Sports Illustrated article on Beamer-to-Fuente transition

By: OHokie on September 28, 2017, 10:09 AM | 29 comments

Goes into detail about how VT was able to successfully transition from a legend, where other programs (Nebraska, for example) failed.LINKY

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Comments

hokie4life | 8 years 10 months #

Good article, but "smug looking turkey." Excuse me?!?!

jobushokie | 8 years 10 months # ^

I just read that and thought.

'pshhh youre the smug looking turkey, TURKEY!...Smug looking turkey, Who is this guy?!'

ashore13

🍺🦃🦃🦃

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| 8 years 10 months # ^

dcvt13 | 8 years 10 months #

A great atricle about the transition. I need to find a job where the old bosses wife makes cakes for us every Tuesday.

BetaEta576 | 8 years 10 months #

I always thought of this program toward the end of Coach Beamer's time as if we had this beautiful hot water heater

I get the analogy, Bud, but uhhh...wut

VTSluss | 8 years 10 months # ^

That's the most Bud Foster-y of analogies

VTbandit

VT 🦹🏼‍♂️

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| 8 years 10 months # ^

Foster once got 1.5 Sacks and a forced fumble out of Hot Water Heater in a critical backup roll in ought 6.

jasondods | 8 years 10 months #

Now, it's the Hank and Frank Show around campus, and as Beamer realized how often he'd need to travel as a retiree, he became grateful for the acquaintances the puppy has attracted. He pats his phone in his pocket, explaining how in addition to the family members who've volunteered to Hank-sit, he has the numbers of a few nice young women he met on campus who are more than willing to pitch in.

Frank, the ladykiller

H'burg_Hokie | 8 years 10 months # ^

yeah, don't think I would be putting that out to a reporter where my wife could read it. Bad impressions, they'll get after ya.

SevenLayersofPlayers

669TH MEMBER OF TKPC

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| 8 years 10 months # ^

Vtkey

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| 8 years 10 months #

It's a good article summarizing what VT fans already know.

We had a textbook transition. I'm not sure it would be easy to replicate.

The keys here were Beamer, Fuente, Foster, and Babcock. You're damned lucky if you EVER get that combination in these roles during a transition.

Alum07

🦃 LEG KING 🦃

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| 8 years 10 months # ^

Beamer, Fuente, Foster, and Babcock

The perfect storm also included Blacksburg, being in the ACC, and a rabid fanbase that had gone dormant. Anywhere else, the pressure to win would have been immediate and could have potentially crushed it before it had a chance. The expectations of Fuente coming in was that it would take a few years to get there, and the fans had grown to accept that. But being in the ACC, we played competition that allowed us to grow up fast, and the fans helped take the energy to the next level.

Its a perfect recipe for this to work. I'm not sure it can work anywhere else, but it worked to perfection here.

VT_Fencer | 8 years 10 months #

Stroman is unequivocal. "Beams is magical," he says.

Frank confirmed for fully dipped.

bar1990

ATLIEN

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| 8 years 10 months #

But Babcock said no [refusing to give Foster a promotion to head coach], proposing instead an unlikely compromise: If the coach he picked was offensive-minded and the personalities gelled, would Foster continue sticking around?

I always thought that Fuente asked for Foster, and Whit never pitched it, but Fuente requested it?

hokielady

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| 8 years 10 months # ^

My understanding of the sequence:

Whit had already decided Bud wasn't going to get the hc job, since he wanted an offensive coach
Whit is eyeing Justin for the job, figuring out how best to approach him
Justin calls his agent and asks him to call Whit to see if he could be considered
Whit is delighted and Justin and Whit begin to talk
Whit asks Justin would he consider keeping Bud
Justin tells him he was going to ask if Whit thought Bud would stay, Justin wanted it all along
Whit calls Bud and tells him he is going on a trip with him and to meet at merryman at xx time, he also tells him to pack an overnight bag.
Bud has no idea where or why they are going.
On Hokiebird 1, once in the air with time for small talk, Whit tells Bud he didn't get the job.
Bud tells him he is quitting
Whit says he will accept the resignation only after Bud meets the new hc
Bud and Justin hit it off. The first several hours they don't talk football at all. Just got to know each other.
Bud says Justin reminds him of a young Beamer and decides to stay.

VTMikeO

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| 8 years 10 months # ^

I think Whit told Foster he wasn't getting the HC job before he ever contacted Fuente.

hokielady

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| 8 years 10 months # ^

I seem to remember reading/hearing something about that.
My understanding directly from Bud, when asked during his interview if he was open to staying if he didn't get the job, told Whit no.
That's why Bud was on the plane when Whit told him- he wanted Bud to be in a position to reconsider staying after meeting Justin.
Perhaps I have it mixed up though, the old retired brain doesn't work like it used to

D K | 8 years 10 months # ^

If true though, that's some masterful human resources management by Whit... And maybe planned abduction.

Orion86

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| 8 years 10 months # ^

I think it was right around when Beamer's retirement was announced that Babcock laid it out for Foster that he wasn't going to be considered for HC, and that the coaching search would focus on offensive-background coaches with HC experience. Foster took it in stride and committed to sticking around if he and new HC meshed well.

Then when Babcock and Fuente got to seriously talking, Babcock arranged for the two to meet and see if they would hit it off.

Ultimately I don't think Babcock hard a requirement that Fuente keep Foster on board, but he did everything he could short of that to encourage it. And from Fuente's perspective the chance of keeping Foster on staff was a big attraction to the job in the first place.

HomebrewHokie08

🍺MAKES "BEER" ⚗️🦃

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| 8 years 10 months #

Which is how, in the week leading up to Virginia Tech's game against Virginia, Foster found himself sitting at Fuente's Memphis home one night at 1 a.m. The two spoke for four hours, hit it off and by daybreak reached a quiet agreement. Foster flew home to resume game prep, unable to tell a soul where he'd been or why he was so darn tired. The day after the Hokies beat Virginia to become bowl eligible, the school announced the hire—and that Foster would return.

WTF was Babcock thinking!!! The Bowl Streak was on the line, the winning season streak was on the line, the UVa win streak was on the line, AND Beamer's (possible) last game was on the line and THAT WAS THE WEEK HE FLIES FOSTER OUT FOR AN OVERNIGHT SECRET MEETING!!!! No wonder that was a close game.

gjpvt09 | 8 years 10 months # ^

LoLUVA, duh, that's the week to do it

hokie4life | 8 years 10 months # ^

Glorified bye week.

Smlltwnsthrnlwyr

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| 8 years 10 months # ^

Needle had to be threaded. Whit got it done, and UVA got beat. All hail Whit.

VT_Smity

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| 8 years 10 months #

the predecessor's wife bakes cakes for Fuente's staff every Tuesday

HokieFan4Ever | 8 years 10 months # ^

As a #TEAMPIE member, I would love to have a cake made by Mama Beams herself.

VT_Warthog | 8 years 10 months #

HANK CELEBRITY GUEST PICKER CONFIRMED.

101WildTurkeys | 8 years 10 months #

"the predecessor's wife bakes cakes for Fuente's staff every Tuesday"

Well that's a major coup in the massive TKP debate. The football team is officially #TEAMCAKE

Vtkey

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| 8 years 10 months # ^

Nah, that's just an indication that there has to be some small imperfection somewhere. Pie would have been too perfect to be believed.

bblankin | 8 years 10 months #

"If you get a new [Defensive Coordinator], they've got to be good, and they've got to have pretty thick skin, because they first time they give up a first down, the fans are going to be, Oh, Bud Foster wouldn't have."

Very good advice. Being the guy to follow Beamer was tough, but could have been tougher. Being the guy to follow Foster could be even worse.