Florida Gators football , 1950 – 59 The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football . The University of Florida fielded its first official varsity football team in the fall of 1906 , and has fielded a team every season since then , with the exception of 1943 . During the 1950s , the Gators competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) and the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) , and played their home games at Florida Field on the university ' s Gainesville , Florida campus . This article includes a game - by - game list of the Florida Gators ' ten football seasons from 1950 to 1959 . During the 1950s , the Gators were coached by G . Robert " Bob " Woodruff ( 1950 – 1959 ) , who compiled an overall record of 53 – 42 – 6 ( . 555 ) during the decade . 1950 . Season overview . The 1950 college football season was Bob Woodruff ' s first of ten as the new head coach of the Florida Gators football team . Woodruff was a former college football player and assistant for coach Robert Neyland ' s Tennessee Volunteers , who made his name as an up - and - coming young head coach leading the Baylor Bears for three seasons in the late 1940s . Like Neyland , Woodruff emphasized stout defense , the kicking game and a ball control offense . The highlights of the season included two Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) victories over the Auburn Tigers ( 27 – 7 ) and the thirteenth - ranked Vanderbilt Commodores ( 31 – 27 ) — the first season since 1940 in which the Gators won two or more SEC games . The Gators ' twentieth ranking after the Vanderbilt game marked their first - ever appearance in the top twenty of the weekly Associated Press Poll . Woodruff ' s 1950 Florida Gators finished 5 – 5 overall and 2 – 4 in the SEC , placing tenth among twelve conference teams . 1951 . Season overview . The 1951 college football season was Bob Woodruff ' s second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The highlights of the season included two intersectional victories over the Wyoming Cowboys ( 13 – 0 ) and the Loyola Lions ( 40 – 7 ) , and two Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) victories over the Vanderbilt Commodores ( 33 – 13 ) during Florida ' s Homecoming and the Alabama Crimson Tide ( 30 – 21 ) in Tuscaloosa , Alabama . For the second year in a row , Woodruff ' s 1951 Florida Gators finished 5 – 5 overall and 2 – 4 in the SEC , placing ninth among twelve conference teams . 1952 . Season overview . The 1952 college football season was Bob Woodruff ' s third and most successful as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The Gators were led by fullback Rick Casares , halfback J . " Pappa " Hall , alternating quarterback s Doug Dickey and Fred Robinson , and All - American lineman Charlie LaPradd . The season ' s many highlights included a 54 – 13 blowout of the Clemson Tigers , conference victories over the Georgia Bulldogs ( 30 – 0 ) , Auburn Tigers ( 31 – 21 ) and Kentucky Wildcats ( 27 – 0 ) , and another blowout of the in - state rival Miami Hurricanes ( 43 – 6 ) . Woodruff ' s 1952 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 8 – 3 and a Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) record of 3 – 3 , placing sixth among twelve SEC teams . The season ended with the Gators ' first appearance in a NCAA - sanctioned bowl game , a closely matched 14 – 13 Gator Bowl victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on January 1 , 1953 , in which star fullback Rick Casares kicked the winning extra points for the margin of victory . 1953 . Season overview . The 1953 college football season was the fourth for Bob Woodruff as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The 1953 season was a year of rebuilding and backsliding after the graduation of All - American Charlie LaPradd and the loss of fullback Rick Casares to the U . S . Army . The highlight of the season was the Gators ' second consecutive victory over the Georgia Bulldogs , but the Gators began a pattern of agonizingly close losses to the Rice Owls ( 16 – 20 ) , Auburn Tigers ( 7 – 16 ) , Tennessee Volunteers ( 7 – 9 ) and Miami Hurricanes ( 10 – 14 ) , as well as two ties with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets ( 0 – 0 ) and LSU Tigers ( 21 – 21 ) . Woodruff ' s 1953 Florida Gators finished with a 3 – 5 – 2 overall record and a 1 – 3 – 2 record in the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) , placing ninth of twelve SEC teams . 1954 . Season overview . The 1954 college football season was the fifth for Bob Woodruff as the Florida Gators football team ' s head coach . The Gators ' standout players included running back Mal Hammack . The season was one of mixed results for the Gators : their best - ever Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) win - loss record , balanced by five overall losses . The highlights of the season were five SEC wins over the fifth - ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets ( 13 – 12 ) , Auburn Tigers ( 19 – 13 ) , Kentucky Wildcats ( 21 – 7 ) , Mississippi State Bulldogs ( 7 – 0 ) and Tennessee Volunteers ( 14 – 0 ) . Woodruff ' s 1954 Florida Gators finished 5 – 5 overall and 5 – 2 in the SEC , placing third in the twelve - team conference — their best SEC showing to date . 1955 . Season overview . The 1955 college football season was Bob Woodruff ' s sixth as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The Gators played their only eight - game Southeastern Conference schedule before the 1990s , and probably the most difficult of the 1950s . The standout Gator players included offensive and defensive tackle John Barrow , halfback and punter Don Chandler , two - way halfback Jackie Simpson and defensive back John Symank . The highlights of the 1955 season included three conference victories over the Mississippi State Bulldogs ( 20 – 14 ) , LSU Tigers ( 18 – 14 ) and Georgia Bulldogs ( 19 – 13 ) . The Gators closed out the season with a knife ' s edge 6 – 7 road loss to the Miami Hurricanes in their home stadium in Miami , Florida . Woodruff ' s 1955 Florida Gators finished 4 – 6 overall and 3 – 5 in the SEC , placing tenth of twelve teams in the conference . 1956 . Season overview . The 1956 college football season was the seventh for Bob Woodruff as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The Gators were led by All - American tackle John Barrow , quarterback Jimmy Dunn , two - way halfback s Joe Brodsky , Bernie Parrish , Jim Rountree and Jackie Simpson , and defensive back John Symank . The highlights of the season included conference road wins over the Mississippi State Bulldogs ( 26 – 0 ) in Starkville , Mississippi , the Vanderbilt Commodores 21 – 7 in Nashville , Tennessee , and the LSU Tigers 21 – 6 in Baton Rouge , Louisiana , a shutout Homecoming victory over the Auburn Tigers ( 20 – 0 ) , and a second consecutive win over the Georgia Bulldogs ( 28 – 0 ) . Woodruff ' s 1956 Florida Gators started a promising 6 – 1 – 1 , but lost their final two games to finish 6 – 3 – 1 overall and 5 – 2 in the Southeastern Conference , placing third in the SEC among twelve teams . 1957 . Season overview . The 1957 college football season was Bob Woodruff ' s eighth as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The 1957 season was the last time the Gators would play only nine games in a season . Ten games were scheduled , but the season opener against the UCLA Bruins was canceled when most of the Gators team members were suffering from a serious bout of influenza . The Gators were led by quarterback Jimmy Dunn , two - way halfback s Bernie Parrish and Jim Rountree . The highlights of the season included a home - opener victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons ( 27 – 0 ) , four conference wins over the Kentucky Wildcats ( 14 – 7 ) , LSU Tigers ( 22 – 14 ) , Georgia Bulldogs ( 22 – 0 ) and Vanderbilt Commodores ( 14 – 7 ) , and a road win over the in - state rival Miami Hurricanes ( 14 – 0 ) in Miami , Florida . Of the Gators ' two losses , one was a 0 – 13 shutout by coach Shug Jordan ' s national champion Auburn Tigers . Woodruff ' s 1957 Florida Gators finished their abbreviated season with an overall record of 6 – 2 – 1 and a Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) record of 4 – 2 – 1 , tying for third place among the twelve SEC teams . 1958 . Season overview . The 1958 college football season was the ninth of ten for Bob Woodruff as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The Gators were led by quarterback Jimmy Dunn , defensive back Don Fleming , halfback and punter Bobby Joe Green and All - American tackle Vel Heckman . The season ' s highlights included an intersectional victory over the UCLA Bruins ( 21 – 14 ) on the road in Los Angeles , California , two conference wins over the Tulane Green Wave ( 34 – 14 ) and Georgia Bulldogs ( 7 – 6 ) , a rivalry game upset over the Miami Hurricanes ( 12 – 9 ) , and a first - time victory over the new in - state rival Florida State Seminoles ( 21 – 7 ) . The six wins were balanced by a series of three close and disappointing losses to the eleventh - ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs ( 7 – 14 ) , the consensus national champion LSU Tigers ( 7 – 10 ) , and the fourth - ranked Auburn Tigers ( 5 – 6 ) , and a tie with the Vanderbilt Commodores ( 6 – 6 ) . Woodruff ' s 1958 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 6 – 4 – 1 and a Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) record of 2 – 2 – 1 , placing eighth in the twelve - member SEC . The Gators capped the year with a season - ending 3 – 7 loss to the eleventh - ranked Ole Miss Rebels in a defensive struggle in the December 1958 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville , Florida . 1959 . Season overview . The 1959 college football season was Bob Woodruff ' s tenth and last year as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team . The Gators celebrated a close conference win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs ( 14 – 13 ) , and suffered close conference defeats to the Vanderbilt Commodores ( 6 – 13 ) , the top - ranked LSU Tigers ( 0 – 9 ) and the eighth - ranked Auburn Tigers ( 0 – 6 ) . Woodruff finished his tenure on a high note , with the Gators ' victories over the Florida State Seminoles ( 18 – 8 ) and the twelfth - ranked Miami Hurricanes ( 23 – 14 ) , their primary in - state rivals . Woodruff ' s 1959 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 5 – 4 – 1 and a Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) record of 2 – 4 , placing ninth among twelve SEC teams . Despite having returned the Gators to competitive respectability within the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) in his ten seasons as the Gators ' coach and athletic director , University of Florida president J . Wayne Reitz declined to renew Woodruff ' s contract in 1959 after two previous contract extensions . Woodruff returned to the University of Tennessee , his alma mater , in 1963 , where he became the long - time athletic director of the Tennessee Volunteers sports program .