1963 VPI Gobblers football team

1963 VPI Gobblers football
SoCon champion
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	8–2 (5–0 SoCon)
Head coach	Jerry Claiborne (3rd season)
Home stadium	Miles Stadium
Seasons ←  1962 1964  →

1963 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
VPI $	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
West Virginia	3	–	1	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
VMI	3	–	1	–	2			3	–	5	–	2
Furman	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
William & Mary	4	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Richmond	2	–	2	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
The Citadel	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
George Washington	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Davidson	0	–	4	–	1			1	–	5	–	2
$ – Conference champion

The 1963 VPI Gobblers football team represented the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. ^[1] It was the only Southern Conference football championship Tech won during its tenure in the leage, 1921-1965. ^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Led by 3rd team All-America quarterback Bob Schweickert, ^[3] the Gobblers were 5-0 against Southern Conference opponents West Virginia, VMI, William & Mary, Richmond and George Washington. Schweickert, the team's dual-threat quarterback, passed for 687 yards and six touchdowns, and ran for 839 yards and scored scored seven TD's. Sonny Utz was the team's scoring leader, rushing for 567 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. ^[4]

Schweickert was named Southern Conference Player of the Year as voted by the media. ^[5] The media did not vote for an all Southern Conference team, but did vote on an all-star team selected from the five Division I teams that played in the commonwealth of Virginia at the time (VT, VMI, UVA, UR, W&M). Schweickert was joined on the first time by Utz, end Jake Adams, and guard Newt Green. The second team included tackle Gene Breen and center Burton Mack Rodgers. Tommy Marvin made the honorable mention team at end. ^{[6] [lower-alpha 2]}

Tech was never ranked in national polls, losing its first game of the year to Kentucky which ended the year (3-6-1). The team's three non-conference wins came against ACC foes Virginia (2-7-1), Florida State (4-5-1), and Wake Forest (1-9). Tech's other loss came late in the year against N.C. State, which was the only non-conference opponent that had a winning record (8-3). ^{[7] [8]}

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21	at Kentucky *	Stoll Field/McLean Stadium Lexington, KY	L 14–33	35,000	[9] [10]
September 28	at Wake Forest *	Bowman Gray Stadium Winston-Salem, NC	W 27–0	7,000	[11] [12] [13]
October 5	vs. Virginia *	Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA (Harvest Bowl, rivalry)	W 10–0	20,000	[14] [15] [16]
October 11	at George Washington	District of Columbia Stadium Washington, DC	W 22–8	7,000	[17] [18] [19]
October 19	William & Mary	Miles Stadium Blacksburg, VA	W 28–13	20,000	[20] [21] [22]
October 26	at Florida State *	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 31–23	16,500	[23] [24] [25]
November 2	at Richmond	City Stadium Richmond, VA	W 14–13	18,000	[26] [27] [28]
November 9	at NC State *	Riddick Stadium Raleigh, NC	L 7–13	20,500	[29] [30] [31]
November 16	at West Virginia	Old Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (rivalry)	W 28–3	15,000	[32] [33]
November 28	vs. VMI	Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA (rivalry)	W 35–20	27,000	[34] [35] [36]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

Game summaries

Virginia

Tech scored 10 first quarter points in the annual Harvest Bowl in Roanoke, and hung on for a 10-0 shutout. Sonny Utz scored the only touchdown on a two-yard carry following a fumbled punt that put the Gobblers on the Cavalier's doorstep. Dickie Cranwell booted a 40-yard field goal for the other Tech points. UVA had two chances to score inside the Tech 15 in the second half, but the defense held on both occasions. Bob Schweickert ran 63 yards on 16 carries and had 91 passing yards on a 7-14 day. ^{[37] [38] [39]}

West Virginia

Virginia Tech perfectly executed an on-side kick on the game's opening kickoff and never looked back in a 28-3 rout of West Virginia. The game, played in Morgantown, was essentially a semi-final for the Southern Conference championship, as the Mountaineers and Gobblers both entered the game with an undefeated league record. Bob Schweickert was 13 of 16 through the air amassing 114 yards, and ran 43 yards on 13 carriers. He threw a seven yard touchdown pass to Jake Adams. Sonny Utz had two one-yard TD's and Bobby Owens picked up a Tech fumble at the WVU one and took it in for the final score of the day. The defense was superb in bending without a break. The Gobblers "D" gave up only three points even though the Mountaineers reached the 30, 1, 9, 18, 6 and 5 five yard lines. ^{[40] [41]}

VMI

A capacity crowd of 27,750 filled Victory Stadium in Roanoke for the annual Thanksgiving Day contest between VMI and Virginia Tech, this time for the Southern Conference championship. VMI came into the game on a 12-game unbeaten conference streak and was attempting to defend its conference championship from the previous year. It had won four of the previous six league crowns (in 1957, 1959, 1960, and 1962). VMI had been tied twice during the year and entered the game with a 3-0-2 record. The Gobblers were 4-0 and had defeated third-place West Virginia, so only the two old rivals could end the season with an undefeated league mark.

With the score tied 14-14 early in the third period, VMI drove 68 yards to inches of the Tech end zone. Sonny Utz and Tommy Hawkins, members of the Tech offensive backfield playing both ways, made a joint tackle on fourth down inside the one to keep the score knotted. The stingy VMI defense held, and put the Gobblers into a punting situation. Tech's Bob's Schweickert, quarterback and punter, booted a 58-yarder to flip the field. Utz recovered a VMI fumble two players later, and Schweickert took the next snap himself, running 41-yards to the Keydet seven. The following play, he passed to Jake Edwards to give the team its first lead of the day. Less than three minutes later, Schweickert, returned a punt for the first time in his career, spectacularly scoring on an 82-yard jaunt to put Tech up by two scores. Tech made it a 35-14 lead after Utz ran three yards to capitalize on an interception in VMI territory. VMI blocked a Tech punt into the endzone, but failed to capitalize on the two-point conversion, to make the final 35-20.

Both of Tech's first half scores came by Tommy Walker. He caught a Schweickert pass for a 34-yard touchdown to bring the score to make it a 7-7 tie, and then set a school record with a 99-yard kickoff return to make it 14-14 at halftime. Walker was married the following day.

The offensive statistics, ones that don't count punt or kickoff return, were all in favor of VMI. The Keydets had 22 first downs to six for Tech, and outgained the Gobblers 417 to 176. ^{[42] [43]}

Roster

The following players were members of the 1963 football team according to the roster published in the 1964 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook. ^[44]

VPI 1963 roster
	Jake Adams Kyle Marlon Albright William McLemore Babb, Jr. Darryl Bailey Joe Bloomer Gene Breen Mike Cahill Alex Camaioni Phillip W. Cary Robert Carr Churchill Paul Frederick Cobb Dickie Cranwell Bill Edwards Lacy Lee Edwards, Jr. Ronald Wayne Frank David Green Walter Newton Green, Jr.		Les Hanly Thomas Morgan Hawkins Wayne Hewitt James Venable Hickam Tom Hidell Wynston Holbrook Michael Joseph Hvozdovic Ed Jeffrey Basil G. Jennings Lynn Jones Bill Kegley Dickie Kelly Victor "Vic" William Kreiter, Jr. Harry Leland Ronnie Lindon Tommy Marvin Claude Earl Messamore, Jr.		Bobby Owens Darrell Page Larry Philpot John Raible Douglas Bradley Robbins Burt Mack Rodgers Fred Michael Saunders Bob Schweickert John Sheehy John George Shipley James Simmons Douglas Lee Ulery Silas Alexander "Sonny" Utz, III Joseph Gilleece "Skip" Vance Thomas Merritt Walker K. T. "Buddy" Weihe Ken Whitley

References

1. "1963 Virginia Tech Hokies Schedule and Results".
2. "Virginia Tech Hokies College Football History, Stats, Records". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
3. "Schweickert named to third A-A team". The World-News. December 6, 1963. p. 20. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
4. "1963 Virginia Tech Hokies Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
5. "Bob Schweickert [Southern Conference] player of year". Democrat and Chronicle. December 8, 1963. p. 95. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
6. "Tech lands four on All-Big Five". Richmond Times-Dispatch. December 3, 1963. p. 28. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
7. "1963 College Football Standings". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
8. "Bob Schweickert [Southern Conference] player of year". Democrat and Chronicle. December 8, 1963. p. 95. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
9. "Wildcats roll to 33–14 victory over VPI". The Paducah Sun-Democrat. September 22, 1963. Retrieved October 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Gobblers get the bird from Kentucky, 33-14; Wildcat sophs star". The Roanoke Times. September 22, 1963. p. 41. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
11. "Gobblers blank Wake: Tech posts 27-0 victory in downpour". The Roanoke Times. September 29, 1963. p. 39. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
12. "Virginia Tech drubs Wake, 27-0, in Fumble-Ridden game; Schweickert wrecks Demons". Winston-Salem Journal. September 29, 1963. p. 19. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
13. "Shaky Deacs bow to Va. Tech, 27-0". The Virginian-Pilot. September 29, 1963. p. 63. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
14. "Tech extends Harvest Bowl streak; Utz and Cranwell score as Hokies tip Virginia, 10-0". The Roanoke Times. October 6, 1963. p. 37. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
15. "Tech's defenses beat U. Va., 10-0". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 6, 1963. p. 49. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
16. "VPI blanks Cavaliers by 10 to 0". The News and Observer. October 6, 1963. p. 18. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
17. "Schweickert-led Gobblers topple G-W by 22–8 score". Johnson City Press. October 12, 1963. Retrieved February 7, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
18. "Tech posts 22-8 victory over Colonials; Bob Schweickert pitches two TD's". The Roanoke Times. October 12, 1963. p. 10. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
19. "Utz, Schweickert make Tech title contenders". The Richmond News Leader. October 12, 1963. p. 10. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
20. "Schwiekert moves VPI past Tribe". The Bristol Herald Courier. October 20, 1963. Retrieved October 24, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
21. "Tech topples W&M, 28-13". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 20, 1963. p. 39. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
22. "Techmen fool Tribe and win 28-13 decision". The Roanoke Times. October 20, 1963. p. 39. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
23. "Tech turns FSU bobbles into 31-23 win; Little bit of everything comes in exciting game". The Roanoke Times. October 27, 1963. p. 39. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
24. "Underdog (VT) dumps FSU Seminoles; VPI cashes in on Florida State errors to record 31-21 Upset win". News-Press. October 27, 1963. p. 33. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
25. "FSU loses 31-23 upset". The Tampa Tribune. October 27, 1963. p. 25. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
26. "Gambling Richmond loses to Tech, 14–13". The Virginian-Pilot. November 3, 1963. Retrieved October 27, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
27. "Tech beats Richmond in close one, 14-13; Spiders miss on two point gamble play". The Roanoke Times. November 3, 1963. p. 39. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
28. "Tech pins 14-13 loss on Spiders". The Charlotte Observer. November 3, 1963. p. 50. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
29. "Wolfpack whips VPI combine 13-7; ... Schweickert stars". Chattanooga Daily Times. November 10, 1963. p. 46. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
30. "Miscue costly as Techmen lose to N.C. State, 13-7". The Roanoke Times. November 10, 1963. p. 41. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
31. "N.C. State edges Va. Tech; Wolfpack takes 13-7 decision". The Herald-Sun. November 10, 1963. p. 29. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
32. "Tech routs Mounties, steps closer to title; Onside kick at start gives boost". The Progress-Index. November 17, 1963. p. 27. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
33. "Tech stuns WVU, 28-3; Gobblers defense stalls Mounties". The Roanoke Times. November 17, 1963. p. 45. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
34. "Gobblers capture first Southern loop crown". The Bristol Herald Courier. November 29, 1963. Retrieved January 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
35. "Ready, Willing but uninvited; Tech 35, VMI 20". The Roanoke Times. November 29, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
36. "Schweickert's spectacular effort gives Tech win over VMI, 35-20; Win brings ...first SC title". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 29, 1963. p. 36. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
37. "Tech extends Harvest Bowl streak; Utz and Cranwell score as Hokies tip Virginia, 10-0". The Roanoke Times. October 6, 1963. p. 37. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
38. "Tech's defenses beat U. Va., 10-0". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 6, 1963. p. 49. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
39. "VPI blanks Cavaliers by 10 to 0". The News and Observer. October 6, 1963. p. 18. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
40. "Tech routs Mounties, steps closer to title; Onside kick at start gives boost". The Progress-Index. November 17, 1963. p. 27. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
41. "Tech stuns WVU, 28-3; Gobblers defense stalls Mounties". The Roanoke Times. November 17, 1963. p. 45. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
42. "Schweickert's spectacular effort gives Tech win over VMI, 35-20; Win brings ...first SC title". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 29, 1963. p. 36. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
43. "Gobblers whip Keydets, 35-20, in hot battle". The Roanoke Times. November 29, 1963. p. 47. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
44. "The Bugle 1964" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle . 1964. p. 294. Retrieved December 4, 2017.

Notes

1. Based on a statistical technique used by College Football Reference that uses unweighted victory margin and strength of schedule, the 1963 team does not rank as one of the top 50 teams in school history dating back to games played in 1902. It was 5.27 points better than the average Division I team in 1963. Using this computational method, Tech was 51st best overall college football team in 1963. ^[2]
2. All-star teams were not broken down by offense and defense at the time.