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.^[1]

1945 Florida Gators football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	4–5–1 (1–3–1 SEC)
Head coach	Tom Lieb (5th season)
Captain	Hugo Miller
Home stadium	Florida Field
Seasons ← 1944 1946 →

1945 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	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

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

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 22	8:00 p.m.	Camp Blanding*	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	W 31–2	7,000	[3][4][5]
September 29		vs. Ole Miss	Fairfield Stadium Jacksonville, FL	W 26–13	12,000	[6]
October 6		at Tulane	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	T 6–6	20,000	[7]
October 13		Vanderbilt	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	L 0–7	17,000	[8]
October 19		at Miami (FL)*	Burdine Stadium Miami, FL (rivalry)	L 6–7	27,000	[9]
October 27		Southwestern Louisiana*	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	W 45–0		[10]
November 3		at Auburn	Auburn Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)	L 0–19	10,000	[11]
November 10		vs. Georgia	Fairfield Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	L 0–34	21,000	[12]
November 17		Presbyterian*	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	W 41–0	3,000	[13]
November 24	2:00 p.m.	at Little Creek*	Forman Field Norfolk, VA	L 0–12	5,000	[14][15][16]
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Eastern time

^[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. 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 .
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 .
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 .
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 .
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 .
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 .

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.