The 1917 VPI Gobblers football team represented the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the 1917 college football season. The team was led by their head coach Charles Bernier and finished with a record of six wins, two losses and one tie (6–2–1).
Schedule
Before the season The 1916 VPI Gobblers football team compiled a 7–2 record and were led by Jack E. Ingersoll in his only 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: Hardwick (left end), H. Parrish (left tackle), McNeil (left guard), Currie (center), Young (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Younger (right end), E. Roden (quarterback), Peyton (left halfback), Benner (right halfback), Godsey (fullback). The substitutes were: Lester, B. Parrish, D. Roden, Wiegel and Willis.
The starting lineup for Hampden–Sydney was: Walter Aylor (left end), T. Scott (left tackle), J. W. Hogshead (left guard), R. G. Fergusson (center), Henry Allen (right guard), Ernest Herzig (right tackle), R. D. Warren (right end), Johns (quarterback), James Graham (left halfback), Thomas Parrish (right halfback), James Warren (fullback). The substitutes were: Henry Rolston.
Emory and Henry After their victory over Hampden–Sydney, VPI played Emory and Henry University at Miles Field.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Powers (left end), H. Parrish (left tackle), McNeil (left guard), Currie (center), Lester (right guard), Rangely (right tackle), D. Roden (right end), Bock (quarterback), Wiegel (left halfback), Benner (right halfback), Crisp (fullback). The substitutes were: Charles, Godsey, Hardwick, Lybrook, Matthews, Mckann, Miller, Robinson, Thornton, Ward, Wills, Yates and Young.
The starting lineup for Emory and Henry was: Rowe (left end), Enright (left tackle), Morris (left guard), Lotspiech (center), Anderson (right guard), D. Tilson (right tackle), Terry (right end), Pedie Jackson (quarterback), French (left halfback), Havter (right halfback), W. Tilson (fullback). The substitutes were: Hughes and Long.
Davidson
The starting lineup for VPI was: Hardwick (left end), H. Parrish (left tackle), McNeil (left guard), Currie (center), Younger (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Lester (right end), Lybrook (quarterback), Wiegel (left halfback), Benner (right halfback), Godsey (fullback). The substitutes were: Miller, Peyton, D. Roden and E. Roden.
The starting lineup for Davidson was: George M. King (left end), John Shaw (left tackle), John McMaster (left guard), William Crouch (center), J. D. Elliott (right guard), H. M. Grey (right tackle), Robert Richardson (right end), John McAlister (quarterback), George Crouch (left halfback), Buck Flowers (right halfback), Alvin Burns (fullback). The substitutes were: Clark, Harris, Lacy McAlister, George Miley, Birchie Romefelt and Henry Spann.
Georgetown
The starting lineup for VPI was: Hardwick (left end), H. Parrish (left tackle), McNeil (left guard), Currie (center), Lester (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Younger (right end), E. Roden (quarterback), Peyton (left halfback), Benner (right halfback), Godsey (fullback). The substitutes were: Rangely, D. Roden and Yates.
The starting lineup for Georgetown was: Eddie Connell (left end), Dan Ahern (left tackle), William Dudack (left guard), Jack Heaply (center), Bob Zuger (right guard), Metzger Smeach (right tackle), Thomas Whelan (right end), Jackie Maloney (quarterback), Johnny Gilroy (left halfback), Johnny McQuade (right halfback), Pat Dugan (fullback).
Wake Forest
The starting lineup for VPI was: D. Roden (left end), H. Parrish (left tackle), Yates (left guard), Currie (center), Rangely (right guard), McNeil (right tackle), Younger (right end), E. Roden (quarterback), Peyton (left halfback), Benner (right halfback), Crisp (fullback). The substitutes were: Bock, Eldridge, Godsey, Hitchens, Lybrook, Miller, Thornton and Will.
The starting lineup for Wake Forest was: H. Bowers (left end), Gay (left tackle), Jabez Williams (left guard), Blankenship (center), Tatum (right guard), Felix Blanchard (right tackle), William Savage (right end), Ashley Pace (quarterback), Harry Rabenhorst (left halfback), John Pace (right halfback), Phinehas Croom (fullback). The substitutes were: C. F. Gooch and J. A. McKaughan.
West Virginia
The starting lineup for VPI was: D. Roden (left end), McNeil (left tackle), Lester (left guard), Currie (center), Rangely (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Younger (right end), E. Roden (quarterback), Bock (left halfback), Benner (right halfback), Godsey (fullback). The substitutes were: Miller, Peyton and Will.
The starting lineup for West Virginia was: Paul Hager (left end), Harry Curry (left tackle), McCue (left guard), Russ Bailey (center), Russ Meredith (right guard), Frank Ice (right tackle), Mills (right end), Harris (quarterback), Rip King (left halfback), Howard Lentz (right halfback), Ira Rodgers (fullback). The substitutes were: Calvert, Dorsey and Lewis.
North Carolina A&M
The starting lineup for VPI was: D. Roden (left end), McNeil (left tackle), Lester (left guard), Currie (center), Rangely (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Younger (right end), E. Roden (quarterback), Bock (left halfback), Benner (right halfback), Godsey (fullback). The substitutes were: Peyton.
The starting lineup for North Carolina A&M was: James Black (left end), Solomon Homewood (left tackle), John Ripple (left guard), William Whitaker (center), William Wagner (right guard), Jew Wagoner (right tackle), Andrew McMurray (right end), Dick Gurley (quarterback), John Faucette (left halfback), John Hudson (right halfback), George Murray (fullback).
Roanoke The starting lineup for VPI was: D. Roden (left end), McNeil (left tackle), Yates (left guard), Miller (center), Hitchens (right guard), Rangely (right tackle), Thornton (right end), Lybrook (quarterback), Bock (left halfback), Godsey (right halfback), Crisp (fullback).
The starting lineup for Roanoke was: W. Atkinson (left end), B. D. Painter (left tackle), B. A. Barringer (left guard), W. D. Hull (center), Frank Cadwallader (right guard), A. M. Groseclose (right tackle), C. E. Beach (right end), S. White Rhyne (quarterback), Douglas Chapman (left halfback), P. B. Smith (right halfback), C. M. Moyer (fullback).
VMI
The starting lineup for VPI was: D. Roden (left end), H. Parrish (left tackle), McNeil (left guard), Currie (center), Lester (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Younger (right end), E. Roden (quarterback), Bock (left halfback), Benner (right halfback), Godsey (fullback). The substitutes were: Peyton.
The starting lineup for VMI was: Peyton Marshall (left end), W. Goodman (left tackle), Lawrence Mantor (left guard), Frederick Knapp (center), William Addison (right guard), R. Thomas (right tackle), Crusselle Woodward (right end), Samuel Witt (quarterback), T. Smith (left halfback), Jimmy Leech (right halfback), Richard Dickson (fullback). The substitutes were: Anderson and Horace Roberdeau.
After the season In December 1917, the VPI players elected William L. Younger as captain of the 1918 VPI Gobblers football team.
Players Roster VPI 1917 rosterQuarterback William Lybrook Guards Henry Lester Walter Rangely Tackles Hank Crisp Guy McNeil Harry Parrish (Capt.) Center Ralph Currie Ends Edwin Roden William L. YoungerHalfbacks John Benner Eugene Bock Philip Peyton Fullback Robert Godsey Substitutes John Franklin Chapman Charles Eldridge James Thomas Hardwick Hitchens Matthews Mckann Victor Henry Miller B. Parrish John Temple Powers Robinson H. Douglas Roden Robert W. Thornton Ward Wiegel Mathew Philip Will Willis Wills Harry Robert Yates Young
Monogram Club members Fourteen players received monograms for their participation on the 1917 VPI team.
Player Hometown Notes John Rueben Benner Eugene Darrington Bock Hank Crisp Crisp, North Carolina Ralph Purlius Currie Robert Darlin Godsey Henry Claybrook Lester William Murry Lybrook Blacksburg, Virginia Guy Eugene McNeil Harry Temple Parrish Bristol, Virginia Philip Aylett Peyton Walter Weiss Rangely Edwin Lee Roden Richmond, Virginia Harry Douglas Roden Richmond, Virginia William Lee Younger Lynchburg, Virginia
Coaching and training staff Head coach: Charles A. Bernier Manager: William Reid Williams, Jr. Assistant managers Fleet Bond Neighbours Harry Luck Rosenbaum
References