Respected ESPN broadcaster Rece Davis made a guest appearance on the network’s “Get Up” program last week and revealed that Virginia Tech was his top location to host “College Gameday,” college football’s signature pregame show.
Davis’ assertion was seconded by the network’s Maria Taylor, who was part of the broadcast crew who called Tech’s 24-3 season-opening win at Florida State.
In 2017, College Gameday returned to Blacksburg for the first time since 2007 as Davis, Taylor, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Lee Corso and David Pollack broadcasted live to a national audience on Alumni Mall with the iconic Torgersen Bridge as a backdrop.
Since College GameDay’s first show in Blacksburg on Oct. 16, 1999, the Hokies and the live production have always enjoyed a special connection.
Virginia Tech became only the third school to serve as the host for College GameDay twice in the same season, as the show served as the opening act for Tech victories over No. 16 Syracuse and No. 19 Miami in 1999.
“During the Hokies’ run to the championship game in 1999, it was the amazing spirit of Virginia Tech that helped us take GameDay’s road shows to a level we’d never imagined,” ESPN’s Chris Fowler said in 2015.
In an effort to bring a sense of normalcy back to a vulnerable community, College GameDay and ESPN broadcast the first Tech football game after the April 16 tragedy on Sept. 1, 2007 vs. East Carolina.
— VT athletics
