Orville Neal
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 31, 1902 Craig, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Western Maryland College[1] |
| Playing career | |
| c. 1927 | Western Maryland |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1929 | Western Maryland (Asst.) |
| 1930–1931 | VPI |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 8–7–3 |
Orville Ellsworth Neal was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (VPI)—now Virginia Tech—from 1930 to 1931, compiling a record of 8–7–3.
Early life
Neal was born in Craig, Nebraska.
Playing career
After graduating from high school, Neal attended and played college football at York College.[2] He then joined the United States Marine Corps, where he played on the football team for the Quantico Marine Base.[2] After playing football for Quantico for four years, Neal attended Penn State University and was on the freshman football team.[2] He then left Penn State to play football at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College).[2]
In 1985, Neal was inducted into the McDaniel College Hall of Fame.[3]
Coaching career
After graduating, Neal became assistant coach at Western Maryland for one year.[2] He then became the head football coach at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (VPI)—now Virginia Tech—from 1930 to 1931.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPI Gobblers (Southern Conference) (1930–1931) | |||||||||
| 1930 | VPI | 5–3–1 | 2–3–1 | 13th | |||||
| 1931 | VPI | 3–4–2 | 1–4–1 | 19th | |||||
| VPI: | 8–7–3 | 5–7–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 8–7–3 | ||||||||
Personal life
While head coach at VPI, Neal married a student named Elsa Gudheim in 1931. They divorced in 1935.
References
- ^ Walsh, C.; Whittle, G.; Intercollegiate Football, Inc. (Saint Paul, Minn.). (1934). Intercollegiate football: a complete pictorial and statistical review from 1869 to 1934. Published by Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc., for Intercollegiate Football, Inc. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e "Variety of Events on Heavy Program". The Evening Star. Library of Congress. April 24, 1930. p. 42. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "McDaniel Athletics - Hall of Fame". McDaniel College. Retrieved March 12, 2026.