1953 Auburn Tigers football team
The 1953 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1953 college football season. It was the Tigers' 62nd overall and 21st season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan, in his third year, and played their home games at Cliff Hare Stadium in Auburn, the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery and Ladd Memorial Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They finished with a record of seven wins, three losses and one tie (7–3–1 overall, 4–2–1 in the SEC) and with a loss to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl.
| 1953 Auburn Tigers football | |
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Gator Bowl, L 13–35 vs. Texas Tech | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 17 |
| 1953 record | 7–3–1 (4–2–1 SEC) |
| Head coach | Ralph Jordan (3rd season) |
| Captain | Vince Dooley |
| Home stadium | Cliff Hare Stadium Cramton Bowl Ladd Memorial Stadium |
| 1953 Southeastern Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Alabama $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Georgia Tech | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Kentucky | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Auburn | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 3 | – | 1 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 2 | – | 3 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 1 | – | 3 | – | 2 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25 | Stetson* | W 47–0 | |||
| October 3 | No. 15 Ole Miss |
| W 13–0 | ||
| October 10 | at No. 13 Mississippi State | T 21–21 | |||
| October 17 | at No. 8 Georgia Tech | No. 19 |
| L 6–36 | |
| October 24 | Tulane |
| W 34–7 | ||
| October 31 | Florida |
| W 16–7 | ||
| November 6 | at Miami (FL)* | No. 15 |
| W 29–20 | |
| November 14 | vs. Georgia | No. 20 | W 39–18 | ||
| November 21 | at Clemson* | No. 14 | W 45–19 | ||
| November 28 | vs. Alabama | No. 16 | L 7–10 | ||
| January 1 | vs. Texas Tech* | No. 17 | L 13–35 | 28,641 | |
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Notable players
Vince Dooley
Serving as team captain, Dooley played quarterback and corner back for the 53' Auburn Tigers. Vince completed 25 of 47 passes for a 53.1 completion percentage. This was the best mark by an Auburn signal caller since All-American Travis Tidwell. Dooley was named to the Senior Bowl at the conclusion of the season and was invited to the annual Blue-Gray Game. He was named Offensive MVP after the Gator Bowl.
Ed Baker
Big Ed was named team co-captain to the 1953 Auburn Tigers. He opened up running lanes for future All-SEC back Fob James and was voted the SEC's "Best Offensive Center" at the conclusion of the regular season.
References
- 2009 Auburn Football Media Guide (PDF). Auburn, Alabama: Auburn Media Relations Office. 2009. p. 188.
- "1953 Auburn University Football Schedule". Auburn University Athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2012.