# 1937 VPI Gobblers football team

The 1937 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1937 college football season. The team was led by their head coach Henry Redd and finished with a record of five wins and five losses (5–5).

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 18 | | Roanoke* | Miles StadiumBlacksburg, VA | W 27–7 | 4,000 |
| September 25 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. Duke | World War Memorial StadiumGreensboro, NC | L 0–25 | 11,000–12,000 |
| October 2 | | at Tennessee* | Shields–Watkins FieldKnoxville, TN | L 0–27 | 10,000 |
| October 9 | | vs. William & Mary | City StadiumRichmond, VA | L 0–12 | 6,000 |
| October 16 | 8:00 p.m. | at NC State | Riddick StadiumRaleigh, NC | L 7–13 | 7,000 |
| October 23 | | Washington and Lee | Miles StadiumBlacksburg, VA | W 19–7 | 5,000 |
| October 30 | | Hampden–Sydney* | Miles StadiumBlacksburg, VA | W 31–0 | 3,000 |
| November 6 | | at Richmond | City StadiumRichmond, VA | L 7–12 | |
| November 13 | 2:10 p.m. | at Virginia* | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA (rivalry) | W 14–7 | 7,000–7,500 |
| November 25 | | vs. VMI | Maher FieldRoanoke, VA (rivalry) | W 12–6 | 20,000 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Before the season

The 1936 VPI Gobblers football team compiled a 5–5 record and were led by Henry Redd in his fifth season as head coach.

## Game summaries
### Roanoke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Roanoke | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • VPI | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
VPI's first game of the season was a victory over Roanoke at Miles Stadium.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Vecellio (left tackle), Devlin (left guard), Murray (center), Worthington (right guard), Robison (right tackle), Doxey (right end), Shockey (quarterback), Henry (left halfback), Miller (right halfback), Darnell (fullback). The substitutes were: Cregger.
The starting lineup for Roanoke was: Stanley Snidow (left end), Dexter Goodwin (left tackle), Anderson (left guard), Fred Coots (center), Larson (right guard), Cotter (right tackle), Moore (right end), Mongiello (quarterback), Crumley (left halfback), Bernard Pedneau (right halfback), Lester (fullback). The substitutes were: Larry Larson, Rip Patrone and Conley Snidow.

### Duke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Duke | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 25 |
| VPI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
After their victory over Roanoke, VPI played Duke University at World War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Robison (left tackle), Worthington (left guard), Murray (center), Devlin (right guard), Vecellio (right tackle), Doxey (right end), Shockey (quarterback), Henry (left halfback), Miller (right halfback), Darnell (fullback).
The starting lineup for Duke was: Herbert Hudgins (left end), Joe Brunansky (left tackle), Bolo Perdue (left guard), Dan Hill (center), Buckle Badgett (right guard), Woody Lipscomb (right tackle), Fred Edwards (right end), Elmore Hackney (quarterback), Robert Spangler (left halfback), Eric Tipton (right halfback), Bob O'Mara (fullback). The substitutes were: Blackie Baskerville, Frank Ribar and Hardwood Smith.

### Tennessee

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| VPI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Tenn | 7 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Davis (left tackle), King (left guard), Murray (center), Devlin (right guard), Robison (right tackle), Doxey (right end), Powers (quarterback), DeMuro (left halfback), Henry (right halfback), Darnell (fullback). The substitutes were: Boswell, Cameron, Dunn, Ellison, Mast, Pitts, Shawhan, William and Worthington.
The starting lineup for Tennessee was: George Hunter (left end), Robert Fulton (left tackle), William Leffler (left guard), Joseph Little (center), Joe Black Hayes (right guard), Boyd Clay (right tackle), Ralph Eldred (right end), William McCarren (quarterback), Walter "Babe" Wood (left halfback), Cheek Duncan (right halfback), Marion Perkins (fullback). The substitutes were: Bacon, William F. Barnes, Sam Bartholomew, George Cafego, Leonard Coffman, Frank Crawford, Disspayne, Fields, Thomas "Red" Harp, Gerald Hendricks, Hereford, Melvin Herring, Bonnie Hodge, Carl Hubbuck, Van Kelley, Samuel Levine, Markey Luttrell, Allen Ramsey, Reno, Alvin Rice, Jim Rike, William Sanders, Robert Sneed, Alfred Thomas, Webber, Bob Woodruff and Bowden Wyatt.

### William & Mary

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • W&M | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| VPI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Davis (left tackle), Devlin (left guard), Murray (center), Worthington (right guard), Robison (right tackle), Doxey (right end), Mast (quarterback), Henry (left halfback), Shockey (right halfback), Darnell (fullback).
The starting lineup for William & Mary was: John Coiner (left end), Samuel Walker (left tackle), Hugh McGowan (left guard), Herbert Krueger (center), John Davidson (right guard), John Dillard (right tackle), Stan Kamen (right end), Otis Bunch (quarterback), Charles Hall (left halfback), Yeager (right halfback), Gus Twiddy (fullback).

### NC State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| VPI | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| • NC State | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 |

### Washington and Lee

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| W&L | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • VPI | 6 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 19 |
VPI's 1937 homecoming game was a victory over Washington and Lee.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Davis (left tackle), Devlin (left guard), Murray (center), Worthington (right guard), Vecellio (right tackle), Doxey (right end), Cregger (quarterback), Henry (left halfback), DeMuro (right halfback), Belcher (fullback). The substitutes were: Cameron, Darnell, Ellison, King and Robison.
The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: Bob Spessard (left end), Richard "Dick" Boisseau (left tackle), J. D. Wilson (left guard), William Rogers (center), William Brown (right guard), Joseph Ochsie (right tackle), Charles Lykes (right end), Don Dunlap (quarterback), C. Harrison Hogan (left halfback), R. M. White (right halfback), L. E. Long (fullback). The substitutes were: Raymond Craft, Merton "Chubby" Howard, James Humphrey, R. Shack Parrish and Francis Sugrue.

### Hampden–Sydney

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| HS | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • VPI | 12 | 0 | 6 | 31 | 49 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Cameron (left end), Davis (left tackle), King (left guard), Murray (center), Worthington (right guard), Vecellio (right tackle), Craft (right end), Cregger (quarterback), Henry (left halfback), DeMuro (right halfback), Belcher (fullback). The substitutes were: Boswell, Darnell and Powers.
The starting lineup for Hampden–Sydney was: Robert Kincaid (left end), Johnson (left tackle), Sullivan (left guard), Walter "Jack" Pedigo (center), Albert Howard (right guard), Thomas Crume (right tackle), Wilson (right end), John Richardson (quarterback), Stuart Walden (left halfback), Williams (right halfback), Charles Spencer (fullback). The substitutes were: Albert Buchinsky, Frank Hyde and Harry Null.

### Richmond

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| VPI | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| • Richmond | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Oliver (left end), Davis (left tackle), King (left guard), Murray (center), Worthington (right guard), Vecellio (right tackle), Doxey (right end), Cregger (quarterback), Henry (left halfback), DeMuro (right halfback), Belcher (fullback). The substitutes were: Darnell and Shockey.
The starting lineup for Richmond was: Joseph Straughan (left end), Charles Siddall (left tackle), Via (left guard), Faris (center), Forrest Norvell (right guard), William Morrison (right tackle), A. B. Marchant (right end), Len Kielpinski (quarterback), Stuart Hoskins (left halfback), Buddy Lawless (right halfback), Clyde Pendleton (fullback). The substitutes were: Ed Merrick and Ed Sinar.

### Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • VPI | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| UVA | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Davis (left tackle), King (left guard), Murray (center), Worthington (right guard), Vecellio (right tackle), Doxey (right end), DeMuro (quarterback), Darnell (left halfback), Henry (right halfback), Belcher (fullback). The substitutes were: Shockey.
The starting lineup for Virginia was: James Sargeant (left end), William Weeks (left tackle), Ray Schmidt (left guard), Keilman (center), John Acree (right guard), Arthur Bryant (right tackle), George (right end), Walter Smith (quarterback), Peter Nistad (left halfback), Jim Gillette (right halfback), Harry McClaugherty (fullback). The substitutes were: Harry Dinwiddie.

### VMI

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| VMI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| • VPI | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Davis (left tackle), Robison (left guard), Murray (center), Devlin (right guard), Vecellio (right tackle), Doxey (right end), Cregger (quarterback), Henry (left halfback), DeMuro (right halfback), Shockey (fullback).
The starting lineup for VMI was: Ray Brittingham (left end), Richard Strickler (left tackle), Thomas Gray (left guard), Richard Irby (center), William "Red" Echols (right guard), Fieldler (right tackle), E. Ray Taylor (right end), Billy Roberson (quarterback), Vendel "Bud" Kovar (left halfback), Paul Shu (right halfback), Andy Trzeciak (fullback).

## After the season

In December 1937, the VPI players chose Frank Pierce as captain of the 1938 VPI Gobblers football team.

## Players
### Varsity letter winners

Eighteen players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1937 VPI team.
| Player | Hometown | Notes |
| James Raymond Belcher | | |
| Archibald Branks Cameron | Cranford, New Jersey | World War II veteran (Army). Awarded the Silver Star Medal and Purple Heart. |
| Marvin Andrew "Pete" Cregger | | |
| Weldon Tolliver "Kinky" Darnell | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | |
| James Blackwell "Junior" Davis | | |
| Philip Galliano DeMuro | | |
| William Harper Devlin | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| Lloyd Gibbs Doxey | Halifax, North Carolina | World War II veteran (Army). Awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. |
| Melvin Henry | Cumberland, Maryland | |
| Ernest Stuart King | | |
| Howard Dilworth Mast | Lynnhaven, Virginia | World War II veteran (Lieutenant (junior grade), Navy). |
| Albert Sanford Miller | | |
| Ruffner Page Murray | | |
| Frank Marion Pierce | | World War II veteran (Lieutenant Colonel, Army). |
| Arthur Stephen Robison | Richmond, Virginia | World War II veteran (Army). |
| Carol Leo Shockey (Capt.) | Shockeysville, Virginia | |
| Leo Arthur Vecellio | Beckley, West Virginia | World War II veteran (Army). Awarded the Legion of Merit. |
| George Yellott Worthington | | |

## Coaching and training staff

* Head coach: Henry Redd
* Assistant coaches
** Backfield coach: Herbert McEver
** Line coach: Sumner D. Tilson
* Manager: W. B. Wine
* Freshman coaches
** Freshman head coach: C. E. Tilson
** Assistant freshman coach and trainer: Thomas A. Slusser