Virginia Tech Football: What Frank Beamer Means

Anyone who has watched Virginia Tech football knows exactly how important Frank Beamer is to the school. 

Since Beamer took over as coach in 1987, he has led the Hokies to a 187-92-2 record and 17 consecutive bowl appearances. 

Because of the success the Tech program has seen in the past 23 years, it was no surprise when Coach Beamer was given an extension through the 2016 season. Although the details on how much Beamer will make are still unknown, it is still worth it. 

Much like Bobby Bowden and Florida State or Joe Paterno and Penn State, the legacy of the school’s history in football is his legacy.

Before Beamer, football at Virginia Tech wasn’t what it is today. Sold-out games, bowl appearances, and conference championships were all nonexistent back then. It wasn’t until the Hokies hired Beamer to coach his alma mater that Tech started to gain notoriety. 

Though Coach Beamer has seen the football program improve a great deal over his 23 years, what the team has done over the past decade is truly remarkable. 

Even during the 1999 season, when Tech made it to the national championship, it was still a school that was trying to find a place in the spotlight. However, with the consistent success the Hokies have had since then, there is no doubt that they are considered an elite team now. 

The reasons behind this climb to success can all be attributed to Beamer and his ways. 

To start, Beamer is perhaps the best coach in the country at getting the best out of his players. The Hokies never have the recruiting success that Miami or Florida State gets, but it never seems to matter because Beamer takes three-star recruits and turns them into stars. 

Names like Rashad Carmichael and Danny Coale are looked at as leaders of the Hokies in 2010, but in 2006 and 2007, they were just two-star recruits that weren’t being talked about at all. The ability to take supposedly below-average talent and push it above its perceived limits is what Beamer has done from year one. 

Secondly, Coach Beamer has paid particular attention to the team’s special teams. Simply put, Beamer cared about special teams before anyone else did. Through the late '90s and 2000s, the Hokies have made it their calling card to win games thanks to the battle of field position and a blocked kick or punt here or there.

Special teams is so important to Coach Beamer that he is actually the team’s special teams coordinator because he believes that is where a team can gain a big advantage.

Beamer’s ideology is so successful that you see other teams duplicating his ways. Urban Meyer, the head coach of the Florida Gators, went the same route as Beamer when he was the Gators special teams coordinator until his health problems required him to delegate responsibilities to others.

People can call the focus on special teams “Beamer Ball” or whatever else they want, but the bottom line is that it has proven to be the X-factor in dozens of games in Coach Beamer’s tenure at Tech.

Finally, the last thing that makes Beamer irreplaceable is the staff that he has made for himself. Coaches such as defensive coordinator Bud Foster have a large part to do with the success that the Hokies have had, and Beamer is responsible for bringing them together.

Not only is he responsible for bringing them to Blacksburg, he also has a lot to do with why they are still here. Everyone that has worked for Coach Beamer has loved the way he runs the team. It is things like that that make it appealing to Foster, who has said that the only reason he would leave Beamer’s side is if he gets an offer to be the head coach of a major program.

Because of those reasons and many more, Beamer is still the leader and coach that the Hokies need. The extension through 2016 means that Tech has at least six more seasons with Coach Beamer and six more shots at the school’s first national title. 

Regardless of whether or not Beamer can get that championship, he will always be known as the coach who put Tech on the map.

This article was featured in the Collegiate Times. For more of my opinions, you can read my blog or follow me on Twitter @Caffscorner.