The First Bank & Trust Friday Q&A: Most Talented Teams, Hokie Club Membership, And More

Chris Coleman

Lead Analyst and Columnist

June 16, 2023 37

Ohio State in 2015 was one of the most talented teams Virginia Tech has ever faced. (Ivan Morozov)

1) Top three most talented college football teams you've seen play in person? – All The Way

This article is for TSL Pass subscribers

Get full access to premium articles, recruiting intel, and analysis from the team that's covered Virginia Tech sports since 1996.

Subscribe Now Already a subscriber? Log in

Article Virginia Tech Football Subscription Content

Friday Q&A

Share This Article

Twitter/X Facebook

37 Comments

George Baylor June 19, 2023 at 8:30 AM

The best college team I have seen, was the 2019 LSU Tigers with Joe Barrow and Co. Super, super on "O" and very good on "D." Season ticket holder since 1969 and HC since 1972. I've seen the Good, Bad and Super Ugly of VT football. So "count me in" as "Involved!"
Chasesfish June 18, 2023 at 4:57 PM

Pinnacle of VT Football: 1999 until the season opener of 2009. Took a lead into the fourth quarter with an Alabama team that eventually one the national championship. Sure there were some painful losses in between (Miami 01, Miami 05, USC 04, LSU 07), but losing that season opener felt like the last chance to permanently be considered a blue blooded football program. Barfing against GT later that year wasn't fun either....but I also lived in Atlanta at the time and unfortunately experienced both of those '09 games in person.
Chasesfish June 18, 2023 at 12:41 PM

One comment: A third peak of VT football was having the lead at the end of the third quarter against Alabama for the season opener in 2009. VT had a talented team that year
VTHOKIE4EVR June 17, 2023 at 10:23 AM

Hokie club and season ticket holder since 1998
joshydod June 17, 2023 at 9:53 AM

Thanks Chris, I just bought tickets to the Louisville game not for civil war history but for bourbon hunting. I forgot we were playing there.
23434 June 17, 2023 at 8:47 AM

HC got us once. Never again.
1. Cheesehokie June 17, 2023 at 10:42 AM
  
  Care to elaborate?
Hokie67 June 17, 2023 at 7:29 AM

There's a difference between being a Hokie Club member and all that goes with that like season tickets, etc. - and being a paying member of TSL. I wouldn't differentiate between TSL Hokie Club members and non-members - EXCEPT when a non-member says that VT supporters should give more $$$'s, blah, blah, blah. The Hokie Club has dropped the ball many times over the years since I first became a football season ticket holder in 1978 - and Hokie Club member. One of them - dating both of those as 1983 instead. I fought that fight and lost. Ditto in the first re-seating when I was moved from the 50 to 15 yard line. There was benefit to that though - as my wife says - as we saw the Ryan Williams run where he dragged the NC State defender - who was holding on to his jersey - into the end zone from 6 yards out. Another note about 'giving'. The front edge of the Baby Boomers are turning 77 this year. Graduating in 1968/69 -. VT barely had 1,000 grads each year then. Think about that pig going through the 'giving' python!
UpperQuad June 17, 2023 at 12:14 AM

VT needs to start printing the list of Hokie Club donors by level again. It could be done at the back of the football programs (Golden Hokie and above to keep the list manageable) and on the website (all donors). Other schools and organizations that my wife and I are involved with do this and it works beautifully, because people are competitive by nature and many tend to look at the list to see if their friends are on it and at what level. Also, if you can look at the list and figure out which of your friends need some persuading to give (or teasing about being cheapskates and not giving). If people want to be listed as Anonymous, they can be.
1. Tim Lewis June 17, 2023 at 12:55 AM
  
  Ok. List the names of all TSL members who are not Hokie Club members so we can shame them into joining.
  1. 11hokie June 17, 2023 at 1:21 PM
    
    Agreed. So the latest poll results show TSL members that are not HokieClub members stands at 266. If they would sign up and give $2,000 a year that’s another $532,000. I’d take that and I’m betting the school would too. This isn’t hard. Love the fact that you have non-givers on here complaining about the results on the field yet aren’t doing anything about it.
2. VicDrit June 19, 2023 at 9:56 PM
  
  Absolutely! Completely idiotic that they stopped publishing the list of donors!! I've even asked HC representatives why they stopped doing it and they just blow it off saying the list is too long now. Not only are people competitive and want to keep up with the Jones's, but they want to be recognized for their donation!! Must have been some ridiculous PC reason they stopped doing it.
hokieben June 16, 2023 at 11:49 PM

Hokie Club membership has been re-defined in the past several years. What used to be the Hokie Club where membership required a minimum contribution of $100 per year (for various benefits including season ticket priority) is now called the Hokie Scholarship Fund. If you want priority to purchase season tickets you can join the Hokie Scholarship fund with a donation as little as $25 per year. However, you are also considered a member of the Hokie Club (albeit without benefits) if you spend $25 to attend an event sponsored by the Hokie Club such as the Sesquicentennial events and the recent Tailgate Tour. Basically anyone who attends an event is now counted as a member of the Hokie Club. This includes friends, girlfriends, boyfriends who may have no connection to Virginia Tech other than attending an event. That's how the Hokie Club reached 30,000 members. Please note that these events are now sponsored and run by the Hokie Club (VTAF) in Blacksburg and not sponsored by the local Hokie Clubs as in the past. Also, until 2021 the minimum donation to the Hokie Scholarship Fund was $100 and membership was in the 9,000 - 10,000 range (officially 10,749 in 2021). In 2021 the minimum donation was lowered to $25 and the total membership grew to 21,740 in 2022. In 2023 total membership in the Hokie Scholarship Fund has decreased to 20,904. Hopefully they can get membership in the Hokie Scholarship Fund up in the coming years.
1. McHokie78 June 18, 2023 at 6:45 AM
  
  Well done
florida_hokie June 16, 2023 at 11:11 PM

Interesting retrospective on the coaching staff and lack of alumni/HC marketing. Even so, baring the Matt Ryan miracle in 2007, we conceivably could have been in the National Championship that season even with the "downgrades". Man that game hurt!
I-W-K-Y-I-T-N June 16, 2023 at 10:37 PM

Hey Chris, ODU in 2024 - come tailgate on my boat.
1. Will Stewart June 17, 2023 at 2:23 AM
  
  How big is that boat? ? Send us an email. [email protected] and [email protected]
134510Hokie June 16, 2023 at 9:39 PM

Early, it was send John Moody to talk to the previous/known donors and see what they could get. After John retired, they had to figure out how real fund raising. Took a loooong time and I'm not sure they have learned yet.
Arch72Hokie June 16, 2023 at 8:31 PM

I didn't see any of the mentioned games in person but I do have the perspective of being a CFB fan for of 60 years. As such, I've seen a lot of teams. One was the 1972 USC Trojans at a time I was living in LA; also saw the 1973 and 1974 teams. The 1972 Trojans were hed and shoulders the best CFB team I had ever seen, despite mediocre play @ QB: Pat Haden (yes, that Pat Haden) and Mike Rae. Otherwise, It feature 10 players who were drafted by the NFL, incl. 3 - 1972 1R choices and 2-1974 1R choices. These incl. RB Sam Cunningham, T, Pete Adams, TE Charle Young, WR Lynn Swann and ST Steve Riley. RB Anthony Davis, a 2R pick in 1974, scored 6-TD's in a 45-23 rout of #10 ND in 1972. Their closest game was a 9-pt. win at #15 Stanford. By mid-season, it was clear this was an exceptional team. I recall that after game 7 (or was it 8), sport reporters were all over than HC John McKay: "coach, coach, are you the best team in the country (they were ranked #1he responded in typical McKay fashion, "Well, I've never heard of a team being declared Nc halfway through a season." .The Trojans went on to finished 11-0 after the regular season and then rout #3 OSU, 42-14 in the Rose Bowl. Those Nebraska teams of the mid-90's were very good; we lost to the 1996 version. Miami of 2001 would rank w/those teams. Note: after Miami routed Nebraska 37-14 in the 2002 RB, Miami players said that Tech was the best team they played that year. (Anybody remember Kevin Jones in that game?) After a while one kind of loses track but I will say that the 2007 LSU outfit, which won the NC, is right up there. Out of general principle, I would never put any OSU - or Michigan team - in the top rank. As for that 2015 OSU team, let's not forget that we led that game, 17-14 at the half. After QB Michael Brewer, who was at the helm in the upset of the Bucks in Columbus the previous year, broke his collarbone early in the 2nd half, the offense sputtered; OSU went on to score 28 pts,. In the 2nd half and we only scored 7. As for that 2014 OSU team, whose only loss was to us, while they beat Alabama in the NC Semi, the injury to JT Barrett in the Michigan game worked to their advantage. The Bucks thrashed UW, 59-0 in the b10 Championship game. Sub QB Cardale Jones would start his 2nd game-ever. Alabama didn’t have much to glean from the UW game and was inadequately prepared for the re-vamped OSU offense under Jones. Whereas Jones started early in the season, he was benched after 7 games in favor of Barrett. After the NC, he was hailed as, “the next great thing,” although he only started 11 college games. Jones was eligible for 2016 draft and was chosen in R4 by Buffalo where he sat behind 2-VHSL Journeymen QBs, EJ Manual and Tyrod Taylor. Jones was traded before the 2017 season to the Chargers and then again in 2019 to the Seahawks for whom he never played. He was out of the league by the end of Sept. “The Next Great Thing,” proved he wasn’t. He played in 1-NFL game. Threw 11 passes, completed 6 for 96 yds, 1 pick and 0 TD's. As far as I’m concerned, OSU’s 2015 NC was a fluke. We know how Urban Meyer's tenure @ USU ended followed by his bust season In Jacksonville. Totally overrated. .
1. quinine June 27, 2023 at 12:25 PM
  
  95 Nebraska is the GOAT
133976Hokie June 16, 2023 at 6:53 PM

The USC team in Fedex Field was the best opponent I've ever seem live. Hokies right in the game until Xavier Adibi gets hurt and we have no one to cover Reggie Bush out the backfield
1. Arch72Hokie June 19, 2023 at 9:31 AM
  
  I was also at that game but whereas I never saw anof tof the 1972 USC games in person, I do believe the '72 team was better.
hokiesteve01 June 16, 2023 at 5:22 PM

Wow with 300+ votes in 1 in 3 are not Hokie Club members! I was expecting 80+% membership. Kinda depressing and begs the question of why so many are not.
1. HOKIERIT June 16, 2023 at 6:52 PM
  
  Yeah...pretty depressing. You get what you deserve...
  1. hokiepro June 16, 2023 at 7:12 PM
    
    Yep. Not a single person who is not a member has a right to complain about our competitiveness…ever. You can join for $25-$50 still right? ?
    1. hokiesteve01 June 16, 2023 at 8:03 PM
      
      Yes can join for less than cost of TSL subscription
2. 11hokie June 16, 2023 at 7:00 PM
  
  Agreed. That is a shocking number! How in the world can you be a supporter and fan of VT and NOT be a member? That’s incredible. The lowest tiers aren’t even that expensive. Come on TSL members! Get on the bus. Good lord!
  1. knapnhokie June 17, 2023 at 4:28 AM
    
    i spend thousands a year on two Hokie trips for football and same or more for mens and womens basketball. Being in Oregon and repping VT ive got to make choices. Add TSL and NIL contributions which im involved with ive got a different model.
    1. 11hokie June 17, 2023 at 1:22 PM
      
      Agreed. So the latest poll results show TSL members that are not HokieClub members stands at 266. If they would sign up and give $2,000 a year that’s another $532,000. I’d take that and I’m betting the school would too. This isn’t hard. Love the fact that you have non-givers on here complaining about the results on the field yet aren’t doing anything about it.
  2. UpperQuad June 17, 2023 at 5:24 PM
    
    Some could students that get a discounted TSL membership. Just guessing. However, with HC membership now available for $25, even most students can afford that. It's a less expensive than fraternity dues, dinner with a date, or a weekend of beer in Blacksburg.
  3. MISTERBIG June 19, 2023 at 9:45 PM
    
    Here’s how. I was a season ticket holder and a HC Golden Hokie since 1975. 2020 brought on Covid and no attendance allowed at games. I donated my 2020 tickets payment. So for 2021 I repeatedly asked about being allowed to attend football games, All I got from VT Athletics was a bunch of useless words. So I dropped both.
xhokiehurler19 June 16, 2023 at 5:21 PM

Just did Nashville for the first time this spring. It was a great time, but holy balls was it expensive. Hotel rooms are steep to say the least, and food and drinks were outrageous. $9 for a PBR!
Tar Heel Hokie 72 June 16, 2023 at 4:25 PM

Why is it that when we talk about coaching changes no one ever mentions the disaster of replacing Billy Hite with Shane Beamer. I understand what Frank was doing but our running game has been average to nonexistent ever since.
1. nkhooch June 22, 2023 at 1:06 AM
  
  I had wondered if we considered letting go of Fuente one year earlier when Shane was available and got hired by SC. I also wondered if Frank told him he would be better off in the SEC at this time and wouldn’t have come here anyway.
Jshannon67 June 16, 2023 at 4:24 PM

Hokie club and season ticket holder since 2005
I-W-K-Y-I-T-N June 16, 2023 at 4:04 PM

Hokie club since 2000, when I graduated.
1. VTHOKIE4EVR June 17, 2023 at 10:24 AM
  
  Hokie club and season ticket holder since 1998

The First Bank & Trust Friday Q&A: Most Talented Teams, Hokie Club Membership, And More

This article is for TSL Pass subscribers

Share This Article

37 Comments

Leave a Comment — replying to Cancel

Leave a Comment — replying to