1955 Shepherd Rams football | |
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WVIAC champion | |
Conference | West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
Record | 8–0 (4–0 WVIAC) |
Head coach |
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Captain | John Shearer, George Hott, Dick Widdows[1] |
Seasons
← 1954
1956 →
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Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shepherd $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Concord | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Virginia Tech | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fairmont State | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Liberty State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Potomac State | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Virginia Wesleyan | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salem | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Glenville State | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Davis & Elkins | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Morris Harvey * | 2 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bethany (WV) * | 2 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bluefield State * | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Virginia State * | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conference standings based on power ratings |
The 1955 Shepherd Rams football team represented Shepherd University as a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) during the 1955 college football season. In their third and final season under head coach Donald E. Fuoss, the Rams compiled a perfect 8–0 record, shut out four of eight opponents, and outscored opponents by a total of 299 to 31.[2] Shepherd has a record of 4–0 in conference play, winning the WVIAC title.[3]
It was the first WVIAC championship in the history of athletics at Shepherd.[1] It was also the first perfect season in 30 years of Shepherd football history.[4] The Rams out-gained opponents by an average of 397.8 yards per game to 160.1 yards per game.[2] Only one other team in the country scored more points than Shepherd,[5] and that team played one more game than Shepherd.[6] Its average of 33.9 points per game was the highest in the country.[4] The team was inducted into the Shepherd University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.[7]
The team's key players included quarterback John Shearer, halfbacks George Hott and Barry Hall, and ends Bill Gaskins and Dick Widdows.[8][9][1] Shearer led the WVIAC in total offense (1,278 yards) and passing (1,002 yards).[10] Hott led the conference in scoring.[11]
In the fall of 1955, Shepherd was a small college with an enrollment of 1,600 students. There were no athletic scholarships, no grants-in-aid, and no booster club.[2] The Rams played their home games in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
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September 17 | atFairmont State | Fairmont, WV | W 26–6 | ||||
September 24 | atGlenville State | Glenville, WV | W 26–6 | ||||
October 8 | atBridgewater* | Bridgewater, VA | W 24–0 | [12][13] | |||
October 15 | Potomac State![]() | Shepherdstown, WV | W 33–0 | [14][15] | |||
October 22 | vs. Davis & Elkins | Winchester, VA | W 47–6 | [16] | |||
October 29 | Gallaudet* | Shepherdstown, WV | W 41–13 | [17][18] | |||
November 5 | District of Columbia Teachers* | Shepherdstown, WV | W 56–0 | [9][19] | |||
November 12 | Apprentice* | Shepherdstown, WV | W 46–0 | [20][8] | |||
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