1961 Florida Gators football team

Schedule

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Season summary

Florida State

Florida State's upstart football program stunned the Gators on this day with a 3-3 tie. Ray Graves, the Florida Coach, likened the result to a "death in the family," Roy Bickford was the star for the Seminoles and was named the game MVP. Bickford blocked a punt to set up the Seminoles lone FG, intercepted a pass deep in FSU territory to avert a sure UF score, and had another interception on UF's last scoring drive.--

Statistics

The Gators gained an average of 142.2 rushing yards and 101.7 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 144.9 rushing yards and 82.0 passing yards per game.

Quarterback Larry Libertore, who weighed only 138 pounds, led th etam with 671 yards of total offense. He completed 18 of 52 passes (34.6%) for 330 yards with two touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 73.7 quarterback rating. He also tallied 341 rushing yards on 120 carries for an average of 2.8 yards per carry.

The team's rushing leaders included fullback Don Goodman (455 yards, 111 carries, 4.1-yard average) and halfback Lindy Infante (369 yards, 85 carries, 4.3-yard average).

The team's passing leader was Tom Batten who completed 30 of 67 passes (44.8%) for 460 yards with three touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 102.3 quarterback rating.

The leading receivers were Russ Brown (13 passes, 239 yards), Bob Hoover (9 receptions, 213 yards), and Lindy Infante (11 receptions, 129 yards).

Awards and honors

Tackle Jim Beaver was selected as the team captain.

Two Florida players were recognized on the 1961 All-SEC football team. Tackle Jim Beaver received second-team honors from the United Press International (UPI) and third-team honors from the Associated Press (AP). Halfback Don Goodman received third-team honors from both the AP and UPI.

Personnel

Players

• Tom Batten, quarterback, junior, 5'11", 158 pounds, Miami, FL
• Jim Beaver, tackle and captain, senior, 6'1", 226 pounds, West Palm Beach, FL
• Russ Brown, end, sophomore, 6'2", 195 pounds, Miami, FL
• Bruce Culpepper, center, junior, 6'1", 225 pounds, Tallahassee, FL
• Floyd Dean, tackle, junior, 6'4", 230 pounds, Eagle Lake, FL
• Bobby Dodd Jr., quarterback, junior, 6'0", 173 pounds, Atlanta, GA
• Wade Entzminger, guard, junior, 5'10", 188 pounds, Tampa, FL
• Don Goodman, fullback, senior, 6'0", 197 pounds, Miami, FL
• Walt Hickenlooper, halfback, junior, 5'11", 170 pounds, Palatka, FL
• Sam Holland, end, junior, 6'1", 190 pounds, Key West, FL
• Bob Hoover, halfback, junior, 6'0", 197 pounds, Jacksonville, FL
• Lindy Infante, halfback, junior, 5'11", 178 pounds, Miami, FL
• Larry Libertore, quarterback, junior, 5'8", 138 pounds, Miami, FL
• Jim O'Donnell, fullback, sophomore, 5'11", 188 pounds, Clearwater, FL
• Fred Pearson, tackle, sophomore, 6'2", 225 pounds, Ocala, FL
• Anton Peters, tackle, junior, 6'4", 228 pounds, Tampa, FL
• Tom Smith, end, senior, 6'2", 193 pounds, Atlanta, GA
• Ron Stoner, halfback, junior, 5'10", 175 pounds, Troy, OH
• Jack Thompson, guard, sophomore, 5'9", 180 pounds, Savannah, GA
• Larry Travis, guard, junior, 6'0", 205 pounds, Miami, FL

Coaches and administrators

• Head coach: Ray Graves (2nd season)
• Assistant coaches: Pepper Rodgers (offensive backfield coach), Jim Powell (ends coach), John F. (Jack) Green (defensive line coach), Jimmy Dunn (backfield coach), John Donaldson (defensive backfield coach)

References

Bibliography

References

1. ''[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. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.)
2. "1961 Florida Gators Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC.
3. {{Harvnb. Golenbock. 2002
4. "1961 Florida Gators Stats". Sports Reference LLC.
5. (September 24, 1961). "Libertore, Infante lead Florida". Pensacola News Journal.
6. (October 1, 1961). "FSU gets biggest kick out of 3–3 'victory'". St. Petersburg Times.
7. (October 7, 1961). "Young Gators play Tulane executioners". The Tampa Tribune.
8. (October 14, 1961). "Owl pass thefts, power runs rip Florida by 19–10". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
9. (October 22, 1961). "Gators eke out 7–0 win over Vanderbilt". Fort Myers News-Press.
10. (October 29, 1961). "High ranked Tigers convince Gators with 23–0 win". The Tampa Tribune.
11. (November 6, 1961). "Revenge-minded Jackets thumo Florida, 20–0". The Orlando Sentinel.
12. (November 12, 1961). "Florida stages rally in last 5 minutes, trims Georgia by 21–14". Chattanooga Sunday Times.
13. (November 26, 1961). "Auburn wins wiers tilt from Florida by 32–15". The Selma Times-Journal.
14. (December 3, 1961). "Mira cranks up, Miami gets win". The Nashville Tennessean.
15. "University of Florida 1962 Football Brochure". University Athletic Association, Inc..
16. "FSU Grabs 'Toehold', 3-3 - Libertore, Gators Get Scalped" - Daytona Beach Morning Journal, Oct. 1, 1961
17. (February 8, 1961). "Beaver Elected Captain Of 1961 Football Gators". Tampa Bay Times.
18. (December 5, 1961). "AP's All-SEC". The Monroe News-Star.
19. (November 29, 1961). "UPI All-Southeastern". The Delta Democrat-Times.
20. Edwin Pope. (September 10, 1961). "Day of Miracles Is Past in Gainesville". The Miami Herald.