Depleted of first-string football talent and lacking depth, McCoy's 1916 Florida Gators suffered through a disastrous season in which they posted an overall record of 0–5 and a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) conference record of 0–4 while scoring a total of three points, leading to the head coach's dismissal.
[1][2] Florida football's first losing season was notable for the first meetings with future Southeastern Conference rivals Tennessee and Alabama.
Believing that he had the makings of a great squad, he arranged the most ambitious and difficult football schedule to date.
[3] McCoy's plans were thwarted, however, by a series of injuries and academic ineligibility problems, beginning when the Gators' starting quarterback, Rammy Ramsdell, broke his leg playing on Florida's baseball team and missed the entire football season.
[5] Due to a shortage of men, captain Rex Farrior, previously a center, moved to fullback.
[15] The SIAA champion Tennessee Volunteers blanked the Gators in Tampa 24 to 0 in the two rivals first-ever meeting.