Sport(s) Baseball, football Name J. Farrior 1923 Florida (freshmen) | 1924 Florida 1913–1917 Florida | |
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Born October 5, 1896
Chipley, Florida ( 1896-10-05 ) Position(s) Guard/Center (football) 1920-1922 Gainesville High School Died January 17, 1993, Tampa, Florida, United States | ||
Jewel Rex Farrior, Sr. (October 5, 1896 – January 17, 1993) was a college football and baseball player and coach for the Florida Gators of the University of Florida, as well as a lawyer. He became a founding partner in a prominent Tampa-based law firm, and remained one of the biggest boosters of the Gators sports program until his death.
Contents
- Early years
- University of Florida
- Football
- Return to UF and coaching
- Gainesville High
- Florida
- Cigar Bowl
- High school coach
- Law practice
- References
Early years
Jewel Rex Farrior was born October 5, 1896 in Chipley, Florida to Joseph R. Farrior and Gussie Brown. His father was a physician.
Farrior attended Hillsborough High School in Tampa, where he played football and baseball, graduating in 1913. Future Gator teammate Rammy Ramsdell was in the same class.
University of Florida
Farrior is the namesake of Farrior Hall on the UF campus.
Football
Farrior was a prominent guard and center for the Florida Gators football team from 1913 to 1916. His first ever game was the 144–0 victory over the Florida Southern Moccasins.
Farrior was captain of the football team in his senior year. In that season the Gators lost all their games, suffering multiple injures and transfers, requiring Farrior to shift to fullback. He broke his ankle that year in the Indiana game. A member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity at UF, the Kappa Alpha Journal reads "J. Rex Farrior of the University of Florida has been for several seasons the 'Gators most brilliant performer."
He was nominated though not selected for an Associated Press All-Time Southeast 1869-1919 era team. As a football player, he was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. The "Rex Farrior Award" was once given to the most "team-oriented" player. Originally the award was given to the defensive lineman who showed the most effort.
Return to UF and coaching
Returning to UF in 1921 after serving in World War I to earn his law degree, Farrior graduated in 1924.
Gainesville High
From 1920 to 1922, Farrior coached the Gainesville High School football team.
Florida
He coached the 1924 baseball team. In his one season the team post a 5–14–0 record.
Cigar Bowl
Farrior was chairman of the selection committee for the Cigar Bowl.
High school coach
Farrior held the distinction of coaching two College Football Hall of Fame members in their high school days: Dale Van Sickel and Jack McDowall.
Law practice
Farrior became a partner in Shackleford and Farrior, which evolved into one of Tampa's largest law firms. Law partner Bob Shackleford was a former Florida Gator quarterback. Farrior was elected president of the Florida Bar in 1975.