Virginia Tech Hokies head football coach Frank Beamer has decided to call it a career after 29 years at his alma mater. In Beamer’s time at Virginia Tech, he has complied a record of 276-143-4 while leading the Hokies to seven conference titles; three in the Big East Conference and four in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Prior to Beamer coming to Virginia Tech in 1987, the Hokies never played in consecutive bowl games, but as of 2015, they have made a bowl game in each of the last 22 years. Beamer has turned Virginia Tech’s football program into a pipeline for the National Football League with his brand of football that is simply known as “Beamer Ball”.
Frank Beamer
Under Beamer’s watch, Virginia Tech has had one of the best special teams units in the nation as they’ve perfected the craft of blocking field goals and punts along with returns for touchdowns. Beamer’s teams have also relied on solid and aggressive defense that helped to put Hokie football on the map.
Beamer’s first four years seasons at Virginia Tech saw the Hokies compete as a football independent until the Big East Conference decided to bring football on board in 1991. At first the Hokies would struggle in the Big East, but by 1993, they were able to contend as they went 9-3 and won the Independence Bowl. But Beamer and Virginia Tech announced themselves on the national stage in 1995 when they won the Big East Conference for the first time in school history and capped it off by knocking off the Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl. The Hokies would continue to be one of the top teams in the Big East until 1999 when the program went to another level.
In 1999, Beamer introduced a redshirt freshman quarterback from Newport News, Virginia in Michael Vick onto the college football world who was simply unstoppable. Vick’s dazzling athleticism along with the Hokies solid defense led the school to it’s first undefeated regular season along with a berth in the BCS Title Game. In two seasons at Virginia Tech, Vick would go 22-2 which is the best two-year span in school history.
In 2004, Virginia Tech felt that it was time to move on from the Big East as they decided to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. And in the Hokies first year in the ACC, they won the conference. Beamer has sent his fair share of talent to the National Football League from the likes to former Detroit Lions running Kevin Jones to current Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall as he has put a stranglehold on recruiting in the State of Virginia and the surrounding areas.
But Beamer’s time at Virginia Tech has gone by without that much fanfare largely due to the fact that he was never able to lead the school to a national title along with the fact that he has always shunned the spotlight. At a big-time college football program, it is easy for the head football coach to become a star and reign over the university, but that is not how Beamer goes about his business as he has simply been stoic, successful, and a man of the people.
This will be the fourth consecutive year in which the Hokies will have lost at least five games and you have to wonder if Beamer is being pushed out from his position at Blacksburg, Virginia as we live in a what have you done for me lately society. Beamer wants to name his successor at Virginia Tech and you can expect to hear the name of Bud Foster as one of the first candidates to replace him. Foster has been the only defensive coordinator that Beamer has ever employed at Virginia Tech and he has always led a unit that knows how to disrupt what opposing offenses want to do. Beamer does have some stroke at Virginia Tech and it will be interesting to see if he will be able to influence that school’s decision on the next hire of a head football coach. But whomever will lead the Hokies out of the tunnel next fall at Lane Stadium to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” will have a tough act to follow as Beamer has certainly raised the bar of expectations for Virginia Tech Football.
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