1911 VPI football team

1911 VPI football
1911 VPI football
Conference	Independent
Record	6–1–2
Head coach	Lew Riess (1st season);
Captain	Aubrey Gravatt Gibbs
Home stadium	Miles Field
	Seasons ← 1910 1912 →

1911 Southern college football independents records
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
Oklahoma		–		8	–	0	–	0
Florida		–		5	–	0	–	1
VMI		–		7	–	1	–	0
Texas A&M		–		6	–	1	–	0
Georgetown		–		7	–	1	–	1
Navy		–		6	–	0	–	3
North Carolina		–		6	–	1	–	1
VPI		–		6	–	1	–	2
Virginia		–		8	–	2	–	0
Louisiana Industrial		–		4	–	1	–	1
Marshall		–		4	–	1	–	1
Arkansas		–		6	–	2	–	1
Oklahoma A&M		–		5	–	2	–	0
Texas		–		5	–	2	–	0
Washington and Lee		–		4	–	2	–	2
West Virginia		–		6	–	3	–	0
Davidson		–		5	–	3	–	0
North Carolina A&M		–		5	–	3	–	0
Chattanooga		–		3	–	2	–	0
Catholic University		–		3	–	2	–	2
Maryland		–		4	–	4	–	2
Baylor		–		3	–	4	–	2
Wake Forest		–		3	–	5	–	0
Delaware		–		2	–	5	–	2
South Carolina		–		1	–	4	–	2
Southwestern Louisiana Industrial		–		1	–	4	–	1
Spring Hill		–		1	–	3	–	0
Southwest Texas State		–		1	–	3	–	0
Middle Tennessee State Normal		–		0	–	1	–	0

The 1911 VPI football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1911 college football season. The team was led by their head coach Lew Riess and finished with a record of six wins, one loss, and two ties (6–1–2).

Rules

The rules for American football in 1911 included:^[1]

Field 110 yards in length
Kickoff made from midfield
Three downs to gain ten yards
Touchdown worth 5 points
Field goal worth 3 points
Forward pass legal, but subject to penalties:

A pass could not be caught beyond the goal line, nor more than 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 30		Hampden–Sydney	Miles Field Blacksburg, VA	W 16–0		^[2]
October 6	3:15 p.m.	vs. University of Maryland, Baltimore	Lafayette Field Norfolk, VA	W 12–0		^[3]^[4]
October 14	3:00 p.m.	at Yale	Yale Field New Haven, CT	L 0–33		^[5]^[6]^[7]
October 21		Roanoke	Miles Field Blacksburg, VA	W 93–0		^[8]
October 28	3:00 p.m.	vs. Washington and Lee	Fair Grounds Roanoke, VA	T 5–5	3,000	^[9]^[10]^[11]
November 4	3:00 p.m.	vs. North Carolina	Broad Street Park Richmond, VA	T 0–0	2,000	^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]
November 11		Tennessee	Miles Field Blacksburg, VA	W 36–11		^[16]
November 18		Morris Harvey	Miles Field Blacksburg, VA	W 10–3		^[17]
November 30		vs. North Carolina A&M	Lafayette Field Norfolk, VA	W 3–0	6,000	^[18]
All times are in Eastern time

Before the season

The 1910 VPI football team compiled a 6–2 record and were led by Branch Bocock in his second season as head coach.

Game summaries

Hampden–Sydney

Hampden–Sydney vs. VPI

	1	2	Total
HS	0	0	0
• VPI	5	11	16

Date: September 30, 1911
Location: Miles Field
Blacksburg, VA
Referee: Joseph Ware

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

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Pick (left guard), Gibbs (center), Rogers (right guard), Schultz (right tackle), Lefebre (right end), Vaughan (quarterback), F. Legge (left halfback), W. Legge (right halfback), Roberts (fullback).

The starting lineup for Hampden–Sydney was: W. W. Arbuckle (left end), Thomas Atkinson (left tackle), Charles Walker (left guard), Marvin Bowling (center), Robert Guthrie (right guard), Loyal Benedict (right tackle), F. W. Payne (right end), Kirkland Saunders (quarterback), George Jones (left halfback), Charles Lewis (right halfback), Howard Blanton (fullback).

Maryland, Baltimore

After their victory over Hampden–Sydney, VPI played the University of Maryland, Baltimore at Lafayette Field in Norfolk, Virginia.

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Pick (left guard), Gibbs (center), Evans (right guard), Schultz (right tackle), Lefebre (right end), Vaughan (quarterback), Rogers (left halfback), Derby (right halfback), Roberts (fullback). The substitutes were: Hughes, F. Legge, W. Legge and Wyatt.

The starting lineup for University of Maryland, Baltimore was: C. Collinson (left end), Merrill (left tackle), Johnson (left guard), Oehrl (center), Chaifey (right guard), J. Collinson (right tackle), Stevens (right end), Butler (quarterback), Ruhl (left halfback), Melville (right halfback), Brown (fullback). The substitutes were: Nelson, Raimey and W. Ruhl.

Yale

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Evans (left guard), Gibbs (center), Pick (right guard), Schultz (right tackle), Lefebre (right end), Bernier (quarterback), F. Legge (left halfback), Derby (right halfback), Roberts (fullback). The substitutes were: Hughes, W. Legge, Rogers, Vaughan and Wyatt.

The starting lineup for Yale was: Benjamin Avery (left end), James Scully (left tackle), Pomeroy Francis (left guard), Hank Ketcham (center), Elmer McDevitt (right guard), Henry Perry (right tackle), William Howe (right end), Art Howe (quarterback), James Reilly (left halfback), Jesse Spalding (right halfback), Anderson (fullback). The substitutes were: Walter C. Camp, Clarence Childs, Church, Davis, Foss, Edgar Freeman, Robert Loree, Henry Marting, Henry Merritt, Parker and William Warren.

Cancelled Game with Western Maryland

VPI was scheduled to play Western Maryland College on October 21, but Western Maryland cancelled and VPI played Roanoke.^[19]

Roanoke

Washington and Lee

Washington & Lee vs. VPI

	1	2	3	4	Total
W&L	0	0	0	5	5
VPI	0	5	0	0	5

Date: October 28, 1911
Location: Fair Grounds
Roanoke, VA
Game start: 3:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 3,000
Game weather: "ideal"
Referee: Jack Gass

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Schultz (left tackle), Pick (left guard), Gibbs (center), Evans (right guard), Burruss (right tackle), Lefebre (right end), Bernier (quarterback), Derby (left halfback), F. Legge (right halfback), Macon (fullback). The substitutes were: W. Legge and Wyatt.

The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: Kelly Francis (left end), James Miller (left tackle), H. Southerland (left guard), Carl Moore (center), Paul Rogers (right guard), Buck Miles (right tackle), Hurd (right end), John Slater (quarterback), Ralph Malcolm (left halfback), David Bone (right halfback), Edmond Burk (fullback). The substitutes were: Raymond Beuhring, William Brown, C. T. Lile, W. C. Raftery, Mark Stewart, H. F. Tindal, Roland Waddill and F. B. Webster.

North Carolina

North Carolina vs. VPI

	1	2	3	4	Total
UNC	0	0	0	0	0
VPI	0	0	0	0	0

Date: November 4, 1911
Location: Broad Street Park
Richmond, VA
Game start: 3:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 2,000
Game weather: "cold, drizzling downpour"
Referee: Jack Gass

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Pick (left guard), Gibbs (center), Evans (right guard), Schultz (right tackle), Lefebre (right end), Vaughan (quarterback), Legge (left halfback), Derby (right halfback), Macon (fullback). The substitutes were: Hughes.

The starting lineup for North Carolina was: Blake Applewhite (left end), Walter Small (left tackle), Archibald Deans (left guard), Marvin Ritch (center), James Orr (right guard), Lonnie Abernethy (right tackle), Robert Strange (right end), William Tillett (quarterback), Seigler (left halfback), Bob Winston (right halfback), William Coffin (fullback). The substitutes were: Joseph Chambers and Nicholson.

Tennessee

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Pick (left guard), Gibbs (center), Evans (right guard), Schultz (right tackle), Lefebre (right end), Bernier (quarterback), F. Legge (left halfback), Derby (right halfback), W. Legge (fullback).

The starting lineup for Tennessee was: Alonzo Carroll (left end), Sam Hayley (left tackle), R. V. Kerr (left guard), Joseph Gause (center), Roy McGuire (right guard), Farmer Kelly (right tackle), M. McGuire (right end), Rufus Branch (quarterback), Rus Lindsay (left halfback), C. H. Fonde (right halfback), Frank Tompkins (fullback).

Morris Harvey

Morris Harvey vs. VPI

	1	2	3	4	Total
MH	3	0	0	0	3
• VPI	0	0	10	0	10

Date: November 18, 1911
Location: Miles Field
Blacksburg, VA
Game weather: "high wind"
Referee: Joseph Ware

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Moore (left tackle), Wyatt (left guard), Gibbs (center), Evans (right guard), Schultz (right tackle), Rogers (right end), Bernier (quarterback), Legge (left halfback), Vawter (right halfback), Gardner (fullback).

The starting lineup for Morris Harvey was: Fulton (left end), Beck (left tackle), Dyke (left guard), Adamson (center), Taylor (right guard), Huyler (right tackle), Frith (right end), Shelton (quarterback), Hager (left halfback), Raymond Ayres (right halfback), Smith (fullback).

North Carolina A&M

North Carolina A&M vs. VPI

	1	2	3	4	Total
NC A&M	0	0	0	0	0
• VPI	0	0	0	3	3

Date: November 30, 1911
Location: Lafayette Field
Norfolk, VA
Game attendance: 6,000
Referee: Harton (Princeton)

The starting lineup for VPI was: Hodgson (left end), Burruss (left tackle), Pick (left guard), Gibbs (center), Evans (right guard), Schultz (right tackle), Lefebre (right end), Bernier (quarterback), Derby (left halfback), F. Legge (right halfback), Macon (fullback). The substitutes were: W. Legge and Rogers.

The starting lineup for North Carolina A&M was: A. J. Phillips (left end), W. T. Hurtt (left tackle), S. B. Sykes (left guard), C. D. McIver (center), J. L. Dunn (right guard), D. B. Floyd (right tackle), David Seifert (right end), Tal Stafford (quarterback), D. A. Robertson (left halfback), H. M. Cool (right halfback), Nathan Hargrove (fullback).

Players

The following players were members of the 1911 football team according to the roster published in the 1912 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.^[20]

VPI 1911 roster

Quarterback

Charles A. Bernier

Guards

Tackles

William Henry Burruss
Werner Joseph Schultz

Center

Aubrey Gravatt Gibbs (Capt.)

Ends

Asbury Nathaniel Hodgson
Gordon Lefebre

Halfbacks

Claude Palmer Derby
Frederick Hughes Legge

Fullback

Robert C. Macon

Substitutes

Withrow Reynolds Legge
James Booth Rogers
Harry Briggs Vaughan
John Rudisil Vawter
Fred Tate Wyatt

Coaching and training staff

Head coach: Lew Riess
Manager: G. G. Garrison

References

^ ^a ^b Danzig, Allison (1956). The History of American Football: Its Great Teams, Players, and Coaches. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. pp. 70–71.
^ "Sixteen Points Scored By V.P.I." Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 1, 1911. p. 41. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
^ "Teams Almost Come To Blows". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 7, 1911. p. 6. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
^ "Game Breaks Up In General Scrap". The Richmond News Leader. Library of Virginia. October 7, 1911. p. 7. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^ "Yale Whips Virginians". New-York Tribune. Library of Congress. October 15, 1911. p. 6. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
^ "Lose To Yale Eleven". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 15, 1911. p. 61. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
^ "Yale Backs Reel Off Long Runs on V.P.I." Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 15, 1911. p. 43. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
^ "V.P.I. Makes Record Score". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 22, 1911. p. 47. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
^ "Great Game Ends In 5–5 Tie" (PDF). The Ring-tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. October 31, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
^ "Evenly Matched Elevens Battle To Tie Score". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 29, 1911. p. 43. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
^ "Prettiest Game in Country Here". Evening News. Library of Virginia. October 30, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
^ "Foot Ball - Broad Street Park". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 29, 1911. p. 44. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^ "Carolina Holds Tech Eleven to Scoreless Game". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 5, 1911. p. 45. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^ "In A Splendid Battle Carolina Plays V.P.I. To A Standstill". The Tar Heel. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. November 7, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^ "V.P.I. Held To Scoreless Tie By North Carolina". The Richmond News Leader. Library of Virginia. November 6, 1911. p. 6. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^ "Make Long Runs for Touchdowns". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 12, 1911. p. 49. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^ "Tech's Work Not Up To Standard". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 19, 1911. p. 49. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^ "V.P.I. Takes Game At Last Moment". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. December 1, 1911. p. 6. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^ "V. P. I. Swamps Roanoke College". The Evening Journal. Library of Virginia. October 23, 1911. p. 8. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
^ "The Bugle 1912" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1912. p. 176. Retrieved December 3, 2015.

[Danzig1956-1] Danzig, Allison (1956). The History of American Football: Its Great Teams, Players, and Coaches. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. pp. 70–71.

[2] "Sixteen Points Scored By V.P.I." Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 1, 1911. p. 41. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[3] "Teams Almost Come To Blows". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 7, 1911. p. 6. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[4] "Game Breaks Up In General Scrap". The Richmond News Leader. Library of Virginia. October 7, 1911. p. 7. Retrieved March 17, 2022.

[5] "Yale Whips Virginians". New-York Tribune. Library of Congress. October 15, 1911. p. 6. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[6] "Lose To Yale Eleven". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. October 15, 1911. p. 61. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[7] "Yale Backs Reel Off Long Runs on V.P.I." Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 15, 1911. p. 43. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[8] "V.P.I. Makes Record Score". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 22, 1911. p. 47. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[9] "Great Game Ends In 5–5 Tie" (PDF). The Ring-tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. October 31, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[10] "Evenly Matched Elevens Battle To Tie Score". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 29, 1911. p. 43. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[11] "Prettiest Game in Country Here". Evening News. Library of Virginia. October 30, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[broadstreet-12] "Foot Ball - Broad Street Park". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 29, 1911. p. 44. Retrieved March 17, 2022.

[13] "Carolina Holds Tech Eleven to Scoreless Game". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 5, 1911. p. 45. Retrieved March 17, 2022.

[14] "In A Splendid Battle Carolina Plays V.P.I. To A Standstill". The Tar Heel. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. November 7, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved March 17, 2022.

[15] "V.P.I. Held To Scoreless Tie By North Carolina". The Richmond News Leader. Library of Virginia. November 6, 1911. p. 6. Retrieved March 17, 2022.

[16] "Make Long Runs for Touchdowns". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 12, 1911. p. 49. Retrieved March 17, 2022.

[17] "Tech's Work Not Up To Standard". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 19, 1911. p. 49. Retrieved March 17, 2022.

[18] "V.P.I. Takes Game At Last Moment". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. December 1, 1911. p. 6. Retrieved March 17, 2022.

[19] "V. P. I. Swamps Roanoke College". The Evening Journal. Library of Virginia. October 23, 1911. p. 8. Retrieved August 15, 2022.

[20] "The Bugle 1912" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1912. p. 176. Retrieved December 3, 2015.

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