1956 VPI Gobblers football team

The 1956 VPI Gobblers football team represented the Virginia Polytechnic Institute or VPI (now known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University or Virginia Tech) as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1956 college football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Frank Moseley the Gobblers compiled an overall record of 7–2–1 with a mark of 3–0 in conference play, and finished second in the SoCon. VPI played home games at Miles Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.

1956 VPI Gobblers football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	7–2–1 (3–0 SoCon)
Head coach	Frank Moseley (6th season)
Home stadium	Miles Stadium
Seasons ← 1955 1957 →

1956 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
West Virginia $	5	–	0	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
VPI	3	–	0	–	0			7	–	2	–	1
No. 17 George Washington	5	–	1	–	0			8	–	1	–	1
Davidson	2	–	2	–	1			5	–	3	–	1
Furman	2	–	2	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
VMI	2	–	3	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
Richmond	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
The Citadel	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	1
Washington and Lee	0	–	1	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
William & Mary	0	–	5	–	0			0	–	9	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	8:00 p.m.	vs. East Carolina*		Mitchell Stadium Bluefield, WV	W 37–2	6,000	[1][2]
September 22		Tulane*		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	L 14–21	30,000	[3]
September 29	2:00 p.m.	vs. No. 20 NC State*		Foreman Field Norfolk, VA	W 35–6	10,000	[4][3]
October 6	8:00 p.m.	at Florida State*		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 20–7		[5]
October 13		William & Mary		Miles Stadium Blacksburg, VA	W 34–7	12,000	[6]
October 20	2:30 p.m.	at Richmond	No. 18	City Stadium Richmond, VA	W 46–14		[7]
October 27		vs. Virginia*	No. 16	Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA (rivalry)	W 14–7	16,000	[8]
November 3	2:00 p.m.	at No. 13 Clemson*	No. 15	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	L 6–21	23,000	[9][10]
November 10		Wake Forest*		Miles Stadium Blacksburg, VA	T 13–13	7,000	[3]
November 22		vs. VMI		Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA (rivalry)	W 45–0	24,000	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[12]

Rankings

See also: 1956 NCAA University Division football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	18	16	15	—	—	—	—	—

Roster

The following players were members of the 1956 football team according to the roster published in the 1957 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.^[3]

VPI 1956 roster
	Quarterbacks Raymond Donald Divers Frank H. Eastman Billy Holsclaw Jim Lugar Bob McCoy Guards Warren Leroy Belcher James Alexander Burks Pat Luis Carpenito Bill Daley James Holloway Bernard Frank Schmidt Tackles Robert J. Cruickshank Thomas John Dalzell Russell Sidney Moon Ted Uzelac		Centers John Rufus Hall Hillmer John "Swede" Olson Frank Webster Ends Ed Brinkley Carroll Dale James Lupton Hedrick Grover Cleveland Jones III Nicholas M. Mihalas John Stewart Moody Billy Tilling Halfbacks Corbin Bailey Hugh David Ebert Ray England Barry Frazee Harry Keast Dick Ringer Jay N. Whitesell Bobby Wolfenden		Fullbacks Bobby Conner Jim Randall Albert Sebest Substitutes Tom Betz William C. Cranwell Charles Cuba John Herndon William Edward Jamerson Kuruc Doug Mullins Bobby Seal Ronnie Settles

Coaching Staff

The following coaches were members of the 1956 football team according to the roster published in the 1957 edition of The Bugle.^[3]

VPI 1956 coaches' roster
	Head coach Frank Moseley Assistant coach Buck Chapman Macauley McEver George Preas Alf Satterfield		Trainer Ed Motley Equipment Manager Luke Lindon

References

1. "Coal Bowl: V.P.I. vs. E.C.C." ECU Football Programs. East Carolina University. September 15, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
2. "East Carolina routed by Tech in opener, 37–2". The Progress-Index. September 16, 1956. Retrieved March 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "The Bugle 1957" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1957. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
4. "VPI Gobblers vs N.C. State Wolfpack - Good Neighbor Bowl". VPI vs. NC State Football Program. 1956. p. 1. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
5. "Tribe Set to Ambush Gobblers". Florida Flambeau. Florida State University. October 5, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
6. "Gobblers rout Indians". Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. October 14, 1956. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Semples, Mingis, Davis; Other Spider Stars Ready to "Gobble" Tech". The Collegian. University of Richmond. October 19, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
8. "Gobblers trip Cavaliers, 14–7". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 28, 1956. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Clemson - VPI Football Game Program". Clemson University. November 3, 1956. p. 29. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
10. "Bengals Rout Virginia Tech In Homecoming Game, 21-6". The Tiger. Clemson University. November 8, 1956. p. 5. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
11. "Virginia Tech Gobblers blank Virginia Military, 45–0". The Bristol Herald Courier. November 23, 1956. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "1956 Virginia Tech Hokies Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 5, 2023.