1930 Florida Gators football team

Before the season

Fleming Field had been the home of Florida's football program since 1911. By the mid 1920s, its small capacity and primitive amenities were increasingly seen as inadequate, particularly after the Gators first gained national attention during their best season to date in 1928. University president John J. Tigert led a fundraising drive through the newly created University Athletic Association, and construction on a much larger stadium commenced in a shallow depression just south of Fleming Field on April 16, 1930. The project was slated to be complete early in the fall term but was delayed when workers encountered a previously unknown underground stream. The stream was diverted by the installation of a large culvert under the playing surface, and the Gators finally moved into Florida Field for the last home game of the season.

On the field, Florida entered the 1930s coming off the two best seasons in program history under returning head coach Charlie Bachman, who led a talented Gator squad that included explosive halfback Red Bethea. Despite a potentially challenging schedule, expectations were that the string of success would continue.

Schedule

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Game summaries

Week 1: Southern College

The Gators faced Southern College on Fleming Field in Gainesville to open the season on September 27, winning 45 to 6. Southern scored its points in the second quarter, at that point making the game tied 6 to 6. The Gators responded with a barrage of points which continued until the final whistle.

Red Bethea had three touchdowns on his first three touches, including runs of 46 and 48 yards. This got Bethea a column in Ripley's Believe It Or Not.

Week 2: North Carolina State

Tampa, Florida For the second week of play, Florida beat the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Plant Field in Tampa 27 to 0.

After being held scoreless in the first half with a number of fumbles, a 37-yard end run from Red Bethea sparked the Gator attack. Ed Sauls had a 61-yard kick return, which ended when he stumbled and fell. On the next play he scored. Sam Gurneau and Charlie Cobb starred for NC State.

Week 3: Auburn

Jacksonville, Florida The Gators just defeated coach Chet A. Wynne's Auburn Tigers in Jacksonville by a 7 to 0 score; seen as a moral victory by the Tigers. Ed Sauls scored Florida's touchdown in the final period, and Monk Dorsett got the extra point.

Week 4: at Chicago

Chicago On October 18, 1930, the Gators defeated coach Amos Alonzo Stagg's Chicago Maroons at Stagg Field 19 to 0 in a game was affected by wintry blasts of near-zero temperatures. n . The victory was historic for the Florida football program, representing the first time the Gators had won an inter-sectional game outside the South. The Gators had previously lost all six games it had played in the North—to Indiana in 1916, Harvard in 1922 and 1929, Army in 1923 and 1924, and Chicago in 1926.

Red Bethea was the star of the historic victory over Chicago, rushing for 218 yards to set a school record that would not be broken until 1987, when Emmitt Smith ran for 224 yards in his first collegiate start. The Associated Press called Bethea Florida's "siege gun," and noted that his rushing total was "better than the whole Chicago backfield." Bethea contributed to all of Florida's points. The first came after Bethea made a series of 5-yard runs, down to the 5-yard line as the first quarter ended. He then ran behind Muddy Waters for the score. Bethea "went wide around the right side of the line, cut back to the left, reversed to the center and tore 70-yards."

Chicago suspended its football program in 1939. One fellow quipped "Florida did it. When Florida beat them, that was the last straw."

The starting lineup for the Gators against Chicago: Parnell (left end) Waters (left tackle), Steele (left guard), Clemons (center), McRae (right guard), Proctor (right tackle), Nolan (right end), Dorsett (quarterback), Bethea (left halfback), Sauls (right halfback), Silsby (fullback).

Week 5: Furman

Gainesville, Florida Coach Dad Amis's Furman Purple Hurricane upset the Gators 14 to 13. Every score of the contest was made via the forward pass. A missed extra point by Florida's Parnell and one made by Furman's Allred proved to be the difference. The loss did not sit well with the alumni.

Week 6: at Georgia

Savannah, Georgia The scoreless tie with the Georgia Bulldogs provided the upset of the conference that week, as Georgia had defeated Yale and would lose just two games: to conference co-champions Alabama and Tulane. Sportswriter Lawrence Perry attributed Georgia's inability to score to its lack of using the forward pass at key intervals.

Twice Georgia backs Spurgeon Chandler, Jack Roberts, and Austin Downes threatened Florida's goal but were turned back.

The starting lineup for the Gators against Georgia: Parnell (left end) Waters (left tackle), Steele (left guard), Clemons (center), James (right guard), Proctor (right tackle), Hall (right end), Dorsett (quarterback), Bethea (left halfback), Sauls (right halfback), Jenkins (fullback).

Week 7: Alabama

Gainesville, Florida The seventh week of play featured the first ever game on Florida Field, which had been slated for an August opening that was delayed due to unforeseen construction challenges. The new, 22,000 seat stadium planned to eventually house 50,000.

The visiting team was Wallace Wade's Alabama Crimson Tide, and the eventual national champions spoiled Florida Field's debut by thumping the Gators 20–0. Despite the score, Florida showed much defensive strength, holding the undefeated Tide to 6 points until tiring late in the contest, with lineman Muddy Waters given praise. However, Florida's offense struggled all afternoon against an Alabama defense that would only allow 13 points all season.

The first score came when John Campbell broke through the line for 21 yards. Later, after much wear on the Gator defense, Campbell scored on a short run through center. John Tucker, a substitute, also scored on a short run. Johnny Cain was also cited as a strength for the Tide.

The starting lineup for the Gators against Alabama: Parnell (left end), Waters (left tackle), Steele (left guard), Clemons (center), Forsyth (right guard), Proctor (right tackle), Hall (right end), Dorsett (quarterback), Bethea (left halfback), Sauls (right halfback), Jenkins (fullback).

Week 8: Clemson

Using many passes, the Gators beat coach Josh Cody's Clemson Tigers 27 to 0. Two scores came on long passes from Monk Dorsett to John Hall. Coach Bachman said "Dorsett's quarterbacking has been the finest since I took charge of the 'Gators."

Week 9: at Georgia Tech

Atlanta The Gators beat coach Bill Alexander's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for the first time, handing them their worst defeat in years, 55 to 7. Red Bethea scored three touchdowns, Ed Sauls two, and John Hall one. After the Tech game, newspapers posted how Bethea "made the Florida fans forget there ever was a Cannonball Clyde Crabtree."

Week 10: Tennessee

Jacksonville, Florida The season's final game saw a bitterly fought contest end in a 13 to 6 loss to coach Robert Neyland's Tennessee Volunteers. Buddy Hackman scored both of Tennessee's touchdowns. Tennessee quarterback Bobby Dodd also starred.

A fake play with Vols center Gene Mayer netted 27 yards, placing the ball on Florida's 13-yard line. Dodd then passed to Hackman for the touchdown. Florida scored after a Hackman fumble put the ball on the 25-yard line. A pass to Parnell got a touchdown. In the final few minutes, Hackman won the game with a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown.

An account of Bobby Dodd's trickery: "Against Florida in 1930 he got his teammates in a huddle and told them about a play he had used in high school. When the ball was snapped, it was placed on the ground unattended. The players ran in one direction. Then the center returned, picked up the ball, and waltzed to the winning touchdown." This play would later come to be popularly known as the "fumblerooski", after Nebraska famously used it in the 1984 Orange Bowl versus Miami.

Postseason

Carlos Proctor was elected captain for next season. Guard Jimmy Steele was composite All-Southern.

Personnel

Depth chart

The following chart provides a visual depiction of Florida's lineup during the 1930 season with games started at the position reflected in parentheses. The chart mimics a Notre Dame Box on offense.

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Line

Backfield

Starters

Subs

References

Additional sources

References

1. ''[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, pp. 108–109 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.)
2. ''2009 Southern Conference Football Media Guide'', [http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/09fbguide/74-77standings.pdf?SPSID=35576&SPID=1781&DB_OEM_ID=4000 Year-by-Year Standings], Southern Conference, Spartanburg, South Carolina, p. 74 (2009). Retrieved August 30, 2010.
3. {{Harvnb. Carlson. 2007
4. (October 30, 1992). "Mike". Gainesville Sun.
5. (October 5, 1930). "'Gators Trounce The Wolfpack". Kingsport Times.
6. (October 10, 1930). "Florida Eleven Defeat Wolfpack In Last Half 27-0". The Technician.
7. (October 12, 1930). "Tigers Furnish Day's Surprise In Conference". Anniston Star.
8. (October 18, 1930). "Cold Bothers 'Gators". The Post-Crescent.
9. (October 16, 1930). "Florida Eleven to Seek First Grid Victory on Foreign Soil in Chicago Next Saturday". The Independent.
10. Bill Buchalter. (September 13, 1986). "Galloping Gator: Lee Roy ''Red'' Bethea, who set the...". Orlando Sentinel.
11. (October 20, 1920). "Alabama Takes Rank as Feared Eleven in South". Milwaukee Sentinel.
12. (October 21, 1930). "Red Bethea Better Than All Chicago Backfield In Play". Sarasota Herald.
13. (October 19, 1930). "Gators Down Chicago 19-0". The Brownsville Herald.
14. (October 19, 1930). "Florida Gators Swamp Chicago". The Lincoln Star.
15. Richard H. Hippelhauser. "Gators Track Up Midway in 19 to 0 Spree". The Capital Times.
16. McEwen, Tom, ''The Gators: A Story of Florida Football'', The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). {{ISBN. 0-87397-025-X.
17. (October 19, 1930). "Red-Headed Halfback Leads Florida 'Gators In 19-0 Triumph at Chicago". Decatur Herald.
18. (October 19, 1930). "Gators Leave Tracks All Over Field; Bethea Stars". Kingsport Times.
19. (October 26, 1930). "Furman Upsets Dope, Defeating Florida, 14-13". The Anniston Star.
20. (October 26, 1930). "Hurricane Upset Dope Bucket And Beat Alligators". The Index-Journal.
21. (November 3, 1930). "Gators Hold Georgia to 0 to 0 Score". The San Bernardino County Sun.
22. Lawrence Perry. (November 3, 1930). "Georgia Still Powerful In South". Oakland Tribune.
23. (November 2, 1930). "Georgia's March Toward Gridiron Honors Checked". Kingsport Times.
24. (August 6, 1930). "Gators To Open Stadium". Altoona Tribune.
25. Peter Golenbock. "Go Gators".
26. "1930 Season".
27. (November 9, 1930). "Alabama Dashed Florida Aside". The Index-Journal.
28. (November 9, 1930). "Crimson Wave Rolling On As Alabama Wins". Abilene Reporter-News.
29. (November 22, 1930). "Star of Gators to Oppose Dodd". The Evening Independent.
30. {{Harvnb. Carlson. 2007
31. (November 28, 1930). "Another Redhead". The Ogden Standard-Examiner.
32. (December 7, 1930). "Tennessee Wins From Florida". The Jacksonville Daily Journal.
33. Chips. (December 8, 1930). "Dodd Forced To Display His Genius To Win Over Gators; Hackman Is Co-Star of Tilt". Kingsport Times-News.
34. (December 7, 1930). "Tennessee In Triumph Over Florida, 13-6". Oakland Tribune.
35. ["Bobby Dodd"]({{College Football HoF/url). [[College Football Hall of Fame]].
36. "19 yards: A lineman's dream". Lincoln Journal Star on Journalstar.com, By Brian Christopherson, July 27, 2012.
37. Weber, Jim. (2010-08-23). "Finding the fumblerooski: Gone, but not forgotten". yahoo.com.
38. (December 16, 1930). "Veteran Tackle Honored". The Evening Independent.
39. Dillow Graham. (December 4, 1930). "Unanimous Vote of Coaches and Sports Writers Places Dodd At Top of Quarterback Candidates". The Kingsport Times.