The 1952 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1952 college football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's third and most successful as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Woodruff's 1952 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 8–3 and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 3–3, placing sixth among twelve SEC teams.

Before the season After Sullivan's early departure for the Boston Red Sox left the Gators without a starting quarterback, Doug Dickey advanced from seventh on the Gators' depth chart to starter.Norm Carlson, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, p. 61 (2007). The Gators were led by fullback Rick Casares, halfback J. "Pappa" Hall, alternating quarterbacks Doug Dickey and Fred Robinson, and lineman Charlie LaPradd, the Gators' lightest tackle and one of their two captains.Associated Press, "LaPradd Is Thrilled By His Selection to All America", Daytona Beach Morning Journal, p. 7 (December 6, 1952). Retrieved March 21, 2010. Also in the backfield was Buford Long.

Schedule

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

Game summaries Stetson The season opened with a 33–6 defeat of the .

Georgia Tech The national champion Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets beat Florida on a last-second field goal, 14–17.

Citadel The Citadel lost to Florida 33–0.

Clemson Florida blew out the Clemson Tigers 54–13.

Vanderbilt On a cold Dudley Field, Florida lost to Vanderbilt 20–13.

Georgia The Gators dominated rival Georgia 33–0 in Jacksonville, remaining the Gators' largest victory over the Bulldogs for almost forty years.College Football Data Warehouse, Florida vs. Georgia . Retrieved March 11, 2012. Casares ran for 108 yards, kicked a field goal, and made all the extra points.Golenbock, Go Gators!, p. 64 Even National champion Georgia Tech needed a last-second field goal to defeat the Gators.

Auburn The defeat of Georgia was followed by another conference victory, 31–21 over Auburn Tigers.

Tennessee The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Gators 12–26.

Miami The Gators had another blowout of the in-state rival Miami Hurricanes 43–6.

Kentucky Florida defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 27–0.

Postseason The season ended with the Gators' first appearance in an NCAA-sanctioned bowl game, a closely matched 14–13 Gator Bowl victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on January 1, 1953, in which star fullback Rick Casares kicked the winning extra points for the margin of victory.Noel Nash, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois, pp. 16–18 (1998).

LaPradd was All-American.

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