1942 Florida Gators football team

The 1942 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1942 college football season. The season was Tom Lieb's third as Florida's head coach. By the autumn of 1942, World War II had begun to affect many college football programs. Florida lost several players and most of its coaching staff to the war effort before the season,^[1] and lost several more players during the season,^[2] leading to diminishing success as the schedule progressed.

1942 Florida Gators football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	3–7 (1–3 SEC)
Head coach	Tom Lieb (3rd season)
Captain	Bill Corry O'Neal Hill
Home stadium	Florida Field
Seasons ← 1941 1944 →

1942 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 Georgia $	6	–	1	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Georgia Tech	4	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 7 Tennessee	4	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	1
No. 18 Mississippi State	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
No. 10 Alabama	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
LSU	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
No. 16 Auburn	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Vanderbilt	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Florida	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Tulane	1	–	4	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Kentucky	0	–	5	–	0			3	–	6	–	1
Ole Miss	0	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The Gators began the season 3–1 but lost their final six contests to finish with a 3–7 overall record. Their 1–3 conference record placed ninth among twelve teams in the SEC.^[3]

Florida was ranked at No. 87 (out of 590 college and military teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1942.^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	vs. Jacksonville NAS*	Fairfield Stadium Jacksonville, FL	L 7–20	8,500	[5]
September 26	Randolph–Macon*	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	W 45–0	3,000	[6]
October 3	at Tampa*	Phillips Field Tampa, FL	W 26–6	6,500	[7]
October 10	Auburn	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	W 6–0	10,000	[8]
October 16	at Villanova*	Shibe Park Philadelphia, PA	L 3–13	8,051	[9]
October 24	No. 16 Mississippi State	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	L 12–26	8,000	[10]
October 31	vs. Maryland*	Griffith Stadium Washington, DC	L 0–13	10,000	[11]
November 7	vs. No. 1 Georgia	Fairfield Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	L 0–75	21,000	[12]
November 14	at Miami (FL)*	Burdine Stadium Miami, FL (rivalry)	L 0–12	15,558	[13]
November 21	at No. 2 Georgia Tech	Grant Field Atlanta, GA	L 7–20	15,000	[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[3]

References

1. Associated Press, "Tom Lieb Must Develop Not Only a Football Team but a Coaching Staff", St. Petersburg Times, p. 11 (September 3, 1944). Retrieved November 8, 2011.
2. Lieb Expects Good Gator Grid Prospects", The Palm Beach Post, (May 27, 1944). Retrieved November 8, 2011.
3. 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.
4. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 16, 1942). "Litkenhous Rates Georgia No. 1, Ohio State No. 2". Twin City Sentinel. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Wayne Oliver (September 20, 1942). "Jacksonville Navy Fliers Outclass University of Florida Gators, 20-7". Sunday News-Democrat (Tallahassee, FL). p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Strong Gator team crushes Jackets, 45–0". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 27, 1942. Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Gators win, 26–6, in tight battle". Tampa Sunday Tribune. October 4, 1942. Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Gators hand Auburn upset". The Decatur Daily. October 11, 1942. Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Villanova's late rally defeats Florida". The Palm Beach Post-Times. October 18, 1942. Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Florida beaten by Mississippi State, 26 to 12". The Greenville News. October 25, 1942. Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Maryland wins from Florida by 13–0 score". Panama City News-Herald. November 1, 1942. Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Jack Troy (November 8, 1942). "Georgia Smothers Florida, 75 to 0; Furious Assault Nets Bulldogs 11 Touchdowns; Nation's Number 1 Team Rolls Up Nearly 600 Yards". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 6B – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Miami defeats Gators to win Florida title". The Bradenton Herald. November 15, 1942. Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Yellow Jackets defeat Gators; Slate unbroken". The Huntsville Times. November 22, 1942. Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.