1940 VPI Gobblers football
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record5–5 (2–3 SoCon)
Head coach
CaptainJim Coleman
John Henderson
Home stadiumMiles Stadium
1940 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Clemson $ 4 –0 –06 –2 –1
No. 18 Duke 4 –1 –07 –2 –0
Wake Forest 4 –2 –07 –3 –0
William & Mary 2 –1 –16 –2 –1
North Carolina 3 –2 –06 –4 –0
Richmond 3 –2 –07 –3 –0
VMI 3 –2 –17 –2 –1
Furman 4 –3 –05 –4 –0
Washington and Lee 1 –1 –12 –7 –1
VPI 2 –3 –05 –5 –0
NC State 3 –5 –03 –6 –0
Maryland 0 –1 –12 –6 –1
South Carolina 1 –3 –03 –6 –0
Davidson 1 –5 –05 –5 –0
The Citadel 0 –4 –04 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1940 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1940 college football season. The team was led by their head coach Henry Redd and finished with a record of five wins and five losses (5–5).

VPI was ranked at No. 98 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.[1]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 21Catawba*
W 34–12[2]
September 28at Marshall*
L 7–138,000[3]
October 53:00 p.m.Richmond
  • Miles Stadium
  • Blacksburg, VA
L 7–136,000[4][5][6]
October 12vs. William & Mary
L 13–209,000[7][8]
October 188:30 p.m.at Georgetown*
L 4–4615,000[9][10][11]
October 262:30 p.m.vs. Washington and Lee
W 21–06,000-6,500[12][13][14][15][16]
November 2vs. Virginia*Norfolk, VA (rivalry)W 6–09,000[17][18]
November 92:30 p.m.Furman
  • Miles Stadium
  • Blacksburg, VA
W 38–214,000[19][20]
November 16at Centre*
W 10–64,000[21]
November 212:15 p.m.vs. VMI
L 0–1420,000-21,000[22][23][24]

Game summaries

Marshall

The starting lineup for VPI was: Lawson (left end), Coleman (left tackle), McClure (left guard), Zydiak (center), Bill Tate (right guard), Judy (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Kern (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Wheeler (right halfback), Hudson (fullback). The substitutes were: Warriner.

Richmond

The starting lineup for VPI was: Clark (left end), Coleman (left tackle), Bill Tate (left guard), Zydiak (center), Graves (right guard), Judy (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Thomas (quarterback), Wheeler (left halfback), Kern (right halfback), Hudson (fullback). The substitutes were: Anderson, Belcher, Chasen, James, Lawson, McClure, Morehead, Smith, Sullivan, Todd, Unterzuber, Warriner and Woolwine.

William & Mary

The starting lineup for VPI was: Lawson (left end), Todd (left tackle), Bill Tate (left guard), Zydiak (center), McClure (right guard), Belcher (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Kern (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Wheeler (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: John Smith.

Georgetown

The starting lineup for VPI was: Lawson (left end), Coleman (left tackle), Bill Tate (left guard), Zydiak (center), Anderson (right guard), Belcher (right tackle), Henderson (right end), James (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Kern (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Blandford, Chasen, Clark, Hudson, Johnson, McClure, Smith, Sullivan, Taylor, Unterzuber and Wheeler.

Washington & Lee

The starting lineup for VPI was: Sullivan (left end), Bill Tate (left tackle), McClure (left guard), Zydiak (center), Anderson (right guard), Belcher (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Kern (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Smith (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Hudson, James, Lawson and Wheeler.

Virginia

The starting lineup for VPI was: Sullivan (left end), Bill Tate (left tackle), McClure (left guard), Zydiak (center), Anderson (right guard), Belcher (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Kern (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Smith (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Clark, Hudson, McKinney, Morehead, James and Wheeler.

VMI

The starting lineup for VPI was: Clark (left end), Bill Tate (left tackle), Anderson (left guard), Zydiak (center), McClure (right guard), Belcher (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Wheeler (quarterback), Kern (left halfback), Thomas (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Chasen, Graves, Hudson, Johnson, Morehead, Smith and Unterzuber.

Players

Roster

VPI 1940 roster
  • Cecil Anderson
  • Mason Harper Blandford
  • A. H. Belcher
  • Irvin Jean Chasen
  • Gerald Clark
  • Jim Coleman (Capt.)
  • Preston Graves
  • John Henderson (Capt.)
  • Rankin Hudson
  • Bill James
  • William B. Johnson
  • Ben Judy
  • Dick Kern
  • Bob Lawson
  • Roger McClure
  • Henry Morehead
  • Joe Smith
  • John O. Smith
  • Benjamin Tate
  • Bill Tate
  • G. E. Taylor
  • Herbert Joseph Thomas
  • Andy Todd
  • Pete Traynham
  • R. T. Unterzuber
  • George Warriner
  • Gene Wheeler
  • Jimmy Woolwine
  • Bill Zydiak

Varsity letter winners

Twenty-four players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1940 VPI team.[25]

Player Hometown Notes
Cecil Van Anderson Andersonville, Virginia World War II veteran (Major, Army Air Corps).
Alton Harwood Belcher Petersburg, Virginia World War II veteran (2nd Lieutenant, Army). Participated in D-Day, the liberation of Paris, and the Battle of the Bulge.
Gerald Harley Clark Bristol, Tennessee
James Emory Coleman (Capt.) Fayetteville, West Virginia
Robert Preston Graves Salem, Virginia World War II and Vietnam War veteran (Colonel, Army). Awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
John L. Henderson (Capt.) Sevierville, Tennessee
Rankin McGuire Hudson Sweetwater, Tennessee
William Wilson "Bill" James Hampton, Virginia
Samuel Benjamin Judy Belleville, West Virginia
Richard Davis Kern Winchester, Virginia
Robert "Bob" Lawson Cambria, Virginia
Roger Nelson McClure Glasgow, West Virginia World War II veteran (Captain, Army).
Joseph Franklin Smith
John O. Smith
William Lee "Bill" Tate Pulaski, Virginia
Garrett Ernest Taylor
Herbert Joseph Thomas South Charleston, West Virginia World War II veteran (Sergeant, Marines). Awarded the Medal of Honor.
Andrew Wellington Todd Hampton, Virginia World War II veteran (Army).
Albert Crawford "Pete" Traynham
Ralph Travis Unterzuber Belmont, Ohio World War II veteran (Army).
George Daniel Warriner Montgomery County, Virginia World War II veteran (Captain, Army). Awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Eugene Hagy Wheeler Big Stone Gap, Virginia World War II veteran (Army).
James Walter Woolwine, Jr. Giles County, Virginia World War II veteran (Navy).
William Daniel Zydiak Manville, New Jersey

References

  1. ↑ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 19, 1940). "Final 1940 Litkenhous Ratings". The Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Tech Mobilizes For Marshall Game Saturday". Suffolk News-Herald. Library of Virginia. September 24, 1940. p. 5. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Marshall Defeats Gobblers: West Virginians Score In Last Minute to Win From Tech by 13 to 7". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 29, 1940. p. Sports 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "UR Opens Conference Play Against Tech". The Richmond Collegian. University of Richmond. October 4, 1940. p. 4. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Red and Blue Victors Over Tech". The Richmond Collegian. University of Richmond. October 11, 1940. p. 5. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Richmond Jinx Holds as VPI Loses 13–7". Bristol Herald Courier. October 6, 1940. Retrieved November 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Colonial Echo 1941" (PDF). Colonial Echo. 1941. p. 198. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Korczowski Sparkles as W. & M. Topple Virginia Tech". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 13, 1940. p. 32. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Injury-Plagued Hoya Team Plays Host To Winless Gobblers This Friday" (PDF). The Hoya. Georgetown University. October 16, 1940. p. 4. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Hilltop Eleven Remains Unconquered Downing Plucky Gobbler Team, 46-4" (PDF). The Hoya. Georgetown University. October 23, 1940. p. 4. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Georgetown Romps Over Virginia Tech". The Evening Star. Library of Congress. October 19, 1940. p. 16. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  12. ↑ "VPI rises up to slap Gens". The Charlotte News. October 27, 1940. Retrieved August 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Defeat by VPI Fails to Mar Weekend For W&L Students on Lynchburg Trip" (PDF). The Ring-tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. October 29, 1940. p. 3. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Gobblers Turn On W. & L. 21 To 0". The Sunday Star-News. Library of Congress. October 27, 1940. p. 9. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Oft Beaten Virginia Tech Scores Over Generals, 21-0". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 27, 1940. p. 28. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Generals Bow To Gobblers". Rockbridge County News. Library of Virginia. October 31, 1940. p. 7. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Va. Team Turns To W. & L. Tilt". The Daily Progress. University of Virginia. November 4, 1940. p. 6. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  18. ↑ "V.P.I. Upsets Virginia By 6 to 0 To Offset Early Beatings". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. November 3, 1940. p. 38. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Crippled Purples Fall Victim To High-Scoring Tech Crew". The Furman Hornet. Furman University. November 15, 1940. p. 5. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Furman Defeated By VPI, 38 to 21". The Sunday Star-News. Library of Congress. November 10, 1940. p. 9. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Gobbler Defeat Centre College". The Sunday Star-News. Library of Congress. November 17, 1940. p. 6. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  22. ↑ "VMI Runs Rough-Shod Over Tech 14 to 0". The V.M.I. Cadet. Virginia Military Institute. November 25, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Joe Muha Leads Keydets to Win". The Sunday Star-News. Library of Congress. November 22, 1940. p. 7. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  24. ↑ "V. M. I. Trims Gobblers In Annual Turkey Day Battle". Rockbridge County News. Library of Virginia. November 28, 1940. p. 2. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  25. ↑ "1940 VPI Letterwinners". Virginia Tech. Retrieved January 2, 2023.


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