1938 VPI Gobblers football team

The 1938 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1938 college football season. The team was led by their head coach Henry Redd and finished with a record of three wins, five losses and two ties (3–5–2).

1938 VPI Gobblers football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	3–5–2 (2–3–2 SoCon)
Head coach	Henry Redd (7th season)
Captain	Frank Marion Pierce
Home stadium	Miles Stadium
Seasons ← 1937 1939 →

1938 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Duke $	5	–	0	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Clemson	3	–	0	–	1			7	–	1	–	1
VMI	4	–	0	–	3			6	–	1	–	4
North Carolina	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	1
Richmond	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
Washington and Lee	2	–	2	–	0			4	–	4	–	1
NC State	3	–	3	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
South Carolina	2	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Wake Forest	3	–	4	–	1			4	–	5	–	1
VPI	2	–	3	–	2			3	–	5	–	2
The Citadel	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Maryland	1	–	2	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Davidson	2	–	6	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Furman	0	–	4	–	1			2	–	7	–	1
William & Mary	0	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 17		Emory and Henry*	Miles Stadium Blacksburg, VA	W 33–0		^[1]
September 24	8:00 p.m.	vs. Duke	World War Memorial Stadium Greensboro, NC	L 0–18	13,000	^[2]^[3]
October 1		at Army*	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 0–39		^[4]
October 8		vs. William & Mary	City Stadium Richmond, VA	W 27–0	4,500	^[5]^[6]
October 15		Virginia*	Miles Stadium Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)	L 6–14	7,000	^[7]^[8]
October 22	2:30 p.m.	at Washington and Lee	Wilson Field Lexington, VA	L 0–6	9,000	^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]
October 29		NC State	Miles Stadium Blacksburg, VA	W 7–0	3,500	^[13]^[14]
November 5	2:00 p.m.	at North Carolina	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	L 0–7	18,000	^[15]^[16]^[17]
November 11		at Richmond	City Stadium Richmond, VA	T 0–0		^[18]
November 24		vs. VMI	Roanoke, VA (rivalry)	T 2–2	15,000-17,000	^[19]^[20]^[21]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

Players

Roster

VPI 1938 roster
	Quarterback Phil DeMuro Guards Bill Chisholm Bill Devlin Robert Preston Graves Irving Gray Ernie King Joseph Franklin Smith Buddy Waugh George Worthington Tackles Robson Coiner Jim Coleman Jim Gaugler Edward Gisburne Woodrow Gosney Dave Pitts Frank Remorenko Claude Simpson Andrew Wellington Todd		Centers Samuel Bascom Dunn Herbert Andrews Markle Neil Wood Ends Archie Cameron John Henderson Ernest Luke Frank Oliver Frank Pierce (Capt.) Sonny Powers Bascom Pribble Daniel Green Shawhan		Halfbacks Bill Barnes Graham Buchanan Sonny Ellison Jimmy Fixx Rankin Hudson Billy McMillan Al Miller Samuel B. Rose, Jr. Garrett Taylor Herbert Joseph Thomas Albert Traynham James Walter Woolwine Fullbacks Jim Belcher Irving Ward Boswell Sidney Gordon Campbell George Warriner

Varsity letter winners

Twenty-one players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1938 VPI team.^[22]

Player	Hometown	Notes
James Raymond Belcher	Petersburg, Virginia
Archie Cameron	Cranford, New Jersey
James Emory Coleman	Fayetteville, West Virginia
Philip Galliano DeMuro	Passaic, New Jersey
William Harper Devlin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mathew Leslie "Sonny" Ellison	Beckley, West Virginia
James Stuart Fixx	Arlington, Virginia
James Anthony Gaugler	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
H. Woodrow Gosney	Clarksburg, West Virginia
John L. Henderson	Sevierville, Tennessee
Rankin McGuire Hudson	Sweetwater, Tennessee
Ernest Stuart King	Disputanta, Virginia
Albert Sanford Miller	Hampton, Virginia
Frank Lovitt Oliver	Lynnhaven, Virginia	World War II veteran (Lieutenant Colonel, Army).
Frank Marion Pierce (Capt.)	Suffolk, Virginia	World War II veteran (Lieutenant Colonel, Army).
David Marion Pitts	Manassas, Virginia
Stanley Covington "Sonny" Powers	Kingston, West Virginia	World War II veteran
Herbert Joseph Thomas	South Charleston, West Virginia	World War II veteran (Sergeant, Marines). Awarded the Medal of Honor.
George Daniel Warriner	Montgomery County, Virginia	World War II veteran (Captain, Army). Awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Neil Saunders Wood	Hampton, Virginia
George Yellott Worthington	Washington, DC

References

1. "V. P. I. 33-0 Victor in Opening Clash". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. September 18, 1938. p. 31. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
2. "Blue Devils Meet V. P. I. in Season Opener, Saturday". The Duke Chronicle. Duke University. September 20, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
3. "Blue Devil Football Team Captures Season's Opener, 18–0". The Duke Chronicle. Duke University. September 27, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
4. "Army's Big Backs Rout V. P. I., 39-0". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 2, 1938. p. 35. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
5. "Indians Unable to Click As Gobblers Win 27-0" (PDF). The Flat Hat. College of William & Mary. October 11, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
6. "Gobblers Mop Up W. And M., 27 To 0". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 9, 1938. p. 30. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
7. "Virginia to Meet Maryland Eleven". The Daily Progress. University of Virginia. November 20, 1939. p. 6. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
8. "Cavaliers Spoil Gobblers' Party". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 16, 1938. p. 30. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
9. "Pinck's 88-yard run wins for W&L". The Virginian-Pilot. October 23, 1938. Retrieved September 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Pinck Dashes 88 Yards To Beat Gobblers, 6-0" (PDF). The Ring-tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. October 25, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
11. "W. and L. Rookie Starts as Hero". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 23, 1938. p. 29. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
12. "Washington & Lee Takes Homecoming From VPI". Rockbridge County News. Library of Virginia. October 27, 1938. p. 7. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
13. "Gobblers Rout Favored 'Pack To Gain Upset". The Technician. North Carolina State University. November 4, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
14. "Miller is Leader in V. P. I. Victory". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 30, 1938. p. 37. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
15. "Virginia Tech Invades Chapel Hill Today". The Daily Tar Heel. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. November 5, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
16. "Stirnweiss Sparks Tar Heels To Wet Win". The Daily Tar Heel. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. November 6, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
17. "Blocked Kick Leads To Carolina's Win Over Gobblers". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. November 6, 1938. p. 26. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
18. "Spiders, VPI Play To Tie". The Richmond Collegian. University of Richmond. November 18, 1938. p. 4. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
19. "Squadron Ties VPI 2–2 In Annual Game". The V.M.I. Cadet. Virginia Military Institute. November 29, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
20. "V. P. I. Achieves Upset, Tying V. M. I., 2-2". The Evening Star. Library of Congress. November 25, 1938. p. 40. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
21. "VMI and VPI Play 2-to-2 Tie Game". Rockbridge County News. Library of Virginia. December 1, 1938. p. 7. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
22. "1938 VPI Letterwinners". Virginia Tech. Retrieved January 4, 2023.