1947 VPI Gobblers football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1947
| team = VPI Gobblers
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Southern Conference
| short_conf = SoCon
| record = 4–5
| conf_record = 4–3
| head_coach = Jimmy Kitts
| hc_year = 3rd
| captain = Billy Shelby Barbour
| captain2 = Bobby Smith
| stadium = Miles Stadium
}}
{{1947 Southern Conference football standings}}
The 1947 VPI Gobblers football team was an American football that represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the Southern Conference during the 1947 college football season. In its third season under head coach Jimmy Kitts, the team compiled a 4–5 record (4–3 against conference opponents), finished eighth in the Southern Conference, and as outscored by a total of 191 to 162.{{cite news|title=1947 Virginia Tech Hokies Schedule and Results|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|access-date=February 19, 2019|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/virginia-tech/1947-schedule.html}}
VPI was ranked at No. 88 (out of 500 college football teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1947.{{cite news|title=Michigan National Champion in Final Litkenhous Ratings|newspaper=Times|author=Dr. E. E. Litkenhous|date=December 18, 1947|page=47|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123152970/michigan-national-champion-in-final/|via=Newspapers.com}}
The team played its home games at Miles Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| rankyear = 1947
| poll = AP
| source = y
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 27
| time =
| w/l = w
| opponent = Furman
| site_stadium = Miles Stadium
| site_cityst = Blacksburg, VA
| score = 20–6
| attend = 10,000
| source = {{cite news|title=V.P.I.'s Gobblers Race To 20-6 Win Over Hurricane: Pruitt Sparks Purples|newspaper=The Greenville News|author=Scoop Latimer|date=September 28, 1947|page=Sports 1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28289053/vpis_gobblers_race_to_206_win_over/|via=Newspapers.com}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 4
| time =
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| neutral = y
| opponent = Virginia
| gamename = rivalry
| site_stadium = Victory Stadium
| site_cityst = Roanoke, VA
| score = 7–41
| attend = 22,000
| source = {{cite news|title=Va. Cavaliers Run Roughshod On VPI|newspaper=Daily Press (Newport News, VA)|author=Robert Moore|date=October 5, 1947|page=11A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28612157/va_cavaliers_run_roughshod_on_vpi/|via=Newspapers.com}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 11
| time =
| w/l = l
| neutral = y
| opponent = William & Mary
| site_stadium = City Stadium
| site_cityst = Richmond, VA
| score = 7–21
| attend = 10,000
| source = {{cite news|title=WM On Warpath In Final Quarter To Beat VPI 21-7|newspaper=Daily Press (Newport News, VA)|date=October 12, 1947|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28502612/wm_on_warpath_in_final_quarter_to_beat/|via=Newspapers.com}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 18
| time =
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| away = y
| opponent = Army
| opprank = 7
| site_stadium = Michie Stadium
| site_cityst = West Point, NY
| score = 0–40
| attend = 20,000
| source = {{cite news|title=Army Rips VPI, 40-0; Rowan Scores 2 TDs|newspaper=The Daily News (New York City)|author=Jim McCulley|date=October 19, 1947|page=C41|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28513780/army_rips_vpi_400_rowan_scores_2_tds/|via=Newspapers.com}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 25
| time =
| w/l = l
| homecoming = y
| opponent = Maryland
| site_stadium = Miles Stadium
| site_cityst = Blacksburg, VA
| score = 19–21
| attend = 12,500
| source = {{cite news|title=Fourth Period Brings Defeat For Gobblers|newspaper=The Staunton News Leader|date=October 26, 1947|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28603044/fourth_period_brings_defeat_for_gobblers/|via=Newspapers.com}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 31
| time = 8:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = George Washington
| site_stadium = Griffith Stadium
| site_cityst = Washington, DC
| score = 42–6
| attend = 5,000
| source = {{Cite web|work=VPI vs. George Washington Football Program|url=http://www.ivanmorozov.com/memorabilia/game-programs/1947/h553d3e8c|title=George Washington vs. V.P.I. The George Washington Athletic Review|date=1947|page=1|access-date=October 11, 2017}}{{cite news|title=Virginia Tech's Gobblers Start Early, Rout George Washington Eleven, 42-6|newspaper=The Staunton News-Leader|date=November 1, 1947|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28374441/virginia_techs_gobblers_start_early/|via=Newspapers.com}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 8
| time =
| w/l = w
| neutral = y
| opponent = Washington and Lee
| site_stadium = Municipal Stadium
| site_cityst = Lynchburg, VA
| score = 27–14
| attend =
|source = {{cite news|title=V.P.I. Eleven Tops Washington & Lee|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=November 9, 1947|page=32|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28419400/vpi_eleven_tops_washington_lee/|via=Newspapers.com}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 15
| time =
| w/l = w
| opponent = Richmond
| site_stadium = Miles Stadium
| site_cityst = Blacksburg, VA
| score = 26–14
| attend = 5,500
| source = {{cite news|title=Muddy Field Only Slight Deterrent To VPI In 26-14 Win Over Spiders|newspaper=The Staunton News-Leader|date=November 16, 1947|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28300771/muddy_field_only_slight_deterrent_to/|via=Newspapers.com}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 27
| time =
| w/l = l
| neutral = y
| opponent = VMI
| gamename = rivalry
| site_stadium = Victory Stadium
| site_cityst = Roanoke, VA
| score = 14–28
| attend = 29,000–33,000
| source = {{cite news |title=Squadron Flies Over Gobblers 28–14|url=http://digitalcollections.vmi.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15821coll8/id/9156/rec/10|publisher=Virginia Military Institute|newspaper=The V.M.I. Cadet|date=December 1, 1947|page=1|access-date=February 2, 2016}}{{Cite web|work=Virginia Tech Bugle|url=http://spec.lib.vt.edu/archives/bugle/bugl1948/1948_BUGLE.pdf|title=The Bugle 1948|date=1948|access-date=2016-01-23}}
}}
}}
1948 NFL draftees
One VPI player was selected in the 1948 NFL draft, as follows:{{cite web|title=1948 NFL Draft|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=February 19, 2019|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1947.htm|archive-date=October 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031111101/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1947.htm|url-status=dead}}
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!style="background:#660000" state="collapsed"|NFL Draft Selections |
| {| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%"
! align="center"| Year ! align="center"| Round ! align="center"| Pick ! align="center"| Overall ! align="center"| Name ! align="center"| Team ! align="center"| Position |
| align="center"
|1951 |28 |10 |337 |Sterling Wingo |Back |
|}
Roster
The following players were members of the 1947 football team according to the roster published in the 1948 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.
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| colspan="9" style="background:#660000;color:#FF6600;text-align:center;"|VPI 1947 roster |
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