1912 VPI Gobblers football team

1912 VPI Gobblers football
Conference	South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record	5–4 (1–2 SAIAA)
Head coach	Branch Bocock (3rd season)
Captain	William Henry Burruss
Home stadium	Miles Field

1912 South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Georgetown $	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Washington and Lee	3	–	1	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Virginia	1	–	1	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
VPI	1	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Johns Hopkins	0	–	1	–	0			0	–	3	–	0
North Carolina A&M	0	–	2	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
North Carolina	0	–	4	–	0			3	–	4	–	1
$ – Conference champion

The 1912 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1912 college football season. The team was led by their head coach Branch Bocock and finished with a record of five wins and four losses (5–4).

Rules

The 1912 college football season was the first season of the modern era of college football, as the NCAA implemented changes to increase scoring:^[1]

• Teams were given 4 downs instead of 3 downs to gain ten yards.
• The value of a touchdown was increased from 5 points to 6 points.
• The length of the playing field was reduced from 110 yards to 100 yards, and end zones of ten yards were added.
• Kickoff was made from the 40 yard line rather than at midfield.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28		Roanoke*	Miles Field Blacksburg, VA	W 40–0		[2][3]
October 5		Hampden–Sydney*	Miles Field Blacksburg, VA	W 42–7		[4]
October 12	3:00 p.m.	at Princeton*	University Field Princeton, NJ	L 0–31		[5][6]
October 19		Western Maryland*	Miles Field Blacksburg, VA	W 44–0		[7]
October 26		vs. North Carolina	State Fair Grounds Raleigh, NC	W 26–0	2,000	[8][9]
November 2		Medical College of Virginia*	Miles Field Blacksburg, VA	L 0–10		[10][11]
November 9	3:00 p.m.	vs. Washington and Lee	Fair Grounds Roanoke, VA	L 6–20	3,500	[12][13][14][15]
November 16		West Virginia*	Miles Field Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)	W 41–0		[16]
November 28		at Georgetown	Georgetown Field Washington, DC	L 3–24		[17][18][19]
*Non-conference game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Roanoke

VPI's first game of the season was a victory over Roanoke at Miles Field.

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Pick (left tackle), Breckenridge (left guard), Evans (center), Whitney (right guard), Burruss (right tackle), Lefebre (right end), Legge (quarterback), Vawter (left halfback), Magill (right halfback), Rogers (fullback). The substitutes were: Saunders and Schultz.

The starting lineup for Roanoke was: Goodnight (left end), Hoeletz (left tackle), Bawker (left guard), Reitzel (center), Harr (right guard), Barnhardt (right tackle), Doeb (right end), Harmon (quarterback), Bevlin (left halfback), Moore (right halfback), Kime (fullback).

Hampden–Sydney

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Moore (left guard), Evans (center), Whitney (right guard), Pick (right tackle), Lefebre (right end), Legge (quarterback), Huddle (left halfback), Parrish (right halfback), Magill (fullback).

The starting lineup for Hampden–Sydney was: G. W. Jones (left end), Robert Guthrie (left tackle), John Moore (left guard), Marvin Bowling (center), S. B. Forbus (right guard), Loyal Benedict (right tackle), Frank Ebel (right end), Alexander Carrington (quarterback), Bernard Driver (left halfback), Carroll McClung (right halfback), Donald Corke (fullback).

Princeton

VPI at Princeton

1 2 3 4 Total VPI 0 0 0 0 0 • Princeton 14 7 10 0 31 Date: October 12, 1912 Location: University Field Princeton, NJ Game start: 3:00 p.m. Referee: Crowell (Swarthmore)

See also: 1912 Princeton Tigers football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hughes (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Anderson (left guard), Evans (center), Breckenridge (right guard), Pick (right tackle), Lefebre (right end), Legge (quarterback), Saunders (left halfback), Hodgson (right halfback), Parrish (fullback). The substitutes were: Moore.

The starting lineup for Princeton was: Andrews (left end), Phillips (left tackle), Wilber "Rip" Shenk (left guard), Arthur Bluethenthal (center), William John Logan (right guard), Edward Trenkmann (right tackle), F. Trenkman (right end), S. Baker (quarterback), Talbot Pendleton (left halfback), E. Waller (right halfback), Wallace "Butch" DeWitt (fullback). The substitutes were: Hobey Baker, Harold Ballin, Doolittle, Emmons, Longstrieth, Wilder Penfield, Bradley Streit, I. Swart, W. Swart, H. Waller, Wight.

Western Maryland

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Breckenridge (left guard), Evans (center), Lefebre (right guard), Schultz (right tackle), Legge (right end), Rogers (quarterback), Hughes (left halfback), Vawter (right halfback), Magill (fullback).

The starting lineup for Western Maryland was: William Hook (left end), Pritchett (left tackle), M. Twigg (left guard), William Husung (center), Leon Cooper (right guard), John Billingslea (right tackle), Edward Weaver (right end), Frank Bowers (quarterback), Julian Numbers (left halfback), Warren Taylor (right halfback), Twigg (fullback).

North Carolina

See also: 1912 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Breckenridge (left guard), Evans (center), Lefebre (right guard), Schultz (right tackle), Hughes (right end), Rogers (quarterback), Parrish (left halfback), Legge (right halfback), Vawter (fullback). The substitutes were: Anderson, Mackan, Magill, Pick, Rogers and Whitehead.

The starting lineup for North Carolina was: Foust (left end), Lonnie Abernethy (left tackle),John Johnson (left guard), Jones (center), Olin Jennings (right guard), Ralph Stevens (right tackle), Long (right end), William Tillett (quarterback), William Wakeley (left halfback), Charles Moore (right halfback), Richard Abernethy (fullback). The substitutes were: Blake Applewhite, Bagwell, Gaston Dortch, Erwin, William Huske and Robert Strange.

Medical College of Virginia

Medical College of Virginia vs. VPI

1 2 3 4 Total • MCV 0 0 3 7 10 VPI 0 0 0 0 0 Date: November 2, 1912 Location: Miles Field Blacksburg, VA Referee: Sampson

The starting lineup for VPI was: Taylor (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Pick (left guard), Evans (center), Lefebre (right guard), Schultz (right tackle), Mackan (right end), Hodgson (quarterback), Anderson (left halfback), Vawter (right halfback), Legge (fullback).

The starting lineup for Medical College of Virginia was: Foster (left end), James Walker (left tackle), Raymond Brockwell (left guard), John Cofer (center), Norman Roblee (right guard), Hedgepeth (right tackle), Arnold (right end), George Schenck (quarterback), Johns (left halfback), Elder (right halfback), Hardy (fullback).

Washington and Lee

Washington & Lee vs. VPI

1 2 3 4 Total • W&L 3 0 7 10 20 VPI 6 0 0 0 6 Date: November 9, 1912 Location: Fair Grounds Roanoke, VA Game start: 3:00 p.m. Game attendance: 3,500 Referee: Jack Gass

See also: 1912 Washington and Lee Generals football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hughes (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Moore (left guard), Schultz (center), Lefebre (right guard), Pick (right tackle), Magill (right end), Rogers (quarterback), Parrish (left halfback), Legge (right halfback), Vawter (fullback). The substitutes were: Anderson, Evans, Hodgson, Taylor and Whitehead.

The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: J. P. Hieatt (left end), Ted Shultz (left tackle), James Miller (left guard), Carl Moore (center), Paul Rogers (right guard), Buck Miles (right tackle), Kelly Francis (right end), W. C. Raftery (quarterback), Walter Terry (left halfback), Edmond Burk (right halfback), Raymond Beuhring (fullback). The substitutes were: Henry Barker, M. S. Barrow, David Bone, Carson, Edward Donahue, Edmonds, W. H. Neblett, Henry Peeples, James Rothrock, Mark Stewart and W. R. Walton.

West Virginia

See also: 1912 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Magill (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Moore (left guard), Evans (center), Lefebre (right guard), Pick (right tackle), Whitehead (right end), Rogers (quarterback), Hughes (left halfback), Vawter (right halfback), Hodgson (fullback).

The starting lineup for West Virginia was: Harrison (left end), Robinson (left tackle), Melville Boyles (left guard), Davis (center), Truman Martin (right guard), Musgrove (right tackle), Lackman (right end), Wilkerson (quarterback), Carden (left halfback), Race (right halfback), Carl Bachmann (fullback).

Georgetown

VPI at Georgetown

1 2 3 4 Total VPI 0 0 3 0 3 • Georgetown 0 10 7 7 24 Date: November 28, 1912 Location: Georgetown Field Washington, DC Referee: Jack Gass

See also: 1912 Georgetown Blue and Gray football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Magill (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Moore (left guard), Evans (center), Pick (right guard), Whitehead (right tackle), Huddle (right end), Rogers (quarterback), Hodgson (left halfback), Legge (right halfback), Vawter (fullback). The substitutes were: Anderson, Hughes, Mackan, Magill, Parrish, Peake, Saunders, Schultz and Taylor.

The starting lineup for Georgetown was: Charles Bergen (left end), Jack Hegarty (left tackle), Eddie Mullaney (left guard), Marvin Ritch (center), Tom Moriarty (right guard), David White (right tackle), Bill Martin (right end), Harry Costello (quarterback), Harry Kelly (left halfback), James Fury (right halfback), Jim Dunn (fullback). The substitutes were: Earl Campazzi, Sam Foley, Ed Heiskell, John Petritz and George Van Duyne.

Players

The following players were members of the 1912 football team according to the roster published in the 1913 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.^[20]

VPI 1912 roster
	Quarterback James Booth Rogers Guards Gordon Lefebre Arthur Penick Moore Lewis A. Pick Tackles William Henry Burruss (Capt.) Werner Joseph Schultz Thomas M. Whitehead Center Peyton Evans		Ends Asbury Nathaniel Hodgson Houston Boyd Hughes C. B. Mackan Halfbacks Withrow Reynolds Legge Orrin Rankin Magill David Walker Parrish Fullback John Rudisil Vawter

Coaching and training staff

• Head coach: Branch Bocock
• Manager: C. M. Hobart

References

1. Danzig, Allison (1956). The History of American Football: Its Great Teams, Players, and Coaches. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. pp. 70–71.
2. "Techs Smother Roanoke Lads". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. September 29, 1912. p. 7. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
3. "V.P.I. Defeats Roanoke College". The Evening News. Library of Virginia. September 30, 1912. p. 12. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
4. "W.R. Legge Stars in Scrappy Game". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 6, 1912. p. 7. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
5. "Varsity Wins Fourth Successive Victory". The Daily Princetonian. Princeton University. October 14, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
6. "Princeton Makes Rival Line Look Like Paper". The Sun. Library of Congress. October 13, 1912. p. 18. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
7. "Maryland Team Easy For Techs". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 20, 1912. p. 7. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
8. "Virginia Techs Spring Surprise". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 27, 1912. p. 7. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
9. "V.P.I. Overwhelms Varsity In Raleigh". The Tar Heel. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. October 30, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
10. "Medical College of Virginia Downs V.P.I." The Richmond News Leader. Library of Virginia. November 4, 1912. p. 7. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
11. "Medical College Defeats V.P.I." Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 3, 1912. p. 7. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
12. "V.P.I. and W. & L. in Battle Royal Today". The Evening News. Library of Virginia. November 9, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
13. "V.P.I., 6; W. & L., 20" (PDF). Ring-tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. November 12, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
14. "Revenge For W&L". Evening Star. Library of Congress. November 10, 1912. p. 58. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
15. "Lexington Lads Humble Techs By Score 20 To 6". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 10, 1912. p. 7. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
16. "West Virginia Loses To V.P.I." Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 17, 1912. p. 12. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
17. "Techs Play Well, But Lose Game To Georgetown". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 29, 1912. p. 5. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
18. "Georgetown Vanquishes V.P.I." The Washington Herald. Library of Congress. November 29, 1912. p. 10. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
19. "Costello Again Excels". The Sun. Library of Congress. November 29, 1912. p. 10. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
20. "The Bugle 1913" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1913. p. 154. Retrieved December 6, 2015.