| Year: | 1920 |
| Team: | VPI Gobblers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Short Conf: | SAIAA |
| Record: | 4–6 |
| Conf Record: | 2–4 |
| Head Coach: | Stanley Sutton |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Captain: | George Frizzell Parrish Henry Redd |
| Stadium: | Miles Field |
The 1920 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the 1920 college football season. The team was led by their head coach Stanley Sutton and finished with a record of four wins and six losses (4–6).
The week before their first game of the season, VPI's captain and star fullback Henry Redd broke his arm.[1]
The starting lineup for VPI was: Parrish (left end), T. Tilson (left tackle), Resh (left guard), Hardwick (center), Saunders (right guard), Effinger (right tackle), Washington (right end), Lybrook (quarterback), Martin (left halfback), Sutton (right halfback), Shaner (fullback). The substitutes were: Carpenter, Eldridge, Hutchinson, Jones, Moore, Newman, Rice, Shaeffer, Sheppard, Sherertz and Wallace.
The starting lineup for William & Mary was: Shepherd (left end), Close (left tackle), Ferdinand Chandler (left guard), Walter Garber (center), John Bentley (right guard), W. S. Harwood (right tackle), S. B. Badgett (right end), Bake Jones (quarterback), Harvey Hastings (left halfback), Monk White (right halfback), Thomas Jordan (fullback). The substitutes were: Bridges, Earnest Dietz and W. A. Sinton.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Parrish (left end), Effinger (left tackle), T. Tilson (left guard), Hardwick (center), Saunders (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Wilson (right end), Lybrook (quarterback), Martin (left halfback), Sutton (right halfback), Wallace (fullback). The substitutes were: Givens, Newman, Shaeffer, Shaner and Sherertz.
The starting lineup for Emory and Henry was: Ellis (left end), Dickenson (left tackle), Ball (left guard), Anderson (center), McClung (right guard), Weaver (right tackle), Wolfe (right end), Harmeling (quarterback), Caldwell (left halfback), Perry (right halfback), White (fullback).
See also: 1920 Rutgers Queensmen football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Parrish (left end), T. Tilson (left tackle), Resh (left guard), Hardwick (center), Effinger (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Washington (right end), Lybrook (quarterback), Martin (left halfback), Sutton (right halfback), Wallace (fullback). The substitutes were: Jones, Moore, Rice, Shaeffer, Sheppard, Sherertz and Wilson.
The starting lineup for Rutgers was: John Winner (left end), Brook Daisley (left tackle), John Scudder (left guard), Richard Dunham (center), Lawrence Sliker (right guard), William Kingman (right tackle), Herbert Redmond (right end), Francis Maloney (quarterback), William Gardner (left halfback), John Summerhil (right halfback), Garett Voorhees (fullback). The substitutes were: Harold Augustine, Joseph Eckhardt, A. Hilliard, Cornell Kahle, Lentz and Mortimer Redmond.
See also: 1920 Maryland Aggies football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Parrish (left end), T. Tilson (left tackle), Effinger (left guard), Hardwick (center), Sherertz (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Carpenter (right end), Lybrook (quarterback), Sutton (left halfback), Shaeffer (right halfback), W. Tilson (fullback). The substitutes were: Eldridge, Jones, Moore, Rice, Washington and Wilson.
The starting lineup for Maryland was: Geary Eppley (left end), Andy Nisbet (left tackle), John Moore (left guard), Caleb Bailey (center), Jerry Sullivan (right guard), Morrison Clark (right tackle), Cecil Branner (right end), Eddie Semler (quarterback), Herbert Gilbert (left halfback), Alexander McDonald (right halfback), Roy Mackert (fullback). The substitutes were: Lester Bosley, John Groves, Dutch Plassing and Smith.
See also: 1920 Washington and Lee Generals football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Parrish (left end), T. Tilson (left tackle), Resh (left guard), Hardwick (center), Sherertz (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Carpenter (right end), Lybrook (quarterback), Sutton (left halfback), Shaeffer (right halfback), Martin (fullback). The substitutes were: Rutherford, Saunders, Wallace, Washington and Wilson.
The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: Bernard Arbogast (left end), Lindsay Moore (left tackle), John Patterson (left guard), F. M. Paget (center), Beverley Barrow (right guard), Richard Sanford (right tackle), Joseph Herndon (right end), Marcus Cogbill (quarterback), D. M. Tucker (left halfback), Marv Mattox (right halfback), Joseph Silverstein (fullback). The substitutes were: Robert Frew and Homer Henderson.
See also: 1920 Richmond Spiders football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Parrish (left end), T. Tilson (left tackle), Resh (left guard), Hardwick (center), Sherertz (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Carpenter (right end), Lybrook (quarterback), Sutton (left halfback), Wallace (right halfback), Martin (fullback). The substitutes were: Jones, Saunders, Shaeffer and Wilson.
The starting lineup for Richmond was: W. Richard Broaddus (left end), Harry Carter (left tackle), A. A. Klevesahl (left guard), Edward Willingham (center), Robert Price (right guard), Randolph Nuckols (right tackle), Hubel Robins (right end), Waverly Jones (quarterback), E. Hobson Snead (left halfback), William Ziegler (right halfback), Wilkins (fullback). The substitutes were: Ralph Bethel, Russell Booker, Cutchins, W. L. Mahaney, Howard Spencer and Thurman Towill.
See also: 1920 NC State Aggies football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Parrish (left end), T. Tilson (left tackle), Resh (left guard), Hardwick (center), Sherertz (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Carpenter (right end), Lybrook (quarterback), Sutton (left halfback), Wallace (right halfback), Martin (fullback). The substitutes were: Saunders, Shaeffer, Sheppard and Wilson.
The starting lineup for NC State was: William Wearn (left end), Herbert Weathers (left tackle), Averette Floyd (left guard), Arvle Everhart (center), George Murray (right guard), John Ripple (right tackle), Charles Kirkpatrick (right end), J. T. Faucette (quarterback), W. I. Johnson (left halfback), Dick Gurley (right halfback), Nathaniel Pierson (fullback). The substitutes were: Joel Lawrence.
See also: 1920 Centre Praying Colonels football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Parrish (left end), T. Tilson (left tackle), Resh (left guard), Hardwick (center), Sherertz (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Carpenter (right end), Lybrook (quarterback), Sutton (left halfback), Wallace (right halfback), Martin (fullback). The substitutes were: Jones, Shaeffer and W. Tilson.
The starting lineup for Centre was: Terry Snoddy (left end), Bill James (left tackle), Clayton Ford (left guard), Red Weaver (center), Red Roberts (right guard), Sully Montgomery (right tackle), Jack Converse (right end), Bo McMillin (quarterback), Thomas Bartlett (left halfback), Norris Armstrong (right halfback), John Tanner (fullback). The substitutes were: Allen, W. E. Bedford, Ashby Blevins, Royce Flippin, Green, Harry Lipscomb, George Maver, McCall, Joseph Murphy, Carlton Rice, Stan Robb and Edwin Whitnell.
See also: 1920 VMI Keydets football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Parrish (left end), T. Tilson (left tackle), Resh (left guard), Hardwick (center), Saunders (right guard), Crisp (right tackle), Carpenter (right end), Wallace (quarterback), Sutton (left halfback), Shaeffer (right halfback), Sherertz (fullback). The substitutes were: Flory, Jones and Lybrook.
The starting lineup for VMI was: William Drewry (left end), Frank Summers (left tackle), William Harrison (left guard), John Smith (center), Howard Shipley (right guard), Robert Hunt (right tackle), Sam Mason (right end), Walker Stuart (quarterback), Jere Bunting (left halfback), Jimmy Leech (right halfback), William Wilson (fullback). The substitutes were: William Venable.
Fifteen players received monograms for their participation on the 1920 VPI team.[2]
| Player | Hometown | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwight Foster Carpenter | |||
| Hank Crisp | Falkland, North Carolina | ||
| Harry Judson Hardwick | |||
| William Murray Lybrook | Blacksburg, Virginia | ||
| John A. Martin | |||
| George Parrish (Capt.) | Bristol, Virginia | ||
| Henry Redd (Capt.) | Martinsville, Virginia | Redd was awarded a monogram letter despite not playing in any games this season. | |
| Franklyn Senator Resh | |||
| Guy Eldridge Rice | |||
| Robert M. Saunders | |||
| Samuel Dennison Shaeffer | |||
| William Shields Sherertz | Roanoke, Virginia | ||
| Harry McMullen Sutton | |||
| Sumner Dewey "Tex" Tilson | Childress, Texas | VPI's head football coach for one season, in 1942, compiling a record of 7–2–1. | |
| John Graham "Rip" Wallace |