Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
The 2009 college football season begins this week, and the excitement is building. You can almost feel fall. Well, maybe not because it is still hot and humid and the leaves aren’t turning yet. But it is time to play football. Here are some interesting items of note about this week’s game featuring the Alabama Crimson Tide vs. The Virginia Tech Hokies. Notes courtesy of the school’s media relations departments.
Some things you should know about this season opener from VT:
STABILITY AT THE TOP
• Frank Beamer, the first Tech alumnus to guide Virginia Tech’s football program since the 1940s, has coached and won more football games at Tech than any other head coach.
• Only two of the 120 active Division I-A head football coaches have been at their current school longer than Beamer. Those coaches are: Joe Paterno (44th yr., Penn State) and Bobby Bowden (34rh yr., Florida State).
• Prior to Beamer, no other grid coach in Tech history had served more than 10 seasons as head coach.
Rushing = Outcome?
• Under head coach Frank Beamer (268 games), the Hokies are 156-30-2 when outrushing their opponents, 20-59 when being outrushed and 1-0 when the rushing total is even.
• In Tech’s current 16-year bowl run (since 1993), Tech is 136-15 when outrushing its opponents, 16-34 when being outrushed and 1-0 when the rushing total is even.
• In its current 16-year bowl run (since 1993), Tech is 88-6 when rushing for 200 yards or more, including 7-0 in 2005.
• Since the start of the 1999 season, the Hokies are 91-10 when outrushing their opponent and 9-20 when being outrushed.
That’s the most often-asked question regarding Virginia Tech athletics. The answer leads all the way back to 1896 when Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College changed its name to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. With the change came the necessity for writing a new cheer and a contest for such a purpose was held by the student body. Senior O.M. Stull won first prize for his “Old Hokie” yell which still is used today.
Later, when asked if “Hokie” had any special,meaning, Stull explained the words he used had no hidden or symbolic meaning, but had been thought up in an effort to get attention. Hokie soon became a nickname for all Tech teams and for those people loyal to Tech athletics.
Following is the “Old Hokie” yell in its original form:
Hoki, Hoki, Hoki Hy!
Tech! Tech! V.P.I.!
Sola-Rex Sola-Rah
Polytech-Vir-gin-i-a!!
Rae, Ri, V.P.I.
5 thoughts on “Getting ready for Alabama vs. Virginia Tech (Some VT notes)”
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A life long misplaced Bama fan.I live in Mississippi and grew up in Southwestern Virginia and as a pee wee football player we would always take a team trip to a Va Tech game. The reason I’m commenting is that I remember the banners and flags of the time referring to them as the fighting gobblers. The hokie thing was nothing more than a cheer.
Having said that,I look for total domination by the “good guys”. Bama 24-9 RTR
Hokies will beat this overrated Tide team just like they did in 1998. It’s going to be a lonely day for the Tide, bama, rolls, crimsons whatever they call themselves. I think their Qb gets knocked out of the game too. We’ll see a blocked kick, a tyrod rushing touchdown, some good passing and a truefreshman running like he is flying.
We’ll see bama fans get angry and then sad as the beating goes on. We’ll be the champions on 9/5/09.
Damn, is the no end to the fantasies these people have? RTR!
I agree with Adrian. Beat ‘Bama my grandma says.