1945 Florida Gators football team

The 1945 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1945 college football season. The season was the fifth and last for Tom Lieb as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The 1945 backfield was made up entirely of freshmen.[2]

1945 Florida Gators football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record4–5–1 (1–3–1 SEC)
Head coach
CaptainHugo Miller
Home stadiumFlorida Field
(capacity: 22,000)[1]
1945 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Alabama $ 6 –0 –010 –0 –0
No. 14 Tennessee 3 –1 –08 –1 –0
No. 15 LSU 5 –2 –07 –2 –0
No. 18 Georgia 4 –2 –09 –2 –0
Ole Miss 3 –3 –04 –5 –0
Georgia Tech 2 –2 –04 –6 –0
Mississippi State 2 –3 –06 –3 –0
Auburn 2 –3 –05 –5 –0
Vanderbilt 2 –4 –03 –6 –0
Florida 1 –3 –14 –5 –1
Tulane 1 –3 –12 –6 –1
Kentucky 0 –5 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Among the season's highlights was the Gators' 26–13 neutral site victory over the Ole Miss Rebels played in Jacksonville. The Gators also split a pair of games against teams from two U.S. military training bases. Lieb's 1945 Florida Gators finished with a 4–5–1 overall record and a 1–3–1 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing ninth among twelve SEC teams.[3]

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 228:00 p.m.Camp Blanding*
W 31–27,000[4][5][6]
September 29vs. Ole Miss
W 26–13
October 6at Tulane
T 6–620,000[7]
October 13Vanderbiltdagger
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
L 0–7
October 19at Miami (FL)*
L 6–7
October 27Southwestern Louisiana*
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 45–0
November 3at Auburn
L 0–19
November 10vs. Georgia
  • Fairfield Stadium
  • Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)
L 0–34
November 17Presbyterian*
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 41–0
November 242:00 p.m.at Little Creek*
L 0–125,000[8][9][10]

[3]

Postseason

After Lieb's coaching contract was not renewed, he became the track & field coach and an assistant football coach at the University of Alabama, where his old Notre Dame teammate Frank Thomas was the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

References
  1. University of Florida Sports Information Department. "Florida 2006 Media Guide" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  2. Golenbock 2002, p. 6
  3. 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived December 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 110–111 (2015). Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  4. "Gators Ranked Favorite Over Soldier Eleven". Tampa Morning Tribune. Tampa, Florida. September 22, 1945. p. 9. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  5. "Florida Runs Over Soldier Eleven, 31-2". Tampa Sunday Tribune. Tampa, Florida. September 23, 1945. p. B1. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  6. "Florida Scores Over Camp Blanding In Opener 31 to 2 (continued)". Tampa Sunday Tribune. Tampa, Florida. September 23, 1945. p. B2. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  7. "Tulane scores in final two minutes to tie Gators". Pensacola News Journal. October 7, 1945. Retrieved April 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Little Creek Amphibs Meet 'Gators Today". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. Associated Press. November 24, 1945. p. 7. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  9. Fergusson, Tom (November 25, 1945). "Amphibs Repulse Gators After Stiff Fight, 12-0". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. p. 15, part 2. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  10. Fergusson, Tom (November 25, 1945). "Gators Put Up Stiff Fight Before 5,000 (continued)". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. p. 16, part 2. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com open access.

Additional sources
  • Golenbock, Peter (2002). Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory. St. Petersburg, Florida: Legends Publishing, LLC. ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
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