Rainey Cawthon

Rainey Blackwell Cawthon (October 30, 1907 – April 11, 1991) was an American football player and coach for the Florida Gators of the University of Florida. Cawthon was a member of Florida's "Phantom Four" backfield with Clyde Crabtree, Carl Brumbaugh, and Royce Goodbread in 1928 which led the nation with 336 points scored.[1] He was also captain of the 1929 Florida team,[2][3][4] and selected second-team for the composite All-Southern that year.[5] He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."[6] Cawthon was also active in the affairs of Florida State University, and was elected to the FSU Hall of Fame in 1987.[7]

Rainey Cawthon
Cawthon in 1956
Florida Gators – No. 40
PositionHalfback/Fullback
Class1929
Career history
CollegeFlorida (1927–1929)
High schoolTallahassee (FL) Leon
Personal information
Born:(1907-10-30)October 30, 1907
Florida
Died:November 11, 1991(1991-11-11) (aged 84)
Tallahassee, Florida
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career highlights and awards
  • All-Southern (1929)
  • University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame
  • FSU Hall of Fame

Early years

He attended Leon High School.[8] Later college teammates Ben Clemons and Ed Sauls were high school teammates.

University of Florida
Cawthon on the beach.

Cawthon was a prominent running back for Tom Sebring and Charlie Bachman's Florida Gators varsity football teams from 1927 to 1929. In Cawthon's sophomore year and first on the varsity, he suffered a broken wrist. Despite this he saw regular service in the backfield by the second game, and completed a 53-yard pass against Mercer.[9] In 1928, Cawthon scored a safety against North Carolina State,[10] a touchdown against Sewanee, and a touchdown against Clemson. He also had a 40-yard run in the 26–6 win over Georgia in Savannah,[11] the first-ever victory over the Bulldogs in school history.

See also
  • List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members

References
  1. "Cawthon to Coach [sic]". The Rattle of Theta Chi. 19: 37. 1930.
  2. "'Gator Squad Has Four Benedicts". Altoona Tribune. November 15, 1929. p. 20. Retrieved September 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Wealth of Backfield Talent Awaits Gator Grid Coach This Fall". The Evening Independent. August 20, 1929. p. 9.
  4. "Capt. Cawthon Out For While, 2 Others Down". Miami News. September 19, 1929.
  5. "Tulane, Alabama, Vandy, and Tennessee Win Two Positions On Honor Team". The Bee. December 4, 1929.
  6. F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  7. "Rainey Cawthon Bio".
  8. "Leon High School football team".
  9. "Tau Banquets Sixteen Pledges". The Rattle of Theta Chi. 16 (2): 71. 1927.
  10. "Florida Defeats North Carolina By Score 14 to 7". Kingsport Times. October 28, 1928. p. 6. Retrieved August 16, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "'Gator Eleven Sweeps Over Bulldogs 26-0 (sic)". Anniston Star. November 11, 1928. Retrieved August 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
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