This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.
I never had more fun watching a Virginia Tech football team than I did watching the 2004 team. There have been plenty of teams under Frank Beamer that had more talent, but none had more heart than the 2004 team.
What made the 2004 Hokies special was what they went through in 2003. Tech started the season 6-0 and out-scored its opponents 273-82 to move up to No. 3 in the polls. However, it finished the season 2-5, including an overtime win against Temple.
Big egos submarined what should have been a great team in 2003. But in 2004, the Hokies came together to overachieve and win the ACC in their first season in the league.
Beamer initiated the Team United concept prior to 2004, partially as a response to what happened at the end of the previous season. The message was one the players rallied around, especially quarterback Bryan Randall. In 2003, Randall split time at quarterback with Marcus Vick. But with Vick suspended for 2004, the senior Randall had the reigns all to himself.
He was the undisputed leader of the 2004 team and he willed them to eight consecutive wins to finish the regular season and reverse what had become a trend of poor finishes by the Hokies.
The 2004 team set the tone for what Virginia Tech's program is now. It's a team built on hard work and coming together to be more than what you should be. For that and the thrilling wins against West Virginia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Miami, I consider the 2004 team my favorite Hokie team of all time.
What's your favorite Tech team of all time? Is it the 2004 team for the reasons I mentioned above? The 1999 team and its undefeated regular season? Or maybe a team from the past that younger fans like me don't know much about?