The 1949 West Virginia Tech Golden Bears football team was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
team that represented the
West Virginia University Institute of Technology of
Beckley, West Virginia
Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. This city is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology or West Virginia University, Beckley Campus.
...
, as a member of the
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) during the
1949 college football season
The 1949 college football season finished with four teams that were unbeaten and untied-- Notre Dame, Oklahoma, California, and Army had won all their games at season's end. Notre Dame, however, was the overwhelming choice for national champion ...
. In their first year under head coach
Herb Royer
Herbert Henry Royer (June 4, 1915 – April 7, 2003) was an American football coach. He served as was the head football coach at West Virginia University Institute of Technology from 1949 to 1950 and at Marshall University from 1953 to 1958, compi ...
, the team compiled a 8–0–1 record (8–0–1 against WVIAC teams), won the WVIAC championship, outscored opponents by a total of 243 to 83, and outgained opponents by 2,191 yards to 831 yards.
The team was honored 60 years later at the school's homecoming game.
Halfback Randy Cooper scored 114 points. His total of 19 touchdowns led the nation.
[ Cooper also set new WVIAC records for most net rushing yards in a season (1,228), most rushing yards in a game (276 against Potomac), most yards of total offense in a game (286 against Potomac), and most carries in a season (185).
Cooper and guard Neal Baisi were the team co-captains. Halfback Walter Rapko gained 667 yards from scrimmage and scored seven touchdowns. Quarterback John Grossi completed 10 of 17 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns.][
]
Schedule
Players
West Virginia Tech's football players, based in part on game coverage cited above, included the following:Oak Hill, West Virginia
Oak Hill is a city in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States and is the primary city within the Oak Hill, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area. The micropolitan area is also included in the Beckley-Oak Hill, WV Combined Statistical Area. The ...
* Chuck Cornell, center, senior
* Clinton Frazier
* John Grossi, quarterback, freshman, Weirton, West Virginia
* Brooks Harris, halfback, junior
* John Hess, end
* Ross Hutchens, tackle
* Joe Jarrell, right halfback
* "Bunky" Johnson, quarterback, freshman, Beckley, West Virginia
* Jim Lively, quarterback, senior
* Quentin Maner, back, freshman, Montgomery, West Virginia
* Bob Presson, fullback, junior, Ansted, West Virginia
* Walt Rapko, halfback, Oak Hill, West Virginia
* Jack Sims, end
* Jim Stover, tackle, Kingston, West Virginia
* Jim Turner, center, freshman, Beckley, West Virginia
* Ray Withrow, fullback, freshman
References
{{Reflist
West Virginia Tech
West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech, WVIT, WVU Beckley, or West Virginia Tech) is a public college in Beckley, West Virginia. It is a divisional campus of West Virginia University.
History
The college was founded in 189 ...
West Virginia Tech Golden Bears football seasons
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football champion seasons
College football undefeated seasons
West Virginia Tech Golden Bears football