The 1968 Virginia Tech Gobblers football team represented the Virginia Polytechnic Institute or VPI (now known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University or Virginia Tech) as an independent during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Jerry Claiborne the Gobblers compiled an overall record of 7–4 and with a loss against Ole Miss in the Liberty Bowl. VPI played home games at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Schedule
Game summaries At No. 7 Alabama Tech lost 14-7 to the 7th-ranked team in the nation in front of a crowd of 63,759 in Birmingham. At the time it was the largest audience in school history. The Gobblers scored on a blocked punt by Larry Creekmore recovered in the end zone by Jud Bronwell. Tech was dominated by the Crimson Tide defense, racking up only three first downs, the first coming in the fourth quarter.
At William & Mary The Tech special teams scored a touchdown and a safety by blocking two punts and put up its first offensive points of the year with a 20-yard field goal by Jack Simscack. The Gobblers defense pitched a shutout, helped by defensive back Ron Davidson who picked off three W&M passes.
Roster The following players were members of the 1968 football team according to the roster published in the 1969 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.
VPI 1968 roster Art Aguilar David Bailey Frank Beamer David Binko Preston Blackburn Steve Bocko William G. "Jerry" Boykin Jud Brownell James Edward "Eddie" Carter Dennis Cogan Chris Frank Collis George Constantinides Donald Dewitt Cooke Larry Creekmore J. Dee Crigger Daniel Cupp Ron Davidson Peter Francis Dawyot Nick DelViscio Kenneth Wayne Edwards Doug Gainous Jerry Green George Butch Hall Waddey Harvey Bert Henderson D. Hickman Wayne Humphries Hank Immel John Ivanac Al Kincaid Larry Kushner Dickie Longerbeam Leonard Angelo Luongo T. MacDonald John Lawrence Maxwell Tom Mikulski Frederick Marshall Mooney Thomas Irwin Parks James Anthony Pigninelli Rick Piland Paul Ripley Gil Schwabe Jack Simcsak Bill Skinner Bobby Slaughter Leonard James Smith Terry Smoot L. Wayne Stonesifer Larry Duke Strager Tom Swords Perry Tiberio John Randolph Treadwell Joe Tucker Danny Waller Mike Widger S. Womack
References