| Year: | 1928 |
| Team: | VPI Gobblers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Southern Conference |
| Short Conf: | SoCon |
| Record: | 7–2 |
| Conf Record: | 4–1 |
| Head Coach: | Andy Gustafson |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Captain: | Albert Ewell Bailey Lloyd Broderick Nutter |
| Stadium: | Miles Stadium |
The 1928 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the 1928 Southern Conference football season. The team was led by their head coach Andy Gustafson and finished with a record of seven wins and two losses (7–2). This was the senior season for the "Pony Express" backfield which included Frank Peake, Herbert McEver, Scotty MacArthur, and Tommy Tomko.[1]
See also: 1928 Roanoke Maroons football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Gray (left end), Ritter (left tackle), Hotchkiss (left guard), Price (center), Dexter Hubbard (right guard), Bailey (right tackle), Mahaney (right end), Hooper (quarterback), Mattox (left halfback), Peake (right halfback), Looney (fullback). The substitutes were: Amole, Baker, Brown, Coffee, Green, Maury Hubbard, MacArthur, Owens, Pattie, Rule, Shafer, Harry Spear, Phil Spear and Wimmer.
The starting lineup for Roanoke was: Ed I. Bell (left end), Lloyd "Buzzy" Goode (left tackle), D. C. Lionberger (left guard), Harold Nank (center), Beare (right guard), Thomas Fryer (right tackle), Stanley Rutherford (right end), J. H. "Deana" Gilbert (quarterback), Billy O. Williams (left halfback), Pleas Ramsey (right halfback), J. "Dutch" Dietrich (fullback). The substitutes were: William Altizer, Roy Boyle, W. T. "Ted" Fix and Lewis Lionberger.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Gray (left end), Bailey (left tackle), Hotchkiss (left guard), Price (center), Dexter Hubbard (right guard), Ritter (right tackle), Mahaney (right end), Hooper (quarterback), Mattox (left halfback), Peake (right halfback), Owens (fullback). The substitutes were: Amole, Brown, Green, Jones, Maury Hubbard, MacArthur, Pattie, Rule and Spear.
The starting lineup for Hampden–Sydney was: Ellis Allen (left end), Henry McLaughlin (left tackle), Charles Jett (left guard), John Hunt (center), Hugh Blanton (right guard), Hughes Reverley (right tackle), Stuart Worden (right end), Robert Lawson (quarterback), Ralph Willis (left halfback), Thomas Peach (right halfback), John Montgomery (fullback). The substitutes were: Carl Arehart, S. B. Carter, Charles Gatewood, Henry Harris, William Jefferson, Cecil Jones, Wellford Reed and George Woodworth.
See also: 1928 Colgate football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Gray (left end), Bailey (left tackle), Hotchkiss (left guard), Brown (center), Dexter Hubbard (right guard), Ritter (right tackle), Pattie (right end), Hooper (quarterback), Mattox (left halfback), Peake (right halfback), Owens (fullback). The substitutes were: Maury Hubbard, Jones, Looney, MacArthur, Mahaney, Rule and Spear.
The starting lineup for Colgate was: Mike Stramiello (left end), Arthur Huntington (left tackle), Bob Gillson (left guard), John Cox (center), Bruce DuMont (right guard), Ralph Lockwood (right tackle), Frank Abruzzino (right end), Izzy Yablok (quarterback), Thomas Dowler (left halfback), John Galloway (right halfback), Edward Herb (fullback). The substitutes were: Joseph Barclay, Thatcher Cottrell, Thomas Doyle, Joseph Franklin, Richard Gasper, Hoot Haines, Leslie Hart, Leonard Macaluso and Salvatore Maggio.
See also: 1928 North Carolina Tar Heels football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Mahaney (left end), Bailey (left tackle), Hotchkiss (left guard), Brown (center), Dexter Hubbard (right guard), Ritter (right tackle), Gray (right end), Hooper (quarterback), Peake (left halfback), Phil Spears (right halfback), Looney (fullback).
The starting lineup for North Carolina was: O'Dell Sapp (left end), Nelson Howard (left tackle), Ray Farris (left guard), Harry Schwartz (center), Bud Shuler (right guard), M. E. Donahoe (right tackle), Samuel Presson (right end), Albert Whisnant (quarterback), James Ward (left halfback), Leon Spaulding (right halfback), Edison Foard (fullback). The substitutes were: J. Thomas Greshham, J. E. Magner, Maus, E. Strudwick Nash and Charles Wyrick.
See also: 1928 Maryland Aggies football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Gray (left end), Bailey (left tackle), Hotchkiss (left guard), Brown (center), Dexter Hubbard (right guard), Ritter (right tackle), Mahaney (right end), Hooper (quarterback), Peake (left halfback), Phil Spear (right halfback), Looney (fullback). The substitutes were: Davis, Maury Hubbard, Jones, MacArthur and Owens.
The starting lineup for Maryland was: Charles Dodson (left end), William Fisher (left tackle), Arthur Wondrack (left guard), George Madigan (center), Omar D. Crothers Jr. (right guard), John McDonald (right tackle), Herman Lombard (right end), Blackistone (quarterback), Roberts (left halfback), John Parsons (right halfback), Gerald Snyder (fullback). The substitutes were: Dix, William W. Evans, William Heintz, Gordon Kessler, Julius J. Radice and Warcholy.
See also: 1928 Virginia Cavaliers football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Gray (left end), Bailey (left tackle), Hotchkiss (left guard), Brown (center), Dexter Hubbard (right guard), Ritter (right tackle), Mahaney (right end), Hooper (quarterback), Phil Spear (left halfback), Mattox (right halfback), Owens (fullback). The substitutes were: Peake.
The starting lineup for Virginia was: Harry Flippen (left end), William Luke (left tackle), Harris (left guard), George Taylor (center), Vernon Austin (right guard), Richard DeButts (right tackle), Howard Turner (right end), John Sloan (quarterback), Gus Kaminer (left halfback), Albert Lewy (right halfback), Bledsoe Pinkerton (fullback). The substitutes were: William Paxton.
See also: 1928 Washington and Lee Generals football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Gray (left end), Bailey (left tackle), Hotchkiss (left guard), Brown (center), Dexter Hubbard (right guard), Ritter (right tackle), Mahaney (right end), Hooper (quarterback), Mattox (left halfback), Peake (right halfback), Owens (fullback).
The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: Charles Day (left end), Earl Fitzpatrick (left tackle), Thomas Taylor (left guard), Howell Snodgrass (center), Henry Groop (right guard), William Hawkins (right tackle), Mason Sproul (right end), William Lott (quarterback), John Faulkner (left halfback), Morton Thibodeau (right halfback), Eugene White (fullback). The substitutes were: David Eberhart, John Jacob, Albert Jones and Myer Seligman.
See also: 1928 VMI Keydets football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Gray (left end), Bailey (left tackle), Hotchkiss (left guard), Brown (center), Dexter Hubbard (right guard), Ritter (right tackle), Mahaney (right end), Hooper (quarterback), Mattox (left halfback), Peake (right halfback), Owens (fullback). The substitutes were: Amole, Maury Hubbard, Looney, Rule, Harry Spear and Phil Spear.
The starting lineup for VMI was: William Moss (left end), Aubrey Grow (left tackle), Louis Chadwick (left guard), Virgil Grow (center), Philip Willard (right guard), Luther Hewlett (right tackle), Tommy Scott (right end), Albert Hawkins (quarterback), Albert Barnes (left halfback), Frank Harner (right halfback), McCray (fullback). The substitutes were: Roy Dunn, William Haase, Ernest Laughorn, Joel Moody, James Smith and Gordon Walker.
Nineteen players received monograms for their participation on the 1928 VPI team.[2]
| Player | Hometown | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Ewell Bailey (Capt.) | Roanoke, Virginia | ||
| Joseph Murray Brown | Staunton, Virginia | ||
| John Edward Gray | |||
| Henry Virgil "Bird" Hooper | |||
| Philip Smith Hotchkiss | |||
| Louis Dexter Hubbard | |||
| William Coles Hudgins | |||
| John Ote Looney | |||
| J. B. "Scotty" MacArthur | |||
| Arthur Randolph Mahaney | |||
| Cloy Mattox | Leesville, Virginia | ||
| Lloyd Broderick Nutter (Capt.) | |||
| Milton Anthony Owens | |||
| Walter Wilson Pattie | |||
| Frank Peake | |||
| Marcus Oliver Ritter | |||
| Eugene Butler Rule | |||
| Philip Hitchborn Spear | |||
| Cyril Method "Tommy" Tomko |