Virginia Tech football: Frank Beamer is officially in the College Football Hall of Fame

It’s been a tough 2018 for the Virginia Tech Hokies on the gridiron. Even before the Hokies had to rally to win their final two games just to be bowl eligible for a 26th consecutive season, there were numerous other issues the team has dealt with. Whether it’s an assistant coach embarrassing the university or several players either being kicked off the team for off-field conduct or academic issues, there just hasn’t been a lot to root for.

That all changed on Tuesday night when legendary former head coach Frank Beamer took his rightful place in the College Football Hall of Fame. Finally, all of Hokie Nation could celebrate something.

Beamer was front and center on Tuesday night representing Virginia Tech and Blacksburg with the class and dignity we’ve always known him for. After a 35-year career on the sidelines as head coach (first at Murray State for six years), Beamer won 280 games between his two stops, including 238 wins for the Hokies.

How ironic is it that Beamer was almost fired before Tech’s current bowl streak began? After a 2-8-1 campaign in 1992, Beamer was on the hot seat and he knew it, per Mike Niziolek of The Roanoke Times.

“How many people do you think would survive today? 2-8-1 in their sixth year,” Beamer said. “I’m just glad I didn’t upset anybody in those first five or six years. I was trying to make friends.”

Can you imagine Virginia Tech without Frank Beamer? Would another coach have ever lifted the Hokies to the prominence Beamer did during his tenure? Probably not. Blacksburg is a special place and Beamer embraced it.

While things didn’t go so well in 2018, something Beamer started—the bowl streak—is alive and well, and for that, and many other reasons, he is proud of this team and university.

Oh, and Beamer isn’t done making the Hall of Fame. On Wednesday, it was announced he’d be making the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame.

Thanks, Coach Beamer. Thank you for all of the wins. Thank you for staying when you could’ve left. Thanks for always representing Virginia Tech and Southwest Virginia. You deserve the highest honor in this game

And we leave you this.