1917 Florida Gators football team

1917 Florida Gators football
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1917 record	2–4 (1–3 11th SIAA)
Head coach	Alfred L. Buser
Assistant coach	Rex Farrior
Captain	Artie Fuller, Rowdy Bill Wilkinson
Uniform
Seasons ← 1916 1918 →

1917 SIAA football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Georgia Tech $	4	–	0	–	0			9	–	0	–	0
Auburn	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	1
Clemson	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Mississippi A&M	3	–	1	–	0			6	–	1	–	0
Sewanee	3	–	1	–	1			4	–	2	–	2
Alabama	2	–	1	–	1			5	–	2	–	1
Tulane	2	–	1	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Vanderbilt	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
LSU	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Wofford	1	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Furman	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Florida	1	–	3	–	0			2	–	4	–	0
Ole Miss	1	–	4	–	0			1	–	4	–	1
Howard	0	–	2	–	1			0	–	2	–	1
The Citadel	0	–	2	–	0			3	–	3	–	0
Mississippi College	0	–	4	–	0			0	–	4	–	0
$ – Conference champion There were several SIAA schools that did not field a team due to World War I.

South Carolina at Florida

1 2 3 4 Total South Carolina 0 7 0 6 13 • Florida 0 0 21 0 21 Date: October 13 Location: Gainesville, FL Referee: Street (W&L) Sources:

Tulane at Florida

1 2 3 4 Total • Tulane 7 20 18 6 51 Florida 0 0 0 0 0 Date: October 20 Location: Gainesville, FL Referee: John Counselman Sources:

Florida Southern at Florida

1 2 3 4 Total Southern 0 0 7 0 7 • Florida 6 0 6 7 19 Date: October 27 Location: Gainesville, FL Referee: Ted Arnold Sources:

Florida at Auburn

1 2 3 4 Total Florida 0 0 0 0 0 • Auburn 14 19 21 14 68 Date: November 6 Location: Auburn, AL Referee: Tom Dutton Sources:

Clemson at Florida

1 2 3 4 Total • Clemson 21 7 20 7 55 Florida 0 0 0 7 7 Date: November 17 Location: Jacksonville, FL Referee: Streit (Auburn) Sources:

Florida at Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total Florida 0 0 0 0 0 • Kentucky 13 13 20 6 52 Date: November 29 Location: Stoll Field Lexington, KY Referee: Swain (Dickerson) Sources:

The 1917 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1917 college football season. The season was Alfred L. "Al" Buser's first of three as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The 1917 season was a disappointment. Buser's 1917 Florida Gators completed their football season with an SIAA conference record of 1–3 and an overall record of 2–4.

Coach Buser was a former All-American lineman for the Wisconsin Badgers, and promised to bring a Midwestern power football style of play to revive the Gators after the winless 1916 season. Captain "Rowdy Bill" Wilkinson was the team's only returning letterman.

Primary source: 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide.

On opening day, Florida came from behind with three touchdowns in the third quarter to beat South Carolina 21–13, the season's only Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) victory.

The starting lineup was Clemmons (left end), Wurtrich (left tackle), Connell (left guard), Wells (center), Swink (right guard), Brannon (right tackle), Thomas (right end), Fuller (quarterback), Wilkinson (left halfback), Ball (right halfback), Lightsey (fullback).

Tulane overwhelmed the Gators 52–0, several times skirting the ends for long gains. The Gators were frequently penalized for offsides and hurdling.

The starting lineup was Clemmons (left end), Wurtrich (left tackle), Connell (left guard), Wells (center), Otto (right guard), Brannon (right tackle), Thomas (right end), Fuller (quarterback), Wilkinson (left halfback), Ball (right halfback), Lightsey (fullback).

The Gators extended their winning streak over the Florida Southern Moccasins to four games, winning 19–7. After the first ten minutes, Florida replaced its backfield with second-string men.

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