Carter's Corner: The Passing of a Gator from Ferguson Era

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In an unpropitious moment of bad timing in the life of Mark Louis Wodlinger, he had little chance to crack the Gators' lineup when he joined the football team as a tight end in 1940.

Wodlinger arrived at UF the season after Forest "Fergie" Ferguson, who happened to play the same position as Wodlinger. Ferguson had already started to gallop his way into the record books in one of the great careers in UF football history. Ferguson set receiving records that stood until the pro-style passing era of the 1960s and was an All-American in 1941, the year prior to his entering the Army. Ferguson was wounded in the Normandy Invasion in 1944 and died a decade later due to complications from his war wounds. In his memory, the Gators honor a senior player each year who displays courage, leadership and character with the Fergie Ferguson Award.

Meanwhile, Wodlinger shows up in scattered newspaper accounts of that era, primarily in scrimmage reports as a player stuck behind Ferguson on the depth chart. He was a member of the team from 1940-42, departing without any major headlines.

Born in Jacksonville in the summer of 1922, Wodlinger blazed a different trail.

He earned his degree in '43 while serving in the U.S. Naval Air Corps. Once he completed his military service, Wodlinger embarked on a long and successful career as an executive in the radio and television industry, owning and managing a number of stations around the country and in Florida.

He spent a bulk of his professional life in Kansas City and later Naples, Fla. In his final years, Wodlinger settled in Gainesville, where he passed away last month, four days after his 96th birthday.

In the annals of Gators football, the era of Fergie Ferguson is tucked away in a dusty corner to be cleaned off for inspection from time to time. Sixty-four years since Ferguson's death, a former teammate has reached his final resting place.

At the time of his passing, Wodlinger is believed to have been the oldest living former UF football player.

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Carter's Corner: The Passing of a Gator from Ferguson Era

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Carter's Corner: The Passing of a Gator from Ferguson Era

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