VT Stories Oral History with Frank Beamer, June 7, 2018 (Ms2016-015)

ï"¿Ren Harman: Thank you again for sitting around and to share your VT story with us. To get us started can you just tell me when and where you were born and a little bit about your early life and growing up? I'm

Frank Beamer: I was born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, but that's right across the line from where I grew up in Fancy Gap, Virginia. I grew up on a farm. My dad actually worked with the highway department. My mom was an elementary school teacher. I grew up on a farm. We had chores. My mom and dad at an early age kind of taught me something there, that we would go out and milk the cows, sell the milk and then we would get a paycheck from that milk, so I kind of learned that part of life early. And then one interesting story is my sister I went to her 1:00recital, a piano recital and I was about 7 years old. On the way home I kind of liked seeing her up there in front of people playing the piano and they were clapping for her and all that, and so on the way home I said, "You know I would like to learn how to play the piano." My mom said, "You would?" I said, "Yeah." She said, "Well I'll tell you what, if you will take piano lessons, if you will practice in the morning then you won't have to go out and milk the cows," and I said, "What a deal." How much better could this be? But I did that for about three years and can't play a lick to this day. I didn't have the musical talent.

Ren: So you were named after the President, right, Franklin?

Frank: Hmm.

Ren: You said your parents were loyal Democrats.

Frank: They were.

Ren: And Mitchell was a family name?

Frank: Yes.

Ren: I want to ask you about Hillsville a little bit. You said it was a four red light town but there was a joke there, right?

Frank: Yeah, the problem was all four lights were at one intersection, but it was just a real small town, but good people, caring people. I love to say I'm from Hillsville, Virginia, and actually I'm from a little suburb of Hillsville -- Fancy Gap, Virginia, but I'm proud to be from that part of the country.

Ren: Your father was from a pretty big family, right?

Frank: Hmm, he did... I think three brothers and four sisters I believe is what it was. But they came up working hard on a farm and they got some great values 3:00at an early age also.

Ren: You said he was quiet and didn't talk a whole lot.

Frank: No, he didn't talk a lot but when he did talk you listened, and if he was talking in a high voice you really listened because he was upset. He was very much a disciplinarian, stern but easygoing at the same time.

Ren: Your mother, Herma, a strong believer in education, right?

Frank: No question, an elementary schoolteacher. She actually started out in a one-room schoolhouse that had 1 through 7 grades there, then about when I was in the fifth grade actually we got an elementary school and consolidated all the 4:00one-room schoolhouses, and she taught fifth grade at the elementary school.

Ren: In reading your book you talked about that your parents produced four college graduates at a time and a place where that was pretty rare and I think you said that kind of reinforced your mother's belief in the power of education.

Frank: Yeah. We're from an area where not everyone went to college. You just didn't assume okay I'm going to finish high school and go to college. But there was never any doubt in our family that we were going to continue on and get our degree from a college so that we could get out and compete in the world. That was just something that, and I think it goes back to my mom being a teacher, but my dad - common sense and understanding that you've got to put yourself in the 5:00best position to compete for jobs out there.

Ren: When talking about growing up on a farm and we've interviewed out of these 200 interviews we've done or so some other people who grew up on a farm and they really talk about the chores and the hard work, and you alluded to it a little bit earlier. What did that teach you about life? What did it teach you about hard work? And another thing I found was funny in your book, you said you felt as if they were killing your buddies out there in the slaughterhouse, which made me laugh. [Laughs]

Frank: Yeah. Well number one growing up on a farm I realized very quickly I wanted to get off that farm. I wasn't meant to be a farmer, and nothing against them, that's a great occupation but it just wasn't what I wanted to do in life.

But I do think we put up hay during the summer. I worked for my next door neighbor who would pay me some money to help put up hay. I think you learn hard work and that's the way to go about life and make you a little money and the harder you work and the more hours you work the more you can make. I don't know, I think all those values stayed with me throughout life.

Ren: I know you've talked a lot about this, the accident in June of 1954. You were just 7 years old when this happened; can you just tell that story if you don't mind?

Frank: Well it involved gasoline and we were cleaning out the garage and had taken the trash out to burn and I didn't realize a broom had caught on fire and 7:00it got back next to gasoline and exploded in my face. Had my brother not been there and got me rolling over in the grass you know I probably would have died right there really. That was when I was 7 years old, so I had after that several operations, 30-something operations and not all of them were successful. Back then you know the technology and knowledge wasn't what it is today, but some of them... I had an area here that there was movement and they just had a hard time getting the skin grafts to grow. And I really I'll tell you, it's kind of a guy before his time, Dr. Martin was his name, but he finally got a tube of skin and he took it up off my back and they brought it around. They got it growing on my 8:00back from the top and to the bottom, two places. Then when they got that good and healthy and growing they took it loose at the bottom and brought it around to my face and got that growing, got the blood circulating and so forth, and then brought the rest of it around. Really I know that wasn't a common practice, it was something that...

Ren: Pretty cutting edge.

Frank: Yeah, the guy was really ahead of his time.

Ren: And this was in Pulaski Hospital.

Frank: Yeah.

Ren: You said you stayed there for three months?

Frank: Yeah. During the summer for about the next three or four years we would go have an operation. I would come home for a week, go have another operation, come home for a week and that's kind of how I spent my summers.

Ren: When reading, of course I had heard you tell this story before, what I 9:00really liked about you talking about your mother's attitude, and this is similar to how I was raised as well, the lesson she kind of taught you during this time was pretty I think influential in your life about looking at other people and seeing that you don't have it as bad.

Frank: Yeah. I would get feeling sorry for myself. I would be in the hospitals and my buddies were running around playing baseball in the summer and I would feel sorry for myself and moaning and groaning a little bit and she would say, "Get up. Get up out of that bed." And then we would go walking down the hall of the hospital and you know it wasn't long at all before we saw 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 people that had it worse than I had. She wasn't going to let me sit there and feel sorry for myself. It was hey, we've got an issue here. We're going to take care of it and attack the problem and that's kind of how I tried to coach all those years and it was a valuable lesson.

Ren: Do you think that you were ever treated differently by your parents, by your family, friends because of the amount of surgeries and things that you were kind of going through?

Frank: I think my brothers and sisters would say yes, that they always thought I was treated with a little more kindness and allowed to do more things than they were, and probably so to a degree.

Ren: And you were the baby of the family.

Frank: Yes, I was the fourth child of four. But you know it's a close family, respectful of each other and I'm proud of my family.

Ren: You know a lot of alumni that we have interviewed and especially alumni of my age have shared their first experience of Virginia Tech by attending a football game, the majority of which you were the head coach. This was kind of similar for you as well. Can you talk a little bit about your uncle?

Frank: Yeah. My Uncle Sherrill, my mom's brother graduated from Virginia Tech, was in the Corps here. He was the one that brought us over to football games -- my brother, myself. And this was when the old stadium, the Miles Stadium was where they played, and I can remember I mean you're talking about excited and think that nothing could be better than this, coming over and watching Carroll Dale and Sunny Utz, Bob Schweickert, all those guys, they were my heroes. Watching them play for Virginia Tech nothing was better than that.

Ren: When you first saw the campus of Virginia Tech do you remember how old you were and do you remember what that day was like?

Frank: Well I really saw the stadium and then I do remember walking down toward 12:00War Memorial Gym. I actually went to some basketball games in there. But you know at that time what I remember is the drill field and there were some buildings around it and that was about it, a few dorms, but that was about it.

Ren: When you were a student at Hillsville High, which is now Carroll County High School following the consolidation of Woodlawn and Hillsville, you were quite the athlete. Can you talk a little bit about your high school career both athletic and academic achievements?

Frank: Yeah, I wasn't a great athlete there just wasn't many people playing, but I did play football and then I tried to play basketball, and then I tried to play baseball. We didn't have a track at that time so I wasn't involved there, but football, baseball, and basketball were my three sports. And you know I can 13:00remember my dad like I said worked for the Highway Department but he would be there for our baseball games. We played down in this little valley and I would always look up there and he usually was there. He might not be there for the first inning for before the game was over he would be there. Mom came. They were very supportive. If you were playing and interested in doing this then we're going to be watching.

Ren: Eleven varsity letters is that correct?

Frank: Hmm, I think so.

Ren: So out of those sports why football? Was that just your favorite?

Frank: Well it was the only ticket out. My high school coach Tommy Thompson and his assistant Marty Dowdy got this idea that they were going to go up and look 14:00at the Baltimore Colts when John Unitas was playing. We were going to be different and you can imagine most of the football back then was a quarterback under center and taking the ball and turning around and give it to a back. And the running game was basically what high school football was for the most part. But they got this idea that we're going to be different and learn the passing game and so they went to the Baltimore Colts, stayed there about a week, watched them practice and came back with some of the concepts from the Baltimore Colts. And we installed this at Hillsville High School and so now we started throwing the ball when hardly anyone else was throwing. Number one we were doing something different and then number two people didn't really know how to defend 15:00it very well, so as a result I think I threw in two years 33 -- 32-33 touchdown passes.

Ren: Wow.

Frank: Which was kind of unique and it's really what got me to Virginia Tech. Had a couple of articles in the Roanoke Times and that time there wasn't a limit on scholarships, so I came in with a class of 66 guys and there was about ten quarterbacks in that class. At that time the quarterback usually was the best athlete on the team so they would bring quarterbacks in and make them other things and I didn't stay a quarterback very long, but it got me probably to Virginia Tech. I wasn't certainly heavily recruited. I think it was one of those 16:00things hey here's a guy in the State of Virginia that we're reading a lot about, why aren't you recruiting him for Virginia Tech? That's kind of how it came about.

Ren: Who came and signed...? When you had to sign your letter of intent who did they send?

Frank: [Chuckles] Well number one, I will never forget, they called and of course we had one phone in the house and it was right in the middle of the house in the hallway and it was a coach from Virginia Tech, not Coach Claiborne, it was an assistant coach that called and said, "Hey, we want to offer you a scholarship." Well I didn't let him get off the line. I accepted right away. I said I don't want him to get off and say, "Why did we do that?" and withdraw the offer, so I accepted right on the phone. And then in those days they sent out their coaches to go sign the guys. And I realized kind of where I was on the 17:00ladder when they sent the baseball coach to my house to get the signature. I wasn't high on the priority list.

Ren: I was reading that in your book and I started laughing and my wife she goes, "What are you laughing about?" I told her and she thought it was funny. I know for your first football as a freshman you said 60-something guys were on the scholarship. By the time you were a senior there was about 13 left and the second day of practice you were moved from quarterback to defensive back.

Frank: Yes.

Ren: You said you played in the first game on Lane stadium but you didn't play.

Frank: I was on the field. I stood over there and like I said we had a bunch of quarterbacks. I think at that time maybe I was still a quarterback. I might have been moved already, I forget, but I never got in a game. And I can remember Blacksburg High School had a game that night and it was a Friday and they had a 18:00game that night and I went over and got over on the hill by myself. I didn't want to see anyone. I was embarrassed I didn't get in the game, and really I questioned am I good enough? Should I be here and so forth, but I kept plugging along and it all worked out.

Ren: When you came in as a freshman and deciding what you were going to major in how did you kind of come to that decision and did it change over time?

Frank: Well, I tell you, having been in the hospital all those years and I used to like I said I was 7, 8, 9-years old I used to have my little doctor kit and go around with the doctors to room to room checking on the patients, and coming out of there I said when I grow up I want to be a doctor. Then I realized you 19:00had to be smart to be a doctor. What happened I got into a vocational education degree and didn't think about coaching really. I just was going to get a degree from Virginia Tech, but then the summer that I was getting ready to graduate I suddenly realized I didn't have football in my life anymore and so I was able to get a coaching job over at Radford High School, but to coach I had to teach math. I had always liked math and had taken quite a bit of math here, but I had to go back to school here during the summer and take two more math classes so I would be qualified to teach math at Radford High School.

Ren: One thing that we like to talk about when we do these interviews is if you 20:00had any professors or mentors that you can remember, I'm sure you had coaches being a member of the football team, did you have any professors that really mentored you or were influential in your academic career?

Frank: The head of our department Lucy Crawford was the sweetest lady and most caring lady you could ever imagine. I mean she -- when you talked to her about what should I be taking, what should I do here, I mean you could tell that she really cared that she was giving you the right information. There were several professors that really made an impact but I think she would be the one that made the biggest impact on me as I went through college here.

Ren: What are some of your favorite memories or experiences from your time as a 21:00student athlete during those four years?

Frank: Oh, you know I remember the games. I remember Florida State coming in here with Ron Sellers and a big old tall receiver and they were throwing the ball back then and threw it on us pretty good too. I remember playing at Wake Forest and that was kind of the other school I really considered going to. Basically they and VMI were about the only schools that showed any interest in me until I got that call from Virginia Tech. William & Mary, Richmond, VMI, we played that game on Thanksgiving Day. My uncle had taken me to Roanoke Victory Stadium to see them play VMI and those were big games within the state, but they 22:00were big games on our schedule back then. So those are some of my memories about Virginia Tech football.

Ren: I want to ask you the story that you tell in your book of your friend ripping the sink off the wall and flooding the dormitory.

Frank: Oh... All of us lived together in Miles Hall on the second floor or first floor, first second and third floor really on one end. And you know how guys will get around and messing around. Well I was laying in actually my bed in a room with Mike Widger and Mike and a couple of other guys got to talking about who was stronger, who was the most explosive. One of them got to the point 23:00where, "I'll show you how explosive and how strong I am," and took the sink and ripped it right off, so here we go. And this is late at night. This is like 11:30, so here we are, water is pouring out down the hallway. We got our towels out there mopping it up and rather than being asleep like I should have been I'm out there wiping up water.

Ren: You said you were a member of the Monogram Club also. Were you involved in any other kind of student activities besides football?

Frank: Well I was honored to get initiated into ODK, Omicron Delta Kappa, an honorary fraternity, and then I was president of the Monogram club when I was here and it wasn't exactly as it should have been. When I think back now I wish 24:00I had been a little more demanding and active, but we had those two things going.

Ren: On the reverse side of that question were there any difficult experiences or times that you can remember during your time as a student?

Frank: Not really as a student. My difficult times was getting on the football field and back then Coach Claiborne ran a very tough program. I can remember just sitting around dreading the practice that day. There was a lot more hitting going on. We had this thing bull in the ring where a guy would get in the middle and you would hit every guy there and the drill was over when everyone was bleeding. I said if it had been today what we did then if it had been today 25:00there would be a group of lawyers right out there outside the gate ready to get a lawsuit going, but that's the way most every program was. I mean it was tough, but I think things have kind of gotten better. I know things have gotten better in that regard.

Ren: You talk about a fight against Villanova and you decided to stay out.

Frank: Yeah. [Chuckles] I was over there on the sideline and all of a sudden, I forget how it started exactly, but I remember looking out down about the 10-yard line and all of a sudden we were fighting. I went running towards the fight and 26:00was going to help out my teammates and as I got closer I just realized everybody is just swinging for everybody. I mean it wasn't real well organized. So I kind of veered off and moved on over here to the sidelines and just kind of watched. I said I think I'll sit this one out. Go boys. You guys go.

Ren: So when you arrived in 1965 to when you graduated in 1969 there was a lot of societal and cultural change happening in our country. Do you remember any big changes, any things happening here in Blacksburg or was it still kind of the quiet town?

Frank: Yeah, I don't remember anything big. It was just kind of a college town that I thought was pretty neat. You know the fraternities were the big thing and 27:00most of them would let athletes, football guys into the fraternity. I wasn't in a fraternity but most of the houses you could go to.

I remember my freshman year I was a little homebody so every weekend I would head home and that was my comfort level. Then as I got here my sophomore year and got involved a little bit more and got going to a few fraternity houses I hardly ever went home. Blacksburg -- Virginia Tech kind of grew on me and I like it a lot to this day, you know, and very proud of it.

Ren: Your graduating class of 1969 had a lot of other notable Hokies in that class, can you talk a little bit about them and kind of how people may know them?

Frank: Yeah. I just was with Ray Smoot, named a road for him over at the Research Center. He was one. Throw me the other names out there.

Ren: Charles Steger.

Frank: Oh yeah, Charles Steger, very proud of what he did here. I told people when I first knew him I didn't know that he would be a great president. You know he's very quiet and very unassuming, but the more I was around him what a great president he was. I mean he had a knack of listening, doing, persuading, big ideas, smart ideas, so he ended up being a great great president. Tom Tiller who 29:00is very active here at Virginia Tech, was in that class.

Ren: Joe Meredith.

Frank: Yes, Joe Meredith certainly has had a distinguished career and so we really, you know, when we all get together, used to when we would get together we would always talk about okay let's don't talk about our grades, our SAT scores, our transcripts, but some very successful people.

Ren: Your 50th Anniversary is next spring which I'm sure you will be involved in in some capacity.

Frank: Yeah.

Ren: I want to ask you about how you met your wife and this is I guess towards your senior year. Can you tell that story?

Frank: [Chuckles] Thank goodness it was my senior year because you know like I 30:00said I got involved with those fraternity parties and I kind of gotten to the point where we were settling down a little bit, but Waddey Harvey was a guy I played football here at Virginia Tech and his wife at the time, Sheila, had a sister Cheryl. And Cheryl had come up here several times and I think just would sit at home with Waddey and Sheila, so she said, "The next time I come would ya'll get me a date with somebody up there?" She went to Avery College. And so they chose me, which thank goodness and so we went on a date and the rest was 31:00history. We continued to date for a few years and she's been a wonderful wife and a wonderful mother, you know. I'm glad -- I'm really glad Sheila and Wattie picked me out of the lineup.

Ren: Out of the media guy.

Frank: Yeah, out of the media guy, that's right.

Ren: Maybe they went in alphabetical order, right at the top. So you were married in April of 1972. Where did kind of life take you once you got married, once you graduated with your degree which is in distribution education, is that correct?

Frank: Yeah, hmm.

Ren: Where did life kind of take you after that?

Frank: Well like I said I went back and got some math classes so I could teach math at Radford High School, so that's where I started out. Harold Absher was the coach and then Norm Lineburg came in, so I was fortunate to be with some great coaches there and taught math. We had a wonderful... It was a small 32:00program, a small school but it was just unbelievable how many great football players we had come through there and there was about seven I think that went on to play major college football, several here at Tech and Mike [00:32:25 Moff] went to Tennessee and I mean just a bunch of good players. So now Coach Claiborne is at Maryland and George Fazekas is coming back to this area. He's on the staff there and of course George and I have played together. Now they are trying to get about three or four of those guys to come to Maryland, and George I know to this day said, "Well if we can get Frank to come as a graduate assistant that will help us to get some of these other kids to come along with 33:00him and go north." You know you didn't north very much to college at Maryland.

Of course it's a big university and it's right there in the metropolitan area and it was going to take something a little bit extra to get some kids from Radford, Virginia to go to College Park Maryland. So sure enough went there as a graduate assistant with Coach Claiborne. It was his first year there and we got I don't know, about three or four guys went to Maryland and played there and so that's how I kind of got into it.

Ren: Do you remember how much you made that first year as a graduate assistant?

Frank: [Laughs] I think at that time they didn't have a limit on how many graduate assistants you could have, and so I came in there and I think there was 34:00four other guys, and George Fazekas said, "You know we're not paying much. I think Coach Claiborne will talk to you about it, I think it might be $150 a month." I said, and you know I wasn't making a lot of money but teaching school and coaching high school I was making quite a bit more than that and I said, "Well I'm one of his guys." I mean I played for him here at Tech and these other guys that were coming in there didn't. Ralph Friedgen was one that played at Maryland and Charlie Rizzo had come from Auburn. But anyhow I said, "I'm one of his own. I'm sure he will pay me a little bit more." I got in there and he says, "Frank I'll pay you what I'm paying everybody else, $150 a month." [Chuckles] I said, "Okay, all right. I overestimated my value here." But we started out 35:00working for $150 a month.

Ren: Wow.

Frank: I will never forget we were at Springhill Lake Apartments we went over and the rent was $500 a month or something like that, so you fill out the form that said how much you were making and I put down $150 month. Well the rent was $500 so I will never forget the lady she was reading the form, she had those glasses up and she looked up above and started shaking her head and said, "Nah, this is not going to work." I said, "No, no, no, my wife is going to work. We're going to get her a job over at the university and we will be able to..." She goes, "Nah. This is not going to..." So thank goodness Cheryl's parents were there and they cosigned for us to get an apartment at Springhill Lake Apartments.

Ren: Wow. So were in Maryland for a year and then you left and were at The 36:00Citadel. In March of 1977 you had a pretty life-altering event with the birth of your son. Can you talk a little bit about your son Shane?

Frank: Yeah. You know we went to The Citadel with Bobby Ross and we were right there on campus. I mean it was a great experience and that's where my son Shane was born, our first kid Cheryl and I. You know it was just a great place. Where we were on campus there was a track where they did all the track stuff right outside our window really. My wife worked at the library. She could walk to work, just a great situation, a great family situation. Ralph Friedgen was in 37:00the same building. They had a daughter Kelly the same age as Shane. There was just so much that turned out right as you look back at it.

Ren: Shortly after his birth you were hired as the defensive coordinator at Murray State. Can you talk a little bit about Murray State Racers?

Frank: [Laughs] Oh my goodness. I had never heard of Murray State. Ron Zook who was coaching there at the time, Mike Godfrey was the head coach, he came out and actually came out to The Citadel to learn the defense. They wanted to run an eight-man front defense which we were running and Bud still runs kind of the same thing today, but he came out to learn a defense and stayed about three or 38:00four days with us and then talked me in to coming out and taking a look at Murray State. And like I said I had never heard of it. Well I got out there and it was a great school. Their stadium was bigger than our stadium. It only had seats on one side but it was really a big stadium. Had good press spots and as a result I fell in love with it out there and with what they were doing and decided to take a job. So I remember going in the first time you go to Nashville and then go over and you get on a two-lane road and go through land between the lakes. I can remember Cheryl, and she didn't go with me on the visit. I wasn't really interested in this place but once I got there I got interested.

And so I didn't take Cheryl with me for the interview. So I will never forget we were on that two-lane road and Cheryl saying, "Where are you taking me?" I tell people I took her in there, she was kicking and screaming, didn't want to go. And then we got there and made friends, made great friends and loved the area and then I said when we left there she was kicking and screaming because she didn't want to leave. But those are some of my better days at Murray State University.

Ren: Yeah. You said 1981 was a big year for you and your family. Can you talk about maybe the two events? You were named head coach at the age of 34 and then the birth of your daughter.

Frank: Yeah, yeah, yeah. First, Casey our daughter what a joy. You know we have 40:00been blessed. Had a son Shane, could not be more proud of a guy. Married a great girl Emily and he's got three kids now. And then my daughter Casey could not be more proud of my daughter. She married a great guy and they've got two guys and a gal on the way, and so we've been blessed in that regard to have her. And then to be named a head coach of Virginia Tech, and I always thought, it's hard to plan these things out, but I always thought... Well I got the head coach at 41:00Murray State when Mike Godfrey left to go to Cincinnati, I got elevated to the head coach, stayed there for a few years. But I always thought I was going to have to go to another level, the next level, I mean Old Dominion or East Carolina or Furman, next level up before I could get to a Virginia Tech or a UVA or a Maryland or Michigan or whatever. But thank goodness [00:41:39 Dutch Bachman] and I didn't know Dutch, but he came to interview me. He was athletic director, a newly appointed athletic directly and we met in a hotel in Nashville and did not know each other. But we got to talking and visiting with each other 42:00and just hit it off.

I will never forget we went in the morning then took a little time for lunch, came back, a little while in the afternoon, took a little time off and I remember going and we were going to meet back for dinner and I remember going back to the room and telling Cheryl, "I think I want to get this job." And sure enough he offered me the job later on that night or the next day I think it was. But we just hit it off. We kind of had the same values and he was a cowboy from Texas and I was a country guy from Virginia. I don't know we just kind of hit it off and I think he could see my care and love for Virginia Tech, which certainly helped. But I skipped that next step and got the job at Virginia Tech and spent 43:00the next 29 years here.

Ren: At your introductory press conference you raised a couple of eyebrows. You said, and I'm just quoting here, "This is a dream come true. We've got a winning tradition at Virginia Tech and we can build on that. I really think that someday we can play for national championships here." And as I said you raised a couple of eyebrows with that comment. How did that make you feel at that time?

Frank: Well my brother was in the back of the room and he said that when I said that he was like, "Are you crazy?" [Laughs] But you know I've always kind of been why not? I mean this is a great state for football. At that time we were independent, but a lot of people were. South Carolina and a lot of people, Georgia Tech I think, a lot of people were independent. You know Virginia is a 44:00great state for recruiting. You go north a little bit you get into a lot of population. Why not? Why can't Virginia Tech be as good or better than most of them out there. And that's kind of the way, I was stating exactly how I felt about things.

Now, later on you realize when everybody kind of -- going into leagues you needed to be in a league, right, because that was your avenue to bowl games. That was your avenue to TV and you had to have those things going for you to help keep recruiting and all that. And fortunately we got to the Big East and then we got to the ACC so that worked out, but I was always... It wasn't what's holding us back, it's hey, look at these things we've got to help us get to 45:00where we're going.

Ren: I want to ask you about the NCAA sanctions following your hiring. You said you were kind of unaware of those when you were hired in terms of the success that you were going to be able to have on the field your first few years here.

Frank: Well, I knew there were some things going on. I didn't know the extent. I certainly didn't know that we were going to lose scholarships. It might have been and I have always said I would have taken the job, and it might have been explained more than I remember but I still would have taken the job. But the thing it does and fortunately the administration understood that when you lose scholarships that's the worst punishment you can have, because let's say you lose 30 scholarships over a period of four years or whatever, well that's 30 46:00guys that's not playing in your fourth year when that's when they need to be contributing. They are not there. And we did have a tough time getting going, but we had an administration that said, "Hey, we're not playing with the same deck of cards these other guys have got." So fortunately along with the sanctions I had a very understanding administration and president that understood. And I think they could see that I was going to do things right. I cared about kids graduating and they gave me enough time to work through some areas and get on a winning way.

Ren: So first six seasons and I won't read the records to you, I know you said 47:00that your wife could probably still recount the record during this rough few years, and the first play of your career as a head coach was a special team's return for a touchdown, right?

Frank: Yeah, yeah.

Ren: With those records do you think it would have been -- it would probably be nearly impossible to have those in today's era with this move, quick right?

Frank: Yeah, no question. Like I said I have an understanding administration. They understood that when you lose scholarships it really affects you three or four years down the road. I don't think a coach could survive in today's world with a record like I had after six years. I don't think it would happen.

Ren: You tell a story in your book when Casey was 11 and there was a phone call, someone called your house. Can you share that story with us?

Frank: Yeah. We I think had gone to play West Virginia and lost and someone called the house and I think Casey had come back in and was crying, and so when I got home Cheryl was telling me that she got a phone call and this guy on the other end was telling her what a lousy coach her dad was and he should be fired da-da-da-da. And so I asked Casey I said, "Why didn't you just hang up?" And she said, "Well that would have been impolite. That wouldn't have been the polite thing to do." What? I said well we've raised her here to... But I tried to 49:00explain to her that hey, sometimes -- I will never forget the conversation, sometimes in this business you're up here and sometimes you're down here and we're working our way up and we're going to be okay, it's just a matter of taking some time. So you know that was an interesting time.

Ren: I want to ask you about a guy who has came up in a few of our stories, Eddie Farrell and that he was really a father figure to a lot of the players. I interviewed Phil Rogers and he talked a lot about Eddie. Can you share a little bit about him?

Frank: Eddie was a number one funny guy and number two a great trainer. He could 50:00say things that if somebody else said them you would punch them right in the mouth. I will never forget one game someone had fallen off a top level of the stadium and Eddie was -- we were there watching the film on Sunday after the game on Saturday and Eddie was telling the story to our whole staff about you know this guy fell off the stadium. I said, "Well what happened to him?" He said, "Well he got so excited when ya'll actually scored a touchdown that he actually jumped off." [Laughs] I said, "Oh man." After I threw Eddie out of our 51:00staff room, he could say stuff that you would be punching somebody in the mouth. But he had a great way with the kids. The kids loved him, you know, and he would say things to them that if somebody else said they would be punching him in the mouth.

Ren: In 1993 things started to turn around. The team went 9 and 3, was allowed to play in the Independence Bowl. How did that make you feel? Did you feel like you were relieved in a big way?

Frank: Really? Oh my goodness. That was the greatest Bowl ever. We had been around long enough and we needed to go to a Bowl game. You know Coach Dooley's last game they won the Peach Bowl. Kinser kicks the field goal and our fans were 52:00ready to get back to that part of it. Going to the Independence Bowl and going down there and having a great game against Indiana -- won, you know we needed that. The fans needed that, the coach and staff needed that. Our program needed that. That was the greatest Bowl game ever.

Ren: That's the beginning of the Bowl streak which obviously continues today. I want to ask you about the 1999 season. The Hokies finished undefeated and played Florida State and the Sugar Bowl which was the national championship that year. What was that season like and experience going to New Orleans?

Frank: Well fantastic. Michael Vick is the quarterback. Corey Moore just got nominated for Hall of Fame was kind of a defensive leader, and that's two pretty 53:00good places to start with Michael on offense and Corey on defense, but we had a lot of good players. I mean we had a lot of good players. It was a great run and everything just kind of seemed to fall in place. We came back and kicked the field goal Shane Graham against West Virginia that kept us going. You know I tell people all the time we had a team that was good enough for win and as you look back and you go back and replay games you know we tried to fake a field goal, tried to fake a punt. I thought - going in I thought we probably needed to do something special to win the game, but thinking back I think we were good enough to have won it if we had just played it out. Of course had we got our 54:00first down on the fake punt we would have been all right, but when you don't you give up field positions. But we were good enough to win that game, so that's one regret.

And then the other thing is that we never got back to the national championship game and won it. When you think back okay you think about how fortunate you were, how many great things there were, all these different Bowl games you were able to go to, but we never were able to get back to the national championship game and win it. That's the one thing that's void in my life, in our life is not being able to do that.

Ren: You said you never watched the tape from that game. Have you still not even after retirement?

Frank: No. It's just painful. It's there on my shelf but I don't think I will 55:00ever watch it.

Ren: I think that might have been the first time I ever cried as a child watching a football game.

Frank: Yeah.

Ren: My brother was there actually in New Orleans and I was home with family watching. I want to turn to a topic, April 16th was obviously kind of the darkest day in the history of this University. I know this is something that is difficult for everyone to talk about, but can you just kind of take me to that day and what you remember about that day and how you felt about that day?

Frank: Well I remember we were in a staff meeting and then word came in that people had been shot across campus. You know you really think on our campus? It just wouldn't happen. I think Virginia Tech has always been a caring place, 56:00respectful, got your butt kind of place. After that shooting I think we became more of that, more respectful of other people, more caring, more I've got your back. And people come in all the time and talk about you know there's just something different about Virginia Tech. And I think you can't put your finger exactly on it, but I think that togetherness and respect for each other is the deal. And you know I made it a point to get around and people needed to see someone they knew. They needed encouragement.

I will never forget John [Molina] and I were walking around the campus over in front of one of the academic buildings and a girl sitting there on the bench just sobbing. And we sat down with her and talked to her a little bit and, "Hey, 57:00we're going to come through this. We are not going to let one sick individual define who and what Virginia Tech is. We're not going to let that happen. We are going to be stronger. We are going to show the world what a great place this really is," and I think we did that. I really think that's exactly what happened and to this day we haven't let one sick individual define who we are.

Ren: When I interviewed Bill Roth for VT Stories we spent a long time talking about the 2007 season opener against East Carolina. College game day was here. That was the first time, that was my first semester, a freshman and I was in the south end zone. What did you tell your players before that game and what kind of emotions were you feeling when you took the field that day?

Frank: Well I think that was the time everyone was waiting for, the time to come together and all be going in the same direction with the same goal and same purpose and we needed that. We needed to come and be together and to me it was the loudest roar ever coming out of that tunnel. You could just kind of feel it in the whole setting how much we needed each other at that time.

Ren: It felt like such an emotional release and like a cathartic release for so many not just students, but faculty, staff, community members, I'm sure yourself and the team included. Such a memorable game and I won't ask you about the first play of that game which was an interception.

Frank: [Chuckles] Yeah, that kind of killed the enthusiasm quickly.

Ren: I don't we don't have time to cover every major win or loss and I appreciate in the book you kind of talk about some top five wins and your top five losses. Could you talk about each of those, wins and losses that really stick out?

Frank: Well I think wins beating Texas in the '95 Sugar Bowl was extremely important because I think that put us at another level. It was a major Bowl game. It was a major name opponent and to go and win I think it kind of separated us a little bit. I think getting into the Big East, but then when we got into the ACC and then winning it right away kind of said hey we belong. You are great for us ACC but we are going to be great for you. Those are a couple of 60:00things that I remember back.

Ren: I think a hard loss for people of my age was the 2012 Sugar Bowl with the Danny Coale catch.

Frank: Oh my God.

Ren: I know you spent a lot of time in the book kind of biting your nails about that one.

Frank: Yeah. That's one of the most unbelievable things I think I've ever witnessed, been a part of, and then when they review it you think it's going to come out okay and it doesn't. You know it's just Danny made such a great play and then the significance of not turning it around you know that was hard to take. Usually, I think we usually get it right in college football but that was 61:00hard to take.

Ren: One thing I know you are very proud of and that you talk about a lot are two things, is the friendly atmosphere that you built around the team and also the graduation rate among your players. Can you just kind of talk about both of those?

Frank: Well, there was two things I really believed had to happen within the organization and family, caring about each other. I don't know how many times I told our players I just believe that if we care about each other, you care about the coaches, the coaches care about you, you care about your teammates, when we get down there at the one yard line we've got a better chance if we're all going in the same direction and care about each other, getting that ball in the end 62:00zone. And if we're playing defense keeping the other team out of the end zone. So that was just part of what I thought had to take place. Respect, you may not always agree with someone, you may not always like a person as much as you like somebody else, but our success and how we perform there has to be a respect and a caring that we have that's real. That was just part of it. What was the other thing?

Ren: The graduation.

Frank: And then I firmly believe that. The reason you come to Virginia Tech is you need to leave here with a degree. Now if you leave here, you've got your degree and now you are a great player and go on and play in the NFL great, but 63:00if you don't you've got your degree.

And I think we showed our players; I mean at times we let them out of practice to go to a study session. It wasn't just talk, it was this staff is for real and wanting us to graduate. And talking about, I can remember standing up in squad meetings and having people that had graduated stand up and let's give them a hand. I didn't not only talk about it, we made it a real thing in our program that this is what you need to be doing.

Ren: The players and the order in which they ate.

Frank: Friday night we always ate together at the farmhouse whether we were 64:00playing home or away. But whoever -- we ate by grade point average and whoever had the highest grade point average ate first and then we come down and they ate next. And then if you are down there below a 2-point you got what was left, you ate last. But that was another way of saying hey, it's important that we do well academically at Virginia Tech.

Ren: The graduation success rate during your tenure as head coach hovered at 70 and 80% whereas the NCAA average is between 60 and 65%. And also 46 families had fathers, sons or brothers play here. I thought that was wonderful.

Frank: I'm as proud of that as anything. You know if the first son has a bad 65:00experience then the second, third or fourth they are not coming. And then a brother is going to tell a brother if things are not right, but to have all those brother combinations come to Virginia Tech I think it says hey, we did things right. We care about you. We want you to graduate and so I'm very very proud of that.

Ren: I just have a few more questions. Thank you for being so generous with your time. I really appreciate it. You once said that, "I think I will know exactly the right time for me to finish up at Virginia Tech." When did you feel that it was the time to go and how did you come to that decision?

Frank: I said there's two times it's hard to be a head football coach. When 66:00you're real young because people until you've been a coach and had some experience people are reluctant to take a young guy and make them a coach. And then when you get older, and I can't ever remember a guy saying, "I'm not coming to Virginia Tech because I'm not sure you will be there," but I knew every coach that was recruiting against us was telling those recruits, "Look you've got to be careful, Coach Beamer is getting on up in age and he's going to be retiring here pretty soon and whoever you start out with you want to finish with and you don't have a guarantee on that." If it affected one kid, and like I said I never had anybody tell me that, but if it affected one or two over a year, three, and then you multiply that by four or five that's a significant number of people 67:00that's not with you in that fourth and fifth year. And it's a difference between winning ten games, at least ten which we did for a number of years, I forget how many, or going six in six or seven in five which we were doing too much there at the end. We were average for too long. I realized that it was the best thing for Virginia Tech. I have always been a guy what's best for Virginia Tech, and at that point in time with people using my age against us in recruiting it was time to get someone else in here and get some new excitement going and so I knew it was that time, and so that's what we did.

Ren: A hard decision?

Frank: Yeah, very hard. I mean when you've been at one place for 29 years, very difficult. And the fact that my son was here on staff and I really liked that part of it and I had a good coaching staff. And then the lives that you are affecting, not only you are stepping down but now your assistant coach is, the trainers, the academic people are they going to be okay and da-da-day. Yeah, it was tough. It was a tough decision.

Ren: When you retired, bear with me for a moment, your overall Virginia Tech record 238 wins, 121 losses, two ties, the 23-consecutive Bowl streak which continues today. You were named AP Coach of the year in 1999, Big East Coach of the Year in '95, '96, and '99, ACC Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2005, and then 69:00Hall of Fames inductions in 1997, VT Hall of Fame, Virginia Sports Hall of Fame 2017, College Football Hall of Fame 2018, and then your number was retired #25 in 2002. What do all these accomplishing or driving down Beamer Way or entering the team united locker room in honor of Frank Beamer, or having the class ring of 2018 you are the namesake, what do all these accomplishments, all these honors, how does that make you feel?

Frank: Well I'm going to go back to when I was a graduate assistant, and like I said we had more than they do what to do with. So on game day my job was going to be to sit on top of our dress room in the end zone and I was hooked up to our 70:00play caller Jerry Eisman. He was calling off the play and my job was to tell Jerry on each play, they played a [50] defense North Carolina, the first ballgame, I was sitting up on the roof and got my binoculars. I got there early. You know this was my first college coaching deal, right here, right out of Radford High School. I was just telling whether the defensive tackle was a four technique inside shake or five technique outside shake. Like I said I was hooked up to Jerry so first play out and said oh they are in a five technique, the five technique this time. So come out and next play oh they went to a four, they are in a four. Came back the next time well they went back to a five, they went back to a five technique. So like I said I was hooked up to Jerry Eisman but nobody was saying anything back and then I finally said, "Is anybody on this line?" Silence.

Ren: [Laughs]

Frank: I put down my microphone. Put down my binoculars. Sat back. Went home and told Cheryl, "I don't think I'm going to be in college football coaching very long," so that's how I started out. So to end up with those things you mentioned I really have been a blessed guy. Things have just turned out right for me and my family. I've always had good people around me. I mean that's essential. But I look back to this day and think how wonderful my life has been, to have the family I have, to be able to stay at one place for 29 years, a place I love, to how I've had all the great people around me with me I'm a very blessed guy.

Ren: Since your retirement you've been quite busy. Can you talk about your role as the consultant to the Athletic Director here at Virginia Tech and also the college football playoff?

Frank: Yeah. I told the people here at Tech any time that I can help, any time that I can visit with people, as a matter of fact later on today we are going to go up to Northern Virginia and visit with some people, any time I can help if I can, if I don't have another obligation I will be glad to help Virginia Tech. Because I do want to continue to see it grow and get better, and so that still 73:00stands. If I can I'm going to always help Virginia Tech any way I can.

Ren: The college football playoff.

Frank: That's another thing that I'm proud to do. It's a way of giving back. There's 13 people on the committee. They talk a lot about the integrity of the people on this committee. You know every Monday and Tuesday you're in Dallas during the football season, Monday afternoon to Tuesday morning to do this. It's an important deal because there's a lot involved. You want to make sure you get the right four, a lot of money involved, a lot of school pride involved, a lot of alumni pride involved. And then we also pick the teams that will play in the major Bowls, the Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl. It's 74:00really an important function and something I take very seriously and something I'm very honored that they asked me to be on this committee.

Ren: The origins of VT Stories a few years ago there was a Gallup survey that talked about Virginia Tech alumni having this love and affinity for their college and university at such a higher rate than other similar institutions. I know both your son and daughter are both Virginia Tech graduates. What do you think it is about this place, about Virginia Tech and want to come back and support it in the way that they can?

Frank: I think that the things that became stronger after the terrible tragedy we had here on the campus is really what makes Virginia Tech exceptional. The 75:00caring for each other, the respect for each other, the I've got your back for each other. One of the first things, one of my pet peeves when I came here you would walk around campus and no one had a Virginia Tech hat on. It was North Carolina, Notre Dame, Michigan, no one had Virginia Tech. Now you walk around campus and everybody who has a hat on generally has a Virginia Tech hat on, and that's pride in your school and hey I'm proud to be at Virginia Tech. And I think that just shows. I think that just comes out. As time has moved along here 76:00I think that's the difference here than in some places we have that pride, that caring, that respect and we show it, and I think that's Virginia Tech.

Ren: When you look across this campus and kind of the state of the University what inspires you and then also what concerns you?

Frank: Well I think our growth has been tremendous. We lost Dr. Steger the other day but you know the amount of buildings that went up during his time here and the amount of growth that Virginia Tech has had. But with that I still don't think we've lost the caring for each other and that respect for each other. I mean we've gotten larger but our foundation is still there and that's not always 77:00easy to do. It doesn't always happen. But I really think that it happened here and so that's the way I think we are going to continue to get bigger and better, but I don't think we are going to ever lose our foundation, our caring, respecting, got your back. If you're a Hokie you're my friend, that kind of deal. I think we will always keep that.

Ren: Do you have any concerns?

Frank: You know as long as the foundation of our place stays there I mean I think there's going to be troubled times and there are going to be times that things are not quite right or whatever, but as long as your foundation is solid you're going to be okay in the big picture. Now if the foundation gets shaky 78:00then you get concerns and you may crumble, but I think we're going to keep that foundation solid.

Ren: You are probably the perfect person to ask this next question, as someone who is a student here and then came back as a football coach for many years is there anything about Virginia Tech that maybe people don't know or is there any hidden stories or history about this University that maybe people aren't aware of that you could share?

Frank: Oh, not that I really can think of. I mean from someone that started out going to Lane Stadium, or actually our old stadium and then to see it move into Lane Stadium and then to see another side go up and then boxes go up and see the 79:00whole thing develop from Miles Stadium to Lane Stadium and everything in between, you know I just - I'm proud of what's taken place. I'm proud of being a part of it. I'm proud of where we're going. I don't see, you know there's going to be troubled days. There's going to be times that we've got to pull together a little harder and fight a little harder and all that, but again as long as we're doing it together I think we're going to be okay.

Ren: I have to ask that aside from football in your family, I know you have a couple of other passions and loves and we talked a little bit about this before we got started, but I wanted to ask you about your love for golf.

Frank: I like golf because when it's all said and done it's you. You can't blame it on someone else. Either you hit the shot or you didn't hit the shot. So many times in life you say okay so and so caused me to do that or that caused me to do that. No -- not in golf, so I like that part of it. I have never quite yet figured out why it's so hard. You know most sports like baseball you are hitting a moving object and it's curving or whatever, catching and throwing baseballs and movement. In golf there's a little ball down there and it's just sitting there waiting to be hit and why you can't hit that thing straight I haven't figured that out.

Ren: Me either. [Laughs]

Frank: But I love trying.

Ren: Yeah, me too. And then I have to ask about Hank.

Frank B: I think sometimes I wake up in the morning and say why did a 81:0070-year-old guy get a dog? And then sometimes I wake up and say man I'm glad I've got old Hank. He's a good companion. But when I first got him I would come around campus and we would walk every day and I would walk Hank over here and they would say, "Could I pet your dog?" I would say, "Yeah. His name is Hank. It's the Frank and Hank show. More Hank than Frank right now." And then I had to come over and walk a couple of days and I didn't bring him and people on campus used to see him and were coming up to me, "Hey, where is Hank?" I would say, "Who needs Hank when you've got Frank?" It kind of rhymed, but he's good. He's a smart dog. Sometimes again I don't know why I got him, but most days I'm proud I did.

Ren: He has 1,200 Twitter followers. I don't know if you knew that or not but I think it's hilarious. Is he a Beagle?

Frank: He's a King Charles Cavalier and a Beagle mix. They call him a Beagleier.

Ren: Oh okay.

Frank: His face is more King Charles, his body is more Beagle.

Ren: Yeah, I have two Beagles. I have a girl Beagle who looks a little bit like Hank. Thank you so much for being so generous with your time and sharing your VT Stories. I know you say in your book and I want to quote it, "This has been my home since I arrived here as an unsure freshman quarterback in the summer of 1965 and it will remain my home until the day they put me in the ground. I will remain a Hokie until the day I die and I can guarantee you that my word is solid on that." With that said what does Virginia Tech mean to you?

Frank: Oh, it's everything in my family. A number of family members have gone 83:00here, here or Radford. My daughter married a Virginia Tech guy. It's just been an important great part of our life. Everything that we have and the influence on our lives has just meant so much. You know like I said earlier, I'm just so thankful that everything has happened the way it's happened here at Virginia Tech.

Ren: Thank you again for everything you have done for this University, for your passion and your commitment to the football program and your service as a proud alumnus. I think a majority of alumni use this phrase of this is home, right, and I think due in large part you've made it home for a lot of people. So thank you for that and thank you for sitting down with me today and sharing your VT story.

Frank: You are very welcome. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Ren: Thank you.