Jewel Rex Farrior Sr. (October 5, 1896 – January 17, 1993) was an American college football and baseball player and coach for the Florida Gators of the University of Florida,[1] 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.
Farrior was born October 5, 1896, in Chipley, Florida, to Joseph R. Farrior and Gussie Brown.[2] 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.
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.[5] 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."[6]
1920 Gainesville High football team. Farrior is back left.
He was nominated though not selected for an Associated Press All-Time Southeast 1869-1919 era team.[7] 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.[8] Originally the award was given to the defensive lineman who showed the most effort.[9]
Farrior became a partner in Shackleford and Farrior, which evolved into one of Tampa's largest law firms.[1][13] Law partner Bob Shackleford was a former Florida Gator quarterback. Farrior was elected president of the Florida Bar in 1975.[3][14]
^2014 Florida Gators Football Media GuideArchived September 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 74, 75, 76–86, 87–90, 91–93, 94, 95–96, 98–106, 107–116, 141–144, 146–159, 160, 171–175, 176–183 (2014). Retrieved August 28, 2014.
