For those who go to Virginia Tech football games, you will notice jerseys that hang in the north end zone of Lane Stadium.
The numbers signify the retired jersey numbers and names in the history of Virginia Tech football.
Everybody knows #7, Michael Vick.
As a Hokie, Vick finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting for the 2000 season. He was selected as the number one draft pick in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and still has the most career rushing yards at 6,109 by a quarterback in NFL history.
Then there’s coach Frank Beamer, who is the most winning coach in Virginia Tech’s history, with 280 career victories, ranking 13th most by a college football coach in all NCAA divisions. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Beamer played for the Hokies from 1966-1968 before becoming Virginia Tech’s head coach from 1987-2015. Beamer’s #25 is worn every week by one VT special teams player to pay tribute to his legacy of excellence.
Coach Bud Foster owns the lunch pail tradition. He moved to Blacksburg with Beamer and coached the Hokies from 1987-2019, making him the longest serving assistant coach at the same school. Foster was recognized as the 2000 American Football Coaches Association Defensive Coordinator of the Year after helping Virginia Tech to the 1999 Sugar Bowl.
Those names everybody knows, but what about the rest?
The first retired number in Virginia Tech athletic history belongs to #84, Super Bowl champion Carroll Dale. Mr. Dale, from Wise County’s very own J.J. Kelly High School, played 14 NFL seasons and amassed 52 receiving touchdowns and 438 receptions for 8,277 receiving yards.
He was an integral part of the 1960’s Green Bay Packers, winning two Super Bowls alongside Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr. In 1979, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame. He still lives in Wise County.
Frank Loria, #10, was a defensive back for the Hokies from 1965-1967. He started every game the Hokies played throughout his three-year career and was known as a “coach on the field” due to his remarkable ability to recognize opposing team’s plays during a game. He tragically died as a coach with the Marshall football team in the 1970 airplane disaster.
Another defensive legend, Bruce Smith was a defensive end for VT from 1981-1984. As a Hokie, he was known as the “Sack Man.”
Smith entered the 1985 NFL Draft, where he was the first overall pick selected by the Buffalo Bills. Smith played 19 seasons in the NFL and remains the all-time career leader in sacks with 200.
In 2009, Smith was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
#73 Jim Pyne was a guard and center for Virginia Tech from 1990-1993. Pyne was Tech’s first player to be unanimously selected as All-American. In the NFL, Pyne played nine seasons before becoming an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints in the early 2000s. Pyne is on the ballot for the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame along with Vick.
Cornell Brown claims #58. Brown attended VT and played football as a linebacker for the Hokies from 1993-1996. The Baltimore Ravens selected Brown in the 1997 NFL draft and he earned a Super Bowl ring with Baltimore when the Ravens defeated the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.
#64 belongs to Jake Grove. Grove attended Virginia Tech and played football as a center from 2000-2003. While at Tech, he won the Rimington Trophy for being the best center in college football and he was recognized as a unanimous All-American. In the second round of the 2004 NFL draft he was selected by the Oakland Raiders and later played for the Miami Dolphins. In 2006, Grove was honored by being inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
Corey Moore was a linebacker for the Hokies from 1996-1999, and he became Virginia Tech's most honored football player following the 1999 season. Moore received the Lombardi Award, which goes to a collegiate player who best embodies the spirit and values of Vince Lombardi, and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the best defensive player in college football according to the Football Writers Association of America. Moore was selected by The Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2000 NFL draft and later played for the Miami Dolphins. In 2010, Moore’s #58 was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
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