1951 Tampa Spartans football team

The 1951 Tampa Spartans football team represented the University of Tampa in the 1951 college football season. It was the Spartans' 15th season. The team was led by head coach Frank Sinkwich, in his second year, and played their home games at Phillips Field in Tampa, Florida. They finished with a record of seven wins, three losses and one tie (7–3–1).

1951 Tampa Spartans football
Brandeis Classic champion
Brandeis Classic, W 7–0 vs. Brandeis
Conference	Independent
Record	7–3–1
Head coach	Frank Sinkwich (2nd season)
Home stadium	Phillips Field
Seasons ← 1950 1952 →

1951 Southern college football independents records
v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 13 Virginia			–					8	–	1	–	0
Maryland State			–					7	–	1	–	0
Arkansas State			–					10	–	2	–	0
Stetson			–					8	–	1	–	2
Florida State			–					6	–	2	–	0
Northeast Louisiana State			–					6	–	2	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					8	–	3	–	0
Tampa			–					7	–	3	–	1
Delaware			–					5	–	3	–	0
Memphis State			–					5	–	3	–	0
Sewanee			–					5	–	3	–	0
Louisville			–					5	–	4	–	0
Chattanooga			–					6	–	5	–	0
Grambling			–					3	–	5	–	1
Navy			–					2	–	6	–	1
Delta State			–					1	–	8	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

A week after they opened the season with a 72–0 victory over Patrick Air Force Base at home, the Spartans lost their first road game of the season at Bradley 32–6.^[1] The next Friday, Tampa lost their second consecutive game on the road. This time, Wofford overcame a 14–7 halftime deficit with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns in their 21–14 victory in Spartanburg.^[2] The Spartans then returned home and won games over Jacksonville State and Lenoir–Rhyne before they played Stetson to a 14–14 tie at DeLand after Tampa blocked a last-second field goal attempt by the Hatters.^[3] After a road loss at Appalachian State and a pair of road victories at Livingston State and South Georgia College, the Spartans returned home and played Florida State in the final home game of the season. Against the Seminoles, Tampa won in a 14–6 upset at Phillips Field before 12,500 fans.^[4]

In mid-November, Tampa accepted an invitation to compete in their first postseason game against Brandeis in the first Brandeis Classic at Miami Beach.^[5] Against the Judges, the Spartans won 7–0 after they scored their only points on an 18-yard John Lahosky touchdown pass to H. L. Hiers on their opening drive.^[6] In February 1952, Sinkwich resigned as head coach of the Spartans after only two seasons and entered private business.^[7]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15		Patrick Field	Phillips Field Tampa, FL	W 72–0
September 22		at Bradley	Peoria Stadium Peoria, IL	L 6–32	8,000	^[8]^[9]
September 28		at Wofford	Snyder Field Spartanburg, SC	L 14–21
October 6		Jacksonville State	Phillips Field Tampa, FL	W 40–0	7,000	^[10]
October 13		Lenoir–Rhyne	Phillips Field Tampa, FL	W 27–14
October 20	8:00 p.m.	at Stetson	DeLand Municipal Stadium DeLand, FL	T 14–14		^[11]^[12]
October 27		at Appalachian State	College Field Boone, NC	L 13–14		^[13]
November 3		at Livingston State	Livingston H. S. Stadium Livingston, AL	W 28–13
November 9		at South Georgia College	Douglas, GA	W 54–13
November 17		Florida State	Phillips Field Tampa, FL	W 14–6
December 8		vs. Brandeis	Memorial Field Miami Beach, FL (Brandeis Classic)	W 7–0
All times are in Eastern time

References

1. "Bradley trims Spartans 32–6". St. Petersburg Times. Google News Archives. Associated Press. September 23, 1951. p. 26. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
2. Cribb, Irwin (September 29, 1951). "Wofford strikes twice in third quarter to upset Tampa, 21–14". The Spartanburg Herald. Google News Archives. p. 6. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
3. "Spartans tie Hatters 14–14". St. Petersburg Times. Google News Archives. Associated Press. October 21, 1951. p. 28. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
4. Blount, Lonnie (November 18, 1951). "Surprising Spartans score 14–6 upset over Seminoles". St. Petersburg Times. Google News Archives. Associated Press. p. 32. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
5. "Spartans to play post-season game". St. Petersburg Times. Google News Archives. Associated Press. November 15, 1951. p. 22. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
6. Kumble, Dick (December 10, 1951). "Tampa blanks Brandeis on Lahosky's TD pass". Miami Daily News. Google News Archives. p. 11A. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
7. "Frank Sinkwich quits Tampa coaching job". St. Petersburg Times. Google News Archives. Associated Press. February 18, 1952. p. 14. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
8. Seibel, Max (September 23, 1951). "Bradley Scores 32-6 Win Over Spartans". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com  .
9. Seibel, Max (September 23, 1951). "Bradley Scores 32-6 Win Over Spartans (continued)". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. 3B. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com  .
10. "Tampa runs wild over Gamecocks". Tampa Sunday Tribune. October 7, 1951. Retrieved December 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "University Of Tampa Battles Stetson At DeLand Tonight". The Tampa Daily Times. Tampa, Florida. Associated Press. October 20, 1951. p. 9. Retrieved January 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com  .
12. Ledoux, Jack (October 21, 1951). "Stetson Battle Tampa to 14-14 Deadlock". Orlando Sunday Sentinel-Star. Orlando, Florida. p. 15. Retrieved January 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com  .
13. "Appalachian defeats Tampa on extra point". The Tampa Tribune. October 27, 1951. Retrieved December 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.