The 1927 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 1927 Southern Conference football season. The season was Harold Sebring's third and last season as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. After suffering a 0–12 upset loss at the hands of the Davidson College Wildcats, the Gators rallied to defeat the Auburn Tigers 33–6, defeating the Tigers for the first time and ending a six-game losing streak, and to upset coach Wallace Wade's Alabama Crimson Tide 13–6. Sebring's 1927 Florida Gators finished 7–3 overall, and 5–2 in the Southern Conference, placing sixth of twenty-two teams in the conference standings.
The loss to Davidson featured captain Frank Oosterhoudt, who was later declared ineligible, and replaced at captain by Bill Middlekauff. With Middlekauff at captain, the Gators suffered just two further losses: to conference co-champions NC State; and to Georgia's "Dream and Wonder team". NC State was led by Hall of Famer and Gainesville native Jack McDowall.
Before the season
The 1926 season was the worst since the war. "The wolves began to clamor for Sebring's scalp as the 1926 season ended" wrote Pete Norton. With several newcomers, Sebring organized an Orange and Blue game.
Schedule
Game summaries
Week 1: Florida Southern
The first game of the season occurred on September 24 at Fleming Field in Gainesville. The Gators defeated Florida Southern 26–7.
Week 2: Davidson
The second week brought the low point of the season–an upset by the Davidson Wildcats. Favored to win by two touchdowns and of superior weight, the Gators lost 12–0. They came within scoring just once, held at the 1-yard line. Despite a limp, Clyde Crabtree was twice sent into the game at crucial moments in hopes of a score. In his first year on the varsity and with a broken wrist, Rainey Cawthon played against Davidson.
On October 4, captain Frank Oosterhoudt was declared ineligible; his replacement by unanimous vote was Bill Middlekauff.
Week 3: at Auburn
Spurred on by a new captain, the Gators traveled to Auburn and beat the rival Auburn Tigers for the first time 33–6. Bill Middlekauff and Clyde Crabtree were both cited as players of the game. Everett Strupper was referee. Crabtree scored two touchdowns and Middlekauff one Goof Bowyer made the first touchdown, a 44-yard run. Tommy Owens also had a touchdown. Auburn coach Dave Morey resigned.
The Gators' freshmen team also beat Auburn's freshmen team that week.
The starting lineup was: Hodges (left end), Bryan (left tackle), Allen (left guard), Kirschner (center), Reeves (right guard), Clemons (right tackle), Stanley (right end), Brumbaugh (quarterback), Bowyer (left halfback), Bishop (right halfback), Middlekauff (fullback).
Week 4: Kentucky
The Gators avenged last year's loss to the Kentucky Wildcats with a 27–6 victory in Jacksonville, outplaying the Wildcats in all but the second quarter. Carl Brumbaugh was sidelined with an injury.
Florida's first touchdown came after some six minutes of play when Bill Middlekauff went over. Florida's final touchdown was on a triple-pass play of Middlekauff to Clyde Crabtree to Dale Van Sickel. In the last half, the Gators made 17 first downs to Kentucky's 11. Goof Bowyer scored a touchdown and drop kicked two extra points to seal the first victory over the Wildcats.
The starting lineup was: DeHoff (left end), Bryan (left tackle), Reeves (left guard), Kirschner (center), Allen (right guard), Clemons (right tackle), Stanley (right end), Bowyer (quarterback), Beck (left halfback), Bishop (right halfback), Middlekauff (fullback).
Week 5: North Carolina State
In the fifth week of play, the Gators faced coach Gus Tebell's North Carolina State Wolfpack on Plant Field in Tampa, losing 12–6. Neither team scored until the final period.
A drive brought the Wolfpack to the 3-yard line, the feature play of which was a 30-yard pass from their Hall of Fame captain, Gainesville native Jack McDowall to Childress. A pass from McDowall to Frank Goodwin got the score. The Gators then began passing desperately in an attempt to win. A pass bounced off the hands of a Florida back and into McDowall's, who returned the ball 75 yards for the deciding score. On the ensuing kickoff, Gator back Tommy Owens ran it back for an 88-yard touchdown.
Since McDowall had been turned down by his native University of Florida, legend has it just afterwards he mailed Sebring the game ball.