1906 Florida football team

1906 Florida football
ConferenceIndependent
Record5–3
Head coach
Offensive schemeMinnesota shift
CaptainThomas Guy Hancock
Home stadiumThe Ballpark
Seasons
1907 →
1906 Southern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
The Citadel     3 0 0
Kendall     2 0 0
Catholic University     1 0 0
Georgetown     6 1 0
Texas A&M     6 1 0
Delaware     5 1 0
Navy     8 2 2
Southwestern Louisiana Industrial     1 0 1
Stetson     3 1 0
Virginia     7 2 2
Howard (AL)     6 2 1
Oklahoma     5 2 2
VPI     5 2 2
Kentucky State     4 3 0
Davidson     3 2 2
Florida     5 3 0
Maryland     5 3 0
North Carolina A&M     3 1 4
Louisiana Industrial     2 1 3
West Virginia     5 5 0
George Washington     4 3 2
VMI     4 4 0
Grant     3 3 0
Arkansas     2 4 2
TCU     2 5 0
North Carolina     1 4 2
Oklahoma A&M     1 4 2
Roanoke     1 4 2
Rollins     1 3 0
Goldey College     0 3 0

The 1906 Florida football team was the first intercollegeate football squad fielded by the University of Florida, which was established in 1905 and opened its new Gainesville campus for the 1906–1907 academic year.[1][2] Florida was a member of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) but was not yet affiliated with an athletic conference. The university had not yet constructed on-campus sports facilities, so until 1911, its football and baseball teams played and practiced at a municipal park near downtown Gainesville known simply as The Ballpark.

The University of Florida did not adopt the "Gators" nickname for its sports teams until 1911, so early football squads were usually called simply "the Orange and Blue." The 1906 squad was nicknamed "Pee Wee's Boys" in honor of their player-coach, 24-year old Jack "Pee Wee" Forsythe.[3] Forsythe had played for two years at Clemson under coach John Heisman and then transferred to Florida State College in Tallahassee, where he was a player-coach for one season before the school became Florida Female College and ended its football program after the 1904 season[4][5]

The 1906 Florida squad played an eight-game schedule - five contests against amateur athletic clubs and three against nearby private colleges, with three games played in Gainesville. The team finished the program's inaugural season with a 5–3 record.[6]

  1. ^ Carlson 2007, pp. 7–11
  2. ^ Horne 2012, p. 105
  3. ^ McEwen 1974, p. 43
  4. ^ Clemson Tigers Football, All-Time Starters, 1896–1905. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  5. ^ 2008 Clemson Football Media Guide, Former Head Coaches Archived 2012-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, Clemson Athletic Department, Clemson, South Carolina, p. 170 (2008). Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  6. ^ 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.