# 1940 VPI Gobblers football team

The 1940 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1940 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).
VPI was ranked at No. 98 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 21 | | Catawba* | Miles StadiumBlacksburg, VA | W 34–12 | 3,000 |
| September 28 | | at Marshall* | Fairfield StadiumHuntington, WV | L 7–13 | 8,000 |
| October 5 | 3:00 p.m. | Richmond | Miles StadiumBlacksburg, VA | L 7–13 | 6,000 |
| October 12 | | vs. William & Mary | City StadiumRichmond, VA | L 13–20 | 9,000 |
| October 18 | 8:30 p.m. | at Georgetown* | Griffith StadiumWashington, DC | L 4–46 | 15,000 |
| October 26 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. Washington and Lee | Lynchburg Municipal StadiumLynchburg, VA | W 21–0 | 6,000-6,500 |
| November 2 | | vs. Virginia* | Foreman FieldNorfolk, VA (rivalry) | W 6–0 | 9,000 |
| November 9 | 2:30 p.m. | Furman | Miles StadiumBlacksburg, VA | W 38–21 | 4,000 |
| November 16 | | at Centre* | Farris StadiumDanville, KY | W 10–6 | 4,000 |
| November 21 | 2:15 p.m. | vs. VMI | Maher FieldRoanoke, VA (rivalry) | L 0–14 | 20,000-21,000 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Before the season

The 1939 VPI Gobblers football team compiled a 4–5–1 record and were led by Henry Redd in his eighth season as head coach.
In December 1939, the VPI letterwinners chose linemen Jim Coleman and John Henderson as co-captains for the 1940 football season.

## Game summaries
### Catawba

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Catawba | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| • VPI | 0 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
VPI's first game of the season was a victory over Catawba at Miles Stadium.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Lawson (left end), Coleman (left tackle), W. Tate (left guard), Zydiak (center), McClure (right guard), Judy (right tackle), J. Henderson (right end), Kern (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), James (right halfback), Hudson (fullback). The substitutes were: Anderson, Belcher, Blandford, Chasen, Clark, Graves, Johnson, Morehead, Rucker, Sedwick, Smith, Strieff, Sullivan, B. Tate, Todd, Traynham, Unterzuber, Warriner and Wheeler.
The starting lineup for Catawba was: Leo Morgan (left end), George Haley (left tackle), Hubert Menapace (left guard), Ed Ellis (center), Chub Richards (right guard), Bill Self (right tackle), Handley (right end), Ike Green (quarterback), Dwight Holshouser (left halfback), Culton (right halfback), Crayton Benson, Jr. (fullback). The substitutes were: Duke Burkholder, Capaccio, Clayton Gaddy, Steve Johnson, Levich, Morehead, Ranaschire, William Rodeffer, Dave Staley, Todderd, Army Tomaini, Werner and Wright.

### Marshall

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| VPI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • Marshall | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
After their victory over Catawba, VPI played Marshall College at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Lawson (left end), Coleman (left tackle), McClure (left guard), Zydiak (center), W. Tate (right guard), Judy (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Kern (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Wheeler (right halfback), Hudson (fullback). The substitutes were: Warriner.
The starting lineup for Marshall was: Jack Mattiford (left end), Stan Huffman (left tackle), Frank Mellie (left guard), Roberts (center), Clagg (right guard), Harold Cox (right tackle), Ed Ulinski (right end), Lorin Daniels (quarterback), Jackie Hunt (left halfback), Harley Kuhl (right halfback), Lucas (fullback). The substitutes were: Andy D'Antoni and Jack Peters.

### Richmond

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Richmond | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| VPI | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
VPI's 1940 homecoming game was a loss to Richmond.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Clark (left end), Coleman (left tackle), W. Tate (left guard), Zydiak (center), Graves (right guard), Judy (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Thomas (quarterback), Wheeler (left halfback), Kern (right halfback), Hudson (fullback). The substitutes were: Anderson, Belcher, Chasen, James, Lawson, McClure, Morehead, Smith, Sullivan, Todd, Unterzuber, Warriner and Woolwine.
The starting lineup for Richmond was: Dick Humbert (left end), Harold McVay (left tackle), Bert Milling (left guard), William Fitzhugh (center), Andy Fronczek (right guard), David Robertson (right tackle), Erickson (right end), Art Jones (quarterback), Butcher (left halfback), Baker (right halfback), Warren Pace (fullback). The substitutes were: Joseph Amrhein, Coxey Bowen, Vincent Collins, Lemuel Fitzgerald, Griffin, Katz, Joseph Mack, Moore and Gordon ReMine.

### William & Mary

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • W&M | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
| VPI | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Lawson (left end), Todd (left tackle), W. Tate (left guard), Zydiak (center), McClure (right guard), Belcher (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Kern (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Wheeler (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Anderson, Blandford, Chasen, Clark, Graves, Hudson, James, Johnson, Lawson, John Smith, Streiff, Sullivan, B. Tate, Unterzuber and Woolwine.
The starting lineup for William & Mary was: Charles Gondak (left end), Cary Berry (left tackle), Buster Ramsey (left guard), William Goodlow (center), Ed Goodlow (right guard), Marvin Bass (right tackle), Alphonse Chestnut (right end), Waldo Matthews (quarterback), Harlie Masters (left halfback), Harold Fields (right halfback), Harvey Johnson (fullback). The substitutes were: Dick Adams, John Brodka, Abe Ferris, Glamini, Al Helsander, H. Hollingsworth, Jimmie Howard, Newell Irwin, Kickery, Glen Knox, John Korczowski, Al Vandeweghe and Hank Whitehouse.

### Georgetown

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| VPI | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| • Georgetown | 7 | 12 | 6 | 21 | 46 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Lawson (left end), Coleman (left tackle), W. Tate (left guard), Zydiak (center), Anderson (right guard), Belcher (right tackle), Henderson (right end), James (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Kern (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Blandford, Chasen, Clark, Hudson, Johnson, McClure, Smith, Sullivan, Taylor, Unterzuber and Wheeler.
The starting lineup for Georgetown was: Chris Pavich (left end), Earl Fullilove (left tackle), Marc Ostinato (left guard), Bill Erickson (center), Angelo Paternoster (right guard), Joe Daniels (right tackle), John Lascari (right end), Joe McFadden (quarterback), Julius Koshlap (left halfback), Lou Ghecas (right halfback), John Barrett (fullback). The substitutes were: Al Blozis, Ben Bulvin, Jack Doolan, Frank Dornfield, Louis P. Falcone, Al Kull, Art Lemke, Augie Lio, Al Lujack, Al Matuza, Bill McLaughlin, Edward Joseph McMahon, Dominick Montanero, Bill Nealon, George Perpich, James Reichey, Russ Sorce, Jack Spencer and Dave Wiley.

### Washington and Lee

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| W&L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • VPI | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Sullivan (left end), W. Tate (left tackle), McClure (left guard), Zydiak (center), Anderson (right guard), Belcher (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Kern (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Smith (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Hudson, James, Lawson and Wheeler.
The starting lineup for Washington & Lee was: Taylor Truehart (left end), Sanders Simmons (left tackle), Stephen Hanasik (left guard), John "Jack" Mangan (center), Francis Bryan (right guard), John Rulevich (right tackle), Courtney Wadlington (right end), Joe Baugher (quarterback), Preston Brown (left halfback), Robert "Bob" Pinck (right halfback), Alfred "Junie" Bishop (fullback). The substitutes were: John Ligon.

### Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| UVA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • VPI | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Sullivan (left end), W. Tate (left tackle), McClure (left guard), Zydiak (center), Anderson (right guard), Belcher (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Kern (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Smith (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Clark, Hudson, McKinney, Morehead, James and Wheeler.
The starting lineup for Virginia was: White (left end), Harbinson (left tackle), Dickey (left guard), William Suhling III (center), John Sauerbeck (right guard), Morse (right tackle), Nick Gianakos (right end), Bill Dudley (quarterback), Bryant (left halfback), Crenshaw (right halfback), Cardozo (fullback). The substitutes were: Abbott, Aldrich, Goodwin, Gravatt, William Hill, Lee McLaughlin, Mirman, Murden, Leroy Neustedter, O'Grince, William Preston, Schlesinger and Waldrop.

### Furman

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Furman | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| • VPI | 14 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 38 |

### Centre

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Centre | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| • VPI | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |

### VMI

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • VMI | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| VPI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Clark (left end), W. Tate (left tackle), Anderson (left guard), Zydiak (center), McClure (right guard), Belcher (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Wheeler (quarterback), Kern (left halfback), Thomas (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Chasen, Graves, Hudson, Johnson, Morehead, Smith and Unterzuber.
The starting lineup for VMI was: Luther Sexton (left end), Andrew Nelson (left tackle), Ray Reutt (left guard), Barney Skladany (center), Tom Thrasher (right guard), Harold Tipton (right tackle), Randolph Huyett (right end), Abisha "Bosh" Pritchard (quarterback), Carter Catlett (left halfback), Joe Muha (right halfback), Byron Walker (fullback). The substitutes were: Billy Clark, Clyde Ellington, James Matthews, William Nugent, Roy Replogle, James "Son" Shelby, Emil Sotnyk, William Walker and Gerald Williams.

## After the season

On November 20, 1940, Henry Redd announced that he would resign as VPI head coach to become full-time secretary of the General Alumni Association and the director of the Tech Alumni Fund. After considering other coaches to fill the vacancy (reportedly including Bunny Oakes and John Barnhill), former Rice head coach Jimmy Kitts accepted the VPI head coaching position on February 13, 1941.
In December 1940, the VPI letterwinners chose linemen Bill Tate and Bill Zydiak as co-captains for the 1941 football season.

## Players
### Varsity letter winners

Twenty-four players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1940 VPI team.
| Player | Hometown | Notes |
| Cecil Van Anderson | Andersonville, Virginia | World War II veteran (Major, Army Air Corps). |
| Alton Harwood Belcher | Petersburg, Virginia | World War II veteran (2nd Lieutenant, Army). Participated in D-Day, the liberation of Paris, and the Battle of the Bulge. |
| Gerald Harley Clark | Bristol, Tennessee | |
| James Emory Coleman (Capt.) | Fayetteville, West Virginia | |
| Robert Preston Graves | Salem, Virginia | World War II and Vietnam War veteran (Colonel, Army). Awarded the Bronze Star Medal. |
| John L. Henderson (Capt.) | Sevierville, Tennessee | |
| Rankin McGuire Hudson | Sweetwater, Tennessee | |
| William Wilson "Bill" James | Hampton, Virginia | |
| Samuel Benjamin Judy | Belleville, West Virginia | |
| Richard Davis Kern | Winchester, Virginia | |
| Robert "Bob" Lawson | Cambria, Virginia | |
| Roger Nelson McClure | Glasgow, West Virginia | World War II veteran (Captain, Army). |
| Joseph Franklin Smith | Bristol, Virginia | |
| John O. Smith | Beckley, West Virginia | |
| William Lee "Bill" Tate | Pulaski, Virginia | |
| Garrett Ernest Taylor | Victoria, Virginia | |
| Herbert Joseph Thomas | South Charleston, West Virginia | World War II veteran (Sergeant, Marines). Awarded the Medal of Honor. |
| Andrew Wellington Todd | Hampton, Virginia | World War II veteran (Army). |
| Albert Crawford "Pete" Traynham | Richmond, Virginia | |
| Ralph Travis Unterzuber | Belmont, Ohio | World War II veteran (Army). |
| George Daniel Warriner | Montgomery County, Virginia | World War II veteran (Captain, Army). Awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. |
| Eugene Hagy Wheeler | Big Stone Gap, Virginia | World War II veteran (Army). |
| James Walter Woolwine, Jr. | Giles County, Virginia | World War II veteran (Navy). |
| William Daniel Zydiak | Manville, New Jersey | |

## Coaching and training staff

* Head coach: Henry Redd
* Assistant coaches
** Backfield coach: Herbert McEver
** Line coach: Sumner D. Tilson
* Freshman coaches
** Freshman head coach: Red Laird
** Freshman line coach: John Kellison
** Assistant freshman coach and trainer: Willard D. Altman