I dont know about you, but I am so anxious/excited/keyed-up about the college football season starting that I can hardly concentrate. I have, however, been reflecting on past seasons which has led me to think about some of the most memorable VT games that I didnt see. These are the games that were not televised where I was at the time, forcing me to follow along by other means. In reverse order, here are my top games:
#4: UGH 10/25/07--I was in Monaco of all places for a tradeshow for the infamous Matty Ice BC game. I stayed up until 2 a.m. for the start of the game via internet radio...stayed up to the very bitter end well past 5 a.m. Made me so sick that I wouldnt have slept anyway!
#3: Debutante Ball 11/6/08--My dad (Class of 49) was convalescing after brain surgery, and the nursing facility did not carry ESPN. I had the pleasure of listening to the coming out party for Darren Evans vs. Maryland alongside my favorite Hokie. Dad always loved hearing Bill Roth and Mike Burnop call a game anyway--he would watch the game on television with the sound turned down and the radio on so that he could hear their play-by-play. Of course, Dad taped every game that he could so that he could break down the plays later. If you have not had the chance to hear Roth/Burnop call a gameyou should--outstanding!
#2: The Wedding 9/19/09--We've all been there--our niece got married smack in the middle of the Nebraska game! I had people text me throughout the game. I knew the long stretches of silence were not a good sign. The last few minutes of the game were like receiving teletype on D-Day with messages pouring in---Tyrod and the miracle in B'Burg!!
#1: The Comeback 10/28/04--I was on a business trip in Toronto on a Thursday night (again, no ESPN) when Bryan Randall orchestrated the comeback against GT. I always wondered what the people in nearby hotel rooms thought of the woman shouting GO! GO! YES! YES! at the top of her lungs and banging on the furniture.
Honorable Mention:--I got to see the game, but on 9/18/03 just as the Texas A&M game was starting, my dad sitting in Richmond lost both power and radio coverage to Hurricane Isabel so he did not. I started calling him every few minutes to give him an update. Finally, I just stayed on the phone for the last two hours with my own version of a play-by-play. I wasnt all that good, but for weeks afterwards, my mother said that she could hear Dad on the phone with his buddies saying "GO KJ, Go!" and she knew that he was relaying how he had seen the game.
What games do you remember under unusual circumstances?
Comments
Good topic.
For me it was the Sugar Bowl against Auburn. Was home for winter break obviously, at parents house in Delaware. It was snowing for days leading up to the game. Our power went out about an hour before game time. I remember my dad and I driving over to my grandmothers house (was maybe 15 miles away, but took like an hour an a half to get there) and catching the 4th quarter of the game
VT vs Miami 2011, was on vacation. Biggest regret of my life.
Missed the Miracle in Blacksburg vs Nebraska. Followed it on the bottom line since I didnt have a smart phone yet. Will never forgive myself
Me too I remember having to work that day and getting text from everyone about how epic it was.
Does it count if we blacked out during the game?
If so, that would be the Nebraska game at Lane Stadium. Drank nothing but wild turkey during the tailgate (bourbon...it'll get after ya). Blackout right after ender sandman. Black-in midway through the fourth. Apparently I texted my mom that I loved her, my ex-girlfriend that she's a whore and a freshman girl that I want to run a "two-minute drill" on her.
I had a couple friends that actually had this happen to them during this game. Also, WHY CANT I UPVOTE THIS MORE THAN ONCE?!
Props for getting those texts matched with their recipients correctly. If any of those had been switched...*shudders*
Yes, it counts. And the rest is such a good story I'm going to retell it and replace you with me.
Yep! Me too!
I had a memory issue once too. Before the 2011 UNC game (the super cold one), we decided to 'TOTS-gate' instead of tailgate. A few rails did it. Walked into my house after walking home from the stadium, sat down in front of my laptop and pulled up a 10 minute highlight reel... Didn't remember ANY OF THEM except a fade to DJ for a td.
Please tell me you ran the two min drill in her! >thud!< giggity.
the morning after the kansas ob,
me: "that reverse on the kick return td was pretty cool."
my buddy: "we ran a kick back?"
I've always remembered (or not remembered?) the Miracle in Blacksburg against Nebraska fondly.
It was the day of my bachelor party. My best man started the day for us watching that game at a local sports bar. I was about 2 bloody marys, 3-4 shots of whisky, and several large beers deep at the time Coale caught that magic rainbow. And keep in mind I am talking Arizona time, so it was only like noon
Also, I dont seem to remember any game against BC in october of 2007. I'm pretty sure there was no game then. There was. No. Game. Then.
We didn't play BC in Oct 2007. Nope, don't remember that. Must have been a sunny day, I was probably outside.
Prancin' around the barn. Eatin grass. Doin Horse things all day
Horsin' around.
*shun
ZING
Mine isn't football, but I had a ticket to the game in, what, 2004, when we beat Duke at Cassell and I lived about 500 feet from the coliseum. Didn't go. My seat was probably the only empty one in the house.
Basketball for me too.
The ONLY home game that I missed while at school was the Hokies with Dell Curry beating almost #1 Memphis State.
I decided to go home and visit my parents that weekend.
I still regret that decision.
Mine's a basketball game as well. I had a ticket to the Duke game when College Gameday was in town. Unfortunately, my girlfriend at the time (and now current wife) didn't. So after not being able to find another ticket, I gave mine to a friend so his girlfriend could go with him. After cheering in my girlfriend's apartment when the game ended, I glared at her for quite some time. I still remind her of it to this day.
The Texas A&M hurricane game....I saw (I think) about half of the first quarter before our power went out. Had to listen to the game on the radio from there on.
me too, lost power in staunton but my dad maybe 10 miles away had power throughout. i kept calling and annoying him for updates. i remember him saying the stands just looked like a huge party.
I had to go home for fall break in 2011 for the Miami game. PISSED.
The Nebraska game was my Freshman year. I hadn't been home yet but my sister had her first cheerleading competition that Saturday. I didn't win a ticket in the lottery so I decided to go home and support her.
So to recap, I was getting updates on the Nebraska game from a website on a not very smartphone while at a cheerleading competition (I know, I'm an idiot)
Anyway, I thought we were done for and had given up hope, we go to a restaurant after the competition and as we pull into the parking lot, the crappy gamecast I was on updates and shows that we just jumped about 75 yards in an instant. I proceed to sprint into the restaurant (which I worked at at the time), went straight to the bar and asked whoever would listen, "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!!!" I was in VT gear and some Nebraska fans just said "We just blew it." I then proceeded to watch the end of the game and almost conviced my parents to drive me back to Blacksburg that night to partake in the celebrations that I'm sure followed.
For me its tomorrow night I have to fucking work I wont be able to start #BEATBAMA on the DVR untill about 12:30 am after i get off work.
Damn. I'll cheer extra loud.in your absence, man.
Thank you sir!
I was in Shanghai for work during the Nebraska game in 2009. After having gone out to Lincoln in 2008 I was bummed that I would miss the chance to return the hospitality that we received to their visiting fans in Lane. I ended up watching the game via a bootleg video link provided by VTPhreak and due to the time zone differences I was up very early and screaming in my hotel during the last two minutes. I was texting and emailing back and forth to my friends in the US about how shitty the game was going for us and then, boom. Danny Fucking Coale. I would have loved to have been there for that game.
I also missed the complete shellacking of Miami's backness that same year while in Paris. I did manage to catch bits of it on ESPN International but ended up passing out after the game was well in hand. Hated to miss that too since I love a good foul weather game in Lane.
I also missed the game against USCw in 2004 due to a friends wedding. No TV, no internet (out in the sticks) so I didn't even find out the score until I got back to the hotel and managed to catch it on the ESPN crawler. I still haven't seen any more from that game than the phantom PI sequence and it still makes my stomach turn to think of what might have been. 2004 remains one of my all time favorite Hokie squads.
Pretty much the entire 1995 season. I wasn't a Hokie yet, as I was just a junior in high school who had no concept that college football was a thing, so it isn't I like I knew what I was missing.
But the Sugar Bowl win over Texas at the end of that season was what put Virginia Tech football on the map. I wish I could've experienced it live.
I road-tripped to the '95 Sugar Bowl win over Texas, before I was even a student; I had that school pride while still at TCC.
My hurricane evacuation plans were based around the Thursday night kick-off when we hosted TA&M. My son said his first words that night during the intro, "I'm gonna get it". Obviously he was inspired as well.
But the one I missed seeing was the '99 win over WVa when Vick drove down the field and got them into the NC game. My local broadcast cut away from the game in the middle of the 4th quarter, and I was afraid I'd miss it if I drove to a local pub (like that was possible in my condition.) I called my buddy in Blacksburg and got a play-by-play for the rest of the 4th quarter. So glad he answered his phone!
The same buddy missed the second half of the Miami win in 2011 driving his cousin to the ER. His cousin cut his finger off while making homemade beer during the game. Should've called me, I could have helped...
Was driving from VA to GA, so I didn't get to see 38-0. Listened to it on SiriusXM, so I guess that counts for something... but it's not the same as witnessing the Hoo tears in Lane Stadium North.
Every year I watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" with my kids and I tell them the story is based on the Hokies coming down from the mountains every year and ruining Christmas plans for all the 'Hoos in Hooville. Last year it was Exum (and Logan) pulling the sleigh.
There's no way we're the Grinch. The Grinch steals Christmas. We give the Hoos a Christmas with their family and remove the burden of paying for hotels, flights, and tickets for a bowl game.
I like the way you think
VT v Miami 2009 -
We were camping on the AT up near Grayson Highlands. It was pouring rain there also, and we decided to hike up to the summit of Mt Rogers in the rain just because.
On the way we passed by one of the AT shelters and some dudes had a Sony Walkman style radio with the game on. One guy was listening with headphones and giving the details, and the other two were slapping five hanging on his every word. We sat with them in the rain for the entire 4th qtr.
The crazy thing is you don't usually expect to find football nuts at a shelter on the AT in the rain; usually its just your basic AT Hippie nuts.
One of the best backpacking trips ever.
I've only "missed" two games, the 1995 Cincinnati loss in the rain (field trip for ecology class) and the '07(?) Glennon-beats-GT-in-their-practice-jersey game (work function).
I have, however, chosen not to watch a number of games the last few years because they didn't hold my interest....like BGSU/Austin Peay/Duke last year and the infamous JMU game. I don't like cupcake games, I've got too much other stuff to do to give 3 hours of my time to watching something we better win.
I love Glennon in the practice jersey. At least when he threw it to the team in the opposite uniform, it was to our receivers. That game is classic. Halloween spooky
I AM THE SISTER OF VTIIMB! READ HER BLOG WHILE AT WORK AND DID EVERYTHING I COULD TO KEEP FROM CRYING! MEMORIES OF VA. TECH FOOTBALL WITH OUR FATHER ARE VERY PRECIOUS! HOKIE FOOTBALL IS IN OUR BLOOD....IT'S PART OF OUR LEGACY! DAD'S CANCER CAME BACK RIGHT AFTER THE LAST VA TECH FOOTBALL HE EVER WENT TO IN OCTOBER 2008. HE HAD A BRAIN TUMOR REMOVED IN NOVEMBER AND DAYS AFTER AS HE WAS RECUPERATING IN THE HOSPITAL...HE WASN'T QUITE SURE OF WHAT YEAR IT WAS OR WHO WAS THE PRESIDENT, BUT BY GOLLY, WE WERE WATCHING THE HOKIES ON TV AND I ASKED HIM WHO WAS #55 AND HE WAS ABLE TO TELL ME WITHOUT A SECOND TO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT. NOW THAT'S ONLY A GLIMPSE OF HOW WE WERE EXPOSED TO AND LOVED VA TECH FOOTBALL. DAD GRADUATED IN '49.....I GRADUATED IN '78. DAD IS GONE NOW BUT HIS SPIRIT REMAINS WITH US AND THEREFORE, WHEN WE SIT IN THE STANDS AT LANE STADIUM, IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW LOUD THE CROWD GETS.....WE CAN STILL HEAR DAD'S CHEERS THE MOST!!! SO....TALK ABOUT THE MOST MEMORABLE GAME YOU DIDN'T SEE.....WELL, DAD MAY NOT BE AT ANY MORE GAMES, BUT HE'S WATCHING EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.....AND HE'S GOT SEASON TICKETS WITH THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE!!!
Welcome and thanks for the story, BornHokie. Here's to your dad, and I'm sure we'll see his impact tonight. Let's go.
Thank you for your comments! Glad you appreciated my story and thank you for thinking that my dad would still have an impact on tonight's game. Somehow, I feel in my heart...that he will still be cheering the Hokies on!!! We may not have the best season this year in light of so many "disappointments" before we even get started....but it's still HOKIE FOOTBALL...and so........LET'S GO - HOKIEEEEEES!!!