The 1947 VPI Gobblers football team was an American football that represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the Southern Conference during the 1947 college football season. In its third season under head coach Jimmy Kitts, the team compiled a 4–5 record (4–3 against conference opponents), finished eighth in the Southern Conference, and as outscored by a total of 191 to 162.[1]
| 1947 VPI Gobblers football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southern Conference |
| Record | 4–5 (4–3 SoCon) |
| Head coach |
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| Captain | Billy Shelby Barbour Bobby Smith |
| Home stadium | Miles Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 William & Mary $ | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 North Carolina | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Duke | 3 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington and Lee | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 NC State | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VPI | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Davidson | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VMI | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Citadel | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furman | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richmond | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| George Washington | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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VPI was ranked at No. 88 (out of 500 college football teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1947.[2]
The team played its home games at Miles Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Schedule
edit| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 27 | Furman | W 20–6 | 10,000 | [3] | ||
| October 4 | vs. Virginia* | L 7–41 | 22,000 | [4] | ||
| October 11 | vs. William & Mary | L 7–21 | 10,000 | [5] | ||
| October 18 | at No. 7 Army* | L 0–40 | 20,000 | [6] | ||
| October 25 | Maryland |
| L 19–21 | 12,500 | [7] | |
| October 31 | 8:00 p.m. | at George Washington | W 42–6 | 5,000 | [8][9] | |
| November 8 | vs. Washington and Lee |
| W 27–14 | [10] | ||
| November 15 | Richmond |
| W 26–14 | 5,500 | [11] | |
| November 27 | vs. VMI |
| L 14–28 | 29,000–33,000 | [12][13] | |
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1948 NFL draftees
editOne VPI player was selected in the 1948 NFL draft, as follows:[14]
| NFL Draft Selections | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Roster
editThe following players were members of the 1947 football team according to the roster published in the 1948 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.[13]
| VPI 1947 roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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References
edit- ^ "1947 Virginia Tech Hokies Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
- ^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 18, 1947). "Michigan National Champion in Final Litkenhous Ratings". Times. p. 47 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Scoop Latimer (September 28, 1947). "V.P.I.'s Gobblers Race To 20-6 Win Over Hurricane: Pruitt Sparks Purples". The Greenville News. p. Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Robert Moore (October 5, 1947). "Va. Cavaliers Run Roughshod On VPI". Daily Press (Newport News, VA). p. 11A – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WM On Warpath In Final Quarter To Beat VPI 21-7". Daily Press (Newport News, VA). October 12, 1947. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jim McCulley (October 19, 1947). "Army Rips VPI, 40-0; Rowan Scores 2 TDs". The Daily News (New York City). p. C41 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fourth Period Brings Defeat For Gobblers". The Staunton News Leader. October 26, 1947 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "George Washington vs. V.P.I. The George Washington Athletic Review". VPI vs. George Washington Football Program. 1947. p. 1. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ "Virginia Tech's Gobblers Start Early, Rout George Washington Eleven, 42-6". The Staunton News-Leader. November 1, 1947. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "V.P.I. Eleven Tops Washington & Lee". The Baltimore Sun. November 9, 1947. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Muddy Field Only Slight Deterrent To VPI In 26-14 Win Over Spiders". The Staunton News-Leader. November 16, 1947. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Squadron Flies Over Gobblers 28–14". The V.M.I. Cadet. Virginia Military Institute. December 1, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- ^ a b "The Bugle 1948" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1948. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ "1948 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on October 31, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2019.