Drawing together insights from nearly 100 former players, coaches, and Hokie fans, this is the ultimate compendium of everything that is special about Virginia Tech's football team. Highlights include the most important moments in Virginia Tech's football history, beloved traditions and memories from Blacksburg, coaching legends, and the team's greatest players from past and present. Mark Schlabach is an author, a national college football columnist for ESPN.com, and a former staff writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Washington Post . He has covered college football for nearly two decades and is the author of Georgia Football: Yesterday & Today , What It Means to Be a Gator , What It Means to Be a Hokie , and What It Means to Be a Seminole . He lives in Madison, Georgia. Norm Wood is the ACC beat reporter for the Newport News Daily Press . He covers Virginia Tech and University of Virginia athletics. Ray Glier is a freelance journalist who contributes to the Atlanta Business Chronicle , the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , the Miami Herald , MSNBC, the New York Times , and  USA Today . He is a former executive sports editor for the Knoxville Journal . 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 Glier All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-60078-618-1 Contents 1. Hokies Traditions, 2. Greatest Hokies Teams, 3. National Award Winners, 4. Bowl Games, 5. Virginia Tech's All-Americans, 6. Coaches, 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'