The 1923 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the 1923 college football season. The team was led by their head coach B. C. Cubbage and finished with a record of six wins and three losses (6–3).

In November 1923, VPI's fieldhouse, which held all of their football equipment, was destroyed by a fire. Coach Cubbage had to go to Philadelphia to get replacement equipment.

Schedule

Before the season The 1922 VPI Gobblers football team compiled a 8–1–1 record and were led by B. C. Cubbage in his second season as head coach.

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

The starting lineup for VPI was: Rhodes (left end), Baker (left tackle), Ray (left guard), Moran (center), Hammock (right guard), Graham (right tackle), Holly (right end), Sutton (quarterback), Rutherford (left halfback), Flory (right halfback), Buchanan (fullback). The substitutes were: Bailey, Beck, DeLaBarre, Ebert, Gaines, Greene, Liebrecht, Moss, Nutter, Pumphrey, Roberts, Whitt and Wood.

The starting lineup for Hampden–Sydney was: Edwin Ott (left end), William Fuqua (left tackle), Kent (left guard), Alfred Dudley (center), Cecil Blankenship (right guard), Edward Sager (right tackle), Hurt (right end), Robert Brenaman (quarterback), Bailey Tyson (left halfback), A. A. Adkins (right halfback), Claiborne Carter (fullback). The substitutes were: Gold, W. Nace, William Richardson and William Venable.

Davidson

After their victory over Hampden–Sydney, VPI played Davidson College at Miles Field.

The starting lineup for VPI was: Greene (left end), Baker (left tackle), Rea (left guard), Moran (center), Hammock (right guard), Graham (right tackle), Holly (right end), Roberts (quarterback), Sutton (left halfback), Buchanan (right halfback), DeLaBarre (fullback). The substitutes were: Beck, Flory, Liebrecht, Moss, Nutter, Pumphrey and Rhodes.

The starting lineup for Davidson was: Charles Davis (left end), Charles Hodgin (left tackle), William Long (left guard), Mason Field (center), Ralph Boggs (right guard), Samuel Summers (right tackle), Elias Faison (right end), James Hendrix (quarterback), W. M. Black (left halfback), W. S. Shepherd (right halfback), James DeArmon (fullback). The substitutes were: Thompson Baker, John Covington, Warren Cox, John Hunt, Red Laird, Harry Lindamood, Nevin Sappenfield and Harry Vance.

3rd Army Corps

The starting lineup for VPI was: Rhodes (left end), Greene (left tackle), Rea (left guard), Baker (center), Moran (right guard), Graham (right tackle), Holly (right end), Sutton (quarterback), Rutherford (left halfback), Moss (right halfback), Buchanan (fullback). The substitutes were: Bailey, DeLaBarre, Flory, Gaines, Hammock and Roberts.

The starting lineup for 3rd Army Corps was: H. E. Tyler (left end), O'Farrell Knight (left tackle), Moore (left guard), Francis Greene (center), John Stokes (right guard), Franz von Schilling (right tackle), White (right end), Cornman Hahn (quarterback), Dodd (left halfback), Pishon (right halfback), Vic Noyes (fullback). The substitutes were: Jared and Arthur Rogers.

Maryland

The starting lineup for VPI was: Rhodes (left end), Greene (left tackle), Rea (left guard), Moran (center), Hammock (right guard), Graham (right tackle), Holly (right end), Sutton (quarterback), Rutherford (left halfback), Moss (right halfback), Buchanan (fullback). The substitutes were: Bailey, Baker, DeLaBarre, Flory, Ray and Roberts.

The starting lineup for Maryland was: Bill Supplee (left end), Walter Bromley (left tackle), Irving Hall (left guard), Cecil Branner (center), John Hough (right guard), Joseph C. Burger (right tackle), John R. Lanigan (right end), Kirkland Besley (quarterback), Ed Pugh (left halfback), George Heine (right halfback), Jack McQuade (fullback). The substitutes were: Mac Brewer, John Groves and George Pollock.

Washington and Lee

The starting lineup for VPI was: Rhodes (left end), Greene (left tackle), Rea (left guard), Baker (center), Hammock (right guard), Graham (right tackle), Holly (right end), Sutton (quarterback), Rutherford (left halfback), Moss (right halfback), Buchanan (fullback). The substitutes were: Bailey, DeLaBarre, Flory, Nutter, Ray and Roberts.

The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: Ralph Daves (left end), Warren E. Tilson (left tackle), Douglas Bemis (left guard), Preston Hatcher (center), Merrell Budnick (right guard), Leslie Stemmons (right tackle), James Kay Thomas (right end), Everett Burke (quarterback), Robert Frew (left halfback), Mayo Hamilton (right halfback), Eddie Cameron (fullback). The substitutes were: Thomas Bemis, Harry Dawson and Henry McMillan.

Clemson

The starting lineup for VPI was: Rhodes (left end), Greene (left tackle), Rea (left guard), Moran (center), Ray (right guard), Graham (right tackle), Bailey (right end), Sutton (quarterback), Rutherford (left halfback), Flory (right halfback), Moss (fullback). The substitutes were: Ebert, Gaines, Hammock, Holly, Liebrecht, Nutter, Pumphrey, Roberts, Sanders, Saunders and Wood.

The starting lineup for Clemson was: Gary Finklea (left end), Strother (left tackle), Wilson (left guard), Wertz (center), Sam Jackson (right guard), Butch Holohan (right tackle), Garrison (right end), Dotterer (quarterback), Charlie Robinson (left halfback), Pat Harmon (right halfback), Bratton Williams (fullback). The substitutes were: Charlie Tennant and Wray.

NC State

The starting lineup for VPI was: Rhodes (left end), Greene (left tackle), Rea (left guard), Moran (center), Ray (right guard), Graham (right tackle), Holly (right end), Sutton (quarterback), Rutherford (left halfback), Flory (right halfback), Moss (fullback). The substitutes were: Bailey, Beck, DeLaBarre, Gaines, Hammock, Nutter, Roberts, Saunders and Williams.

The starting lineup for NC State was: Elms (left end), William Cox (left tackle), Henry Seawell (left guard), Thomas Bostian (center), Percy Beatty (right guard), G. Randolph Logan (right tackle), Samuel Wallis (right end), Sprague (quarterback), Shuford (left halfback), Alfred Johnston (right halfback), Gaither Lassiter (fullback). The substitutes were: Beasley, Johnson, Joseph Ripple and William White.

Virginia

The starting lineup for VPI was: Rhodes (left end), Greene (left tackle), Rea (left guard), Moran (center), Ray (right guard), Graham (right tackle), Holly (right end), Sutton (quarterback), Flory (left halfback), Rutherford (right halfback), Moss (fullback). The substitutes were: Bailey, Baker, Buchanan, Hammock, and Nutter.

The starting lineup for Virginia was: William Deitrick (left end), Mul Holland (left tackle), Thomas Hall (left guard), Fred Thesmar (center), George Baldwin (right guard), James Winston (right tackle), Donald Darby (right end), George Arnold (quarterback), Garland Hubbard (left halfback), Samuel Maphis (right halfback), Paul Walp (fullback). The substitutes were: Walter Brown, Henry Foster, Loth, Thomas McCoy, Taylor, Coleman Walker and Maitland Wilson.

VMI

The starting lineup for VPI was: Rhodes (left end), Liebrecht (left tackle), Moran (left guard), Baker (center), Hammock (right guard), Graham (right tackle), Nutter (right end), Sutton (quarterback), Flory (left halfback), Rutherford (right halfback), Moss (fullback). The substitutes were: Buchanan, Greene, Rea and Roberts.

The starting lineup for VMI was: Mortimer Watkins (left end), Charlie Barbour (left tackle), Thomas McCracken (left guard), Francis Ferguson (center), Carl Hammond (right guard), Frank Clements (right tackle), Eugene Carlton (right end), Worthington Faulkner (quarterback), Paul Caldwell (left halfback), Edward Ryder (right halfback), Khleber Attwell (fullback). The substitutes were: Windy White.

Players Roster VPI 1923 roster Adams Samuel Bailey Robert Baker C. O. Beck Brown Raymond Buchanan Bullock Byrd Harry White Culbreth Cecil Franzen DeLaBarre P. R. Ebert Charles Flory Edwin Ruthven Gaines Glaze Samuel Graham Arthur Greene Lawrence Hammock Hart Forrest Holly Johnson Edward Frank Liebrecht Joseph Moran Jack Moss Oscar Nutter James Ray Robert Rea Charles Rhodes Arthur Roberts Rumphrey Donald Rutherford Stennette Harry McMullen Sutton (Capt.) Williams Wood

Monogram Club members Seventeen players received monograms for their participation on the 1923 VPI team.

Player Hometown Notes Robert Lindsay Baker Norfolk, Virginia C. O. Beck Erwin, Tennessee Raymond Madison Buchanan Saltville, Virginia Samuel Russell "Pop" Bailey Farmville, Virginia Charles Laurence Flory Porterville, California Samuel Oscar Graham Hamilton, Virginia Arthur Trevilian Greene Lawrence Atkins Hammock Forrest William Holly Joseph Henry Moran Radford, Virginia Jack Wellford Moss Roanoke, Virginia United States Army Corps of Engineers. During World War II, he developed methods for crossing rice paddies in the Philippines in planning for the invasion of Japan. He was also the chief engineer in charge of plans, design and construction of Washington National Airport and Andrews Air Force Base. Oscar Price Nutter Blacksburg, Virginia 2nd Lieutenant, Army. James Edward "Teddy" Ray Fredericksburg, Virginia Robert James Rea Charles Douglas Rhodes Bristol, Virginia World War I veteran (Navy). Arthur Roberts, Jr. East Radford, Virginia Donald Hurt Rutherford Bristol, Virginia

Coaching and training staff Head coach: B. C. Cubbage Assistant coach: J. G. Wallace Manager: J. F. Baker Freshman head coach: Henry Redd Freshman Managers William Thomas Johns, Jr. Carroll

References