Where I Come From: How Did You Become a Hokie Fan?

Hey, nice article, As a Hokie fan i’ve only been a diehard fan since 2005 when my dad and I went to Morganhole for the last WVU game, I had always kept up with VT since my dad went there but it wasn’t until that game i really became interested in it, and living in Roanoke, roughly 30-40 min from Bburg it’s hard not to be a hokie fan. But I am a diehard hokie fan for life now, much to the dismay of my Aunt who is a professor at Clemson and tried so hard to turn me into a Clemson fan, so we have quite a family cross ACC rivalry going. Last year we got picked to get season tickets and now its become a tradition every year my dad and i get together some friends and travel to one OOc game and i just love it, plus you are right i completley feel at home on gameday in Bburg, even if it’s raining

I hear you on the in state tuition, only in my case it had kinda the opposite effect. I grew up a die-hard Auburn fan (War Eagle!), and hardly knew VT existed until it came time to look at colleges. I’d never cared for any of the Virginia schools one way or the other, so I visited both VT and UVA. I cannot express in words how completely turned off I was by the UVA trip. Just hated it. My visit to VT had completely the opposite effect, and the rest is history. I still love those Auburn Tigers, but my blood is orange and maroon now.

I too was a military brat. My fathers retirement brought us back to Richmond, VA for me to graduate high school. After moving there from San Diego, I had no interest in going to school in Virginia. I was a swimmer, and on July first, the VIrginia Tech Swim Coach called to offer me a trip. At this point my heart was set on Tennessee and Southern Cal. My recruiting trip was for the 2003 Miami game on halloween. We won, I rushed the field, and I was sold then and there. Never had I felt so at home. In 2004 I enrolled and the rest is history. 4 years as an athlete made me as die hard as it gets, and I still find myself sporting an unusual amouint of Hokie attire, much to the dismay of the UNC fans in North Carolina where I currently live.

in British Columbia, yet I’ve been a fan since I was 9. I distinctly remember watching a Virginia Tech game on CBS during the ‘96 season with my dad. I don’t remember who it was against but I immediately took a liking to the Hokie mascot and Tech Triumph. I didn’t really pay attention the next couple years but I got into it during the ’99 season. My interest slimmed after Vick left for a couple years as the focus for me was all on the exciting and much more accessible Vancouver Canucks, but I still caught a game here or there when i could and I remember making a point to watch the BCA kickoff game in 2004. I got a college sports satellite package so I see every game that is on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC, though games on Raycom or ESPNU I still have to find a stream. I have a problem finding good orange and maroon clothing; I have a couple jerseys, a couple hats and a few old shirts but it costs money to ship that stuff up here on top of purchasing it but every Saturday and sometimes Thursday (or Monday, Wednesday, Friday, etc) I make sure to garb myself in the maroon and orange.

I was born 45 years ago and on that day my father wispered three letters in my ear: VPI. I was a good follower even though I never had a choice. His passion for a mediocre football and basketball program was infectious. We prayed together for wins over VMI and UVA. I sported Hokie apparel and argued daily with my school’s Keydet chemistry teacher/football coach. Attending football games with Dad and his best friend Mr. P instilled a permanent sense of Hokie comraderie. The feeling I get walking through Gate 11 and looking across the field, the fans, the players, still signals the goosebumps. Dad had season tickets back when there were few people tailgating in the parking lots. He was a work-aholic so sharing Hokie sports was quality time for us full of memories I cherish. He died of bladder cancer a little more than a year ago, June 1, 2009. Thanks Dad for one of your greatest gifts: making me a Hokie.

Well, I went to VT in the early 90’s, and my junior year was the Independence Bowl, the beginning of the bowl streak. After I graduated and then got married, my husband and I moved to a town where we didn’t know anyone. He worked every weekend, and I was by myself. I started listening to games on the radio (most weren’t on TV!) and it just went from there. The more I watched and listened, the more I loved it. My father has season tickets and we started going to as many games as possible. Now, football season is the happiest time of the year for me. Arriving at the stadium, hearing the band practice, the crowds, watching the stands fill up, when Enter Sandman begins to play, I get the chills. And I’m truly happy.

I have a deep dark secret. I was born and raised a UVA fan. I grew up in Martinsville, VA and my dad always believed in supporting the Commenwealth. His team was UVA, but he always pulled for the Hokies unless they were playing the Cavaliers. My best friend was born and raised a Hokie though, and he talked me into going to a game with him when I was 16. We entered Lane stadium at the new south end zone entrance, and I walked out to see the field for the first time. I was hooked right then and there. It was like God told me I was a Hokie, I was amoungst my people. Im not a deeply religious person, but Blacksburg is my holy land and Lane stadium is my Mecca. I am a Hokie through and through now.

I guess my story is a testament to how going to Virginia Tech can change a person. Before I started the application process, I couldn’t tell you who the head coach at VT was. And now I know that Frank just had his second grandchild. Visiting the campus in 2003 was what sparked that complete turn. Being there just felt right and the campus blew me away (my dad and I parked on the drillfield at 2PM on a Tuesday and did not get ticketed – still amazed). I had absolutely no idea as to the magnitude of VT football and what it meant to that campus, the Blacksburg community, and VA as a whole. I showed up in August 2004, graduated in May 2008, and not a day goes by where I wish I wasn’t still there. I remember linking arms with students in the north end zone when Pace missed the field goal against NC State and going crazy with the WVU game. Some of the best moments I recall are the absolute stomping of GT during GameDay ’05, beating Clemson as unranked underdogs at home, and pasting UVA 52-14 in Charlottesville. There was this tremendous sense of total unity on that campus that I have yet to feel since. I would not trade my VT experience for anything.