium
  • Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)
L 0–14[11]
December 4Kentucky
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
W 6–0[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming

[1]

Game summaries

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Temple

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Mayberry starred in a close loss to coach Pop Warner's Temple Owls,[13] keeping the 10,000 spectators "in an uproar for nearly three periods."[14]

Georgia

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The 1937 team defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in the two teams' annual rivalry game for the first time in eight years.[15][16]

Postseason

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Tiger Mayberry ranked second in the country with 818 rushing yards; only Byron White exceeded Mayberry's rushing total that year.[17]

Mayberry also intercepted six passes when the Gators' opponents only threw 57 balls,[18][19] and was a first-team All-SEC selection by the conference coaches and sportswriters on behalf of the Associated Press.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  2. ^ "L.S.U. trims 'Gators, 19–0". The Huntsville Times. September 26, 1937. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Florida reserves down stubborn Stetson outfit, 18–0". The Orlando Sentinel-Sun. October 3, 1937. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Temple shades Gators, 7 to 6". The Bradenton Herald. October 10, 1937. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Florida romps to 21 to 0 victory over Sewanee". The Orlando Sentinel-Star. October 17, 1937. Retrieved August 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Florida falls short in late rally and Mississippi State wins, 14–13". The Miami Herald. October 24, 1937. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Maryland's aerial attack defeats Florida by 13 to 7". Pensacola News Journal. October 31, 1937. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Gators finally defeat Georgia". The Birmingham News. November 7, 1937. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Clemson noses out Florida, 10–9". The Macon Telegraph and News. November 14, 1937. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Gators lose to Georgia Tech, 12–0". News-Tribune. November 21, 1937. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Florida Gators lose to Auburn, 14–0". News-Tribune. November 28, 1937. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Ed Manning's 59-yard jaunt supplies punch as Gators whip Wildcats". The Montgomery Advertiser. December 5, 1937. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Marty Cohen (1995). Gator Tales. p. 31. ISBN 9781880652459.
  14. ^ "Florida Beaten By Temple Club On Extra Point". The Evening News. October 9, 1937. p. 13. Retrieved May 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  15. ^ John Wilds (November 7, 1937). "Old Supremacy of Bulldogs Is Brought To End". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  16. ^ "Reference at jacksonville.com".
  17. ^ ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, p. 1172 (White led the country with 1,121 rushing yards, and Mayberry was second with 818 yards.
  18. ^ "Norm Carlson Looks Back". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  19. ^ Frank S. Wright (October 19, 1937). "Writers, Coaches Praise Mayberry, Gator Captain, As All-American Material". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  20. ^ "Versatility, Great Power Represented". The Monroe News-Star. December 3, 1937. p. 10. Retrieved May 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.