Hokies Go Bowling Close to Home, Picked to Face Cincinnati in Military Bowl

For the last two years, it's been a bit of a hike for Hokies fans to make it to the team's bowl destinations. This year, the Hokies are staying much closer to home.

Virginia Tech will square off against Cincinnati (9-3) in the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Maryland for Frank Beamer's 22nd consecutive bowl game on Saturday, Dec. 27 at 1:00 PM (ESPN).

Considering the huge number of VT alumni in the Washington D.C. metro area, it's no surprise to see the Hokies grab this slot.

"Virginia Tech, from our perspective, they have a great alumni base, very passionate fans and a big base in this area," said Steve Beck, the bowl's executive director, in an interview Saturday. "I think the number for the area around Virginia, D.C. and Maryland is around 50,000 alumni and over 8,000 students from the area. So immediately you look at that."

But Beck and the rest of the bowl's board weren't just drawn to the way the Hokies could put people in the seats. They're also appreciative of the school's military history and the continuing role of the Corps of Cadets.

"We certainly look at that," Beck said. "I was down at the game this past weekend, and noticed that and it was a big plus."

That's not all Beck observed on his trip to Blacksburg. Not only did he get to see Beamer extend his bowl streak against Virginia, but he also got a glimpse of the dedication of Hokies fans.

"Their fans know bowl travel, they know how to support their team, you saw that down against Virginia last week," Beck said. "It was a great environment, and from what I could tell, it looked like everybody stayed until the very end, even though it was very cold down there, like 22 degrees."

Despite these emotional factors, it's hard to escape the influence of corporate sponsors as well when bowl season rolls around. Luckily, the Hokies scored points in that area too.

"They also have a very good relationship with Northrup Grumman, which is our sponsor, in working with security stuff together, which is a great tie-in as well," Beck said.

Beamer's standing nationally, and in the D.C. area specifically, is also an attractive element for the bowl.

"Coach Beamer's popularity was evident two years ago when the DC Touchdown Club (which also is operated by the DC Bowl Committee Inc.) honored Coach Beamer with a Lifetime Achievement Award and drew a capacity crowd to the awards dinner," said Josh Barr, the bow's director of external relations.

Many current Tech players have strong ties to the area as well, like one Kendall Fuller who was earning awards of his own from the committee before he even officially became a Hokie.

"That same year, our player of the year from Maryland was Kendall Fuller from Good Counsel High School," Beck said. "So there's a lot of obvious ties to VT in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area."

But for the Hokies that don't hail from the nation's capital, they'll still get a chance to explore it.

"The teams will stay in D.C. and the kids will get a great educational experience," Beck said. "They'll go to the mall, look at the monuments, tour the capital."

Players and fans alike will also get a mini history lesson by simply attending the game at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, a venue built back in 1959 that's played host to over 50 years of games by the Navy Midshipmen and even some Olympic events.

"There's something special about the place, it's almost like a museum in itself, there are all the plaques they have and battles that they reference," Beck said. "It's a great stadium for our game. With only 35,000 seats, you can walk around the whole place in less than 10 minutes."

The bowl tries to honor that history with large contributions to the USO, and by inviting both Medal of Honor recipients and veterans assisted by the Wounded Warrior project (one of Beamer's favorite charities).

"We're a bowl with purpose, and that purpose is to support our men and women in uniform," Beck said. "It's really a real military flare whether we have a military team in the bowl or not."