1960 Florida Gators football team

Schedule

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Before the season

Graves was a former Tennessee Volunteers lineman and assistant under coach Robert Neyland, and became a long-time Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive assistant for coach Bobby Dodd. Graves' arrival in Gainesville heralded a change in the Gators' football outlook: no longer would the Gators espouse Bob Woodruff's conservative, ball control, "go for the tie" philosophy.

During the season

Days before their second game of the season would officially begin, a gambler named Aaron Wagman and a University of Florida student named Phil Silber were arrested due to an attempted bribe at fullback Jon MacBeth before their season-opening game against their in-state college rivals in Florida State University began. These arrests would help lead to the full discovery of what eventually was called the 1961 NCAA University Division men's basketball gambling scandal, led by former NBA All-Star Jack Molinas. That game would later be played without a hitch, though MacBeth would help later testify in court in order to maintain his innocence throughout the situation.

Game summaries

Georgia Tech

Among the 1960 season's many highlights was the Gators' 18–17 upset of Dodd's tenth-ranked Yellow Jackets, in which the Gators, led by option quarterback Larry Libertore, drop-back passer Bobby Dodd, Jr., and running back Lindy Infante, gambled on a successful two-point conversion for the last-minute win.

Auburn

The Gators' sole Southeastern Conference (SEC) loss was a 7–10 heartbreaker to the Auburn Tigers, which cost the Gators a share of their first-ever SEC football championship.--

Postseason

The Gators capped their first-ever nine-win season with a hard-fought 13–12 victory over the twelfth-ranked Baylor Bears in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Eve 1960. In the Gator Bowl, the Gators defense halted a 75-yard drive by Baylor on the half-yard line in the first quarter, then set the stage for two second quarter touchdowns. Baylor dropped a pass for the two-point conversion and the win, and quarterback Libertore was voted game MVP.

References

References

1. (September 18, 1960). "Gators crunch Colonials, 30–7". The Miami Herald.
2. (September 25, 1960). "Cash's boot lifts Gators by Seminoles, 3–0". Pensacola News Journal.
3. (October 2, 1960). "Gators upset Tech in wild contest 18–17". Fort Myers News-Press.
4. (October 9, 1960). "Rugged Rice rips ragged Gators, 10–0". The Miami Herald.
5. (October 16, 1960). "Gator sophs sink Vanderbilt, 12 to 0". The Miami Herald.
6. (October 23, 1960). "Gators 'cash' in with two 3-pointers, nip LSU, 13–10". The Bradenton Herald.
7. (October 30, 1960). "Auburn nips Gators, 10–7". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
8. (November 6, 1960). "Florida smacks Georgia by 22–14". Daily Press.
9. (November 13, 1960). "Gator defense makes sure its greatest SEC season ever, 21–6". Tampa Bay Times.
10. (November 27, 1960). "Florida makes 18–0 shambles of Hurricanes". The Miami Herald.
11. (January 1, 1960). "Florida wins Gator Bowl, 13–12". Monroe Morning World.
12. ''[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. 110–111 (2015). Retrieved August 14, 2015.)
13. "University of Florida 1961 Football Brochure". University Athletic Association, Inc..
14. Julian M. Pleasants, ''Gator Tales: An Oral History of the University of Florida'', University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, p. 189 (2006).
15. Figone, Albert. (2012). "Cheating the Spread: Gamblers, Point Shavers, and Game Fixers in College Football and Basketball". Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
16. Noel Nash, ed., ''The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football'', Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois, pp. 24–26 (1998).
17. University Athletic Association / IMG College copyright 2015. "Gator Bowl Memories: Gators Hold Off Baylor in Wild Finish to Claim 1960 Gator Bowl". gatorzone.com.