1953 Gator Bowl

1953 Gator Bowl
Tulsa Golden Hurricane Florida Gators
(8–1–1) (7–3)
MVC SEC
13 14
Head coach: 
Buddy Brothers		 Head coach: 
Bob Woodruff
APCoaches
12NR
APCoaches
15NR
1234 Total
Tulsa 0076 13
Florida 7700 14
DateJanuary 1, 1953
Season1952
StadiumGator Bowl
LocationJacksonville, Florida
MVPRB John Hall (Florida)
T Marv Matuszak (Tulsa)
RefereeRonald Gibbs (MVC;
split crew: MVC, SEC)
Attendance30,015 (26,500 paid)[1]
Gator Bowl
 < 1952 1954 > 

The 1953 Gator Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the Missouri Valley Conference and the Florida Gators representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Florida defeated Tulsa, 14–13.[2] This was the Gators' first appearance in an NCAA-sanctioned bowl game.

Game summary

An extra point by Rick Casares proved the difference. Florida outrushed the Golden Hurricane 233 to 182, while Tulsa outpassed the Gators 132 to 101. The Golden Hurricane turned the ball over twice, while Florida turned it over five times. This was the first Gator Bowl where more than one player was awarded MVP honors, which was done until 2011.[3]

The attendance for the game was 30,015.[4]

Scoring summary

  • Florida - Rick Casares, 2-yard touchdown run (Casares kick)
  • Florida - J. Hall, 37-yard touchdown pass from Fred Robinson (Casares kick)
  • Tulsa - J. C. Roberts. 3-yard touchdown run (Tom Miner kick)
  • Tulsa - Howard Waugh, 2-yard touchdown run (kick failed)

Game statistics

  • First Downs — Florida 20, Tulsa 17
  • Yards Rushing — Florida 233, Tulsa 182
  • Yards Passing — Florida 101, Tulsa 132
  • Passing Completions-Attempts — Florida 7–11; Tulsa 10–16
  • Penalty Yards — Florida 34, Tulsa 84
  • Turnovers — Florida 5, Tulsa 2
  • Punts — Florida 1, Tulsa 4

References

  1. ^ John H. Turner, "Gators Weather Hurricane Touchdowns in Second Half, Salvage 14–13 Bowl Victory," Tulsa World, Jan. 2, 1953, pp. 1, 44.
  2. ^ "MGGC Online". Angelfire. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "Missed conversion nips Tulsa, 14–13". The Ponca City News. January 2, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.