Sports
Virginia Tech's sports teams are called the Hokies, except for the swim team
which uses a variant ("H2Okies", a play on the chemical formula for water). Tech
teams participate in the NCAA's Division I in the Atlantic Coast Conference,
which the school joined in 2004 after leaving the Big East. Along with all other
ACC schools, Tech's football team competes in Division I FBS, the higher of two
levels of Division I competition in that sport.
The word "Hokies," which originated from the Old Hokie spirit yell, has come to
replace the term "Fighting Gobblers" to refer to the sports team, fans,
students, or alumni, although the former is the official usage. The word "Hokies"
originated in the 1890s; see Hokies for more information. The school mascot is
the Hokie Bird, a turkey-like creature. The teams were originally known as the
"Fighting Gobblers," and the turkey motif was retained despite the name change.
The stylized VT (the abbreviation for Virginia Tech) is used primarily by the
athletic department as a symbol for Virginia Tech athletic teams. The "athletic
VT" symbol is trademarked by the university and appears frequently on licensed
merchandise.
During the early years of VPI, a rivalry developed between it and Virginia
Military Institute. This rivalry developed into the original "Military Classic
of the South," an annual football game between VMI and VPI usually held on
Thanksgiving Day in Roanoke, Virginia. That series ended after the 1984 season;
VMI had elected to play at the Division I-AA level, now Division I FCS, after
the NCAA's 1978 divisional split for football, and the schools' wide disparity
in size had led to a similar imbalance in results. Another long-standing
rivalry, with the University of Virginia, strengthened concurrently with Tech's
growth spurt of the 1960s and 1970s; the Virginia Cavaliers are now the Hokies'
primary program-wide athletic rival. The two schools compete in a year-long
competition including all varsity sports, for the "Commonwealth Challenge."
Virginia Tech's fight song, Tech Triumph, was written in 1919 and remains in use
today. Tech Triumph is played at sporting events by both the Virginia Tech band,
The Marching Virginians, and the Corps of Cadets' band, the Highty Tighties. The
Old Hokie spirit yell, used since 1896, is familiar to all Virginia Tech fans.
Virginia Tech Football
Virginia Tech's football team plays home games in Lane Stadium, considered one
of the loudest stadiums in the country and recognized in 2005 by rivals.com as
having the best home field advantage in the country. The team has a long history
of a wide variety of traditions that foster increased participation by the fans,
the corps of cadets, and the bands.
Head coach Frank Beamer has become one of the winningest currently active head
coaches in Division I-A football with 178 wins following the 2005 season. The
Hokies currently have the fifth longest bowl streak in the country, having
participated in bowl games in each of the last 13 seasons. Since the 1995
season, the Hokies have finished with a top-10 ranking four times, won four
conference championships (three Big East and one ACC), and played once for the
national championship, losing to Florida State University 46-29 in the 2000
Sugar Bowl. Annually, Virginia Tech plays its traditional rival, the University
of Virginia, for the Commonwealth Cup.
Virginia Tech Men's Basketball
Virginia Tech's men's basketball team has seen a resurgence of fan support since
the arrival of coach Seth Greenberg in 2003-04 and its entry into the ACC in
2004-05. Prior to Coach Greenberg's arrival in Blacksburg, the Virginia Tech men
had not had a winning season since the 1995-1996 season when they received a bid
to the NCAA tournament, and the team did not even make the Big East tournament
its first three seasons in the conference. Greenberg's squad finally made the
Big East tournament in 2003-04, then a year later scored their first postseason
berth in nine years when they made the NIT in 2004-05 as a first-year ACC
school. In 2006-07, the team finished with a 10-6 record in the ACC and 22-12
record overall, earning its first NCAA tournament berth in 11 years, and
reaching the NCAA second round before losing to Southern Illinois.
Virginia Tech Women's Basketball
Virginia Tech's women's basketball team, led by coach Beth Dunkenberger, is a
fixture in postseason play, having received a berth to the NCAA tournament each
season from 2003 to 2006. Virginia Tech's women have been in postseason play
every year since the 1997-98 season, Bonnie Henrickson's first season as the
head coach of the Hokies, earning seven NCAA berths and three NIT appearances
during that stretch.
Both basketball teams play their home games in Cassell Coliseum.
Virginia Tech Baseball
Virginia Tech's recently retired baseball coach, Chuck Hartman, finished his
career as the fourth winningest coach in Division I baseball history with a
1,444-816-8 record, including a 961-591-8 mark in his 28 seasons at Tech.
Baseball
* Kevin Barker, first baseman, Toronto Blue Jays
* Jonathan Musialowski, pitcher, Atlantic City Surf
* Johnny Oates, catcher and later the manager for the Baltimore Orioles, as well
as manager of the Texas Rangers.
* Joe Saunders, pitcher, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
* Franklin Stubbs, first baseman, Los Angeles Dodgers
* Wyatt Toregas, catcher, Cleveland Indians
Basketball
* Vernell "Bimbo" Coles, member of the United States 1988 Olympic Basketball
team; played in the National Basketball Association, ending his career with the
Miami Heat
* Dell Curry, NBA shooting guard
Football
* Frank Beamer, Class of 1969, football coach at Virginia Tech
* Bruce Smith, defensive linesman for the Buffalo Bills and the Washington
Redskins, All-American and first overall pick at the 1985 NFL Draft
* Marcus Vick, wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins
* Michael Vick, quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, first overall pick at the
2001 NFL Draft
* Don Strock, quarterback for Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns; later a
college head coach
* Carroll Dale, wide receiver, All-American, played for Vince Lombardi-era Green
Bay Packers
* Antonio Freeman, wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers played in Super Bowl
XXXI, Super Bowl XXXII, and 1998 Pro Bowl
* DeAngelo Hall, defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons, 8th overall pick at the
2004 NFL Draft
* Kevin Jones, running back for the Detroit Lions, 30th overall pick at the 2004
NFL Draft
* Darryl Tapp, defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks, 63rd overall pick at the
2006 NFL Draft
* John Engelberger, defensive end for the Denver Broncos
* Shayne Graham, placekicker for the Cincinnati Bengals
