| Year: | 1938 |
| Team: | VPI Gobblers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Southern Conference |
| Short Conf: | SoCon |
| Record: | 3–5–2 |
| Conf Record: | 2–3–2 |
| Head Coach: | Henry Redd |
| Hc Year: | 7th |
| Captain: | Frank Marion Pierce |
| Stadium: | Miles Stadium |
The 1938 VPI Gobblers football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1938 college football season. The team was led by their head coach Henry Redd and finished with a record of three wins, five losses and two ties (3–5–2).
The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Pitts (left tackle), Worthington (left guard), Dunn (center), Devlin (right guard), Gaugler (right tackle), Cameron (right end), Fixx (quarterback), Miller (left halfback), Belcher (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Boswell, Buchanan, Coleman, DeMuro, Gosney, Graves, King, Markle, McMillan, Oliver, Powers, Rose, Shawhan, Smith, Taylor, Thomas, Traynham, Wood and Woolwine.
See also: 1938 Duke Blue Devils football team.
See also: 1938 Army Cadets football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Cameron (left end), Pitts (left tackle), Worthington (left guard), Wood (center), Devlin (right guard), Gaugler (right tackle), Pierce (right end), DeMuro (quarterback), Belcher (left halfback), Miller (right halfback), Warriner (fullback). The substitutes were: Boswell, Buchanan, Coleman, Dunn, Ellison, Fixx, Gosney, Henderson, Hudson, King, Markle, Oliver, Powers, Shawhan, Traynham, Waugh and Woolwine.
The starting lineup for Army was: F. J. Yeager (left end), Harry Stella (left tackle), Melvin Verner Engstrom (left guard), J. Maxwell (center), Robert Roy Little (right guard), J. Lotozo (right tackle), Henry Riggs Sullivan (right end), Ken O. Due (quarterback), Woodrow William Wilson (left halfback), W. H. H. Mullin (right halfback), W. P. Kelleher (fullback). The substitutes were: Benjamin Mart Bailey, Coontz, John William "Jack" Dobson, J. G. Dubuisson, William G. Gillis, Harris, C. S. Jobes, G. T. Larkin, W. M. Lauterbach, E. DeW. Light, Mansfield, Sidney Taylor Martin, James Elmer Mather, John Arthur McDavid, Maurice Myron Miller, J. W. Milner, Muzyk, John Spoor Samuel, John Robert Schrader and Thompson.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Pitts (left tackle), Worthington (left guard), Wood (center), Devlin (right guard), Coleman (right tackle), Cameron (right end), DeMuro (quarterback), Belcher (left halfback), Powers (right halfback), Ellison (fullback). The substitutes were: Boswell, Fixx and Miller.
The starting lineup for William & Mary was: Charles Gondak (left end), Dillard (left tackle), Michael Hook (left guard), Herbert Krueger (center), John Davidson (right guard), John Dillard (right tackle), Stan Kamen (right end), William Seamans (quarterback), Lloyd Phillips (left halfback), Tommy Della Torre (right halfback), William Byrne (fullback). The substitutes were: Gordon Hanna.
See also: 1938 Virginia Cavaliers football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Pitts (left tackle), Worthington (left guard), Wood (center), Devlin (right guard), Coleman (right tackle), Henderson (right end), DeMuro (quarterback), Belcher (left halfback), Powers (right halfback), Ellison (fullback). The substitutes were: Boswell, Fixx, Gaugler, Gosney, Gray, King, Miller, Oliver and Shawhan.
The starting lineup for Virginia was: James Sargeant (left end), Lee McLaughlin (left tackle), Herbert Winokur (left guard), W. Oscar Willett (center), John Acree (right guard), Arthur Bryant (right tackle), Woodruff George (right end), James Beveridge (quarterback), Jim Gillette (left halfback), Mosby Cardozo (right halfback), Harry McClaugherty (fullback). The substitutes were: Dickey, Harry Dinwiddie, C. Tabb George, Nick Gianakos, Luther Gosney, Gravatt, L. Peyton Harris, Lewis, H. Cabell Maddux, Maines, Morse, Peter Nistad, Sylvester O'Grince, Rinehart, Phillip Rothar, Walter Smith and John Swank.
See also: 1938 Washington and Lee Generals football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Pitts (left tackle), Worthington (left guard), Wood (center), Devlin (right guard), Coleman (right tackle), Henderson (right end), DeMuro (quarterback), Miller (left halfback), Belcher (right halfback), Ellison (fullback). The substitutes were: Gaugler, Gosney, King, Oliver, Powers and Thomas.
The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: Taylor Simmons Truehart (left end), Richard Winfield "Dick" Boisseau (left tackle), William W. Brown (left guard), John Joseph "Jack" Mangan (center), James Edward Lindsey (right guard), Joseph H. Ochsie (right tackle), S. Bernard Harper (right end), Dan Ray Justice (quarterback), Ray Craft (left halfback), Courtney Young Wadlington (right halfback), Alfred Thomas "Junie" Bishop (fullback). The substitutes were: Robert Blanding, Howard Wesley Dobbins, Stephen Edward Hanasik, C. Harrison Hogan, W. Roy Hogan, William Keland, Kelley Litteral, Charles P. Lykes, R. Shack Parrish, Richard Pinck, Francis Joseph Sugrue, Ronnie Thompson, Walker and J. Dorsey Wilson.
See also: 1938 NC State Wolfpack football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Pitts (left tackle), Worthington (left guard), Wood (center), Devlin (right guard), Coleman (right tackle), Henderson (right end), Fixx (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Belcher (right halfback), Hudson (fullback). The substitutes were: Miller.
The starting lineup for NC State was: William Retter (left end), Ty Coon (left tackle), Acai (left guard), Howell Stroup (center), Wooden (right guard), George Fry (right tackle), Mickey Sullivan (right end), Arthur Rooney (quarterback), Andrew Pavlovsky (left halfback), Robert Sabolyk (right halfback), Sands (fullback).
See also: 1938 North Carolina Tar Heels football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Gosney (left tackle), Worthington (left guard), Wood (center), Devlin (right guard), Coleman (right tackle), Oliver (right end), Fixx (quarterback), Thomas (left halfback), Ellison (right halfback), Hudson (fullback). The substitutes were: Belcher, Gaugler, Graves, Henderson, Markle, Miller, Pitts, Powers, Rose, Warriner and Woolwine.
The starting lineup for North Carolina was: Horace Palmer (left end), Steve Maronic (left tackle), James Woodson (left guard), Robert Adam (center), Dan Desich (right guard), Claud Kimball (right tackle), James Mallory (right end), Snuffy Stirnweiss (quarterback), George Radman (left halfback), George Watson (right halfback), Jack Kraynick (fullback). The substitutes were: Don Baker, Mike Bobbitt, Julian Brantley, Tony Cernugle, Ellis Fields, Charles Kline, Jim Lalanne, Ed Megson, Walt Palanske, Pieffer, Sydney Sadoff, Paul Severin, Christian Siewers, Leo Slotnick, Smith and Winborne.
See also: 1938 Richmond Spiders football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Henderson (left end), Pitts (left tackle), Worthington (left guard), Wood (center), Declin (right guard), Coleman (right tackle), Oliver (right end), Fixx (quarterback), Ellison (left halfback), Thomas (right halfback), Hudson (fullback). The substitutes were: Belcher, DeMuro, Gaugler, Graves, King, Pierce, Rose, Shawman, Traynham and Warriner.
The starting lineup for Richmond was: Bill Burge (left end), Andy Fronczek (left tackle), William Fitzhugh (left guard), Ed Merrick (center), Forrest Norvell (right guard), Harold McVay (right tackle), Avalon Marchant (right end), Bruce Van Buskirk (quarterback), Art Jones (left halfback), Stuart Hoskins (right halfback), George Spears (fullback). The substitutes were: William Cash, Edners Dickinson, Wilson Faris, Dick Humbert, John Kennedy, Wilfred Lawless, William Morrison and Edward Sinar.
See also: 1938 VMI Keydets football team. The starting lineup for VPI was: Pierce (left end), Pitts (left tackle), Worthington (left guard), Wood (center), Devlin (right guard), Coleman (right tackle), Oliver (right end), Fixx (quarterback), Ellison (left halfback), Rose (right halfback), Hudson (fullback). The substitutes were: Belcher, DeMuro, Gaugler, Gosney, Henderson, King and Thomas.
The starting lineup for VMI was: Ray Brittingham (left end), Rip Walker (left tackle), Ray Reutt (left guard), Richard Irby (center), Thomas Thrasher (right guard), Richard Strickler (right tackle), E. Ray Taylor (right end), James "Son" Shelby (quarterback), Vendel "Bud" Kovar (left halfback), Paul Shu (right halfback), Andy Trzeciak (fullback). The substitutes were: G. V. Atkinson, Brown, Carney, Phil Chapman, William "Red" Echols, Thomas Gray, Luther Huyett, Marshall, Langhorne Meem, Nelson, Luther Sexton and Tipton.
Twenty-one players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1938 VPI team.[1]
| Player | Hometown | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Raymond Belcher | Petersburg, Virginia | ||
| Archibald Branks Cameron | Cranford, New Jersey | World War II veteran (Army). Awarded the Silver Star Medal and Purple Heart. | |
| James Emory Coleman | Fayetteville, West Virginia | ||
| Philip Galliano DeMuro | Passaic, New Jersey | ||
| William Harper Devlin | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||
| Mathew Leslie "Sonny" Ellison | Beckley, West Virginia | ||
| James Stuart Fixx | Arlington, Virginia | ||
| James Anthony Gaugler | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||
| H. Woodrow Gosney | Clarksburg, West Virginia | ||
| John L. Henderson | Sevierville, Tennessee | ||
| Rankin McGuire Hudson | Sweetwater, Tennessee | ||
| Ernest Stuart King | Disputanta, Virginia | ||
| Albert Sanford Miller | Hampton, Virginia | ||
| Frank Lovitt Oliver | Lynnhaven, Virginia | World War II veteran (Lieutenant Colonel, Army). | |
| Frank Marion Pierce (Capt.) | Suffolk, Virginia | World War II veteran (Lieutenant Colonel, Army). | |
| David Marion Pitts | Manassas, Virginia | ||
| Stanley Covington "Sonny" Powers | Kingston, West Virginia | World War II veteran | |
| Herbert Joseph Thomas | South Charleston, West Virginia | World War II veteran (Sergeant, Marines). Awarded the Medal of Honor. | |
| George Daniel Warriner | Montgomery County, Virginia | World War II veteran (Captain, Army). Awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. | |
| Neil Saunders Wood | Hampton, Virginia | ||
| George Yellott Worthington | Washington, DC |