1949 West Virginia State Yellow Jackets football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1949
| team = West Virginia State Yellow Jackets
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association
| short_conf = CIAA
| record = 8–0–1
| conf_record = 5–0–1
| head_coach = Mark Cardwell
| hc_year = 5th
| captain =
| stadium = Lakin Field
}}
{{1949 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}}
The 1949 West Virginia State Yellow Jackets football team was an American football team that represented West Virginia State University as a member of the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) during the 1949 college football season. In their fifth season under head coach Mark Cardwell, the team compiled an 8–0–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 197 to 79.{{cite web|title=1949 - West Virginia St.|publisher=College Football Data Warehouse|accessdate=December 25, 2019|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/incomplete_data/game_by_game_current.php?teamid=3504&year=1949|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910163253/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/incomplete_data/game_by_game_current.php?teamid=3504&year=1949|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 10, 2015}} The team ranked No. 3 among the nation's black college football teams according to the Pittsburgh Courier and its Dickinson Rating System.{{cite news|title=Southern, West Va. Lose on Final Ballot|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=December 10, 1949|page=22|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40078662/southern_west_va_lose_on_final_ballot/|via=Newspapers.com}} The team played its home games at Lakin Field in Institute, West Virginia.
Key players included quarterback Joe Gilliam, fullback Oliver Ellis, halfbacks Alfred Graves, Charlie Fairfax, and Jack Taylor, ends Clarence "Bump" Clark, Horace Christian, and John Gist, tackle Ed Wickliffe, and kicker Alfred Melchor.
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| attend = y
| source = y
|September 23|at|{{cfb link|year=1949|team=Virginia Union Panthers|title=Virginia Union}}|Union Athletic Field|Richmond, VA|W 13-6||{{cite news|title=West Va. Squeezes By In Openers: Fourth Period T.D. Defeats Va. Union, 13-6|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=October 1, 1949|page=23|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41084796/west_va_squeezes_by_in_openers_fourth/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 1||{{cfb link|year=1949|team=Howard Bison|title=Howard}}|Lakin Field|Institute, WV|W 27-6||{{cite news|title=Yellowjackets Stop Howard's Bison, 27-6|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=October 8, 1949|page=23|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41084703/yellowjackets_stop_howards_bison_276/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 8|at|{{cfb link|year=1949|team=Kentucky State Thorobreds|title=Kentucky State}}
|October 15||Tennessee A&I
|October 22|at|{{cfb link|year=1949|team=St. Augustine's Falcons|title=St. Augustine's}}||Raleigh, NC|W 2-0||{{cite news|title=St. Augustine Almost Upsets Mighty West Virginia: Underdog Saints Lose Thriller, 2-0|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=October 29, 1949|page=22|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41084383/st_augustine_almost_upsets_mighty_west/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 29||{{cfb link|year=1949|team=Bluefield State Big Blues|title=Bluefield State}}|Lakin Field|Institute, WV|W 42-7|5,000|{{cite news|title=W. Va. Humbles Bluefield: Yellow Jackets Keep Perfect Record Intact|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|author=Bill Nunn Jr.|date=November 5, 1949|page=23|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41082273/w_va_humbles_bluefield_yellow/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 5|at|{{cfb link|year=1949|team=Virginia State Trojans|title=Virginia State}}| |Petersburg, VA|T 27-27|5,000|{{cite news|title=Second-Half Rally Sees Virginia State Tie W. Va. 27-27: Trojans Gain Moral Win In Thriller|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|author=Ric Roberts|date=November 12, 1949|page=22|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41082700/secondhalf_rally_sees_virginia_state/}}
|November 12|vs|{{cfb link|year=1949|team=North Carolina College Eagles|title=North Carolina College}}|Griffith Stadium|Washington, DC (Capital Classic)|W 14-0|30,400|{{cite news|title=Record Breaking Crowd Sees W. Va. Win Over N.C.: 30,400 Fans Watch 8th Capital Classic|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|author=Bill Nunn Jr.|date=November 19, 1949|page=22|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41084307/record_breaking_crowd_sees_w_va_win/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 19|at|{{cfb link|year=1949|team=Wilberforce State Green Wave|title=Wilberforce State}}
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{West Virginia State Yellow Jackets football navbox}}
Category:West Virginia State Yellow Jackets football seasons