1941 Florida Gators football team

The 1941 Florida Gators football team was an American football team that represented the University of Florida in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1941 college football season. In their second season under head coach Tom Lieb, the Gators compiled a 4–6 record (1–3 against SEC opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 149 to 97.^[1] The season's highlights included a 14–0 road win over the Miami Hurricanes and a 14–7 homecoming victory over Georgia Tech.

1941 Florida Gators football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	4–6 (1–3 SEC)
Head coach	Tom Lieb (2nd season)
Captain	Bill Robinson
Home stadium	Florida Field
Seasons ← 1940 1942 →

1941 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 16 Mississippi State $	4	–	0	–	1			8	–	1	–	1
No. 18 Tennessee	3	–	1	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
No. 20 Alabama	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 14 Georgia	3	–	1	–	1			9	–	1	–	1
No. 17 Ole Miss	2	–	1	–	1			6	–	2	–	1
Vanderbilt	3	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
LSU	2	–	2	–	2			4	–	4	–	2
Tulane	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Georgia Tech	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Florida	1	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Kentucky	0	–	4	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Auburn	0	–	4	–	1			4	–	5	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Three Florida players were recognized by the Associated Press (AP) or United Press (UP) on the 1941 All-SEC football team: Fergie Ferguson (AP-2, UP-1); tackle Milton Hull (AP-3); and halfback Tommy Harrison (AP-3).^[2][3][4] Ferguson was the Gators' second-ever first-team All-SEC selection. He also received an honorable mention All-American by Grantland Rice in Collier's magazine.^[5] He led the team in both points scored (36) and minutes played (420).

Florida was ranked at No. 67 (out of 681 teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1941.^[6]

The team played its home games at Florida Field in Gainesville, Florida.^[7]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 20	Randolph–Macon*	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	W 26–0		[8]
September 27	at Mississippi State	Scott Field State College, MS	L 0–6	13,000	[9]
October 4	Tampa*	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	W 46–6		[10]
October 11	Villanova*	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	L 0–6	> 20,000	[11]
October 18	at Maryland*	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	L 12–13	7,500	[12]
October 25	at LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	L 7–10	20,000	[13]
November 8	vs. Georgia	Fairfield Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	L 3–19	21,000	[14]
November 15	at Miami (FL)*	Burdine Stadium Miami, FL (rivalry)	W 14–0	31,731	[15]
November 22	Georgia Tech	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	W 14–7	15,000	[16]
December 20	vs. UCLA*	Fairfield Stadium Jacksonville, FL	L 27–30	8,000	[17]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

^[18]

References

1. "1941 Florida Gators Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
2. "All-Southeastern Team Is Selected". The Odessa American. December 1, 1941. p. 8. Retrieved June 6, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Sinkwich, Nelson, Jenkins and Hapes Selected on All-Southeastern Eleven". The Palm Beach Post. December 2, 1941.
4. "Eight Teams Represented On UP Grid Squad". Bradford Evening Star. November 25, 1941. p. 12. Retrieved May 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Grantland Rice, "The All-America Football Team", Collier's, p. 78 (December 13, 1941).
6. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 26, 1941). "Gophers Grid Kings Over 6-Year Span: Tennessee 2d, Pitt 3d Over Period Litkenhous Ratins Are Published". The Courier-Journal. p. Sports 4 – via Newspapers.com.
7. University of Florida Sports Information Department. "Florida 2006 Media Guide" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
8. Holmes Alexander (September 21, 1941). "Gators Score 26-0 Win In Grid Opener". Tampa Sunday Tribune. pp. II-1, II-4 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Bob Hartley (September 28, 1941). "Miss. State Beats Florida With 4th Period Touchdown". Clarion-Ledger. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Wayne Oliver (October 5, 1941). "Florida Gators Smother Tampa Spartans Under 46 to 6 Score". Sunday News-Democrat. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Perry Lewis (October 12, 1941). "Florida Sunk By Villanova". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. Sports 1, 5 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Maryland Rallies With 58-Yard Pass Play To Nip Florida Eleven, 13-12". The Baltimore Sun. October 19, 1941. p. Sports 5 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Norman Walker (October 26, 1941). "Field Goal Wins for Louisiana State University Over Florida". The Shreveport Times. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Jack Troy (November 9, 1941). "Sinkwich Superb as Bulldogs Romp, 19-3". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
15. Guy Butler (November 16, 1941). "Gator Passes Down U. of M." The Miami News. pp. 1A, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
16. Johnny Bradberry (November 23, 1941). "Florida Tallies Twice in Third To Beat Georgia Tech, 14 to 7". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
17. "U.C.L.A. Bruins Outscore Florida Gators, 30 to 27". Sunday News-Democrat (Tallahassee, Florida). December 21, 1941. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
18. 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 110–111 (2015). Retrieved August 14, 2015.