Retired Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame today.
Beamer went 238-121-4 with the Hokies before his retirement after the 2015 season. He is the school’s all-time winningest coach. His 280 total victories rank sixth in FBS history, and he led the program to its only national championship game appearance during the 1999 season.
A five-time conference Coach of the Year, Beamer took over the Hokies program in 1987. He won three BIG EAST titles and added four ACC titles in five conference championship game appearances. Overall, he coached 16 first-team All-Americans, two NFF National Scholar-Athletes, 79 first-team all-conference selections, three ACC Players of the Year, three BIG EAST Offensive Players of the Year, two BIG EAST Defensive Players of the Year and two BIG EAST Special Teams Players of the Year.
His most famous alum, Michael Vick, told VT SCOOP in 2015 that Frank Beamer was more than just football, he truly cared about the person as much as the player.
“Coach always stayed in touch and encouraged me to be the best that I can be. The one thing he always stressed was to keep my family first,” Vick said. “Before he asked me anything, he would ask me how my family was doing, how my kids were doing. He always wanted the best for my life, not just as a professional football player, because he knew that that would happen, but as an individual. ”
“I’d like to thank our administration and former Virginia Tech players, coaches and support staff,” Beamer told Hokie Sports. “Without them, we wouldn’t have enjoyed the success we did as a football program.”
Beamer is a follower of Christ and talked about his faith and leadership at Liberty University appearance he made speaking to the students back in 2016.
“We ask for God’s help when we need Him,” Beamer said. “I needed him early. I was burned when I was 7 years old. Over the next 4 years, I had 29 operations. And I was laying there in a hospital bed. From that guy laying there with a patch on his face to staying at one place as a head football coach at Virginia Tech for 29 years, I know I’ve been blessed. I know I have called on Him many times.”
Beamer told the students at Liberty that in coaching, as well as in any other profession, it is imperative to “Say what you mean and mean what you say,” and noted that in football, as in golf — where players officiate themselves — it is important to play the game the right way, with personal integrity.
Beamer cited Proverbs 11:3 as one of his favorite verses — “Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people”
He shared that the key to success in any field is to develop God-given talents and find ways to use them constructively.
“When you work hard at something, you become good at it,” Beamer said. “When you become good at something, you enjoy it. When you enjoy doing something, there is a great chance you will become passionate about it. When you’re good at something, passionate about it, and working hard to excel and be the best at it, good things happen.”
Congrats to former @HokiesFB & @racersfootball Coach Frank Beamer on being named to the 2018 @cfbhall Class! https://t.co/tBMIgG2kYd pic.twitter.com/p2RbEfmiEf
— National Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) January 8, 2018
The 2018 class officially will be inducted during the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4, 2018, at the New York Hilton Midtown. The inductees will be permanently enshrined at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta later that December and honored on the field during the 14th Annual National Hall of Fame Salute during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. They also will be honored at their respective schools at an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2018 season.
The complete list of inductees into the 2018 College Football Hall of Fame class can be found below.
Players:
Trevor Cobb, RB, Rice (1989-92)
Kerry Collins, QB, Penn State (1991-94)
Dave Dickenson, QB, Montana (1992-95)
Dana Howard, LB, Illinois (1991-94)
Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech (2004-06)
Paul Palmer, RB, Temple (1983-86)
Ed Reed, DB, Miami (1998-01)
Matt Stinchcomb, OT, Georgia (1995-98)
Aaron Taylor, OL, Nebraska (1994-97)
Charles Woodson, DB, Michigan (1995-97)
Coaches:
Frank Beamer — Murray State, Virginia Tech
Mack Brown — Appalachian State, Tulane, North Carolina, Texas
Mel Tjeerdsma — Austin College, Northwest Missouri State
