1948 VPI Gobblers football team

The 1948 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the 1948 college football season. The team was led by their head coach Bob McNeish and finished with a record of zero wins, eight losses and one tie (0–8–1).

1948 VPI Gobblers football
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record0–8–1 (0–6–1 SoCon)
Head coach
CaptainThomas C. Burns
Home stadiumMiles Stadium
Seasons
← 1947
1949 →
1948 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 11 Clemson $ 5 0 0 11 0 0
No. 3 North Carolina 4 0 1 9 1 1
VMI 5 1 0 6 3 0
No. 17 William & Mary 5 1 1 7 2 2
No. 20 Wake Forest 5 2 0 6 4 0
Maryland 4 2 0 6 4 0
Duke 3 2 1 4 3 2
Richmond 3 3 1 5 3 2
Washington and Lee 2 2 0 4 6 0
Furman 2 4 0 2 6 1
George Washington 2 4 0 4 6 0
Davidson 2 5 0 3 5 1
South Carolina 1 3 0 3 5 0
NC State 1 4 1 3 6 1
VPI 0 6 1 0 8 1
The Citadel 0 5 0 2 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

VPI was ranked at No. 151 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System ratings for 1948.[1]

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 253:00 p.m.George WashingtonL 0–1311,000[2]
October 23:00 p.m.vs. Virginia*L 0–2817,500[3]
October 92:00 p.m.vs. MarylandL 0–2811,700[4]
October 162:30 p.m.William & Mary 
  • Miles Stadium
  • Blacksburg, VA
L 0–3015,000[5]
October 232:30 p.m.vs. No. 15 Duke
  • Victory Stadium
  • Roanoke, VA
L 0–713,500[6]
October 302:00 p.m.at No. 5 Army*L 7–4927,000[7]
November 62:30 p.m.vs. Washington and Lee
L 7–148,000[8][9]
November 132:30 p.m.at RichmondT 7–712,000[10][11]
November 252:00 p.m.vs. VMI
  • Victory Stadium
  • Roanoke, VA (rivalry)
L 7–3329,000[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

NFL Draft selections

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= Pro Football Hall of Fame = Canadian Football Hall of Fame = College Football Hall of Fame
NFL Draft Selections 
Year Round Pick Overall Name Team Position
1951 28 10 337 Sterling Wingo Los Angeles Rams Back

Roster

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The following players were members of the 1948 football team according to the roster published in the 1949 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.[11]

VPI 1948 roster
  • Victor Anderson
  • Ralph Coe Beard
  • Raymond Rucker Beasley
  • James William Blair
  • Thomas Craig Burns (Capt.)
  • Ronald Herman Casto
  • Coy Lenard Chambers
  • Joseph Litton Church
  • Pete "Chip" Collum
  • Billy Patrick DeNardo
  • Hubert Wallace Dutton
  • Bruce Mills "Bud" Fisher
  • Charles Mugler Forbes
  • James Forrest
  • Robert Fracker
  • Richard "Bob" Gilley
  • Richard D. Goodman
  • Frank Hargrove
  • William Hughes Hegamyer
  • Robert Hess
  • Andre Hodgson
  • Holcomb
  • Oren Edward Hopkins
  • Tom Howard
  • Jack Ross Ittner
  • Johnson
  • Charles Edward Kernan
  • Jimmy Kitts
  • Timothy Lawler
  • Carl Leonard
  • Bill Loomis
  • Kerry Jennings McBroom
  • Hamilton Otey Meriwether
  • Roger Rowland Neel
  • Oliver
  • Ross Moore Orr
  • Erving Hascall Rand
  • Jay B. Ratliff
  • Charles Ronald Raugh
  • Roy Carrington Robinette
  • Pete Smith
  • Warren William Squires
  • C. William Stultz
  • Bob Taylor
  • Franklin Ray Taylor
  • David Lacy Thomas
  • Vernon
  • Robert James Wachter
  • W. Harry Walton
  • Robert Franklin Webb
  • Richard White
  • Donald Lindbergh Whiteman
  • Sterling Lagrand Wingo
  • Gerhard Charles Zekert
  • Paul Ethan "Zig" Zender

References

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  1. ^ "Michigan, Irish Finish 1-2 in Litkenhous Ratings". Wilmington Morning News. December 15, 1948. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "GW blanks Tech, 13–0, in opener". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 26, 1948. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Guepemen Ground V.P.I. Into Roanoke Turf, 28–0". The Cavalier Daily. October 5, 1948. p. 2. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  4. ^ "Unbeaten Maryland routs VPI". The Charlotte Observer. October 10, 1948. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Joynes, Tom (October 19, 1948). "McCray's Braves Roll Over Virginia Tech For 30–0 Win In Gobbler Homecoming Game" (PDF). The Flat Hat. College of William & Mary. p. 5. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  6. ^ "Limping Dukes Hits Season's First Soft Touch Against VPI". The Duke Chronicle. Duke University. October 22, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  7. ^ "Cadets wreck Virginia Tech for 6th win". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 31, 1948. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Lonergan, Ted (November 9, 1948). "Big Blue Scores 14-7 Triumph Over VPI; Bell and Leister Figure in General Tally" (PDF). Ring-tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. p. 3. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  9. ^ "Virginia Tech defeated again, sinks before W-L". Daily Press. November 7, 1948. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "City Stadium Scene of Tilt". The Collegian. University of Richmond. November 12, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "The Bugle 1949" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1949. p. 180. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  12. ^ "Bomb 1949". VMI Bomb. 1949. p. 190. Retrieved July 29, 2017.