Virginia Tech Hokies Football at Lane Stadium
Few teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision have as much of an illustrious history as the Virginia Tech Hokies. Whether it's the storied tradition of winning ACC championships, sending a plethora of players to the NFL, or "The Beamer Ball"--named after Hall of Fame coach Frank Beamer--the Hokies are one of the NCAA's signature programs. Entering 2023, the Hokies are led by second-year head coach, Brent Pry, who is tasked with returning the Blacksburg team back to their winning reputation.
Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia is known as one of the best home field advantages in all of college football. While it's neither the biggest nor the loudest stadium East of the Mississippi River, Lane Stadium might be the rowdiest. The student section at Lane is known for bringing the energy throughout the entire game, creating an intimidating atmosphere for opponents. One of the Hokies' traditions for home games is right before kickoff when Metallica's "Enter Sandman" is played over the PA, creating a wall of noise that sets the tone early.
Virginia Tech Hokies Football History
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly known as Virginia Tech, had their first season of organized football in 1892 as an unaffiliated independent team. Since their first season, the Hokies have accumulated more than 700 wins as a program (23rd all-time), appeared in 33 bowl games, and were a National Semifinalist as a runner-up in the 2000 BCS National Championship Game.
The cornerstone of the program was Frank Beamer, who was head coach of the Hokies from 1987-2015. Beamer was known for his coaching and recruiting prowess, and his teams' gritty special teams play. He coached the Hokies to 23 consecutive bowl games, in addition to five ACC Coastal Division Championships and three ACC Championship Game wins (2007, 2008 and 2010). Beamer also led the Hokies to seven New Year's Six bowl game appearances between 2004 and 2011, including Peach and Orange Bowl wins.
Virginia Tech's main rivals in the ACC are the Virginia Cavaliers, the West Virginia Mountaineers, the Miami Hurricanes, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the Boston College Eagles.
