The 1908 Florida football team represented the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

during the

1908 college football season The 1908 college football season ran from Saturday, September 19, to November 28. The 1908 Penn Quakers football team, Penn Quakers and the 1908 Harvard Crimson football team, Harvard Crimson each finished the season unbeaten but with one tied. ...

. The season was

Jack Forsythe James Adger "Jack" Forsythe Jr. (August 4, 1882 – April 3, 1957), nicknamed "Pee Wee", was an American college football player and coach. Forsythe has an important place in the history of college athletics in the U.S. state of Florida as the f ...

's third and last as the head coach of the University of Florida football team. Forsythe's 1908 Florida football team posted a record of 5–2–1 in their third varsity season.

Before the season

The team was captained by veteran transfer William Gibbs. It was the first season for a talented Gainesville product, Dummy Taylor. The backfield also included Charlie Bartleson Jim Vidal, and William A. Shands, future state senator and namesake of Shands Hospital. One story of Florida becoming the "

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

" originates in 1908. Gainesville shop owner ordered orange and blue pennants with a gator emblem from the

Michie Company LexisNexis is an American data analytics company headquartered in New York, New York. Its products are various databases that are accessed through online portals, including portals for computer-assisted legal research (CALR), newspaper search, ...

, drawing inspiration from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

Schedule

2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.

Game summaries

Mercer

The Florida football team opened the season with a loss to the Mercer Baptists for the third consecutive season, 24–0. Mercer outweighed Florida by 20 pounds. The starting lineup was Malhorton (left end), Rader (left tackle), Vanfleet (left guard), Parker (center), Videll (right guard), J. Taylor (right tackle), Shands (right end), Thompson (quarterback), Bartleson (left halfback), E. Taylor (right halfback), Gibbs (fullback).

Riverside A. C.

Florida beat the Riverside Athletic Club of

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

twice. The first win was 4–0. Former Gator Roy Corbett coached and played right halfback for Riverside.

Gainesville A. C.

The Gainesville Athletic Club fell to Florida 37–5.

Columbia College

Columbia College of

Lake City Lake City may refer to: Places *Lake City, Arkansas * Lake City, California (disambiguation) *Lake City, Modoc County, California * Lake City, Nevada County, California *Lake City, Colorado *Lake City, Florida * Lake City, Georgia * Lake City, I ...

was beaten 6–0.

Rollins

Florida lost to the state champion

Rollins Tars The Rollins Tars are the athletic teams that represent Rollins College, located in Winter Park, Florida, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Tars, an archaic name for a sailor, compete as members of the Sunshine State Conference (SS ...

5–0. Rollins' Harman broke away for a 30-yard touchdown in the second half.

Stetson

Florida also played the

Stetson Hatters The Stetson Hatters are composed of 18 teams representing Stetson University in intercollegiate athletics. The Hatters compete in the Division I FCS, NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are primary members of the Atlantic ...

for the first time, beating them 6–5 on the Orange and Blue's home field in Gainesville. Dummy Taylor's extra point decided the win over Stetson, after a Charlie Bartleson touchdown run.

Riverside A. C.

The second win over Riverside was 37–0.

Stetson

Florida tied Stetson 0–0 in a rematch on the Hatters' home field in DeLand, Florida. The starting lineup was Moody (left end), Taylor (left tackle), Shands (left guard), Parker (center), McMillan (right guard), Rader (right tackle), Haughton (right end), Bartleson (quarterback), Gibbs (left halfback), E. Taylor (right halfback), Vidal (fullback).

Postseason

Forsythe finished his three-year tenure as Florida's football coach with an overall record of 14–6–2.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Florida Gators football navbox

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

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