1971 Florida Gators football team
The 1971 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. The season was Doug Dickey's second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Dickey's 1971 Florida Gators finished with a 4–7 overall record and a 1–6 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), tying for eighth among ten SEC teams.[2]
| 1971 Florida Gators football | |
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| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| 1971 record | 4–7 (1–6 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Jimmy Dunn (2nd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Doug Knotts (2nd season) |
| Captain | Harvin Clark Tommy Durrance John Reaves |
| Home stadium | Florida Field (Capacity: 61,200)[1] |
| 1971 Southeastern Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Alabama $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Georgia | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Auburn | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Ole Miss | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Tennessee | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 LSU | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 11 | vs. Duke* | L 6–12 | 51,477 | |
| September 18 | at Mississippi State | L 10–13 | 33,500 | |
| September 25 | No. 8 Alabama | L 0–38 | 61,832 | |
| October 2 | No. 12 Tennessee |
| L 13–20 | 61,112 |
| October 9 | at No. 16 LSU | L 7–48 | 67,055 | |
| October 16 | No. 19 Florida State* |
| W 17–15 | 65,109 |
| October 23 | Maryland* |
| W 27–23 | 53,021 |
| October 30 | at No. 5 Auburn | L 7–40 | 63,500 | |
| November 6 | vs. No. 7 Georgia | L 7–49 | 67,383 | |
| November 13 | Kentucky |
| W 35–24 | 45,268 |
| November 27 | at Miami (FL)* | W 45–16 | 37,710 | |
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Primary source: 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide[2]
Attendance figures: 1972 University of Florida Football Brochure.[3]
Personnel
| 1971 Florida Gators football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Game summaries
Duke
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Mississippi State
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Alabama
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Against the Gators, Alabama's Johnny Musso scored four rushing touchdowns en route to a 38–0 shutout at Florida Field.[6][7] After Bill Davis gave the Crimson Tide a 3–0 lead with his first quarter field goal, Musso scored Alabama's next four touchdowns and extended their lead to 31–0.[6][7] All four came on the ground with a pair from one-yard out, a three-yard run and a five-yard run.[6][7] Alabama then closed the game with an 11-yard Billy Sexton touchdown pass to Dexter Wood that made the final score 38–0.[6][7]
The four touchdowns scored by Musso on the ground set a new school record for rushing touchdowns. Additionally, the shutout was the first for the Crimson Tide defense since their 17–0 victory in 1967 over South Carolina.[7]
Tennessee
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| Florida | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Florida Field, Gainesville, Florida
- Date: October 2, 1971
- Game attendance: 61,112
- New York Times, 1971 Oct 03.
| Game information | ||
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Florida State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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| Florida St | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Florida | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
at Florida Field, Gainesville, Florida
- Date: October 16, 1971
- Game weather: Overcast
- Game attendance: 65,109
- Recap/Box Score
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Maryland
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Auburn
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Georgia
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Kentucky
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Miami (FL)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 7 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 45 |
| Miami (FL) | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Date: November 27, 1971
- Game attendance: 37,710
- Box Score
The disappointing season ended on a controversial note. With the Gators leading the Miami Hurricanes 45–8 late in the fourth quarter of the last game of the season, senior quarterback John Reaves was just 14 yards short of the NCAA career record for passing yardage, but Miami had the ball and seemed destined to run out the clock. At the urging of Florida defensive captain Harvin Clark, Dickey agreed to permit the Gators defense to allow the Hurricanes to score, thus returning the ball to the Gators offense and giving Reaves a chance to break the record. Dubbed the "Florida Flop" or "Gator Flop", the move worked. When Miami snapped the ball from the Florida 8-yard line, the Gators instantly flopped to the turf, allowing Miami quarterback John Hornibrook to walk uncontested into the endzone. Florida's offense got one more possession, and Reeves promptly broke the record with a pass to favorite target Carlos Alvarez. After the game, many Gator players celebrated by jumping into the pool at the Orange Bowl's east end zone used by the Miami Dolphins' live mascot, Flipper.
Miami coach Fran Curci was so angered by the turn of events that he refused to shake Dickey's hand. In a post-game interview, he called the actions "bush league" and declared that "what Doug Dickey did shows absolutely no class."[12][13][14]
References
- Sports Publicity Department. "1971 University of Florida Football Brochure" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- Sports Publicity Department. "1972 University of Florida Football Brochure" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- "Duke Boots Top Gators." Ocala Star-Banner. 1971 Sept 12.
- Ocala Star-Banner. 1971 September 19.
- Reed, Delbert (September 26, 1971). "High Tide in Florida". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News Archives. p. 1B. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- Tucker, Tommy (September 26, 1971). "Musso leads Alabama romp by hapless Florida, 38–0". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Google News Archives. p. 1C. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- Palm Beach Post. 1971 Oct. 24.
- Palm Beach Post. 1971 Oct 31.
- Ocala Star-Banner. 1971 Nov 7.
- Ocala Star-Banner. 1971 Nov 14.
- Paul Lukas, "The stories behind the 1971 Gator Flop", ESPN.com (September 16, 2010). Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- Randall Mell, "It was humiliating", Orlando Sun-Sentinel (December 20, 2000). Retrieved March 30, 2014.
- "Contemporary TV coverage of Florida Flop (youtube)". Retrieved March 30, 2014.