Jump to content

1932 VPI Gobblers football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1932 VPI Gobblers football
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record8–1 (6–1 SoCon)
Head coach
CaptainBill Grinus
Home stadiumMiles Stadium
Seasons
← 1931
1933 →
1932 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 9 Tennessee + 7 0 1 9 0 1
Auburn + 6 0 1 9 0 1
LSU + 4 0 0 6 3 1
VPI 6 1 0 8 1 0
Vanderbilt 4 1 2 6 1 2
NC State 3 1 1 6 1 2
Alabama 5 2 0 8 2 0
Tulane 5 2 1 6 2 1
Duke 5 3 0 7 3 0
Georgia Tech 4 4 1 4 5 1
Kentucky 4 5 0 4 5 0
Virginia 2 3 0 5 4 0
Ole Miss 2 3 0 5 6 0
Georgia 2 4 2 2 5 2
Maryland 2 4 0 5 6 0
North Carolina 2 5 1 3 5 2
South Carolina 1 2 1 5 4 2
VMI 1 4 0 2 8 0
Washington and Lee 1 4 0 1 9 0
Florida 1 6 0 3 6 0
Clemson 0 4 0 3 5 1
Mississippi State 0 4 0 3 5 0
Sewanee 0 6 0 2 7 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from Dickinson System

The 1932 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1932 Southern Conference football season. The team was led by their head coach Henry Redd and finished with a record of eight wins and one loss (8–1).

Schedule

[edit]
DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 24Roanoke*W 32–7[1][2]
October 13:00 p.m.at GeorgiaW 7–6[3][4]
October 82:30 p.m.at MarylandW 23–011,000+[5][6]
October 152:30 p.m.vs. William & Mary*W 7–017,000[7][8]
October 22Kentucky
  • Miles Stadium
  • Blacksburg, VA
W 7–08,000[9][10]
October 292:30 p.m.at Washington and Lee
W 32–64,000-5,000[11][12][13][14][15]
November 5at AlabamaL 6–911,000[16][17][18]
November 12Virginiadagger
  • Miles Stadium
  • Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)
W 13–03,000[19][20][21]
November 24vs. VMI
W 26–012,000-15,000[22][23][24]

Game summaries

[edit]

Roanoke

[edit]
Roanoke vs. VPI
1 234Total
Roanoke 0 070 7
VPI 19 067 32

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Negri (left tackle), Botnick (left guard), Porterfield (center), English (right guard), Hoenstine (right tackle), Palmer (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Holsclaw (left halfback), Mills (right halfback), Robison (fullback). The substitutes were: Botnick,, Casey, Copenhaver, Dillon, Hall, Hite, Hoblitzell, Howard, Huffman, McIntire, Ochs, Ottaway, Spruill, Thomas and Woodard.

The starting lineup for Roanoke was: Thomas West (left end), Siebert "Pete" Lavinder (left tackle), Jesse Price (left guard), Stuart Thomas (center), Harry Suttner (right guard), Gene Barnett (right tackle), Herbert Copenhaver (right end), Harrison Weeks (quarterback), Harry Russell (left halfback), Claude Matthews (right halfback), Bud Miley (fullback). The substitutes were: Charles Engers, Lawrence Fisher, Lexter Holyfield, Ed Petersen, Gus Quisito, Rice, Robertson and Fred Smith.

Georgia

[edit]
VPI at Georgia
1 234Total
VPI 0 700 7
Georgia 0 006 6

VPI Captain Bill Grinus blocked the tying extra point in the upset over Georgia.[25]

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Hoenstine (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Casey.

The starting lineup for Georgia was: McCarthy Crenshaw (left end), Davis (left tackle), John Brown (left guard), J. Vason McWhorter (center), Leroy Moorehead (right guard), Opp (right tackle), Fred Miller (right end), Wendell Sullivan (quarterback), George Chapman (left halfback), Samuel Brown (right halfback), Lloyd Gilmore (fullback). The substitutes were: Graham Batchelor, William David, Paul Hart, Homer Key and Charles Turbeyville.

Maryland

[edit]
VPI at Maryland
1 234Total
VPI 7 1420 23
Maryland 0 000 0

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Negri (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Botnick, Casey, Copenhaver, English, Groth, Hall, Hoenstine, Howard, Huffman, Ottaway, Palmer, Simmons and Thomas.

The starting lineup for Maryland was: Rufus Vincent (left end), Vaul Rouzer (left tackle), Albert Farrel (left guard), Scott (center), John McDonald (right guard), George Cole (right tackle), Bill Wood (right end), Ray Poppelman (quarterback), Dick Nelson (left halfback), Earl Widmyer (right halfback), Al Woods (fullback). The substitutes were: Willis Benner, Bucky Buscher, Joseph Crecca, Donald DeVeau, Hawkins, Frank Hines, George Hockensmith, Charles Keenan, John Mayhew, Stewart McCaw, John Mitchell, Norwood Sothoron and Fred Stieber.

William & Mary

[edit]
William & Mary vs. VPI
1 234Total
W&M 0 000 0
VPI 0 070 7

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Grinus (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Negri (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Holsclaw (left halfback), Mills (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback).

The starting lineup for William & Mary was: C. Sorenson (left end), Waddy Stewart (left tackle), Anderson (left guard), Joseph Bridgers (center), Edwin Meade (right guard), Gerry Quirk (right tackle), Thomas Halligan (right end), Bill Chalko (quarterback), Aime LaCroix (left halfback), William Palese (right halfback), Harry Spack (fullback). The substitutes were: Giles.

Kentucky

[edit]
Kentucky vs. VPI
1 234Total
Kentucky 0 000 0
VPI 0 070 7

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Grinus (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Negri (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback).

The starting lineup for Kentucky was: Joe Rupert (left end), Burton Aldridge (left tackle), O. L. "Bud" Davidson (left guard), Frank Seale (center), Ralph Blevins (right guard), George Skinner (right tackle), Howard Kreuter (right end), Ralph Kercheval (quarterback), Ellis T. Johnson (left halfback), Darrell Darby (right halfback), Thomas Cassady (fullback). The substitutes were: Stanley Bach.

Washington and Lee

[edit]
VPI at Washington and Lee
1 234Total
VPI 14 0018 32
W&L 6 000 6
  • Date: October 29, 1932
  • Location: Wilson Field
    Lexington, VA
  • Game start: 2:30 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 4,000-5,000
  • Referee: Frank Lane

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Negri (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Grinus (right guard), Hite (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Casey, Groth and Hall.

The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: S. S. Mosovich (left end), Robert Morris (left tackle), Amos Bolen (left guard), William Grove (center), Charles Elbrick (right guard), Clarence Carman (right tackle), Charles Smith (right end), William Seaton (quarterback), Joseph Sawyers (left halfback), Edwin Bacon (right halfback), John Jones (fullback). The substitutes were: Samuel Mattox and Harvey Pride.

Alabama

[edit]
VPI at Alabama
1 234Total
VPI 0 600 6
Alabama 0 090 9

Against the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama, VPI lost 9–6 in front 11,000 spectators at Denny Stadium, which was the second largest crowd to ever visit the stadium at the time.[16] VPI came into the game undefeated (6-0), while Alabama was 5–1. After a scoreless first quarter, the Gobblers took a 6–0 lead in the second after Ray Mills threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Al Casey.[16] In the third, the score was cut to 6–2 after a bad snap to Casey from the center resulted in a safety.[16] Later in the quarter Alabama took a 9–6 lead that it held to the end of the game when halfback Dixie Howell scored a touchdown on a nine-yard run.[16]

Alabama's assistant coach was former VPI player Hank Crisp.

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Negri (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Botnick, Casey, Groth, Huffman, Palmer and Thomas.

The starting lineup for Alabama was: Foy Leach (left end), Carney Laslie (left tackle), Calvin Frey (left guard), Willis Hewes (center), Thomas Hupke (right guard), Newton Godfree (right tackle), Don Hutson (right end), Hillman Holley (quarterback), Howard Chappell (left halfback), Bub Walker (right halfback), Larry Hughes (fullback). The substitutes were: Johnny Cain, James Dildy, Ellis "Red" Houston, Dixie Howell, B'Ho Kirkland, Bill Lee and Donald Sanford.

Virginia

[edit]
Virginia vs. VPI
1 234Total
UVA 0 000 0
VPI 0 706 13
  • Date: November 12, 1932
  • Location: Miles Stadium
    Blacksburg, VA
  • Game attendance: 3,000
  • Game weather: Snow flurries
  • Referee: Lane (Dartmouth)

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Grinus (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Huffman (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback).

The starting lineup for Virginia was: William Condon (left end), Ray Burger (left tackle), Cris Tompkins (left guard), Lewis Reiss (center), Horace Hallett (right guard), Charles Poss (right tackle), Gene Wager (right end), Thomas Johnson (quarterback), Eugene Stevens (left halfback), Frank Sippley (right halfback), Spencer Berger (fullback).

VMI

[edit]
VMI vs. VPI
1 234Total
VMI 0 000 0
• VPI 0 13130 26

Players

[edit]

Roster

[edit]
VPI 1932 roster
  • Bill Anderson
  • George Vanderslice Beamon
  • William Earle Betts
  • Benny Botnick
  • Al Casey
  • George Clark
  • Dick Cofer
  • James Henry Copenhaver
  • Martin Cunningham
  • Owens L. "Scrapper" Day
  • Nick Dillon
  • Edward "Red" English
  • George Francis
  • James Curtis Geddie
  • Bill Grinus (Capt.)
  • Charles Alexander "Heinie" Groth
  • Earl "Bus" Hall
  • Gene Hite
  • William Roy Hoblitzell
  • Garland Woodrow Hoenstine
  • Duncan Holsclaw
  • Frank Howard
  • Harry Worden Howard
  • Richard "Tris" Huffman
  • Tom Hutcheson
  • Wiley Leroy Jennings
  • Red Kasun
  • John McIntire
  • Sonny Miles
  • Ray Mills
  • Charles Morgan
  • John Murphy
  • Richard Whitmore Neale
  • Warren "Red" Negri
  • John Norman Ochs
  • Keith Oliver
  • James Edward Ottaway
  • Alex Pais
  • Benny Palmer
  • Bill Porterfield
  • Carl Francis Robison
  • Al Seaman
  • Leon Dalmain Simmons
  • Bill Smith
  • George Smith
  • Dave Smoak
  • Howard Arnold "Hank" Spruill
  • Daniel Reiser Thoma
  • Dave Thomas
  • Buck Tyler
  • Hazell Eugene Waldrop
  • Paul Kenneth Wolfe
  • Jim Woodard
  • John Lester Yorke

Varsity letter winners

[edit]

Eighteen players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1932 VPI team.[26]

Player Hometown Notes
Benjamin Botnick Elmira, New York World War II veteran (Navy).
Alfred Layden Casey Portsmouth, Virginia
Edward Ralph "Red" English Altavista, Virginia World War II veteran (Army).
Bill Grinus (Capt.)
Earl Jenis "Bus" Hall
Eugene Goliday Hite
William Duncan Holsclaw
Richard "Tris" Huffman
John A. McIntire
Ray Mills
Charles Emmett Ashburn Morgan
John Marshall Murphy
Warren Anthony "Red" Negri Danbury, Connecticut
Benny Palmer
William Breckenridge Porterfield
Alfred Elsworth Seaman
George Maxie Smith
David Thomas

Coaching and training staff

[edit]
  • Head coach: Henry Redd
  • Assistant coaches
  • Manager: H. W. Maddox, Jr.
  • Freshman coaches
    • Freshman head coach: Herbert McEver
    • Backfield coach and trainer: K. A. Esleeck
    • Line coach: P. S. Hotchkiss
    • Assistant coach: P. H. Spear
    • Assistant coach: H. H. Stark
  • Freshman Manager: M. A. Johnson

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Gobblers Backs Run Wild in 32-To-7 Win". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. September 25, 1932. p. 51. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "V.P.I. Triumphs Over Maroon Gridmen 32-7". Brackety-ack. Roanoke College. September 29, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Bulldogs Off Form As Gobblers Win Opening Game 7-6". The Red & Black. University of Georgia. October 7, 1932. p. 7. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  4. ^ "Georgia Bows, 6-7, To V. P. I. In Upset". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 2, 1932. p. 61. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  5. ^ "V. P. I. Takes Homecoming Tilt From Old Liners, 23-0". The Diamondback. University of Maryland, College Park. October 8, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  6. ^ "V. P. I. Trounces Maryland, 23-0". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 9, 1932. p. 49. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  7. ^ "Indians Defeated By Gobblers, 7–0". The Flat Hat. College of William & Mary. October 18, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  8. ^ "V. P. I. Passes Way to 7-0 Win Over William and Mary Eleven". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 16, 1932. p. 61. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  9. ^ "'Cats Drop First Conference Tilt To Va. Gobblers". The Kentucky Kernel. University of Kentucky. October 25, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  10. ^ "Virginia Poly Halts Victorious March of the Kentucky Wildcats With a Smashing 7-to-0 Score". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 23, 1932. p. 55. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "Gobblers Crush Generals, 32–6". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 30, 1930. Retrieved November 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Tough Gobblers Down Generals In Torrid Fray" (PDF). The Ring-tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. November 1, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  13. ^ "Powerful Gobblers Throttle Generals". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 30, 1932. p. 51. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  14. ^ "V. P. I. Marches on in Victorious Course". The Lexington Gazette. Library of Virginia. November 2, 1932. p. 5. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  15. ^ "Washington and Lee Loses to V. P. I. at Homecoming". Rockbridge County News. Library of Virginia. November 3, 1932. p. 2. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c d e f "Crimson Tide Regains It's Crest To Beat Gobblers, 9 to 6". The Tuscaloosa News. November 6, 1932. p. 10. Retrieved November 11, 2022 – via Google News Archives.
  17. ^ "Alabama Ruins Title Hopes of V. P. I." The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. November 6, 1932. p. 59. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  18. ^ "V. P. I. Stopped in Victorious March to Conference Honors". The Lexington Gazette. Library of Virginia. November 9, 1932. p. 5. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  19. ^ "Virginia Gives Gobblers Scrap". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. November 12, 1932. p. 18. Retrieved November 11, 2022 – via Google News Archives.
  20. ^ "Cavaliers' Hold Virginia Tech Team to 13-0 Score". The Cavalier Daily. November 2, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  21. ^ "V. P. I. Extended To Down Virginia". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. November 13, 1932. p. 57. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  22. ^ "Gobblers Prove Too Powerful For Keydets". The Cadet. Virginia Military Institute. November 28, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  23. ^ "V. M. I. Loses to V. P. I. at Football on Turkey Day". The Lexington Gazette. Library of Virginia. November 30, 1932. p. 2. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  24. ^ "V. P. I. Crushes V. M. I. 26 to 0". Rockbridge County News. Library of Virginia. November 28, 1932. p. 2. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  25. ^ Schlabach, Mark; Wood, Norm; Glier, Ray (August 2011). Always a Hokie: Players, Coaches, and Fans Share Their Passion for Virginia Tech Football. ISBN 9781617495625.
  26. ^ "1932 VPI Letterwinners". Virginia Tech. Retrieved January 7, 2023.