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1961 Florida Gators football
1961 Florida Gators football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	4–5–1 (3–3 SEC)
Head coach	Ray Graves (2nd season);
Captain	Jim Beaver
Home stadium	Florida Field
	Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

1961 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 Alabama +	7	–	0	–	0	11	–	0	–	0
No. 4 LSU +	6	–	0	–	0	10	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Ole Miss	5	–	1	–	0	9	–	2	–	0
No. 13 Georgia Tech	4	–	3	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Tennessee	4	–	3	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Florida	3	–	3	–	0	4	–	5	–	1
Auburn	3	–	4	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Georgia	2	–	5	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
Mississippi State	1	–	5	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Tulane	1	–	5	–	0	2	–	8	–	0
Vanderbilt	1	–	6	–	0	2	–	8	–	0

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1961 Florida Gators football team was an American football team that represented the University of Florida as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1961 college football season. In their second year under head coach Ray Graves, the Gators compiled a 4–5–1 record (3–3 in conference games), finished in sixth place in the SEC, and outscored opponents by a total of 146 to 97.^[1]^[2]

The Gators attempted LSU coach Paul Dietzel's three-platoon system.^[3]

The team's statistical leaders included Tom Batten (460 passing yards), Don Goodman (455 rushing yards), and Larry Libertore (671 yards total offense). Other notable players included Lindy Infante (369 rushing yards).^[4]

The team played its home games at Florida Field in Gainesville, Florida.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	Clemson*	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	W 21–7	42,000	^[5]
September 30	Florida State*	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	T 3–3	46,000	^[6]
October 6	at Tulane	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 14–3	30,000	^[7]
October 14	at Rice*	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	L 10–19	32,000	^[8]
October 21	at Vanderbilt	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	W 7–0	18,000	^[9]
October 28	No. 7 LSU	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	L 0–23	46,000	^[10]
November 4	at No. 7 Georgia Tech	Grant Field Atlanta, GA	L 0–20	44,940	^[11]
November 11	vs. Georgia	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	W 21–14	47,000	^[12]
November 25	at Auburn	Cliff Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)	L 15–32	33,000	^[13]
December 2	Miami (FL)*	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	L 6–15	42,000	^[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[1]^[15]

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.^[4]

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.^[4]

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).^[4]

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.^[4]

The leading receivers were Russ Brown (13 passes, 239 yards), Bob Hoover (9 receptions, 213 yards), and Lindy Infante (11 receptions, 129 yards).^[4]

Awards and honors

Tackle Jim Beaver was selected as the team captain.^[16]

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.^[17]^[18]

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

^[19]

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

^ ^a ^b 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.
^ "1961 Florida Gators Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
^ Golenbock 2002, p. 147
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "1961 Florida Gators Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
^ "Libertore, Infante lead Florida". Pensacola News Journal. September 24, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "FSU gets biggest kick out of 3–3 'victory'". St. Petersburg Times. October 1, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Young Gators play Tulane executioners". The Tampa Tribune. October 7, 1961. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Owl pass thefts, power runs rip Florida by 19–10". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 14, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Gators eke out 7–0 win over Vanderbilt". Fort Myers News-Press. October 22, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "High ranked Tigers convince Gators with 23–0 win". The Tampa Tribune. October 29, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Revenge-minded Jackets thumo Florida, 20–0". The Orlando Sentinel. November 6, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Florida stages rally in last 5 minutes, trims Georgia by 21–14". Chattanooga Sunday Times. November 12, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Auburn wins wiers tilt from Florida by 32–15". The Selma Times-Journal. November 26, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Mira cranks up, Miami gets win". The Nashville Tennessean. December 3, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Department of Sports Publicity. "University of Florida 1962 Football Brochure" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
^ "Beaver Elected Captain Of 1961 Football Gators". Tampa Bay Times. February 8, 1961. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "AP's All-SEC". The Monroe News-Star. December 5, 1961. p. 8. Retrieved June 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "UPI All-Southeastern". The Delta Democrat-Times. November 29, 1961. p. 12. Retrieved June 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Edwin Pope (September 10, 1961). "Day of Miracles Is Past in Gainesville". The Miami Herald. p. 4J – via Newspapers.com.

Bibliography

Golenbock, Peter (2002). Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory. St. Petersburg, Florida: Legends Publishing, LLC. ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.