Always a Hokie: Players, Coaches, and Fans Share Their Passion for Hokies Football
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Always a Hokie: Players, Coaches, and Fans Share Their Passion for Hokies Football
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781617495625 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Triumph Books |
| Publication date: | 08/01/2011 |
| Series: | Always a... |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 384 |
| File size: | 5 MB |
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Always a Hokie
Players, Coaches, and Fans Share Their Passion for Virginia Tech Football
By Mark Schlabach, Norm Wood, Ray Glier
Triumph Books
Copyright © 2011 Mark Schlabach, Norm Wood, and Ray GlierAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-61749-562-5
CHAPTER 1
Hokies Traditions
What Is a Hokie?
College football fans have been asking that question for more than a century. The origin of the word hokie actually has nothing to do with a turkey. The term was first coined by Virginia Tech student O.M. Stull (class of 1896), who used "Hokie" in a spirit yell he composed for a campus-wide contest.
Virginia Tech was founded in 1872 as a land-grant institution in Blacksburg, Virginia, and was originally known as Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1896 the Virginia General Assembly changed the school's name to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute. Of course, the revised name was something of a tongue-twister, so Virginia Tech's fans and alumni fondly referred to their school as "V.P.I."
With a new name came a new fight song. V.P.I. held a contest with a $5 prize going to the writer of the best cheer. Stull entered his song, now known as "Old Hokie":
Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hy
Techs, Techs, V.P.I.
Sola-Rex, Sola-Rah.
Polytechs-Vir-gin-ia.
Rae, Ri, V.P.I
Team! Team! Team!
After selecting Stull's fight song, V.P.I. formed a committee to adopt new school colors, which would replace the originals hues of black and gray (some V.P.I. fans even thought the black and gray stripes resembled prison uniforms!). The committee selected burnt orange and Chicago maroon because no other college utilized that combination of colors. Burnt orange and Chicago maroon debuted on V.P.I.'s football uniforms against Roanoke College on October 26, 1896.
Lane Stadium
With a capacity of 66,233, Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium isn't nearly as big as many of the cathedral-like college football stadiums around the country.
But with a rabid and devoted fan base and stands that sit right on top of the action, Lane Stadium provides the Hokies with one of the best home-field advantages in college football. In fact, Rivals.com in 2005 named Lane Stadium the most difficult venue for road teams in the country, saying:
Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia, doesn't blow people away by the brute strength of a massive stadium, but with knowledgeable fans that always reach a frenzied pitch at the right time, the Hokies make the most of their numbers. Every good stadium has at least one end zone designed for deafening noise levels, and the enclosed south end zone at Lane Stadium fits the bill perfectly. Holding more than 11,000 screaming Virginia Tech fans, the section amplifies noise and renders audibles useless. That's not to mention the isolation factor. With the nearest major airport nearly 45 minutes away, opponents' fans are never out in force at Lane Stadium.
Original construction of Lane Stadium began in April 1964 and was completed four years later. The Hokies didn't even wait for their stadium to be completed; they played their first game there on October 2, 1965. The Hokies defeated William and Mary by a 9–7 score with fans sitting only in the west stands and center section of the east bleachers. Lane Stadium was officially dedicated before Virginia Tech's 22–14 victory over rival Virginia on October 23, 1965.
The first televised game was played at Lane Stadium the next year, when a regional TV audience watched Virginia Tech defeat Florida State 23–21 on October 29, 1966. Lights were added to Lane Stadium in 1982 and were first used in the Hokies' nationally televised 21–14 Thanksgiving Day victory over Virginia on November 25, 1982.
Prior to the 2002 season, Virginia Tech added 11,120 seats in the south end zone to enclose that end of the stadium. The double-deck stadium resembles the Cleveland Browns' "Dawg Pound" section, which gets fans closer to the playing field. Virginia Tech officials replaced the press box in 2004 and also added additional luxury suites, a president's area, private club seating, and new concessions stands.
In 2005 Lane Stadium was given a distinct Virginia Tech touch, with Hokie Stone added to the walls in each of the end zones. When football fans across the country watch the Hokies play on TV, there's no longer a question as to where the game is being played.
Hokies in Their Own Words
Bill Roth Broadcaster, 1988–present
I remember the first time Mike Tirico, who was a classmate and close friend of mine at Syracuse, and I came to Blacksburg to broadcast a Syracuse–Virginia Tech game. It was 1985.
I bought a hat because I loved the streamlined logo. I really thought Tech was a cool place, even when I was a junior at SU. I wore that hat. I really thought, This is a cool hat. I know it's not my school. I'm going to Syracuse and wearing a Virginia Tech hat. There's some irony to it. It's like going to the Eagles concert, and three years later you're playing the drums with Don Henley on stage. It was kind of like that for me getting hired at Tech a couple years later right out of college.
Being from the Pittsburgh area, a lot of my friends came to Tech, and a lot of Pittsburgh-area guys played football at Tech. Dave Braine, who was Tech's athletics director, was from Grove City, Pennsylvania. Dave had gone to North Carolina and played football there, but he was a western Pennsylvania guy.
Tech was the kind of the place I'd always dreamed of. I had the chance to be the voice of one team, which was also my dream after growing up listening to Myron Cope and Jack Fleming and Harry Kalas and Bob Prince and Mike Lange. The fans were really, really passionate. There was an opportunity to be statewide with it. It wasn't about just one town.
Tech reminded me so much of Penn State, where I'd been many times as a kid. The geographic makeup of the alumni base — you know, they're far away — the mission of the university, the academic standing of the school. In talking with [Braine], and later with coach [Frank] Beamer, it was obvious that this could be a Penn State. This could be a school that wins a ton of games, and we could get great affiliates throughout the state and not just a local following, but more of a regional following. Fans were really passionate, and I was 22 years old thinking this was unbelievable.
I was so honored at that point when I came in and met our coaches and our fan base. I went to several Hokie Club meetings and met the people that I still know today. I went on dozens and dozens of those tours and saw how important Tech was to them. They were hungry for a winner because they were so passionate about their school and loud and proud. I got that within the first 10 minutes of my first Hokie Club meeting in Pulaski.
My first game as a Tech employee was that 1988 game at Clemson [Tech lost 40–7]. I remember driving in to Clemson on Route 76, and there were Tigers paws on the asphalt. I was driving by the Tigers car wash, the Tigers diner, and Tigers bank and trust. I pulled up in front of that stadium, and I remember thinking, I am doing exactly what I always wanted to do.
Clemson had an excellent team with Terry Allen, who ended up with the Washington Redskins. He had a big game that day against Tech. It was Will Furrer at quarterback [for Tech]. It was his very first game. That's a tough place to start as a rookie.
I was so blessed to have [Tech network analyst and former Tech football player] Mike [Burnop] with me that day. I'm still blessed to have Mike. He is the perfect analyst. We've become such great friends over the years, but back then, it was our first game together. My thought then was, Just don't screw it up. Give the time and score. Give the down and distance. Don't mess it up. I was really lucky to have the job. Don't screw it up. That was my only thought.
Over the years, I've really been lucky to have great relationships with our coaches. I've had the opportunity to ask, "Hey, what do you call in this formation?" I still do that today. I'll go to practice, see something new, and ask [offensive coordinator Bryan] Stinespring or Coach Beamer, "What is that?" Or I'll ask one of our basketball coaches, "Hey, why are you all calling that?" A lot of times, I don't know, and I don't want to make it up.
I've worked for great coaches, two awesome athletics directors, and three tremendous presidents who've been very supportive and who like me. That's helpful.
Back in the early days, they let me out during the summer to do Richmond Braves baseball, which was good because I was able to do some stuff during the day throughout the state, and then at night do some games. Richmond, to be quite honest, was a more central location. It worked out fine. I got to do some baseball, which was great. With baseball going to the playoffs and football going to bowl games and basketball going to postseason play then, there was just no downtime.
Once the Big East membership happened, there was more to do in the off-season from a Hokie Club standpoint and with affiliates, so there really wasn't time to do baseball. The Virginia Tech franchise really took off after we got into the Big East and were winning. All of a sudden, after Virginia Tech won the Sugar Bowl [in '95], so many other things popped up. There's videos and there's books and there's twice as many speaking engagements for clients.
As far as my favorite memories are concerned, I remember in '95 we were trailing Virginia in the fourth quarter and had to come back to win that game, and Virginia Tech eventually won the Big East. Back in that day, Tech had to beat Virginia to go to the Sugar Bowl.
[Jim] Druckenmiller led Tech back, and the Hokies scored three touchdowns late in the fourth quarter to win. The Jim Druckenmiller–to–Jermaine Holmes touchdown call is one that's up there for me. It was ad-libbed, not planned — none of them are — but sometimes you feel like you do it justice. It was such a great play. You'd hate to have one of the greatest plays in school history and you blow it. The Nebraska call [in '09 in Tech's 16–15 win; "It's a miracle in Blacksburg! He did it, Mikey! Tyrod did it!"] was also pretty neat for me.
I thought Mike and I were having a great call the night of the national championship game [against Florida State on January 4, 2000] at the Sugar Bowl. That was a very special night. There were going to be some calls from that game, too, because Michael [Vick] was unbelievable. You don't know those calls because we didn't win the game. The Florida State guy got the legendary calls from that game. You've got to win the national championship.
As the years have gone by, it has become apparent that the crowds at Lane Stadium and inside Cassell Coliseum have become the third members of our broadcast team. There's nothing we can say when "Enter Sandman" is blaring and the crowd is roaring, other than maybe a, "Here they come," and stop talking for 30 seconds. For the listener at home, or for a viewer, there's nothing an announcer can say in that moment. You've got to let it go. It's the same in basketball — less is more. That's the big thing I've learned.
Mike and I have never missed a game, but we've had some pretty crazy schedules. I remember two years ago [for basketball] we went back and forth to Puerto Rico twice. It was Friday night before Tech was about to play Duke at Lane Stadium. I was in Blacksburg, but my toothbrush was in a hotel in Puerto Rico. We never checked out of the hotel. On Thanksgiving Day 2010, we broadcast the Oklahoma State–Virginia Tech basketball game in Anaheim. After we did the game, we grabbed a soda, took the red eye to Dulles, drove to Blacksburg overnight, and did the UVA football game.
I still get the sense of just how unique it is to do this job. This is an unbelievable time to be at Virginia Tech. They ask to speak to the students the night before classes start. They bring all the freshmen into Lane Stadium. There's always 4,000 or 5,000 kids in the south end zone, and it's a night with a picnic out there and everything.
One of the things I tell all these kids is, "You're at Virginia Tech, which is a great, great school, and some of the most amazing moments of your life are going to happen here because of when you're here." It's not just that they're here at Tech, it's when they're here. The legendary, iconic coach is here right now. The greatest athletic events are happening now. The people you see on campus and around town are going to have streets and buildings and statues in their honor. This is the golden era, and that's what neat about it.
What makes Virginia Tech so unique and so special is the relationship between the students and the alumni of the school. It is unique to other schools, and I think the reason is because for so many Hokies, the greatest moment of your life occurred while you were in school here — your greatest academic success, you met your husband or wife here, you made your greatest friends here, you developed emotionally and academically here. The most fun and the greatest moments of success and achievement happened here with all your friends.
The worst day of your life happened here, too — April 16 [the campus shootings that took the lives of 32 students in 2007] — and it was with those same people. That same closeness and cohesiveness was present. We saw how the university reacted and the way the students got together and how the alumni reacted to that event.
It was brutal to go through that, but the Hokie Nation was so strong. It was like a model of how to handle something like that. I think now you look back on it, and the tightness remains. When the highest highs and the lowest lows are with the same group or the same family, there's a tremendous bond there. The sum of all that is what makes us Hokies.
Bill Roth graduated from Syracuse University in 1987 with a degree in broadcast journalism. Now in his 23rd season as the lead play-by-play announcer of Virginia Tech football and basketball, he also serves as the host of the weekly radio shows featuring Tech head coaches Frank Beamer and Seth Greenberg. Roth was inducted into the Richmond Hokie Club Hall of Fame in 2008.
"Enter Sandman"
Ohio State's marching band dots the i. Tennessee's football team runs through the T. Clemson's football players touch Howard's Rock before running into Death Valley.
Many college football teams have pregame traditions, and Virginia Tech is no different. With Metallica's "Enter Sandman" blaring over Lane Stadium's speakers, Virginia Tech fans start bouncing up and down before the Hokies run onto the field. If that doesn't get fans' goose bumps rising, they might want to check themselves for a pulse.
Virginia Tech's pregame tradition is relatively new; it started after the school erected a new scoreboard with a giant video screen before the 2000 season. The marketing department wanted to produce an entrance video for the Hokies. A handful of songs were considered, including Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" and the Alan Parsons Project's "Sirius." But Virginia Tech officials settled on Metallica's eclectic hit.
"Enter Sandman" made its debut at Lane Stadium before the 2000 opener against Georgia Tech, which was canceled shortly after kickoff because of thunderstorms. Before a particularly chilly night game in 2001, members of Virginia Tech's marching band, the Marching Virginians, started jumping up and down during the song. Soon, everyone in the stadium copied them. A Virginia Tech tradition was born.
Before the Hokies upset No. 23 Maryland 23–13 at Lane Stadium on November 6, 2008, ESPN analyst Chris Fowler aptly summarized Virginia Tech's "Enter Sandman" entrance. "Enter night. Enter Hokies," Fowler said. "One of the most dramatic and frenzied entrances in college football. This is Thursday night, where the Hokies excel. This is an entrance unlike any other in college football."
Lunch Pail
Virginia Tech's famed "Lunch Pail" was a concept designed by longtime Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster. The battered coal miner's lunch pail became a trademark for the Hokies' black-and-blue defense.
Pulling from his roots in the coal-mining region of Illinois, Foster wanted to instill a blue-collar work ethic in his players. The battered lunch pail features the word "WIN" on the front, which symbolizes Foster's strategy for succeeding on defense and in life.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Always a Hokie by Mark Schlabach, Norm Wood, Ray Glier. Copyright © 2011 Mark Schlabach, Norm Wood, and Ray Glier. Excerpted by permission of Triumph Books.
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Table of Contents
Contents
1. Hokies Traditions,2. Greatest Hokies Teams,
3. National Award Winners,
4. Bowl Games,
5. Virginia Tech's All-Americans,
6. Coaches,