The 1956 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1956 college football season. The season was the seventh for Bob Woodruff as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The Gators were led by All-American tackle John Barrow, quarterback Jimmy Dunn, two-way halfbacks Joe Brodsky, Bernie Parrish, Jim Rountree and Jackie Simpson, and defensive back John Symank. The highlights of the season included conference road wins over the Mississippi State Maroons (26–0) in Starkville, Mississippi, the Vanderbilt Commodores 21–7 in Nashville, Tennessee, and the LSU Tigers 21–6 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a shutout homecoming victory over the Auburn Tigers (20–0), and a second consecutive win over the Georgia Bulldogs (28–0). Woodruff's 1956 Florida Gators started a promising 6–1–1, but lost their final two games to finish 6–3–1 overall and 5–2 in the Southeastern Conference, placing third in the SEC among twelve teams.[1]
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|
| September 22 | at Mississippi State | | | W 26–0 | | [2] |
| September 29 | Clemson* | No. 19 | | T 20–20 | 28,000 | [3] |
| October 6 | Kentucky | | - Florida Field
- Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
| L 8–17 | 26,000 | [4] |
| October 13 | Rice* | | - Florida Field
- Gainesville, FL
| W 7–0 | 26,000 | [5] |
| October 20 | at Vanderbilt | | | W 21–7 | 24,000 | [6] |
| October 27 | at LSU | | | W 21–6 | 35,000 | [7] |
| November 3 | Auburn | | - Florida Field
- Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
| W 20–0 | 41,000 | [8] |
| November 10 | vs. Georgia | No. 13 | | W 28–0 | 37,000 | [9] |
| November 24 | vs. No. 5 Georgia Tech | No. 13 | - Gator Bowl Stadium
- Jacksonville, FL
| L 0–28 | 37,000 | [10] |
| December 1 | No. 6 Miami (FL)* | No. 18 | - Florida Field
- Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
| L 7–20 | 40,000 | [11] |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
|
[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.
- ^ "Gators rout State 26–0 on pass interceptions". The Huntsville Times. September 23, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bussey leads Tigers to tie with Florida". Asheville Citizen-Times. September 30, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Kentucky springs upset on fumbling Florida, 17–8". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 7, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florida defense preserves 7–0 win over Rice". The Orlando Sentinel. October 14, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florida surprises Vandy in 21–7 shocker". The Knoxville Journal. October 21, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florida stops LSU". Tallahassee Democrat. October 28, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florida batters Auburn". Fort Lauderdale News. November 4, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gators 2nd in SEC with 28–0 trounce of Georgia". St. Lucie News Tribune. November 11, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tech downs Gators, 28–0". The Greenville News. November 25, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miami rolls over Gators, 20–7". The Bradenton Herald. December 2, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
