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 Robert McNeish and finished with a record of zero wins, eight losses and one tie (0–8–1).

1948 VPI Gobblers football
Conference	Southern Conference
1948 record	0–8–1 (0–6–1 SoCon)
Head coach	Robert McNeish (1st season)
Captain	Thomas C. Burns
Home stadium	Miles Stadium

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

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 25		George Washington	Miles Stadium Blacksburg, VA	L 0–13
October 2		vs. Virginia*	Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA (rivalry)	L 0–28	17,500[1]
October 9		vs. Maryland	Griffith Stadium Washington, DC	L 0–28
October 16		William & Mary	Miles Stadium Blacksburg, VA	L 0–30	15,000[2]
October 23	2:30 p.m.[3]	vs. No. 16 Duke	Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA	L 0–7
October 30		at No. 5 Army*	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 7–49
November 6		vs. Washington and Lee	Municipal Stadium[4] Lynchburg, VA	L 7–14
November 13	2:30 p.m.[5]	at Richmond	City Stadium Richmond, VA	T 7–7	12,000[6]
November 25		vs. VMI	Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA (rivalry)	L 7–33	29,000[7]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

• Source: HokieSports.com: 1948 Virginia Tech football schedule[8]

NFL Draft selections

= 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

Players

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.[6]

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 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

1. "Guepemen Ground V.P.I. Into Roanoke Turf, 28–0". The Cavalier Daily. Google News Archives. October 5, 1948. p. 2. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
2. 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.
3. "Limping Dukes Hits Season's First Soft Touch Against VPI". The Duke Chronicle. Duke University. October 22, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
4. 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.
5. "City Stadium Scene of Tilt". The Collegian. University of Richmond. November 12, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
6. "The Bugle 1949" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1949. p. 180. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
7. "Bomb 1949". VMI Bomb. 1949. p. 190. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
8. Virginia Tech Football Past Schedules "1948–1949". Virginia Tech Sports Information Department, Hokiesports.com. Accessed January 23, 2016.