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Welcome to the refreshed Gobbler Country! To celebrate the new look and feel of our sports communities, we’re sharing stories of how and why we became fans of our favorite teams. If you’d like to share your story, head over to the FanPosts to write your own post. Each FanPost will be entered into a drawing to win a $500 Fanatics gift card [contest rules]. We’re collecting all of the stories here [https://www.sbnation.com/why-we-are-fans] and featuring the best ones across our network as well. Come Fan With Us!
I love Virginia Tech football. I have been a fan for 30 years plus. I have been to around 50 games at Lane Stadium, been to a couple A.C.C. Championship games, probably around a dozen bowl games. Over the past two years I have been lucky enough to cover Virginia Tech athletics through our site, Gobbler Country. I have gotten some backstage looks that most Hokies would dream about. I’ve been in a few press boxes, been on the field at the Battle at Bristol, got to chat with our A.D.. I’ve gotten to know some outstanding former Hokies, some current ones, and have had an incredible time along the way.
The best, and worst, part of my job is that I am a fan. When you are in a press box getting ready to cover an event, they make a very serious announcement. "Cheering is not allowed in the press box." Not wanting to look like a noob, I worked hard at that. You have to understand, when the Hokies are on, my wife generally takes the kids and conveniently finds something to do. Let’s just say I am passionate about my team. The most special season was of course, 1999. My brother and I were season ticket holders and rode the Vick train all the way to New Orleans. I will never forget rushing the field after beating Boston College. I also will never forget watching Peter Warrick get himself drafted, torching our secondary. To me, that is being a Virginia Tech football fan. For every big win (at the Horseshoe), there have been crippling losses (J.M.U.). It’s all part of the package. In the late nineties, it was all about gaining national respect. There was so much momentum I thought it would never end. It eventually did, but my love never waned.
We are into a new chapter of Virginia Tech, and the future looks incredibly bright. I can’t wait to see the next evolution, and look forward to seeing what made our readers Virginia Tech Hokie fans! Was it a terrible loss? Was it an inspiring victory? Share on our fanpost section for a chance at a $500 Fanatics.com giftcard. Happy hunting Hokies!
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