1948 Furman Purple Hurricane football team

The 1948 Furman Purple Hurricane football team was an American football team that represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1948 college football season. In their first year under head coach Red Smith, the Purple Hurricane compiled an overall record of 2–6–1, with a conference mark of 2–4, and finished tied for tenth in the SoCon.^[1]

1948 Furman Purple Hurricane football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	2–6–1 (2–4 SoCon)
Head coach	Red Smith (1st season)
Captain	Sonny Byrd
Home stadium	Sirrine Stadium
Seasons ← 1947 1949 →

1948 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 11 Clemson $	5	–	0	–	0			11	–	0	–	0
No. 3 North Carolina	4	–	0	–	1			9	–	1	–	1
VMI	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
No. 17 William & Mary	5	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	2
No. 20 Wake Forest	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Maryland	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Duke	3	–	2	–	1			4	–	3	–	2
Richmond	3	–	3	–	1			5	–	3	–	2
Washington and Lee	2	–	2	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Furman	2	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	1
George Washington	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Davidson	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	5	–	1
South Carolina	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
NC State	1	–	4	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
VPI	0	–	6	–	1			0	–	8	–	1
The Citadel	0	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Furman was ranked at No. 154 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System ratings for 1948.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 25	at Washington and Lee	Wilson Field Lexington, VA	W 10–7		[3]
October 1	South Carolina	Sirrine Stadium Greenville, SC	L 0–7		[4]
October 9	Richmond	Sirrine Stadium Greenville, SC	L 0–7	8,000	[5]
October 16	Wofford*	Sirrine Stadium Greenville, SC (rivalry)	T 7–7	7,000	[6]
October 23	The Citadel	Sirrine Stadium Greenville, SC (rivalry)	W 9–0	7,000	[7]
October 30	Florida*	Sirrine Stadium Greenville, SC	L 14–39	6,500	[8]
November 6	at No. 12 Clemson	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	L 0–41	15,000	[9]
November 20	at No. 11 Georgia*	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	L 0–33	17,000	[10]
November 25	at Davidson	American Legion Memorial Stadium Charlotte, NC	L 0–7	8,500	[11]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1948 Furman Paladins Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
2. "Michigan, Irish Finish 1-2 in Litkenhous Ratings". Wilmington Morning News. December 15, 1948. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Furman scores late to defeat Generals 10–7". The State. September 26, 1948. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Gamecocks barely nose out Furman". The Charlotte Observer. October 2, 1948. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Richmond turns back Furman, 7–0, on pass in 4th period". Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. October 9, 1948. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Inspired Terriers almost upset favored Furman". The State. October 17, 1948. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Furman nips Citadel in 9 to 0 battle". The Charlotte Observer. October 24, 1948. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Gators grind out 39–14 win over Furman". Tampa Sunday Tribune. October 31, 1948. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Clemson swamps Furman by 41–0". The News and Observer. November 7, 1948. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Furman wilts as Bulldogs win, 33 to 0". The Macon Telegraph and News. November 21, 1948. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Sheppard big ground gainer as Davidson defeats Furman by 7–0". The Gastonia Gazette. November 26, 1948. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.