Just thought I'd follow up and share a really cool experience with fellow fans that might appreciate it. This isn't meant to be a humblebrag or a boast, I just thought that it is neat and wanted to share.
* crowded bar lounge, Blacksburg, Va, 9:30 pm*
I leaned over to my right and patted my dinner guest on the back.
"It's time to get your AARP card. I see a lot of Tito's and Troutlines in your future".
He chuckles to himself. Then his gravely voice musters a retort "Tito's and troutlines sound pretty good to me, I'll tell ya". And we laugh as we both reach for another slice of pizza.
Amid of the joking and congratulations, I almost got lost in the fact that I was enjoying a cocktail and a pizza with Bud Foster and his family after his last game in Lane Stadium. And Bud is every bit as cool as people here had said. What an absolute dude.
Here are a few takeaways from the game and the night.
1. Bud has time for every single fan to tell some variation of the same story "I'm a big fan. I remember..." and he leans in and lets them finish, thanks them for their support, and says "I appreciate YOU!". I watched him do this 75 times over the course of the day. Young and old, drunk or sober, leaning in a little too close. Didn't matter. He was nice to every person and made them feel like it was the first time he had ever heard those words and that he cared what they were going to say next.
2. He never has caught a muskie but it is on his to-do list. He prefers bass or trout fishing, but any fishing really would do. He launched into a cool story about doing some sport fishing out on the Chesapeake Bay last year ,but before he could finish the story another set of well wishers came by to shake his hand and take a photo and he never did pick the story back up.
3. He thought the Ron Mexico Jersey was hilarious. My friends had asked that I not wear it, but come on, when else was I going to get his opinion on it.
4. He wants to talk about ANYTHING other than football when the games ends, but with some gentle prodding from his family he said he would entertain a few quick hitters related to work.
* Toughest player to scheme against: Donnavon McNabb. He just was so damn fast and strong. And he was always 3 moves ahead. Corey Moore weighed in on this same subject and agreed. Said even when he had him, he never could stop his legs from churning and getting free.
* Most satisfying win: Orange Bowl, or beating Miami when they were ranked down in Miami. I'm not sure if he liked the victory or just being in Miami. Also, beating BC in the ACC Title the year that Matt Ryan got them in the rain at home. He also was a big fan of winning in the Horseshoe and Death Valley. And he really enjoyed giving Brock Berlin permanent nightmares and ending Miami's undefeated streak.
* Most frustrating loss: Losing to Auburn in the Sugar Bowl was tough because he felt that our defense was better and he said that was just a knockdown-drag-out-fight of a game and really wanted it. He said that Michigan Sugar Bowl stung and we agreed that Danny Coale caught that f'in ball (cheers). He lamented losing to Kansas in the Orange Bowl. (Dude really likes Miami I'm telling you). Some others were the Boise Game at FedEx and the Cinci game at FedEx and we both agreed, "F**K FedEx". (another cheers).
5. He has an idea who he would like to be the next defensive coordinator and that he believes that person is in house. He didn't say who and didn't really feel like elaborating.
6. He wants to travel in his newfound free time. His family was laughing that they just want to go some place where he can enjoy his entree while it is still warm without someone coming up and saying hi. I told him he is a prisoner of his own making. He was too good at his job and Hokie Nation has grown so much that they need to travel pretty far away for that. He said he has some ideas of where to start.
7. The Beamer Barn is friggin massive. And they will only let drunken interlopers run a few route tree's before security politely asks them to please move along.
8. Charley Wiles introduced himself with his name and his position coach title and got out of his chair to walk over to me to do so when Bud's office became too crowded to sit down. He flipped on the Michigan State game and asked if there was another game that I wanted to watch instead. Another really nice person.
9. Ran into Corey Moore on the field after the game. I said "Welcome Back to the Terror Dome, Baby!" and he laughed. Corey Moore thought the Carrier Dome was the loudest away stadium he ever played in and showed me scars he says he got on that turf. I said that TKP still laughs at his press conference from the National Title game and he thought that was pretty amusing.
10. The skybox loung is plush. Really cool view.
Comments
That's actually very interesting
Edit: Also, super jealous because that sounds like a great time was had. Glad you got Bud on another really good day.
I'm really thinking its JHam. They had a couple of shots of him during the game (he was close to Bud too) and remember thinking that he is probably the guy.
I think you are on to something. ;)
Have you heard any scuttlebutt for when the announcement will be made as to Bud's replacement? Surely they've told some of your boys something to keep them on the hook given the changes coming.
I haven't heard anything except the scheme will not be changing which leaves me to believe its someone in house or gray. But ive been to a few practices and even if you watch the sidelines during the game ive noticed jham very very very involved in everything going on. At the practices I attended, Jham was running the entire defense and bud was kinda tutoring/ mentoring him from the back. now I haven't been to any practices prior to this season so I don't know if this is common practice or not for bud. but it certainly seemed to me that it was almost a passing of the guard type situation in terms of the way bud and Hamilton interacted during practice and even in games. I don't have anything factual to confirm that jham will be the next dc but if I was a betting man I would put my money on Hamilton and be pretty confident in that bet. ive been feeling that way for a couple weeks now and the more I'm around the more confident I feel about it. that's all ive got.
If JHam has been running our defense the last few games, or even heavily involved, please make it JHam.
But wouldn't Wiles be the guy if they were going in house? Unless he didn't want it, and wanted to keep his current job.
I think Wiles would be content staying right where he is at DL. I had been thinking the past few weeks about how Wiles has also been at VT forever. If he were riding off into the sunset with Bud, I'm surprised we wouldn't be having some tributes/recognitions for him as well. But since we haven't and there has been no announcement, I'm starting to think he isn't going anywhere.
I don't see wiles retiring but of note jham is also taking over and being groomed on the jacksonville recruiting area which was previously wiles area. don't know what that means but.... I to have to agree I think wiles is pretty happy where he is at this point in his career, not to say hes content but I think having wiles stay on will be a huge help to Jham but Jham has the "it" factor in the recuiting game and I don't think that's something Charlie wants to really have to do at this time in his career. that doesn't mean he lacks enthusiasm or passion hes still coaching and recruiting his A off as much as he can. again these are just my thoughts and observations.
I just don't see it. He only has 1 yr experience as a coordinator of any kind. It wouldn't surprise me if Bud was pulling for him though. My first thought when reading that was Wiles, he would probably like to see Wiles get a shot at Def Coord for a few years.
Between JHam, Gray, and Wiles, IMO it should be the one who can best make in game adjustments.
The negative always brought up about JHam is his age/inexperience. But he's 37. Fuente was 33 when he was named OC at TCU. Foster 36 when he became DC at VT.
Inexperience is a different question, both Foster and Fuente had more P5 and coaching experience than Ham has at this time. But Ham has a ton of experience in this system.
Bud has supposedly been pretty open about his desire for Jham to take over. I don't think it will happen though
In a dream scenario, we could bring in Marcus Freeman from Cincy as the LB's/Co-DC and have JHam coach safties and be Co-DC as well.
I think the fact that bud is staying on in some sort of "admin role" or whatever term they are calling it "advisor" whatever would be HUGE if Jham is the next DC. he could help him game plan, mentor him, things like that. something like a jerry kill to Jham.
Note that he didn't say that that person will be the next DC.
Don't get me wrong. I think he has enough experience in the system, as well as some experience as a DC (albeit at a lower program), but I don't know if Whit/Fuente will risk their careers on an unproven DC. Then again, Fuente has come pretty far off the hot seat since the beginning of the season, so he might have enough juice if the offense is playing well and the defense struggling next year (which he has to consider may be a possibility with an inexperienced DC at the helm). He may now have the space to give JHam time to grow into the position.
Thanks for sharing. We need to find a way to get Bud into the HoF because not only is he the greatest DC of all time, it sounds like he is a an awesome human being.
He's in for sure
Unfortunately, coordinators aren't currently eligible for the hall of fame. The rules would have to be changed
Then I'm a moron.
How about 3 decades of coaching, does that not quality?
Then we need to start a campaign to get the rules amended for truly transcendent coordinators.
WHO'S WITH ME?
Make him Head Coach Emeritus
IIRC from when this came up earlier this year, you have to be HC at the same school for at least 10 years.
They'll have to change the rules, because right now you have to have head coaching experience to be eligible.
Well, either that, or a blimp.......
They better change those rules
Just have Fuente take a leave of absence. Sign Foster to a 1 day contract as head coach and then have Fuente come back from his leave.
let's find the loophole!!
Name him head coach for the bowl game. Boom.
The bad part is I believe you have to have 10 years as HC and above .500 win percent to qualify. That's why Pete Carroll and several other coaches will never get it.
Do they have a builders category? Like some of the professional ones do? I feel like that could be used a catchall for guys like Bud (and potentially Venables in the future) who never became the head whistle, but played an integral part in their teams successes for long periods of time.
maybe the lunch pail can get in? but be all about Bud.
The lunch pail is already in the HOF. Actually, relatively speaking, they had quite a bit of VT stuff in their "Innovations" section. (We went there before the GT game).
His selflessness to stay an assistant for all those years is truly admirable.
It's rare for a man to know himself so well. I think he knew he had found the best fit. No grass was greener.
I'm guessing after the bowl game that those of us who still live in the 'burg probably won't see Foster in and around town for a long time. That's a shame, but he's earned it.
As someone who is on the Hobie World's fishing team, I can make the musky thing happen.......
You should post your adventures on the fishing thread!
How did I not know that we had a fishing thread?
Things have been busy around here so the thread isn't as active as other football threads but we have solid group of active anglers that fish different areas. What do you mainly fish for/where? https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2019/november/5/november-2019-fishing...
I don't want to continue to hijack this thread and posted over in the thread that you linked to.
Excellent post. Glad at least one of us TKPers got to do this!
Skybox sounds nice and dry glad to have had Bud and Frank be the faces of this school for so long you couldnt get two better nicer folks to do it the right way for so long we are very lucky to have had the bar set high.
I only popped in at halftime to get a beer. It is super cool up there, but I came for the cheering and key shaking and they don't do at much up there, so I slipped back down to the seats.
In that weather, you sir showed a lot of cajones!
Once you reach 100% saturation, the damage was done.
So true. Once you stop CARING about getting wet, rain games can be awesome. I bagged groceries for Ukrops during a tropical storm and loved going out to cars in the rain. I'd ride the cart back down the hill to the store with rooster tails coming from the wheels! I even volunteered to go out and drive customers cars to the front door to let them stay as dry as possible. The Duke game two years ago was one of those rain games (where the players were playing slip and slide down the field) - my friend and I Were soaked to the bone after that one and changed clothes from the skin out in the parking deck next to lot 20.
Best example of a game like that was the now defunct Super Bowl champ vs college allstar games final games in 1976 in Chicago. A thunderstorm blew in and made it so you couldn't even SEE the field and the game was eventually called off-fans had rushed the field and were sliding around. Great youtube video of it here
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Which Ukrops did you work at? I worked at the Sycamore Square one growing up bagging groceries.
The one at Patterson and Gaskins (though I did have to drive to the Sycamore Square store in the managers station wagon (dating myself there eh? LOL 1982-1986 -the last three during summers and breaks from VT) to pick up something our store had run out of.
Awesome stuff man!
Thanks for sharing
Stories like these and 904's recruiting stories are some of my favorite parts about TKP (no offense French).
why not both. or in this case, why not all 3.
this is awesome! experience of a lifetime. guess we'll have to wait for another opportunity to find out just how almost-arrested he got
Really cool story, thanks for sharing. I'm going to slice onions for hours after the Bowl game but I'm also extremely happy for Coach. With the sacrifices he's made over the years (tough on a family) he's earned the right to never buy his own beer in Blacksburg (or in Virginia for that matter).
He will never have to buy a beer or a meal in any of the counties around Blacksburg ever. But he is such a nice person, he probably would give it to the bus boy instead.
Although I enjoy your post and envy your dinner with Bud...are you confusing trotline and troutline? I'm not familiar with troutlines and usually trotlines are meant for catfish or other sit-and-wait fish. Maybe you actually meant trout line as in a general term for a fishing line intended for a specific species (i.e. bass line, drum line, etc.)?
I wondered the same thing.
I am not an angler in any means. I thought trout line and Tito's was good alliteration and saying it was easier to justify than writing it. The only thing I've ever fished for is TKP legs apparently. *facepalm*
Would love to drink some Tito's with Corey Moore.
"You want to write a story? Write about how I dissed you guys. Get the hell out of my face."
Hey, Randy. How you doin?