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1945 Florida Gators football
Conference Southeastern Conference
Record4–5–1 (1–3–1 SEC)
Head coach
CaptainHugo Miller
Home stadium Florida Field
Seasons
←  1944
1946 →
1945 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Alabama $ 6 0 0 10 0 0
No. 14 Tennessee 3 1 0 8 1 0
No. 15 LSU 5 2 0 7 2 0
No. 18 Georgia 4 2 0 9 2 0
Ole Miss 3 3 0 4 5 0
Georgia Tech 2 2 0 4 6 0
Mississippi State 2 3 0 6 3 0
Auburn 2 3 0 5 5 0
Vanderbilt 2 4 0 3 6 0
Florida 1 3 1 4 5 1
Tulane 1 3 1 2 6 1
Kentucky 0 5 0 2 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

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. [1]

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. [2]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 228:00 p.m. Camp Blanding*W 31–27,000 [3] [4] [5]
September 29vs. Ole MissW 26–1312,000 [6]
October 6at TulaneT 6–620,000 [7]
October 13 Vanderbiltdagger
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
L 0–717,000 [8]
October 19at Miami (FL)*L 6–727,000 [9]
October 27 Southwestern Louisiana*
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 45–0 [10]
November 3at AuburnL 0–1910,000 [11]
November 10vs. Georgia
  • Fairfield Stadium
  • Jacksonville, FL ( rivalry)
L 0–3421,000 [12]
November 17 Presbyterian*
  • Florida Field
  • Gainesville, FL
W 41–03,000 [13]
November 242:00 p.m.at Little Creek*L 0–125,000 [14] [15] [16]

[2]

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. ^ Golenbock 2002, p. 6
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ "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 icon.
  4. ^ "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 icon.
  5. ^ "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 icon.
  6. ^ "Gators come up with 26–13 win". The Miami News. September 30, 1945. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Tulane scores in final two minutes to tie Gators". Pensacola News Journal. October 7, 1945. Retrieved April 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Vandy noses out Gators, 7–0, in battle full of fumbles". The Atlanta Journal. October 14, 1945. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Miami shades Florida 7–6". The Charlotte Observer. October 20, 1945. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Gators crush SLI Bulldogs by 45–0 score". Tampa Sunday Tribune. October 28, 1945. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Auburn subdues Florida in last half spurt, 19–0". The Palm Beach Post-Times. November 4, 1945. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Bulldogs chew Florida, 34–0". The Sunday Star-News. November 11, 1945. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Smarting Gators trample PC by 41–0; Hose miss chances". The State. November 18, 1945. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "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 icon.
  15. ^ 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 icon.
  16. ^ 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 icon.

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.