![]() ![]() The team roared again, and countless players embraced Beamer as he walked back up the aisle. “Those three or four hours tomorrow,” Beamer said, “you’ll remember the rest of your life.” Beamer and Fuente beamed.īeamer spoke briefly and off the cuff about the importance of the Virginia rivalry - he guaranteed the Cavaliers would play their best - and his admiration for this senior class, which includes quality players and young men such as Sam Rogers, Nigel Williams, Jonathan McLaughlin, Augie Conte, Woody Baron, Ken Ekanem, Chuck Clark and Brenden Motley. Fuente thanked Beamer for the program he built and told him his appearance would be a surprise to the players.Īs Beamer walked into the meeting room, the same room in which he announced his retirement last fall, the players rose and cheered. And the moment Danielle Bartelstein, Tech’s senior director of football operations, escorted Beamer into Fuente’s office, the mutual affection was obvious.īeamer congratulated Fuente on the Hokies’ ACC Coastal Division title, clinched less than an hour earlier by N.C. … Justin’s a thoughtful guy, a genuine guy.”īeamer needed at least 10 minutes to navigate the well-wishers and photo requests that slowed his 50-yard stroll from the parking lot to the football complex. I want to get 25 chips and go to Las Vegas. “That was really neat,” Beamer said, “and then what’s been special is they tell me how excited the kids get, and then it seems like something good has happened every week to No. 25 jersey Beamer wore during his Hokies career. Fuente welcomed Beamer to practices and, in the ultimate tribute, honored a deserving special-teams player each week with the No. He doesn’t cook,” she said, laughing, “so not sure how that’s going to go.E-Pilot Evening Edition Home Page Close MenuĪfter hosting a dinner for Tech’s seniors during preseason, Fuente, a neighbor of Beamer’s, suggested the players visit their former coach. Lane Stadium was expanded to its current capacity of 65,632, there is a new locker room for the football team and, this year, the program opened an indoor practice facility.Ĭheryl Beamer said without a football team to coach, she isn’t sure what retirement will mean on daily basis. They were beaten, 46-29, by top-ranked Florida State.īeamer also led the Hokies to seven conference titles, and during his tenure, facilities have been vastly upgraded. Virginia Tech has played in eight BCS bowl games, including the national championship in 1999 when Michael Vick led the second-ranked Hokies back to the Sugar Bowl. “I think he’s definitely one of the great coaches of this era.” “I’ve always admired him as a coach but also as the kind of professional character he always carries himself with, the way he treats other people,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “People saw us differently after that game,” he said.īeamer is the career leader among active major college coaches with 277 victories. Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock said Sunday he would not comment on the search until after the season.īeamer heaped praise on the university presidents, athletic directors, coaches and players that have been part of his success, and cited the Hokies’ 28-10 victory against Texas in the Sugar Bowl as a “game-changer.” “I didn’t want to let Hokies down,” Beamer said, “and that’s the hardest part about being average here for the last few years, and that’s another thing I’m proud of: At one time average was not so bad, but now average is unacceptable, really, and that’s a good thing.”īeamer said he will not be part of the process to choose his successor. Twice in the past three seasons, the Hokies have had to win their traditional finale against Virginia to qualify for a bowl game, a stretch that followed eight consecutive years with at least 10 victories. The Hokies, who have this weekend off, play at Georgia Tech next Thursday night, at home against North Carolina the following Saturday and finish the regular season at Virginia, a team they have beaten the last 11 times. “The biggest thing is we’ve got to come out and put every ounce of energy and passion we have for him. “I’m glad if he was going to retire this year he did announce it this week so we could celebrate him the right way and honor him the right way,” the former walk-on said. It was one, fullback Sam Rogers said, that added great purpose to the remainder of the season. “That wasn’t as easy time,” he said, wiping tears away again. The Hokies beat the Eagles, 26-10, on Saturday, and Beamer told the team of his plan on Sunday. Beamer told his wife, Cheryl, and son Shane, a Hokies assistant coach, of his decision on Friday before Virginia Tech left for a road game against Boston College. ![]()
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