Tito's and Trout lines (which isn't a thing)- Bud's last homegame and night

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.