1952 VPI Gobblers football team

1952 VPI Gobblers football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	5–6 (4–4 SoCon)
Head coach	Frank Moseley (2nd season)
Home stadium	Miles Stadium

1952 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 16 Duke $	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Wake Forest	5	–	1	–	0			5	–	4	–	1
West Virginia	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
William & Mary	4	–	1	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
George Washington	4	–	2	–	1			5	–	3	–	1
VPI	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Furman	2	–	2	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
Washington and Lee	3	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
VMI	2	–	3	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
NC State	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
South Carolina	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
North Carolina	1	–	2	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
The Citadel	1	–	3	–	1			3	–	5	–	1
Davidson	1	–	6	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Richmond	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
Maryland †			–					7	–	2	–	0
Clemson †			–					2	–	6	–	1
$ – Conference champion † League sanctions prevented Maryland and Clemson from conference participation Rankings from AP Poll

The 1952 VPI Gobblers football team represented the Virginia Polytechnic Institute or VPI (now known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University or Virginia Tech) as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1952 college football season. Led by second-year head coach Frank Moseley the Gobblers compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, and finished sixth in the SoCon. VPI played home games at Miles Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	8:00 p.m.	vs. Marshall*	Bluefield Municipal Stadium Bluefield, WV	W 19–14		[1]
September 20		at Davidson	Richardson Stadium Davidson, NC	W 27–14		[2]
September 27		at The Citadel	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	W 14–7	8,000	[3]
October 4		vs. No. 16 Virginia*	Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA (rivalry)	L 0–42	15,000	[4]
October 11	2:00 p.m.	at No. 18 Alabama*	Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	L 0–33	16,000	[5][6]
October 18		George Washington	Miles Stadium Blacksburg, VA	L 0–6	11,000	[7]
October 25	2:00 p.m.	at Washington and Lee	Wilson Field Lexington, VA	L 27–34	7,000	[8][9]
November 1	2:30 p.m.	at Richmond	City Stadium Richmond, VA	W 20–2		[10]
November 8		William & Mary	Miles Stadium Blacksburg, Virginia	L 15–35	6,000	[11]
November 15		at West Virginia	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (rivalry)	L 7–27		[12]
November 27		vs. VMI	Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA (rivalry)	W 26–7	25,000	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[14]

Roster

The following players were members of the 1952 football team according to the roster published in the 1953 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.^[15]

VPI 1952 roster
	Bob Allen J. Allen William R. Anderson Richard VanMetre "Dickie" Beard Boone Donald C. Booth Franklin Dewey Brown Leo Burke Doug Creger Johnny Dean Hugh David Ebert James Glen Fleenor Harold Byrd Grizzard		James H. Haren Billy Harrison Charles Donald Herb Tom Hughes William Duncan Kerfoot Julian Neville King Frank Ronald Kwiatkowski Robert Stevens Luttrell Don Mitchell Gary Mitchess John Stewart Moody Madison "Buzz" Nutter Thomas R. Petty		George Preas Jim Randall Thomas Carl Richards Robert Earl Scruggs Bobby Seal Hunter E. Swink Vickers Webb Don "Ducky" Welsh Norman Chad White (Co-Capt.) Jack Williams Ernie Wolfe Howard Irving Wright

References

1. "V.P.I. vs Marshall – 2nd Annual Coal Bowl". VPI vs. Marshall Football Program. 1952. p. 1. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
2. "Gobblers down Wildcats, 27 to 14". Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. September 21, 1952. Retrieved September 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "VPI defeats The Citadel by 14–7 count". Asheville Citizen-Times. September 28, 1952. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Cavaliers top Virginia Tech in 42–0 game". Greensboro Daily News. October 5, 1952. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Unbeaten Alabama Meets VPI Saturday in Denny; Triumph Over Miami Labels Tide as SEC Poison". The Crimson White. University of Alabama. October 7, 1952. p. 9. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
6. "Crimson Tide keeps 1952 Slate Clean Right Halfbacks Marlow, Tharpe Run Wild VPI find "Thick Red Line" Impenetrable". The Crimson White. University of Alabama. October 14, 1952. p. 13. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
7. "GW takes 6–0 win on early payoff march". Daily Press. October 19, 1952. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Homecoming Pep Rally, Parade Tonight" (PDF). The Ring-Tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. October 24, 1952. p. 1. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
9. "Generals Rally to Capture Homecoming Contest" (PDF). The Ring-Tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. October 28, 1952. p. 5. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
10. "Tyler and Dean, SC Pass Leaders, Vie Tomorrow". The Collegian. University of Richmond. October 31, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
11. "Tribe Conquers Virginia Tech, 35-15, In Aerial Duel" (PDF). The Flat Hat. College of William & Mary. November 11, 1952. p. 4. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
12. "Mountaineers top VPI, 27–7". The News and Observer. November 16, 1952. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Gobblers run wild in second quarter to smash Keydets, 26–7". Daily Press. November 28, 1952. Retrieved January 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "1952 Virginia Tech Hokies Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
15. "The Bugle 1953" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1953. p. 248. Retrieved January 10, 2017.