| Virginia Tech Hokies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Conference | ACC (Coastal Division) |
| NCAA | Division I (FBS) |
| Athletic director | Whit Babcock |
| Location | Blacksburg, Virginia |
| Varsity teams | 22 |
| Football stadium | Lane Stadium/Worsham Field |
| Basketball arena | Cassell Coliseum |
| Baseball stadium | English Field |
| Soccer stadium | Thompson Field |
| Mascot | Hokie Bird |
| Nickname | Hokies |
| Fight song | Tech Triumph |
| Colors | Chicago maroon and burnt orange[1] |
| Website | hokiesports |
TheVirginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representingVirginia Tech inintercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in theNCAA's Division IAtlantic Coast Conference in 22varsity sports. Virginia Tech's men's sports arefootball,basketball,baseball,cross country,golf,soccer,swimming anddiving,tennis, indoor and outdoortrack and field, andwrestling. Virginia Tech's women's sports arebasketball, cross country,lacrosse, soccer,softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, golf, andvolleyball.
Virginia Tech's athletes have won 22 individual national titles in varioustrack and field events,wrestling, andswimming. Though not affiliated with the NCAA, Virginia Tech won the 2007 national championship ofbass fishing.[2] The Hokie men's basketball team won the1973 and1995NIT tournaments and went to the Sweet Sixteen ofNCAA tournament in 1967 and 2019. The Hokies football team lost toFlorida State in the2000 Sugar Bowl (BCS National Championship Game) and finished the 1999 season with a #2 ranking in theBCS Poll. Virginia Tech is one of only three "Power Five" conference members who has never won an NCAA team national championship, along withKansas State andUCF.
Virginia Tech's sports teams are called the "Hokies". The word "Hokie" originated in the "Old Hokie" spirit yell created in 1896 by O. M. Stull for a contest to select a new spirit yell when the college's name was changed from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (VAMC) to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (VPI) and the original spirit yell, which referred to the old name, was no longer usable. Stull won, and received a $5 award.
Hoki, Hoki, Hoki, Hy.
Techs, Techs, VPI!
Sola-Rex, Sola-Rah.
Polytechs—Vir-gin-ia.
Rae, Ri, V.P.I
Later, the phrase "Team! Team! Team!" was added at the end, and an "e" was added to "Hoki".
Stull later said that he made up the word as an attention-grabber. Though he may not have known it, "Hokie" (in its various forms) has been around at least since 1842. According to Johann Norstedt, now a retired Virginia Tech English professor, "[Hokie was] a word that people used to express feeling, approval, excitement, surprise. Hokie, then, is a word like 'hooray' or 'yeah', or 'rah'." Whatever its original meaning, the word in the popular cheer did, as Stull wanted, grab attention and has been a part of Virginia Tech tradition ever since.[3]
The official university school colors—Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange—also were introduced in 1896. The colors were chosen by a committee because they made a "unique combination" not worn elsewhere at the time.[4]
The team mascot is theHokieBird, aturkey-like creature. The teams were originally known as the "Fighting Gobblers" and the turkey motif was retained despite the name change.
The stylizedVT (the abbreviation forVirginia Tech) is used primarily by the athletic department as a symbol for Virginia Tech athletic teams. The "athletic VT" symbol istrademarked by the university and appears frequently on licensed merchandise.
During the early years of the university, a rivalry developed between theVirginia Military Institute and Virginia Tech, then called VPI. This rivalry developed into the original "Military Classic of the South," which was an annual football game between VMI and VPI on Thanksgiving Day inRoanoke, Virginia. This rivalry continued until 1970 when Tech's football program became too large and too competitive for VMI. Today, Tech's major athletic rivalries include theVirginia Cavaliers (seeVirginia-Virginia Tech rivalry), theWest Virginia Mountaineers, and theMiami Hurricanes.
Virginia Tech'sfight song,Tech Triumph, was written in 1919 and remains in use today. Tech Triumph is played at sporting events by both the Virginia Tech band,The Marching Virginians, and the Corps of Cadets' band, theHighty Tighties. TheOld Hokie spirit yell, in use since 1896, is familiar to all Tech fans.
Many of Tech's more modern traditions were adopted after the construction ofLane Stadium in 1964. Virginia Tech's football traditions and the school's fans are the subject of a 2007 full-length documentary calledHokie Nation[5] which features a mix of interviews with coaches, players and fans as well as a look at Hokie football history and the direction of the program.
| Years | Association / conference |
|---|---|
| 1895–1906 | Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| 1907–1921 | South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| 1921–1965 | Southern Conference |
| 1965–1978 | Independent |
| 1978–1995 | Metro Conference (except football) |
| 1991–1998 | Colonial Athletic Association (wrestling only) |
| 1991–2000 | Big East Conference (football only, joined for other sports in 2000) |
| 1995–2000 | Atlantic 10 Conference (except football and wrestling) |
| 1998–2004 | Eastern Wrestling League (wrestling only) |
| 2000–2004 | Big East Conference (except wrestling) |
| 2004–present | Atlantic Coast Conference |
Source:[6]
Tech teams participate in theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which the school joined in 2003 after a tumultuous trek through five different conferences in the previous decade, most recently leaving theBig East in the controversial ACC expansion.
In 1921, Virginia Tech joined the Southern Intercollegiate Conference (nowSouthern Conference), which contained 19 schools by 1922, all current members of theACC orSoutheastern Conference (SEC). In 1932, thirteen schools left the then-gigantic Southern Conference to form the SEC and in 1953, seven more teams left to form the ACC.[7] UVA, which had left the Southern Conference in the mid-1930s, was added to the original seven before the 1953-54 basketball season.[8] Tech was passed over for membership in December of that year, despite a proposal by North Carolina to add the Gobblers and West Virginia Mountaineers.[8] In 1965, Tech left the Southern Conference to become independent. Tech applied for membership in the ACC again in 1977, but was turned down for membership despite support from UVA, Duke, and Clemson.[9]
In 1978, Virginia Tech joined theMetro Conference, winning the conferencemen's basketball championship tournament and automatic NCAA berth in its first year.
In 1991, Virginia Tech was invited to join theBig East Conference for football only. Members of the Big East football conference includedBoston College,Miami,Pittsburgh,Rutgers,Syracuse,Temple, Virginia Tech, andWest Virginia.[10] In 1994, Virginia Tech was turned down for full membership in the Big East.[11]
In January 1995, Virginia Tech andVirginia Commonwealth University were ousted from the Metro Conference and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the conference.[12] The lawsuit was settled when Metro agreed to pay the Hokies $1,135,000 and Virginia Tech joined theAtlantic 10 Conference, along with fellow newcomersDayton andLaSalle in June 1995.[13]
In 1999, the Big East agreed to accept Virginia Tech as a full member in all sports. Virginia Tech ultimately paid $8.3 million to join the conference, $1.1 million of which was actually paid after the school left.[14]
In April 2003,Mike Tranghese, commissioner of the Big East, dropped a bombshell — that the ACC was secretly trying to lure away Big East members.[15] Over the next several months, the ACC held meetings and discussions. Ultimately, Virginia Tech was invited to join the conference, along with Miami. Boston College was added the following year. Virginia Tech finally had achieved what Frank Moseley had sought so long ago — membership in the ACC.
When Virginia Tech was invited to join the ACC, formerRoanoke Times sports editorBill Brill expressed his displeasure, saying "Virginia Tech will not win an ACC championship in my lifetime."[16] When Virginia Tech's football team proceeded to do precisely that in their very first season in the league, Brill's house in Chapel Hill, North Carolina received hundreds of mocking phone calls from angry Virginia Tech fans, curious to learn when the funeral arrangements would be held.[17]
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cross country |
| Cross country | Golf |
| Football | Lacrosse |
| Golf | Soccer |
| Soccer | Softball |
| Swimming and diving | Swimming and diving |
| Tennis | Tennis |
| Track and field | Track and field |
| Wrestling | Volleyball |
Virginia Tech's football team plays home games inLane Stadium. With a capacity of 66,233, Lane is relatively small in comparison to many other top FBS stadiums, yet it is still considered to be one of the loudest stadiums in the country. In 2005, it was recognized byrivals.com as having the best home-field advantage in college football.[18]
Since the 1995 season, the Hokies have finished with a top-10 ranking five times, won seven conference championships (threeBig East and fourACC), and played once for the national championship, losing toFlorida State 46–29 in the2000 Sugar Bowl. Annually, Virginia Tech plays its traditional rival, theUniversity of Virginia, for theCommonwealth Cup, a series which Virginia Tech leads 59–38–5.[19]
Frank Beamer was the Hokies' head coach from 1987 to 2015, and was the winningest active head coach in FBS football with 280 wins following the 2015 season. Coach Beamer ended his tenure as head coach with a win in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA, where the Bowl streak began in 1993.[20] Beamer's teams were known for solidspecial teamsplay (called "Beamer Ball") and for tough defenses headed by defensive coordinatorBud Foster. In 2018, Beamer was selected to join the 2018College Football Hall of Fame.[21]
On November 29, 2015, Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock announced thatJustin Fuente was hired from the University of Memphis to succeed the retiring Frank Beamer. In Fuente's first season, Virginia Tech won the ACC Coastal Division and he was named the ACC Coach of the Year.[22]
Virginia Tech's men's basketball team plays home games inCassell Coliseum. They have enjoyed moderate success in the postseason, making the NCAA Tournament 11 times.
Virginia Tech's men's basketball team saw a resurgence of fan support since the arrival of coachSeth Greenberg in 2003–04 and the university's entry into theACC in 2004–05. Prior to Coach Greenberg's arrival in Blacksburg, the men's basketball team had not had a winning season since the 1995–96 season, when they received a bid to theNCAA tournament.
In 2003–04, Greenberg's squad made the Big East tournament. A year later, in their first season in the ACC, the Hokies scored their first postseason berth in nine years when they made theNIT in 2004–05. In the2006–07 season, Greenberg's Hokies finished with a 10–6 record in the ACC and a 22–12 record overall, earning their first NCAA tournament berth in 11 years, reaching the NCAA second round before losing toSouthern Illinois.
In March 2014, Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock announced the hiring of Buzz Williams as the Hokies' new head men's basketball coach. Williams spent the previous six seasons as the head coach at Marquette University, where he compiled a 139–69 record and led the Golden Eagles to five NCAA appearances and a Big East Conference regular season title. During Williams's tenure, Marquette tallied a 69–39 record in the Big East Conference, and six Marquette players made it to the NBA.[23]
In the Buzz Williams era, Virginia Tech made NCAA Men's Tournament appearances in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons, making it the first time in school history that Virginia Tech has made the NCAA Men's Tournament three years in a row. In the 2019 NCAA Tournament, Virginia Tech advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1967.
In April 2019, Whit Babcock announced the hiring ofMike Young afterBuzz Williams left to become the head coach atTexas A&M. On March 12, 2022, Young led the Hokies to theACC Tournament title for the first time in school history.[24] The tournament final was played againstMike Krzyzewski'sDuke Blue Devils in Coach K's final ACC tournament game. Tech, the seven seed, won 82-67 and only reached the final after beatingClemson,Notre Dame, andNorth Carolina in consecutive nights. The Hokies were the first seven seed to win the tournament in its long history.
Virginia Tech's women's basketball competes in theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Like the men's team, they play their home games inCassell Coliseum.
The program's most recent head coach wasKenny Brooks. Brooks helped guide the program to its first in many categories, includingWomen's Final Four (2023),ACC Tournament championship (2023), ACC regular-season title (2024), and 30-win season (2023).
Under former coachesBeth Dunkenberger andBonnie Henrickson, the program was a fixture in postseason play. The Hokies have received nine berths to theNCAA tournament since the program's first in 1994. Virginia Tech's women have also earned fiveNIT appearances during that stretch including back-to-back appearances in 2016 and 2017.[25]
Women's soccer at Virginia Tech began in 1980 with two club teams under the guidance of Everett Germain and his two daughters, Betsy and Julie.Kelly Cagle was head coach from 2002 to 2010, leaving with a record of 76–70–15 and three consecutive NCAA trips. She was succeeded by Charles "Chugger" Adair.[26] Under Adair the Hokie Women's Soccer quad has spent numerous weeks ranked in the top 25 during their 2012 campaign. During the 2013 season Virginia Tech ranked in the top 5 making it to the Final Four for the first time in school history.[27] The women's team has now been to 6 straight NCAA tournaments 2008–2013 having two Sweet Sixteen finishes and one Final Four finish.
Virginia Tech's men's soccer team has improved greatly since the arrival of Oliver Weiss, who has coached the team since 2000. Under Weiss, Tech has made four NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to theCollege Cup in 2007. The Hokies' trip to the College Cup is the equivalent of men's basketballFinal Four and was the soccer team's most successful season. The Hokies finished the 2007 regular season ranked third nationally.[28]
.jpg)
Chuck Hartman, who retired as the Virginia Techbaseball coach in 2006, finished his career as the fourth winningest coach in Division I baseball history with a 1,444–816–8 record, including a 961–591–18 mark in his 28 seasons at Tech, the best record of any baseball coach in history at Tech.
The team is currently coached byJohn Szefc.[29]
Since starting its varsity program in 1996, the Virginia Tech softball team has played in six conference championship games, winning both the ACC regular season and tournament titles in 2007.[30] Under head coach Scot Thomas and behind the strength of one of the nation's best college pitchers, senior All-AmericanAngela Tincher,[31] the Hokies made their fourth consecutiveNCAA tournament appearance in 2008. On May 25, 2008, they defeated the fourth-seededMichigan Wolverines to advance to their firstCollege World Series, though the Hokies were held scoreless during that appearance and were quickly eliminated in two games.[32] Virginia Tech Softball upset the USA national team in a 1–0 no hitter in 2008[33] and advanced to the Women's College World Series for the first time ever.[34] Scot Thomas helped start the program in 1996 and celebrated his 600th win during the 2012 season. He was fired following the conclusion of the 2018 season after two consecutive losing seasons.
Since joining the ACC, the Virginia Tech Softball team has won two Conference Titles in 2007 and 2008. On May 31, 2018, Pete D'Amour was announced as the new head coach of the Virginia Tech softball program.[35]
The men's golf team has won 12 conference championships:[36]
In 2007, Virginia Tech golferDrew Weaver became the first American to win theBritish Amateur golf tournament since 1979. Weaver edged out 2006 Australian Amateur championTim Stewart and earned an invitation to the2007 Open Championship.
Former Hokies that have won at the professional level include:Johnson Wagner (threePGA Tour wins),Adam Hunter (oneEuropean Tour win), andBrendon de Jonge (oneNationwide Tour win).
The Virginia TechWrestling program was founded in 1920. The team holds its matches atCassell Coliseum and practices in the training room on the third floor of the football locker room facility, renovated in 2010.[37]
In 2006,Kevin Dresser was named the head coach of the wrestling program. The team won the 2014 ACC Tournament, led by captain Devin Carter, who was named Tournament MVP. The Hokies finished 8th overall in team standings at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Devin Carter was the runner-up at 141 lbs and Virginia Tech's first ever NCAA Tournament finalist.[38]
During the 2014–15 season, a few select matches were held for the first time at theMoss Performing Arts Center on theVirginia Tech campus.
The Hokie Wrestling team won the 2015–16 regular season ACC dual meet title, after beating previously undefeatedNorth Carolina State University in the last conference dual meet of the season. The team took second place at the 2016 ACC Tournament. The 2015–16 team also set program bests with six All-Americans and a fourth-place finish at the2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which is also ties the 2017-2018 NC State Wolfpack[39] for the highest finish for an ACC team ever. Kevin Dresser was named the 2016 NWCA Coach of the Year at the tournament.[38]
In 2017, Tony Robie became the wrestling program's head coach, following Kevin Dresser's departure to Iowa State.
In 2019, redshirt freshmanMekhi Lewis became the first Hokie wrestler to win a national championship for Virginia Tech. Before his 7–1 victory over two-time defending national champion Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State in the 165-pound finals, Lewis dispatched the number one seed Alex Marinelli of Iowa in the quarterfinals and the number four seed Evan Wick of Wisconsin in the semi-finals. For his remarkable three-day performance, Lewis was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
In 2024, true sophomore Caleb Henson defeated 6th seed Austin Gomez of Michigan in the finals by a 15-7 major decision in the 149 pound weight division to become Virginia Tech's 2nd ever wrestling national champion. Henson beat 5th seed Ty Watters 8–3 in the quarter finals and number 1 seed Ridge Lovett 1–0 in the semi-finals to reach the championship match against Gomez.[40]
| # | Year | Conf. | Overall | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012–13 | (5–0) | (16–3–8) | Kevin Dresser |
| 2 | 2013–14 | (4–2) | (8–5–9) | Kevin Dresser |
| 3 | 2015–16 | (5–0) | (16–2–8) | Kevin Dresser |
| 4 | 2017–18 | (4–1) | (14–3) | Tony Robie |
| 5 | 2020–21 | (4–0) | (8–0) | Tony Robie |
| 6 | 2024-25 | (5-1) | (9-2) | Tony Robie |
Virginia Tech ice hockey was formed in 1984. They joined the newly formedACCHL in 1995 and have competed there ever since. The team won the regular season champion title during the 1996–97 season with a record of 13–1. The Hokies play out of theBerglund Center inRoanoke and drew the biggest crowd in team history of 5,200+ to the VT vs. UVA game on January 19, 2007. They became the first non-Carolina team to win the Canes Cup on January 14, 2007 by defeating theDuke University Blue Devils,NC State University Wolfpack and theEast Carolina University Pirates. During the 2010–11 season, the Hokies turned towards a more competitive conference, the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA), where they play in the same division against Liberty, East Carolina, Maryland, and UMBC. In the 2011–12 season, the Hokies earned a berth in the ACHA Division II National Tournament for the first time in program history, finishing 12th in the nation. The Hokies captured their first MACH championship in 2013 by defeating (3) Liberty, (2) UMBC, and (1) Penn State in succession.
The Virginia Tech rugby team was founded in 1968, although the first recordedcollege rugby match in Blacksburg dates back to 1891.[41] Virginia Tech rugby plays in theBig East conference against its traditional ACC rivals. Tech rugby plays an annual rivalry match againstUniversity of Virginia for the Commonwealth Shield.[42] The Hokies are supported by the Tech Rugby Alumni Association, which has established an endowment managed by the Virginia Tech Foundation that provides for limited scholarships for rugby players.[43]
The Hokies have been successful in rugby sevens. The Hokies finished third in their conference in spring 2012.[44] The Hokies won the college division of the July 2012 Cape Fear 7s tournament.[45] The Hokies also defeated other ACC teams to win the 2012 Virginia Tech 7s, beating NC State 22–5 in the final.[46] In 2012, the Hokies defeated Virginia 33–31 to win the Atlantic Coast Rugby League 7s, automatically qualifying for the 2012USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships. Winning the 2012 ARRL 7s also qualified the Hokies for the 2013Collegiate Rugby Championship, the highest profile competition in college rugby, broadcast live on NBC fromPPL Park in Philadelphia.
The Hokies claimed the 2021 D1-AA National Championship with a dominant tournament run featuring wins over Salisbury (91–0), Boise State (27–11), and West Chester (37–15). The following year, they repeated as champions, defeating the Louisville Cardinals in the 2022 D1-AA Championship Final (24–22).[47]
The Virginia Tech College bass team was founded in the 2006–2007 school year, and won their first national title that same year.[48]
The Virginia Tech Club field hockey team was founded as a replacement of the D1 team in the 1990s. The team competes in the club-level National Field Hockey League, and won the league's championship in fall 2017.[49]
Virginia Tech, along withKansas State andUCF, is one of only threePower Four conference schools that have not won an NCAA-recognized national championship in any varsity team sport.[50][a] The Hokies listed below have won individual national championships.
Source:[56]
‘2023 hokies women’s track was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
| Current members |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Championships & awards | ||
| Tournaments | ||
| Broadcast partners | ||
| Former competitions | ||
| ||
| Baseball |
|  | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball | |||||||||||
| Football | |||||||||||
| Ice hockey | |||||||||||
| Roller derby | |||||||||||
| Rugby league | |||||||||||
| Rugby union | |||||||||||
| Soccer | |||||||||||
| College athletics |
| ||||||||||
