Battle of Backbone Mountain

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1931 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Tulane $ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
No. 3 Tennessee 6 – 0 – 1 9 – 0 – 1
Alabama 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
No. 6 Georgia 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Maryland 4 – 1 – 1 8 – 1 – 1
Kentucky 4 – 2 – 2 5 – 2 – 2
LSU 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
South Carolina 3 – 3 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Duke 3 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 2
Auburn 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0
Sewanee 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 1
Vanderbilt 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
North Carolina 2 – 3 – 3 4 – 3 – 3
Washington and Lee 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 1
Florida 2 – 4 – 2 2 – 6 – 2
Georgia Tech 2 – 4 – 1 2 – 7 – 1
VMI 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 1
NC State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
VPI 1 – 4 – 1 3 – 4 – 2
Clemson 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 6 – 2
Ole Miss 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 1
Virginia 0 – 5 – 1 2 – 6 – 1
Mississippi A&M 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from Dickinson System

The 1931 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1931 Southern Conference football season. The team was led by their head coach Orville Neale and finished with a record of three wins, four losses and two ties (3–4–2).[1]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 26King*
W 33–0[2][3]
October 33:00 p.m.at Georgia
L 0–4015,000[4][5][6]
October 10Davidson*
  • Miles Stadium
  • Blacksburg, VA
W 18–6[7][8][9]
October 17vs. William & Mary*
T 6–6[10][11][12]
October 242:30 p.m.at Kentucky
L 6–206,000[13][14][15]
October 31Maryland
  • Miles Stadium
  • Blacksburg, VA
L 0–205,000[16][17][18]
November 7vs. Washington and Lee
L 0–65,000[19][20][21][22][23]
November 14at Virginia
T 0–07,000[24][25][26]
November 26vs. VMI
W 13–618,000[27][28][29]

Game summaries

King

The starting lineup for VPI was: Chandler (left end), Stark (left tackle), Swart (left guard), Brown (center), Hite (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), Seaman (right end), Groth (quarterback), Casey (left halfback), Robison (right halfback), Porterfield (fullback). The substitutes were: Dyke, Hall, Hardwick, Hoenstine, Jennings, Kasun, Kelsey, Miles, Morgan, Oliver, Ottley, Palmer, Sifford, Simmons and York.

The starting lineup for King was: Klein (left end), Cox (left tackle), Bell (left guard), Owens (center), Cook (right guard), Robinson (right tackle), Bricker (right end), Arnold (quarterback), Isaac (left halfback), Harris (right halfback), Barnett (fullback). The substitutes were: Emert, Flenore and Gannaway.

Georgia

See also: 1931 Georgia Bulldogs football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Stark (left tackle), Hite (left guard), Brown (center), Swart (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), Chandler (right end), Groth (quarterback), Casey (left halfback), Robison (right halfback), Porterfield (fullback).

The starting lineup for Georgia was: Vernon Smith (left end), Robert Rose (left tackle), Ralph Maddox (left guard), Graham Batchelor (center), Milton Leathers (right guard), James Hamrick (right tackle), Weddington Kelley (right end), Austin Downes (quarterback), Spud Chandler (left halfback), Marion Dickens (right halfback), Jack Roberts (fullback). The substitutes were: Homer Key, Wendell Sullivan and Jodie Whire.

Davidson

See also: 1931 Davidson Wildcats football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Palmer (left end), Stark (left tackle), Hite (left guard), Brown (center), Swart (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), Chandler (right end), Porterfield (quarterback), Casey (left halfback), Hardwick (right halfback), Robison (fullback). The substitutes were: Murphy and Ottley.

The starting lineup for Davidson was: Lelon Raker (left end), John Wagner (left tackle), Graham Mathis (left guard), Ulrich Gardner (center), Powhatan Conway (right guard), Whitfield (right tackle), Robert Johnston (right end), Donald King (quarterback), Charles Pearce (left halfback), Edward Peabody (right halfback), Donald McQueen (fullback). The substitutes were: Barrier, Eugene Cannon, Jerome Clark, William Flinn, Calvin Kuykendall, John McConnell, McElrath, Allen Mills, Frederick Ogden and West.

William & Mary

See also: 1931 William & Mary Indians football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Stark (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Brown (center), Swart (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), Palmer (right end), Hardwick (quarterback), Casey (left halfback), Groth (right halfback), Robison (fullback). The substitutes were: Hite, Ottley and Porterfield.

The starting lineup for William & Mary was: Henderson (left end), Otis Douglas (left tackle), George Fisher (left guard), Thomas Ayers (center), Edwin Meade (right guard), Gerry Quirk (right tackle), Thomas Halligan (right end), Bergin (quarterback), Barrett Roberts (left halfback), William Palese (right halfback), Butch Constantino (fullback). The substitutes were: E. A. DeBordenave and Aime LaCroix.

Kentucky

See also: 1931 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Palmer (left end), Stark (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Brown (center), Hite (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), Seaman (right end), Groth (quarterback), Casey (left halfback), Robison (right halfback), Howard (fullback). The substitutes were: Betts, Chandler, English, Hardwick, Hoenstine, Miles, Morgan, Ottley, Porterfield, Simmons and Swart.

The starting lineup for Kentucky was: U. T. Duff (left end), Ralph Wright (left tackle), O. L. "Bud" Davidson (left guard), Frank Seale (center), Darrell Darby (right guard), Kenneth Andrews (right tackle), George Skinner (right end), Dick Richards (quarterback), Shipwreck Kelly (left halfback), Cecil Urbaniak (right halfback), Ralph Kercheval (fullback). The substitutes were: Stanley Bach, Thomas Cassady, M. J. "Bud" Cavana, Engel, Foster, Janes, Ellis T. Johnson, Robert Kipping, Howard Kreuter, William Luther, Robert Montgomery, Parrish, Pribble, Newell Wilder, Worthington and George Yates.

Maryland

See also: 1931 Maryland Aggies football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Stark (left tackle), Hite (left guard), Brown (center), Swart (right guard), Hoenstine (right tackle), Palmer (right end), Groth (quarterback), Hardwick (left halfback), Porterfield (right halfback), Robison (fullback). The substitutes were: Casey, Howard and Murphy.

The starting lineup for Maryland was: Alfred Pease (left end), Ernie Carliss (left tackle), Courtney Hayden (left guard), Parker Faber (center), Jesse Krajcovic (right guard), George Cole (right tackle), Jack Norris (right end), Charles May (quarterback), Boze Berger (left halfback), George V. Chalmers (right halfback), Ray Poppelman (fullback). The substitutes were: Charles Keenan, Paul Kiernan and John Mitchell.

Washington and Lee

See also: 1931 Washington and Lee Generals football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Palmer (left end), Stark (left tackle), Hite (left guard), Brown (center), Dyke (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), Chandler (right end), Ottley (quarterback), Hardwick (left halfback), Robison (right halfback), Howard (fullback). The substitutes were: Casey, Groth, Morgan, Porterfield, Seaman and Swart.

The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: S. S. Mosovich (left end), Thomasson Boland (left tackle), Amos Bolen (left guard), Patrick Mitchell (center), Charles Tilson (right guard), Robert Morris (right tackle), John Hanley (right end), L. H. Wilson (quarterback), W. W. Mattox (left halfback), Eugene Martin (right halfback), F. R. Bailey (fullback). The substitutes were: William Grove and Joseph Sawyers.

Virginia

See also: 1931 Virginia Cavaliers football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Chandler (left end), Stark (left tackle), Hite (left guard), Brown (center), Dyke (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), Palmer (right end), Howard (quarterback), Casey (left halfback), Hardwick (right halfback), Robison (fullback). The substitutes were: Groth, Ottley and Porterfield.

The starting lineup for Virginia was: William Condon (left end), Charles Poss (left tackle), Herbert Bryant (left guard), Lewis Reiss (center), Bill DeButts (right guard), Ray Burger (right tackle), Gene Wager (right end), William Edgar (quarterback), William Thomas (left halfback), Douglas Myers (right halfback), Ward Brewer (fullback).

VMI

See also: 1931 VMI Keydets football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Stark (left tackle), Hite (left guard), Brown (center), Betts (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), Swart (right end), Groth (quarterback), Hardwick (left halfback), Porterfield (right halfback), Robison (fullback). The substitutes were: Casey and Howard.

The starting lineup for VMI was: John Gill (left end), Pus Hilliard (left tackle), Al Rochelle (left guard), James Rea (center), Arthur Marklis (right guard), Charles Straub (right tackle), Randolph Gregory (right end), William Smith (quarterback), P. G. Travers (left halfback), Tucker Watkins (right halfback), Ralph Waite (fullback). The substitutes were: Charles Bailey, William Kaylor, Ed Kostainsek, Jack Lavinder, Louis Seigel, Irvin Smith, Eugene Spaulding and Fred Urick.

Players

The following players were members of the 1931 football team according to the roster published in the 1932 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.[30]

VPI 1931 roster
  • William Earle Betts
  • Charles Eugene Brown (Capt.)
  • Alfred Layden Casey
  • Edwin F. Chandler
  • E. E. Dyke
  • Bill Grinus
  • Charles Alexander "Heinie" Groth
  • Samuel Elkana Hardwick
  • Eugene Goliday Hite
  • Garland Woodrow Hoenstine
  • Harry Worden Howard
  • John A. McIntre
  • John Marshall Murphy
  • Waightes Gibbs Ottley
  • Benny Palmer
  • William Breckenridge Porterfield
  • Carl Francis Robison
  • Henry DeWitt Shank
  • Harry Hyman Stark
  • James L. Swart

Coaching and training staff

References

  1. ^ "1931 Virginia Tech Hokies Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  2. ^ "V. P. I. Easily Victor Over King College". Knoxville News Sentinel. September 27, 1931. Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "V. P. I. Has Easy Time". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. September 27, 1931. p. 53. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "Georgia Smothers Virginia Poly, 40–0". Bristol Herald Courier. October 4, 1931. Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Georgia Beats Virginia Poly To Open 1931 Season". The Red & Black. University of Georgia. October 9, 1931. p. 7. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  6. ^ "Georgia Whips V. P. I." The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 4, 1931. p. 64. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  7. ^ "V. P. I. Overpowers Davidson to Win 18 to 6". The Charlotte News. October 11, 1931. Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Gobblers Down Wildcats 18-6". The Davidsonian. Davidson College. October 14, 1931. p. 3. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "Casey Wins For V. P. I." The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 11, 1931. p. 59. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  10. ^ "William And Mary Holds Gobblers To Deadlock Score, 6–6". Daily Press. October 18, 1931. Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Redskins Battle Strong V.P.I. Club In Hard Contest". The Flat Hat. College of William & Mary. October 27, 1931. p. 3. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  12. ^ "Virginia Elevens Tie". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 18, 1931. p. 69. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  13. ^ "Kentucky Beats V. P. I. Eleven, 20–6". The Birmingham News. October 25, 1931. Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Wildcats Turn Back Gobblers By 20-6 Score". The Kentucky Kernel. University of Kentucky. October 27, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  15. ^ "Kentucky Outlasts V. P. I. To Win, 20 To 6". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 25, 1931. p. 60. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  16. ^ "Tech Beaten By Maryland; 20 to 0 score". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 1, 1931. Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Maryland Defeats V. P. I., 20-0". The Diamondback. University of Maryland, College Park. November 2, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  18. ^ "Maryland Routs Virginia Poly, 20-0". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. November 1, 1931. p. 65. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  19. ^ "Generals Overthrow Techmen 6 To 0" (PDF). The Ring-tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. November 10, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  20. ^ "80-Yard Run Gives W. And L. Upset Win". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. November 8, 1931. p. 65. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  21. ^ "Sawyers' 80-Yard Dash On Intercepted Pass Nets W. & L. 6–0 Win". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 8, 1931. Retrieved November 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "W. & L. Gets Single Score to Beat Tech". The Lexington Gazette. Library of Virginia. November 10, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  23. ^ "Generals Down V. P. I. 6 to 0 in Annual Battle at Roanoke". Rockbridge County News. Library of Virginia. November 12, 1931. p. 2. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  24. ^ "Techmen Battle Cavaliers To Tie At Scott Stadium". Daily Press. November 15, 1931. Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Cavaliers-Tech In Scoreless Tie". The Daily Progress. University of Virginia. November 16, 1931. p. 8. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  26. ^ "Cavalier, Gobbler Unable To Score". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. November 15, 1931. p. 69. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  27. ^ "V. M. I. Loses To Va. Tech 13–6 In Turkey Day Classic". The Cadet. Virginia Military Institute. November 30, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  28. ^ "V. M. I. Goes Down Fighting to V. P. I. 13 to 6". Rockbridge County News. Library of Virginia. December 3, 1931. p. 2. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  29. ^ "Virginia Tech Trips Old Rival". The Lexington Gazette. Library of Virginia. December 1, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  30. ^ "The Bugle 1932" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1932. Retrieved January 9, 2016.


source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1931_VPI_Gobblers_football_team