1954 West Virginia Mountaineers football
SoCon champion
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Ranking
APNo. 12
Record8–1 (3–0 SoCon)
Head coach
Home stadiumMountaineer Field
Seasons
← 1953
1955 →
1954 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 12 West Virginia $ 3 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Furman 2 – 0 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
No. 16 VPI 3 – 0 – 1 8 – 0 – 1
Davidson 2 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
VMI 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Richmond 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
William & Mary 1 – 2 – 2 4 – 4 – 2
George Washington 0 – 4 – 1 1 – 7 – 1
The Citadel 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1954 West Virginia Mountaineers football team was an American football team that represented West Virginia University in the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1954 college football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Art Lewis, the Mountaineers compiled an overall record of 8–1 with a mark of 3–0 in conference play, winning the SoCon title for the second consecutive season.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 2at No. 15 South Carolina*
W 26–631,000[1]
October 9George WashingtonNo. 16
W 13–720,000[2]
October 16at No. 9 Penn State*No. 14
W 19–1432,221[3]
October 23vs. VMINo. 10
W 40–611,000[4]
October 30Pittsburgh*No. 7
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV (rivalry)
L 10–1334,000[5]
November 6Fordham*No. 17
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
W 39–910,000[6]
November 13at William & MaryNo. 16
W 20–610,000[7]
November 20NC State*No. 14
  • Mountaineer Field
  • Morgantown, WV
W 28–320,000[8]
November 27at Virginia*No. 12
W 14–1010,000[9]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1954 West Virginia Mountaineers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 11 Fred Wyant Jr
End 89 Billy Hillen Sr
End 84 Joe Kopnisky So
Guard 64 Gene Lathey So
Guard 88 Bill Underdonk Jr
Center 36 Charles Donaldson Sr
OL-LT 77 Bruce Bosley Jr
OL-RG 75 Sam Huff So
OL-LG 72 Gene Lamone Jr
Guard 65 Jerry Urda So
End 55 John Kernic Sr
End 81 Max Ludwig Sr
RB 22 Victor "Jack" Rabbits So
RB 42 Dick Nicholson Sr
RB 15 Harry Sweeney Sr
FB 24 Carl Norman Sr
FB 35 Danny Williams Sr
[[American football positions|]]
QB 10 Alex Szuch So
E 12 Walter Beene So
HB 21 Paul Shepherd So
FB 23 Ray Borst So
HB 25 Bob Moss Jr
C 31 Don Wilson Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
[[American football positions|]] [[| ]]
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach

Art "Pappy" Lewis

Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

References

  1. ^ "West Virginia scores upset victory over Gamecocks, 26–6". The News and Observer. October 3, 1954. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Keydets win on safety by 16 to 14". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 26, 1954. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "West Virginia tops unbeaten Lions by 19–14". Sunday News. October 17, 1954. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "West Virginia's devastating ground game rocks VMI 40–6". The State. October 24, 1954. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Salvaterra heads late Panther surge which topples West Virginia by 13–10". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 31, 1954. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ McKowen, Bob (November 7, 1954). "WVU trims Fordham; Six men get touchdowns". The Charleston Daily Mail. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Mountaineers whip Rams, 39-9". The Pittsburgh Press. November 7, 1954. sect. 4, p. 2.
  7. ^ "West Virginia beats W&M, 20–6, to take Conference crown". The Sunday Star. November 14, 1954. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "N.C. State bows to West Virginia". The Baltimore Sun. November 21, 1954. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Bowl fever almost beats Mountaineers". The State. November 28, 1954. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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