The official Virginia Tech Hokies website at HokieSports.com explains that the word “Hokie” is actually a totally made up word that this dude created like a hundred million years ago (actually 1896).

For those youngsters in the audience, this was back before the forward pass, television and college football blogs were even invented.

Check this out:

WHAT IS A HOKIE?

The answer leads all the way back to 1896 when Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College changed its name to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. With the change came the necessity for writing a new cheer and a contest for such a purpose was held by the student body.

Senior O.M. Stull won first prize for his “Hokie” yell which is still used today.

Later, when asked if “Hokie” had any special meaning, Stull explained the word was solely the product of his imagination and was used only as an attention-getter for his yell. It soon became a nickname for all Tech teams and for those people loyal to Tech athletics.

Is that a crazy back story or what?

Here’s the “Old Hokie” Cheer:

Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi!
Tech, Tech, VPI
Sol-a-rex, Sol-a-rah
Poly Tech Vir-gin-ia
Ray rah VPI
Team! Team! Team!