| Year: | 1932 |
| Team: | VPI Gobblers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Southern Conference |
| Short Conf: | SoCon |
| Record: | 8–1 |
| Conf Record: | 6–1 |
| Head Coach: | Henry Redd |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Captain: | Bill Grinus |
| Stadium: | Miles Stadium |
The 1932 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1932 Southern Conference football season. The team was led by their head coach Henry Redd and finished with a record of eight wins and one loss (8–1).
See also: 1932 Roanoke Maroons football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Negri (left tackle), Botnick (left guard), Porterfield (center), English (right guard), Hoenstine (right tackle), Palmer (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Holsclaw (left halfback), Mills (right halfback), Robison (fullback). The substitutes were: Botnick,, Casey, Copenhaver, Dillon, Hall, Hite, Hoblitzell, Howard, Huffman, McIntire, Ochs, Ottaway, Spruill, Thomas and Woodard.
The starting lineup for Roanoke was: Thomas West (left end), Siebert "Pete" Lavinder (left tackle), Jesse Price (left guard), Stuart Thomas (center), Harry Suttner (right guard), Gene Barnett (right tackle), Herbert Copenhaver (right end), Harrison Weeks (quarterback), Harry Russell (left halfback), Claude Matthews (right halfback), Bud Miley (fullback). The substitutes were: Charles Engers, Lawrence Fisher, Lexter Holyfield, Ed Petersen, Gus Quisito, Rice, Robertson and Fred Smith.
See also: 1932 Georgia Bulldogs football team. VPI Captain Bill Grinus blocked the tying extra point in the upset over Georgia.[1]
The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Hoenstine (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Casey.
The starting lineup for Georgia was: McCarthy Crenshaw (left end), Davis (left tackle), John Brown (left guard), J. Vason McWhorter (center), Leroy Moorehead (right guard), Opp (right tackle), Fred Miller (right end), Wendell Sullivan (quarterback), George Chapman (left halfback), Samuel Brown (right halfback), Lloyd Gilmore (fullback). The substitutes were: Graham Batchelor, William David, Paul Hart, Homer Key and Charles Turbeyville.
See also: 1932 Maryland Terrapins football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Negri (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Botnick, Casey, Copenhaver, English, Groth, Hall, Hoenstine, Howard, Huffman, Ottaway, Palmer, Simmons and Thomas.
The starting lineup for Maryland was: Rufus Vincent (left end), Vaul Rouzer (left tackle), Albert Farrel (left guard), Scott (center), John McDonald (right guard), George Cole (right tackle), Bill Wood (right end), Ray Poppelman (quarterback), Dick Nelson (left halfback), Earl Widmyer (right halfback), Al Woods (fullback). The substitutes were: Willis Benner, Bucky Buscher, Joseph Crecca, Donald DeVeau, Hawkins, Frank Hines, George Hockensmith, Charles Keenan, John Mayhew, Stewart McCaw, John Mitchell, Norwood Sothoron and Fred Stieber.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Grinus (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Negri (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Holsclaw (left halfback), Mills (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback).
The starting lineup for William & Mary was: C. Sorenson (left end), Waddy Stewart (left tackle), Anderson (left guard), Joseph Bridgers (center), Edwin Meade (right guard), Gerry Quirk (right tackle), Thomas Halligan (right end), Bill Chalko (quarterback), Aime LaCroix (left halfback), William Palese (right halfback), Harry Spack (fullback). The substitutes were: Giles.
See also: 1932 Kentucky Wildcats football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Grinus (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Negri (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback).
The starting lineup for Kentucky was: Joe Rupert (left end), Burton Aldridge (left tackle), O. L. "Bud" Davidson (left guard), Frank Seale (center), Ralph Blevins (right guard), George Skinner (right tackle), Howard Kreuter (right end), Ralph Kercheval (quarterback), Ellis T. Johnson (left halfback), Darrell Darby (right halfback), Thomas Cassady (fullback). The substitutes were: Stanley Bach.
See also: 1932 Washington and Lee Generals football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Negri (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Grinus (right guard), Hite (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Casey, Groth and Hall.
The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: S. S. Mosovich (left end), Robert Morris (left tackle), Amos Bolen (left guard), William Grove (center), Charles Elbrick (right guard), Clarence Carman (right tackle), Charles Smith (right end), William Seaton (quarterback), Joseph Sawyers (left halfback), Edwin Bacon (right halfback), John Jones (fullback). The substitutes were: Samuel Mattox and Harvey Pride.
See also: 1932 Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Against the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama, VPI lost 9–6 in front 11,000 spectators at Denny Stadium, which was the second largest crowd to ever visit the stadium at the time. VPI came into the game undefeated (6-0), while Alabama was 5–1. After a scoreless first quarter, the Gobblers took a 6–0 lead in the second after Ray Mills threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Al Casey. In the third, the score was cut to 6–2 after a bad snap to Casey from the center resulted in a safety. Later in the quarter Alabama took a 9–6 lead that it held to the end of the game when halfback Dixie Howell scored a touchdown on a nine-yard run.
Alabama's assistant coach was former VPI player Hank Crisp.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Negri (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Grinus (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Botnick, Casey, Groth, Huffman, Palmer and Thomas.
The starting lineup for Alabama was: Foy Leach (left end), Carney Laslie (left tackle), Calvin Frey (left guard), Willis Hewes (center), Thomas Hupke (right guard), Newton Godfree (right tackle), Don Hutson (right end), Hillman Holley (quarterback), Howard Chappell (left halfback), Bub Walker (right halfback), Larry Hughes (fullback). The substitutes were: Johnny Cain, James Dildy, Ellis "Red" Houston, Dixie Howell, B'Ho Kirkland, Bill Lee and Donald Sanford.
See also: 1932 Virginia Cavaliers football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Seaman (left end), Grinus (left tackle), Murphy (left guard), Porterfield (center), Hite (right guard), Huffman (right tackle), McIntire (right end), Morgan (quarterback), Mills (left halfback), Holsclaw (right halfback), G. Smith (fullback).
The starting lineup for Virginia was: William Condon (left end), Ray Burger (left tackle), Cris Tompkins (left guard), Lewis Reiss (center), Horace Hallett (right guard), Charles Poss (right tackle), Gene Wager (right end), Thomas Johnson (quarterback), Eugene Stevens (left halfback), Frank Sippley (right halfback), Spencer Berger (fullback).
Eighteen players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1932 VPI team.[2]
| Player | Hometown | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Botnick | Elmira, New York | World War II veteran (Navy). | |
| Alfred Layden Casey | Portsmouth, Virginia | ||
| Edward Ralph "Red" English | Altavista, Virginia | World War II veteran (Army). | |
| Bill Grinus (Capt.) | |||
| Earl Jenis "Bus" Hall | |||
| Eugene Goliday Hite | |||
| William Duncan Holsclaw | |||
| Richard "Tris" Huffman | |||
| John A. McIntire | |||
| Ray Mills | |||
| Charles Emmett Ashburn Morgan | |||
| John Marshall Murphy | |||
| Warren Anthony "Red" Negri | Danbury, Connecticut | ||
| Benny Palmer | |||
| William Breckenridge Porterfield | |||
| Alfred Elsworth Seaman | |||
| George Maxie Smith | |||
| David Thomas |