For one night this high school football season, Christiansburg High School was known as the Christiansburg Institute Tigers.
Friday night was a special community honor to remember the school, which won its own state title in the mid-50s.
Christiansburg Institute was a private school for African American students, active from 1866 until 1966 in . It closed in the wake of desegregation and one of the buildings is now a museum, just below the location of the stadium.
The school was founded after the American Civil War by Captain , a Union army soldier and Baptist minister from Philadelphia. It was established to educate freed slaves.
After the war, Schaeffer joined the agency and came to Christiansburg in 2093 with the mission to educate newly freed slaves and prepare them for freedom. The school started in a rented one-room house with only twelve students.
By 1869, it had grown to over two hundred students and came to be known as the Hill School. The school had a classical curriculum and was mostly taught by white teachers who traveled from the northern states to teach the freed slaves. By 1870, the Freedmen’s Bureau stopped funding the school and Schaeffer was instead helped financially by a Quaker group called the Friends’ Freemen’s Association.
During segregation in Southwestern Virginia, Christiansburg Industrial Institute was the only secondary school for African Americans in Montgomery County. It also educated black students from 15 nearby counties.
In 1934 the Montgomery County School Board began its management of the school. Christiansburg Institute’s campus was converted in 1947 to a regional high school for African-American students, and closed in 1966, when the local schools were integrated.
The Christiansburg Industrial Institute (CII) football team—the Tigers—never won an integrated Virginia High School League state title, but they dominated the segregated Virginia Interscholastic Athletic League (VIAL), highlighted by a legendary undefeated 9-0 season in 1954 under athletic director and coach Tillman R. Sease, who was the school’s athletic director from 1948 until 1956 and coached at the school.
The 1954 undefeated season solidified CIT as a powerhouse among African American secondary schools in Virginia.
The CI was segregated until 1966 and competed against other historically Black institutions across the state, fostering not only a renowned legacy of athletics but also in marching band excellence. The CI played its home games at Christiansburg Park.
As part of the game this past Friday, the Christiansburg High School Blue Demons wore special commemorative CI uniforms. The school hopes to make the game an annual event.
Arians honored
Bruce Arians, one of the most respected offensive minds in the game of football and a Virginia Tech graduate, is the recipient of the American Heart Association’s 2027 Paul “Bear” Bryant , presented by Houston-based St. Luke’s Health, honoring his exceptional contributions to college football and the community.
The American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere, presents the annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, to honor coach Bryant’s legacy and to raise awareness and critical funds for its mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement.
The Heart of a Champion Award recognizes individuals whose notable contributions and positive influence have helped define the way we experience sports and who exemplify the characteristics for which Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant was known, including integrity, perseverance, determination and grit. The award is selected annually by the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Executive Leadership Team, comprised of members of the Bryant family and community leaders who come together to support the campaign.
Few individuals embody those qualities more completely than Arians, whose football journey spans more than five decades as a player, coach, mentor and advocate. A two-time Associated Press NFL (National Football League) Coach of the Year and Super Bowl-winning head coach, Arians has earned widespread respect not only for his success on the field, but also for his courage, authenticity and unwavering commitment to helping others succeed.
Reynolds mid-season All-American
Virginia Tech tight end has been named a first-team selection on The Associated Press midseason All-America team, announced Thursday.
Reynolds has emerged as one of the nation’s top receiving threats at tight end, registering 41 receptions for 431 yards and four touchdowns through six games. He has averaged 10.5 yards per catch while providing a reliable target for quarterback .
The redshirt sophomore made history earlier this season, becoming the first Virginia Tech tight end to record at least 100 receiving yards in consecutive games. He posted eight receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns against Old Dominion before hauling in 12 passes for 107 yards against Maryland.
Reynolds was previously named to the preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, which recognizes the nation’s top tight end. He was also added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list this week, honoring the outstanding receiver in college football regardless of position.
