Two of the most iconic head coaches in college football history – Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer and Florida State’s Bobby Bowden – will serve as honorary captains for their respective schools on Labor Day night, Sept. 3, as the Hokies and Seminoles square off in Tallahassee, Florida.
Former Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden (left) and former Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer will serve as honorary captains for their school’s college football opener.
The two coaches combined to win 657 games, 20 conference championships and two Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year awards. Following Beamer’s induction in December, both will be members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Beamer owns a 280-143-4 career record as a head coach, giving him more victories than Tom Osborne, Lou Holtz, Bo Schembechler, Steve Spurrier and Woody Hayes. A three-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year (1995, 1996, 1999), Beamer was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2005. He was the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1999.
Bowden spent 34 years at the helm of a Seminoles program that he resurrected beginning in 1976. By far the winningest coach in school history, Bowden accumulated more wins than the previous seven head coaches combined. He finished his career as major college football’s second-winningest coach.
Under Beamer, the Hokies posted five top-10 finishes and became one of only six programs in college football history to go to a bowl game in at least 20 straight seasons.
After just one win in six bowl games prior to his arrival, Beamer would win 11 of his 23 appearances, including marquee wins in the 1995 Sugar Bowl, the 2009 Orange Bowl and the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl.
His Hokies were also one of just four teams in Division I history to produce 10 wins in eight or more consecutive seasons (2004-11), and his 23 straight seasons of seven or more wins are a school record.
Beamer was named to the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018 in his initial year on the ballot.
A member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, he continues to serve Virginia Tech as an ambassador for athletics and the spokesperson for the Drive for 25 campaign that seeks to increase membership in the Virginia Tech Athletic Fund (aka the “Hokie Club”) to 25,000 members.
“I know firsthand from both my experience as a player and from coaching just how important scholarships are to young people here at Virginia Tech,” Beamer said. “Scholarships change lives, and that’s why Cheryl [his wife] and I have always been willing to give to help these student-athletes not just to play sports, but also to be a part of such a special place and get a degree. Many of my former players wouldn’t have received that opportunity otherwise.”
–VT Athletics
