1916 Florida Gators football team

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 abandoned Florida's usual practice of playing against mostly in-state opponents mixed with a few out-of-state foes and instead assembled the most challenging schedule the program had ever faced. The slate included several established football programs, including future conference rivals Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Auburn along with a cross-sectional game at Indiana, with only one of those difficult contests to be played at Florida's on-campus home of Fleming Field.

Season recap

McCoy's grand ambitions were stymied when his team's lack of quality depth was exposed by a series of key injuries and other defections, starting when triple threat quarterback Rammy Ramsdell broke his leg playing for Florida's baseball team and missed the entire football season. The squad lost two starting linemen before the opening game when Ham Dowling transferred and Everett Yon was called to serve in the National Guard, and nagging injuries saw several other key players miss playing time as the season progressed, with team captain and starting center Rex Farrior forced to move to fullback because of a lack of options in the offensive backfield. Adding to the season's woes, what was potentially the best chance for a Florida win was dashed when Mercer administrators declared that several of their players were "behind in their studies" and cancelled their trip to Gainesville one week before the scheduled game.

Between the difficult schedule and the lack of available talent, the 1916 Gators set a remarkable program record for offensive futility by failing to score a single touchdown over the course of the season. His players insisted that McCoy should not be blamed for the winless campaign, but he was not retained as Florida's head football coach.

Schedule

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Game summaries

Georgia

Athens, GA

• Sources:

The season opened with a 21–0 loss to Georgia in Athens. The contest was scoreless in the first half. 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

Gainesville, FL

• Sources: Florida's defense kept the game close into the final period but finally wore down, leading to a 16–0 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first ever meeting between the programs. Alabama quarterback Cecil Creen was the star of the game, scoring the Tide's two offensive touchdowns and making key defensive stops of Gator players "with a clear field ahead". Postgame accounts commented on Florida's "rather crude attempts at offensive play" in the loss, which was the program's first setback at five year old Fleming Field. It would also be the only game of the season to be played in Gainesville.

Tennessee

Tampa, FL

• Sources:

The SIAA champion Tennessee Volunteers blanked the Gators in Tampa 24 to 0 in the two rivals first-ever meeting. Buck Hatcher'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

Jacksonville, FL

• 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

Bloomington, IN

• Sources: The Gators closed out their 1916 schedule with a trip to Bloomington for what was their first (and only, as of 2025) gridiron contest with the Indiana Hoosiers. Florida scored its first points of the season with a second quarter field goal by freshman Paul Baker and held a 3–0 halftime lead. However, an on-field altercation early in the third period resulted in the ejection of Gator lineman Orryl Robles, and the team's lack of depth once again became a factor. The Hoosiers scored two unanswered second half touchdowns to take a 14–3 lead, and Florida capped off the ignominious campaign by seeing captain Rex Farrior break his leg in the final two minutes of the contest.

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

Though several players and the school yearbook expressed support for McCoy's program building skills, he was not retained as Florida's head football coach. He finished his three-year tenure at the school with an overall record of 9–10.

Personnel

Line

Backfield

Coaching staff

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

Notes

References

Bibliography

References

1. Roger Saylor, "[http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv06/CFHSNv06n2g.pdf Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association] {{webarchive. link. (2011-05-23 ," College Football Historical Society, The LA84 Foundation (1993). Retrieved September 11, 2010.)
2. ''[http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2015/media_guide.pdf 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide] {{webarchive. link. (2015-12-08 '', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.)
3. {{Harvnb. McEwen. 1974
4. Joey Johnston, "[http://tampabayonline.net/reports/top100/no98.htm Tampa Bay's All-Century Team: No. 98 Rammy Ramsdell] {{webarchive. link. (2012-03-07 ," ''The Tampa Tribune'' (September 22, 1999). Retrieved August 25, 2010.)
5. {{Harvnb. McEwen. 1974
6. "Rex Farrior". National Football Foundation.
7. (October 30, 1916). "Game With Florida Cancelled By Mercer". The Atlanta Constitution.
8. {{Harvnb. McEwen. 1974
9. (October 15, 1916). "Georgia beat Florida, 21–0". The Atlanta Journal.
10. (October 22, 1916). "Alabama too strong for Gator eleven". The Tampa Tribune.
11. (October 24, 1916). "Gators are Defeated by Alabama". The Florida Alligator.
12. (October 29, 1916). "Tennessee eleven clearly outclasses that of Florida". The Montgomery Advertiser.
13. (October 31, 1916). "Mercer Cancels Saturday's Game". The Florida Alligator.
14. (November 12, 1916). "Auburn crushes Florida". The Commercial Appeal.
15. (November 19, 1916). "Indiana is winner over Florida, 14 to 3". The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette.
16. (October 15, 1916). "Florida Eleven Worried Georgia". The Atlanta Constitution.
17. "1916 Recap".
18. (October 29, 1916). "Tennessee 24, Florida 0". Atlanta Constitution.
19. (November 12, 1916). "Auburn Is Victor Over Florida Team". The Atlanta Constitution.
20. D. C. Miller. (November 19, 1916). "Florida Put Out 14-3, by Stiehm Men". The Indianapolis Star.
21. {{Harvnb. University of Florida. 1917