Current And Former UVA Coaches Discuss Coach Beamer's Retirement

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/colleges/va_tech/beamer-has-earned-the-res...

Al Groh:

"As succinctly as I can put it, he was a classy winner," said Groh, the Cavaliers' head coach from 2001-09. "For anybody starting out in coaching, if they could be like Frank Beamer, they'd hit the bull's-eye."

"It's a time-tested formula," Groh said. "He put an emphasis on special teams, both on the teams and the utilization of top personnel. Kids, when they grow up, aren't aspiring to be a great kick-cover guy."

"As many people would tell you, the landscape of coaching has changed dramatically," said Groh, who now does football commentary on television and radio. "There's no better example of that than the occurrences already this year."

"Frank did so much for his institution and was given the time and the opportunity," Groh said. "That kind of patience is rare to find among administrators."

George Welsh:

"I'm not surprised," said Welsh after learning of Beamer's announcement that he would step down at the end of this season. "Between Navy and Virginia, I was at it for 28 years. I wore out."

"I don't know how guys like [Joe] Paterno go on like that," said Welsh, speaking of his one-time boss at Penn State, who was 85 in his last season. "Joe Paterno was never nervous for a game. I was nervous for every game in my life, going back to high school. Frank never looked like he was nervous on the sidelines."

"I think we had a lot of respect for each other," said Welsh, who lives in Charlottesville. "I was only together with him once, maybe [at a speaking engagement] in Roanoke."

"His kicking game won a lot of games for them, but not at the beginning," said Welsh, who was 5-1 against Beamer from 1987-92 and sensed that his rival's job was in jeopardy.

"We never recruited Michael Vick because we thought we had [Ronald] Curry," Welsh said. "I remember running into one of their coaches, who said, 'I think we got a steal.'"But, by the end of the '90s, it wasn't just Vick. Their defense was great."

Mike London:

"I have nothing but respect for coach Beamer and his accomplishments," said London in a statement distributed by UVa. "His longevity and influences in the game of football are outstanding."