1907 VPI football team

American college football season

1907 VPI football

Conference| Independent
Record| 7–2
Head coach|

* Bob Williams (1st season)

Captain| Charles Edward Diffendal
Home stadium| Gibboney Field

Seasons

<- 1906

1908 ->

1907 Southern college football independents records

* v
* t
* e

| Conf |  |  | Overall

|
|
|
|

Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
South Carolina |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 0  | - | 0
Stetson |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 0  | - | 0
Southwestern Louisiana Industrial |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 0  | - | 0
Mississippi College |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 0  | - | 0
North Carolina A&M |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 0  | - | 1
Louisiana Industrial |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 1  | - | 0
Kentucky State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 1  | - | 1
Texas |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 1  | - | 1
Texas A&M |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 1  | - | 1
Davidson |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 1  | - | 1
Florida |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 1  | - | 1
Navy |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 2  | - | 1
VPI |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 2  | - | 0
Virginia |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 3  | - | 1
TCU |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 2  | - | 2
West Virginia |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
VMI |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 3  | - | 0
Tulane |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 2  | - | 0
Oklahoma |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 4  | - | 0
North Carolina |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 4  | - | 1
Baylor |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 3  | - | 1
Arkansas |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 4  | - | 1
Maryland |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 5  | - | 0
George Washington |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 4  | - | 1
The Citadel |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 4  | - | 1
Georgetown |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 4  | - | 1
Oklahoma A&M |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 5  | - | 2
Chattanooga |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 5  | - | 1
Delaware |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 5  | - | 1
Catholic University |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 1  | - | 0
Louisiana Normal |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 1  | - | 0
Spring Hill |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 1  | - | 0

The 1907 VPI football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1907 college football season. The team was led by their head coach Bob Williams and finished with a record of seven wins and two losses (7–2).

## Rules

[edit]

The rules for American football in 1907 were significantly different from those a century later, as many of the present rules (100 yard field, four downs to gain ten yards, 6-point touchdown, and 3-point field goal) were adopted in 1912.[1] The rules in 1907 were:

* Field 110 yards in length
* Kickoff made from midfield
* Three downs to gain ten yards
* Touchdown worth 5 points
* Field goal worth 4 points
* Forward pass legal, but subject to penalties:

More passes were thrown than in 1906, when the new play was still experimental. However, because of problems with the rules at that time, which penalized the offense for an incomplete pass, there were predictions that the forward pass would be scrapped.[2] Attempting a pass in 1907 was still a risky business, because an incomplete attempt would result in stiff penalties—15 yards back from the spot from which the pass was thrown on first or second down. If the defense committed a foul, the 15 yard penalty didn't apply to the offense, but the defending team was not penalized either.[2] In addition, a pass could not be caught in the end zone, nor more than 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.[1]

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

|
|
|
|
|
|

October 5| | Roanoke|

* Gibboney Field
* Blacksburg, VA

| W 33–0| | [3]
October 12| | Hampden–Sydney|

* Gibboney Field
* Blacksburg, VA

| W 18–0| | [4]
October 19| | vs. Washington and Lee| Lynchburg, VA| W 5–0| 1,400| [5][6]
October 26| 3:37 p.m.| vs. Davidson|

* Fair Grounds
* Roanoke, VA

| L 5–12| 1,500| [7][8]
November 4| 3:30 p.m.| vs. Georgetown|

* Broad Street Park
* Richmond, VA

| W 20–0| 1,000| [9][10][11]
November 9| 3:00 p.m.| vs. VMI|

* Fair Grounds
* Roanoke, VA (rivalry)

| W 22–0| 2,500–3,000| [12][13][14]
November 16| | George Washington|

* Gibboney Field
* Blacksburg, VA

| W 34–0| | [15][16][17]
November 23| | at Navy|

* Worden Field
* Annapolis, MD

| L 0–12| | [18][19][20][21]
November 28| 3:00 p.m.| vs. North Carolina|

* Broad Street Park
* Richmond, VA

| W 20–6| 6,000–7,000| [22][23][24]

* All times are in Eastern time

## Game summaries

[edit]

### Roanoke

[edit]

The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), Diffendal (left tackle), H. Jones (left guard), Johnson (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), Breckenridge (right tackle), Varner (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), W. Jones (right halfback), B. Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Alder, Billups, Brown, Cooper, Gibbs, Gravely, Hicks, V. Hodgson, James, J. Jones, Lane, Pritchard, Sheppard, Watkins and Wilkinson.

The starting lineup for Roanoke was: Gochenhouer (left end), Engleby (left tackle), Morton (left guard), Sayers (center), Carpenter (right guard), Price (right tackle), Fray (right end), Bowers (quarterback), Grewbill (left halfback), Taney (right halfback), Kelly (fullback). The substitutes were: Anderson and Schreckhiser.

### Washington and Lee

[edit]

Washington & Lee vs. VPI |  | 1 | 2| Total

|
|
|

W&L | 0 | 0 | 0
• VPI | 5 | 0 | 5

* Date: October 19, 1907
* Location: Lynchburg, VA
* Game attendance: 1,400
* Referee: Jack Gass

The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), Diffendal (left tackle), Breckenridge (left guard), Johnson (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), Smith (right tackle), Varner (right end), Sheppard (quarterback), W. Jones (left halfback), Luttrell (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback).

The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: Hiram Dow (left end), H. M. White (left tackle), William Pipes (left guard), James Larrick (center), Richard Morales (right guard), Cleon Osbourn (right tackle), Roland Waddill (right end), L. W. Wilson (quarterback), C. W. Streit (left halfback), Edward Brown (right halfback), Edwin Alderson (fullback). The substitutes were: Henry Smartt.

### Davidson

[edit]

Davidson vs. VPI |  | 1 | 2| Total

|
|
|

• Davidson | 6 | 6 | 12
VPI | 5 | 0 | 5

* Date: October 26, 1907
* Location: Fair Grounds
Roanoke, VA
* Game start: 3:37 p.m.
* Game attendance: 1,500
* Referee: Jack Gass

See also: 1907 Davidson football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), Diffendal (left tackle), Breckenridge (left guard), Johnson (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), Varner (right tackle), J. Jones (right end), Sheppard (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), V. Hodgson (right halfback), Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Billups, Brown, Cooper, Evans, Gibbs, Gravely, Hicks and W. Jones.

The starting lineup for Davidson was: DeWitt Kluttz (left end), W. R. Moore (left tackle), John Axford (left guard), Norman B. Edgerton (center), Daniels (right guard), LeRoy Dunn (right tackle), Wilkinson (right end), Elliott (quarterback), Clarence Clark (left halfback), Robert Denny (right halfback), William Morton (fullback). The substitutes were: John James and Tom Warlick.

### Georgetown

[edit]

Georgetown vs. VPI |  | 1 | 2| Total

|
|
|

Georgetown | 0 | 0 | 0
• VPI | 5 | 15 | 20

* Date: November 4, 1907
* Location: Broad Street Park
Richmond, VA
* Game start: 3:30 p.m.
* Game attendance: 1,000
* Referee: Jack Gass

See also: 1907 Georgetown Blue and Gray football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), B. Smith (left tackle), Brown (left guard), Johnson (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), R. W. Smith (right tackle), J. Jones (right end), Sheppard (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), V. Hodgson (right halfback), Diffendal (fullback). The substitutes were: Billups, Cooper, Gravely and Hicks.

The starting lineup for Georgetown was: Gerhard Simon (left end), Murray (left tackle), W. G. Todd (left guard), Larry Cullen (center), Eddie Scott (right guard), Herb Munhall (right tackle), Eddie Miller (right end), Jim Cohen (quarterback), E. T. Thompson (left halfback), Edmund Fitzgerald (right halfback), George Dutcher (fullback). The substitutes were: Tom Stewart.

### VMI

[edit]

VMI vs. VPI |  | 1 | 2| Total

|
|
|

VMI | 0 | 0 | 0
• VPI | 4 | 18 | 22

* Date: November 9, 1907
* Location: Fair Grounds
Roanoke, VA
* Game start: 3:00 p.m.
* Game attendance: 2,500–3,000
* Game weather: "ideal"
* Referee: Jack Gass

See also: 1907 VMI Keydets football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), McMillan (left tackle), Brown (left guard), Johnson (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), R. W. Smith (right tackle), J. Jones (right end), Sheppard (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Billups (right halfback), Gravely (fullback). The substitutes were: Breckenridge, Cooper, Diffendal, V. Hodgson and B. Smith.

The starting lineup for VMI was: William Poague (left end), John Fray (left tackle), Henry Poague (left guard), Edward Hancock (center), George Wickham (right guard), William Biedler (right tackle), George Ward (right end), John Doyle (quarterback), Robert Massie (left halfback), Porter (right halfback), George MacLean (fullback). The substitutes were: George Alexander, Richard Clemmer, R. Davant, Donald McMillen, John Minton and H. Pattison.

### George Washington

[edit]

George Washington vs. VPI |  | 1 | 2| Total

|
|
|

GW | 0 | 0 | 0
• VPI | 24 | 10 | 34

* Date: November 16, 1907
* Location: Gibboney Field
Blacksburg, VA
* Game weather: "ideal"
* Referee: Baird

See also: 1907 George Washington Hatchetites football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), Diffendal (left tackle), Breckenridge (left guard), Johnson (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), R. W. Smith (right tackle), J. Jones (right end), Cooper (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Billups (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback).

The starting lineup for George Washington was: James Gunning (left end), John Whitehead (left tackle), Royal Alston (left guard), John Baker (center), Patrick Holmes (right guard), Walter Sommers (right tackle), John Brooks (right end), Harry Pearce (quarterback), Edgar Hough (left halfback), Tullas (right halfback), Aubrey Witten (fullback). The substitutes were: Coudon, Phillip Hooten, William Kemeys and Herbert White.

### Navy

[edit]

VPI at Navy |  | 1 | 2| Total

|
|
|

VPI | 0 | 0 | 0
• Navy | 6 | 6 | 12

* Date: November 23, 1907
* Location: Worden Field
Annapolis, MD
* Game weather: Rain
* Referee: Whiting (Cornell)

See also: 1907 Navy Midshipmen football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), Diffendal (left tackle), Breckenridge (left guard), Johnson (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), R. W. Smith (right tackle), J. Jones (right end), Cooper (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Billups (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback). The substitutes were: Alder, Gravely, Sheppard and B. Smith.

The starting lineup for Navy was: Max Demott (left end), Percy Northcroft (left tackle), Frederick Reinicke (left guard), Charles Brand (center), Percy Wright (right guard), Frank Leighton (right tackle), Bill Dague (right end), Ed Lange (quarterback), A. H. Douglas (left halfback), Lawrence Fairfax Reifsnider (right halfback), Raymond Jones (fullback). The substitutes were: Brown, Burd, Gates, Cary Magruder, Nason, W. A. Richardson, Robertson, Karl Smith, Stoer, Straus and David Stuart.

### North Carolina

[edit]

North Carolina vs. VPI |  | 1 | 2| Total

|
|
|

UNC | 0 | 6 | 6
• VPI | 8 | 12 | 20

* Date: November 28, 1907
* Location: Broad Street Park
Richmond, VA
* Game start: 3:00 p.m.
* Game attendance: 6,000–7,000
* Referee: Jack Gass

See also: 1907 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), Diffendal (left tackle), Breckenridge (left guard), Johnson (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), R. W. Smith (right tackle), B. Smith (right end), Sheppard (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Billups (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback). The substitutes were: Brown, Cooper, Gibbs, Gravely, Hicks, H. G. Jones, J. Jones and Varner.

The starting lineup for North Carolina was: James Wiggins (left end), Cecil Garrett (left tackle), Earle Thompson (left guard), Raymond Parker (center), Robert Howell (right guard), Archie Deans (right tackle), William Thomas (right end), Joseph Mann (quarterback), Lucius Dunlap (left halfback), Thomas McNeill (right halfback), James Crosswell (fullback). The substitutes were: Harris and John Manning.

## Players

[edit]

The following players were members of the 1907 football team according to the roster published in the 1908 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.[25]

VPI 1907 roster

| Quarterback

* Edgar Seymour Sheppard

Guards

* Breckenridge
* Hoss Hodgson

Tackles

* Charles Edward Diffendal (Capt.)
* Russell Wilmer Smith

Center

* Allen Burnley Johnson

|  | Ends

* Paul Phillippi Huffard
* Bernard Lewis Smith

Halfbacks

* Henry Evans Billups
* Joseph Talmage Luttrell

Fullback

* Vivian Burnett Hodgson

## Coaching and training staff

[edit]

* Head coach: Bob Williams
* Manager: P. H. Noland
* Assistant manager: J. L. Baum

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Danzig, Allison (1956). The History of American Football: Its Great Teams, Players, and Coaches. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. pp. 70–71.
2. ^ a b "The Forward Pass Doomed, Says Expert". The New York Times. November 10, 1907. p. C7. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
3. ^ "Yi! Yi! V.P.I.! Sis, Boom! O My!". The Roanoke Times. Library of Virginia. October 6, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
4. ^ "Hampden-Sidney Shut Out". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 13, 1907. p. 13. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
5. ^ "Punting Gives V.P.I. Victory Over W. & L." Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 20, 1907. p. 9. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
6. ^ "Hard Fought Game at Lynchburg" (PDF). The Ring-tum Phi. Washington and Lee University. October 26, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
7. ^ "Davidson Beats Virginia Techs". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 27, 1907. p. 11. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
8. ^ "Davidson 12, Polytechnics 5". The Roanoke Times. Library of Virginia. October 27, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
9. ^ "Blacksburg Boys Meet Georgetown". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 2, 1907. p. 5. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
10. ^ "Georgetown-Tech Game For Monday". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 3, 1907. p. 39. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
11. ^ "Georgetown Easy For Blacksburg". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 5, 1907. p. 7. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
12. ^ "Blacksburg Boys Defeat V.M.I. Team". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 10, 1907. p. 5. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
13. ^ "Blacksburg 22, V.M.I. Nothing". The Roanoke Times. Library of Virginia. November 10, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
14. ^ "V.P.I. 22; V.M.I. 0". The Cadet. Virginia Military Institute. November 12, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
15. ^ "Va. Tech Beats Geo. Washington". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 17, 1907. p. 9. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
16. ^ "Expected happens, defeated by V.P.I." The University Hatchet. November 20, 1907. Retrieved February 13, 2021 - via Internet Archive.
17. ^ "Hatchetites game, although crippled, bested by V.P.I." The Washington Times. November 17, 1907. Retrieved February 13, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
18. ^ "Virginia Techs Make Fine Show". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 24, 1907. p. 37. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
19. ^ "Navy Shuts Out Tech". The Washington Herald. Library of Congress. November 24, 1907. p. 8. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
20. ^ "Navy Defeats V. P. I." New-York Tribune. Library of Congress. November 24, 1907. p. 12. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
21. ^ "Hopeful, Not Confident". The Sunday Star. Library of Congress. November 24, 1907. p. 55. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
22. ^ "Virginia Polytechnic Team vs. North Carolina, Thursday". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 24, 1907. p. 37. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
23. ^ "Virginia Techs Defeat North Carolina Team". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. November 29, 1907. p. 10. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
24. ^ "The Techs Win The Game". The Tar Heel. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. November 29, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
25. ^ "The Bugle 1908" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1908. p. 169. Retrieved November 17, 2015.

* v
* t
* e

Virginia Tech Hokies football

Venues|

* Sheib Field (1894–1901)
* Gibboney Field (1902–1908)
* Miles Field (1909–1925)
* Miles Stadium (1926–1964)
* Lane Stadium (1965–present)
* Victory Stadium (alternate, 1942–1971)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Boston College
* Georgia Tech
* Miami
* Virginia
* VMI
* West Virginia

Culture & lore|

* HokieBird
* "Tech Triumph"
* "Enter Sandman"
* The Marching Virginians
* Battle at Bristol
* Skipper
* "Lunch Pail Defense"
* 1986 Peach Bowl
* 2000 Sugar Bowl
* 2012 Sugar Bowl

Media|

* WBRW
* Virginia Tech Sports Network

People|

* Head coaches
* Starting quarterbacks
* NFL draftees
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943–1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties