Why, Who's On the Gridiron! Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1888

To be fair, the entire 1887 season was one game--a November 13 meeting between Virginia and Pantops Academy (a private school in Charlottesville, VA). That meeting between the two schools ended in a 0-0 tie. The next year, November 20, 1888, Virginia defeated Pantops Academy in a re-match, 20-0.

The team would also suffer its first defeat (and first intercollegiate) game against Johns Hopkins University on December 4, 1888, 36-0. For the 1888 season, the team went 2-1.

Answer: Klöckner Stadium

Klöckner Stadium (1992) is the home field for the soccer (football) teams and lacrosse teams at the University of Virginia and has a capacity of 8,000.

Madison Field was the site for home football games from 1887 to 1913. Lambeth Field, also called the "Colonnades", was the home site for football games from 1914 to 1929. Remnants of the facility were still visible on the Grounds of the University of Virginia decades later. Scott Stadium (the full title being: Carl Smith Center, Home of David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium) served as the home football site beginning in 1931. Over the years, the seating capacity has expanded from 22,000 to 61,500.

Answer: American Association

The American Association was a minor league professional football league (1937-1941) that would continue play for several more years as the American Footbal League (1946-1950), not to be confused with the American Football League of the 1960s.

AFter being independent for its first 20 seasons, Virginia became a member of the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association for over a decade (1907-1921). Virginia was co-champion of the Association in football for 1914 and 1915, with some records indicating that Virginia could also be considered co-champion for 1908 (this may indicated a retroactive naming of the title).

The Southern Conference was formed in 1921, largely from former members of the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Virginia was a member of the conference from 1921 to 1937, before spending a period of time (1938-1953) as an independent college.

Virginia would join the Atlantic Coast Conference in December of 1954 after the charter members played their first season (1953) in the conference. Virginia would be co-champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1989 and 1995.

Answer: Auld Lang Syne

Who wrote the lyrics of "The Good Ole Song" is unclear with some sources suggesting Edward A. Craghill and other sources suggesting a group of students that included Craghill. In either case, the lyrics seem to date from the 1890s. The song is often sung with students embracing and swaying as a group. It is sung after field goals, extra-point/two-point conversions for touchdowns, and (rarely) for safeties.

(sung) That good old song of Wah-hoo-wah-we'll sing it o'er and o'er / It cheers our hearts and warms our blood to hear them shout and roar / We come from old Virginia, where all is bright and gay / Let's all join hands and give a yell for the dear old UVA.
(Chant) Wah-hoo-wah, wah-hoo-wah! Uni-v, Virginia! / Hoo-rah-ray, hoo-rah-ray, ray, ray-UVA!

Answer: George Welsh

George Welsh (1933-2019) was not only the first Virginia coach to reach 100 wins, but he was the first to reach 50 wins. The most successful Virginia coaches before Welsh was Frank Murray who had a record of 41-34-5 (1937-1945) and Art Guepe (1946-1951) with a a record of 41-17-2. His record (1982-2000) was 134-86-3 overall and 85-51-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Interestingly, during his time as head coach of Navy (1973-1981), he was the then-most successful coach in Navy's history, with a record of 55-46-1. He would lead the Cavalier to a 12 Bowl Games, winning 4 and co-championships of the ACC in 1989 and 1995.

Dick Bestwick (1976-1981) had a record of 19-46 at Virginia. George Blackburn (1965-1970) had a record of 28-33 at Virginia.

Answer: Tom Scott

Tom Scott (1930-2015) played linebacker at Virginia (1949-1952). In the NFL, he played (1953-1964) for the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. He would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979. The three incorrect choices were also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

"Bullet Bill" Dudley (1921-2010) played primarily halfback in his career at Virginia (1938-1941). In the NFL, he played (1942, 1946-1951, 1953) with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Washington Redskins, missing several seasons because of service in World War Two. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966.

Defensive Tackle Henry Jordan (1935-1977) played at Virginia (1953-1956) before being drafted by the NFL. He played for the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers during his career (1957-1969). He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995.

Earle "Greasy" Neale (1891-1973) was coach of Virginia from 1923 to 1928, compiling a 28-22-5 record. He would later coach the Philadelphia Eagles (1941-1950), compiling a 63-43-5 record, and the 1947 and 1947 Championships.

Answer: 600th team win

The team won its 600th game on September 22, 2007, at home against Georgia Tech, 28-23. Al Groh (born 1944) would amass a 59-53 overall record (at the time, the second most by a Virginia coach) at Virginia, with a 36-36 record in conference play and a 3-2 record in bowl games. Though he did not win a conference title in his time at Virignia, the 2002 team tied for second place with the University of Maryland.

Answer: University of North Carolina

The series between the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels began with two games in 1892, before settling down to one most years after (with a consecutive streak dating to 1919). The two schools have both been part of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1953.

The largest margins of victory in the series during the 20th century were Virginia over North Carolina 66-0 in the 1912 games and North Carolina over Virginia 61-0 in the 1935 game.

Answer: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

While the annual streak of games between the two schools dates to 1970, the first meeting between the Virginia Cavalier and the Virginia Tech Hokies dates to 1895. The game is part of the larger Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007) and Commonwealth Clash (beginning 2014) between the two school in all sports.

The Commonwealth Cup trophy for the winner of the game dates to 1996. The largest margin of victory for Virginia Tech over Virginia is 48-0 in 1983 and the largest margin of victory for Virginia over Virginia Tech is 44-0 in 1896.

Answer: Orange and Blue

At a student meeting in 1888 that was discussing this issue, a Virginia athlete named Allen Potts was said to have worn an orange and blue scarf. Another student suggest orange and blue as school colors which was positively received by the student body.

The original school colors for the limited athletic program at Virginia before this was gray and crimson. Reflecting the largely southern student body at the University at that time, the colors were meant to suggest a bloody uniform of a wounded Confederate soldier.