Great Games: 1951 Alabama
Tuesday, September 26, 2006 | Football
As part of the celebration of the 100th season of Florida football, gatorzone.com will run a series of historical features throughout the preseason and the 2006 campaign. The series will give Gator fans an appreciation and understanding of the past teams and players that helped build the Gator football program.
During preseason practice, readers can learn about ground-breaking Florida teams of the past on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the “Great Teams and Eras” series. In addition to those stories, each Friday from the beginning of preseason practice until the season's first game will feature a look at one of Florida's legendary players as part of the “Gator Greats” series.
Once the season is underway, the look back in time will continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays with “Rivalries and Series” and “Great Games” entries relevant to the week's opponent. Occasionally, additional stories will be unveiled on Wednesday of game weeks when the opportunity arises.
As the 2006 football season approaches, take some time to sit back and reflect on the teams, players and moments that all lead up to this, the 100th season of Florida Gator football.
By Norm Carlson
Tuscaloosa, Alabama on November 24, 1951 was an unlikely location and date for the Florida Gators to record their first win over Alabama in 24 years, but it happened, 30-21.
It was the last game of the season for the Gators, who came in with a three-game losing streak in which they managed a total of only 18 points. Bob Woodruff, who was in his second season as the new head coach rebuilding from the “Golden Era” following World War II, was certainly no offensive guru. His forte was defense.
Alabama featured Bobby Marlowe and Cecil Hobson, two of the best running backs in the south. The Crimson Tide was heavily-favored at this Homecoming Day game.
Coach Woodruff and the Gators had nothing to lose that day and “opened up” the offense. Quarterback Haywood Sullivan threw 16 passes, virtually every one of them right on the button, and kept the Tide defense off-balance all afternoon to open the running room for backs Buford Long and Rick Casares.
Still, it was the Florida defense that stole the show, intercepting three passes – one of them a TD return by Bill Wester to seal the victory – and making a gallant goal-line stand in the third quarter that completely took the momentum away from Alabama.
Alabama took an early 7-0 lead by driving 82 yards with the opening kickoff. Florida got a turnover at the Tide 33 moments later, setting up a drive which resulted in a 10-yard TD run by Long.
On its next possession Alabama struck for a 73-yard touchdown pass, one of only six they would complete all day and almost all of their final yardage in the air. Then the Gators drove and Long scored again on an 8-yard run.
Casares missed the extra point. Then Alabama came right back to score in the closing seconds of the second quarter for a 21-13 halftime lead in a surprisingly good football game.
Sullivan's third-quarter passes got Florida quickly back in the game. He connected with co-captain Jim French for a 45-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-20 by the end of that quarter.
The defense turned the game around during that period. A long 'Bama drive put them at the Gator one-yard line with four downs to make the touchdown. The Tide wound up at the two-yard line.
Then the Gators drove 95 yards to set up a short field goal by Casares, giving them their first lead of the day early in the fourth quarter, 23-21. Wester's interception and TD return made it 30-21 and Alabama, disheartened by the Florida defensive stand, never made another threat on offense.
Charlie LaPradd, Art Wright, Joe D'Agostino, Jack O'Brien and the other Gator defenders had won the battle in the trenches.
The victory, witnessed by the Gainesville Quarterback Club members who came on their fall trip by train, was met with wild enthusiasm in Gainesville. A bonfire at 13th and University brought out the town police.
Mayor-Commissioner Fred Cone called for the citizens to greet the team on Sunday afternoon when they arrived at Municipal Airport. He said, in the Gainesville Daily Sun, that “It was a tremendous victory and I think that all of us who are not otherwise occupied at 2:45 p.m. today should turn out and show the boys, by our presence and vociferous welcome, that we appreciate their performance.”
The season-ending win set the tone for the outstanding 1952 season which resulted in Florida's first bowl appearance. Sullivan, the quarterback with such great potential, signed a pro baseball bonus with the Boston Red Sox and departed school a year early, but Doug Dickey stepped in at the position and one of the school's best all-time backfields lined up behind him – Long, Casares and J. (Papa) Hall.
Florida has now won five times in Tuscaloosa, three of those at an Alabama Homecoming game.
