Lane Stadium is a
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
in the
eastern United States
The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...
, located on the campus of
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six regi ...
(Virginia Tech) in
Blacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is an incorporated town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 44,826 at the 2020 census. Blacksburg, as well as the surrounding county, is dominated economically and demographically by the presence of ...
. The playing surface of the stadium is named Worsham Field. The home field of the
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 v ...
of the
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...
(ACC), it was rated the number one
home field advantage in all of college football in 2005 by In 2007, it was ranked #2 on ESPN.com's "Top 10 Scariest Places To Play." The stadium is named for Edward Hudson Lane, a former student, local businessman, and Virginia Tech
booster
Booster may refer to:
Amusement rides
* Booster (Fabbri ride), a pendulum ride
* Booster (HUSS ride), an evolution of the Breakdance ride
* Booster (KMG ride), a pendulum ride
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Booster, a cha ...
, while the playing surface is named for Wes Worsham, a university donor and booster.
From
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...
to
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
, Lane Stadium had the highest
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...
of any
Football Bowl Subdivision stadium in the eastern United States, at above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...
. That distinction now belongs to
Kidd Brewer Stadium
Kidd Brewer Stadium is a 30,000-seat multi-purpose stadium located in Boone, North Carolina. Nicknamed "The Rock," the stadium is the home of the Appalachian State Mountaineers football, Appalachian State Mountaineers football team. Kidd Brewer st ...
of
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...
, at . (The highest field in FBS is at
Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium, at .)
History
Beginning
![Lane Stadium under construction](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Lane_Stadium_under_construction.jpg)
In 1963, school administrator Stuart K. Cassell, namesake of
Cassell Coliseum
Cassell Coliseum is a 10,052-seat multi-purpose arena in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States, that opened in 1962. It is home to the Virginia Tech Hokies men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling team, and volleyball team.
History
Built as a ...
, proposed building a larger stadium to replace the 17,000-seat
Miles Stadium
Miles Stadium was a college football stadium located on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia. It was the home field of Virginia Tech's football team from 1926 to 1964, until ...
, and construction began on April 1,
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
.
It took a total of four years to complete construction, but its first game was played in
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full term ...
, when VT beat
William & Mary At the time, only the west stands and center section of the east bleachers were completed; construction was completed summer of 1968, with an official cost of $3.5 million. It seated 35,050 and featured a press box for guests, writers, stats crew-members, scouts, and coaches. The playing field has a conventional north-south alignment with the press box along the west sideline.
The stadium is named after Edward Hudson Lane a VPI graduate and a 1960s member of the Board of Visitors. Lane founded the Lane Company Inc., of
Altavista
AltaVista was a Web search engine established in 1995. It became one of the most-used early search engines, but lost ground to Google and was purchased by Yahoo! in 2003, which retained the brand, but based all AltaVista searches on its own sear ...
, known for their dominance of the
cedar chest
A hope chest, also called dowry chest, cedar chest, trousseau chest, or glory box is a piece of furniture traditionally used by unmarried young women to collect items, such as clothing and household linen, in anticipation of married life.
Th ...
business, a business started in 1912 with the technical help of Lane's old shop class professor from Tech. In the 1960s, Lane headed an educational foundation project which raised over $3 million for the original construction, with his challenge gift of Lane Company stock comprising the lead gift. Like many stadiums built at the time, it consisted of two bowed sideline grandstands with free-standing bleachers behind the end zones. The stadium's original form was substantially similar to that of
BB&T Field
Truist Field at Wake Forest is a football stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The stadium is just west of Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park, home of the Wake Forest baseball team. It is primarily used for American football, and ...
at
Wake Forest and
Memorial Stadium at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universi ...
.
Expansion renovations and upgrades
1980s and 1990s
Lane Stadium remained generally unchanged for 20 years, but in 1980 the east stands were expanded, increasing the stadium capacity to 52,500. Two years later, the Stadium installed a brand-new lighting system that would help the team get its first nationally broadcast game on
WTBS, a 21–14 win over their state rivals, the
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as ''Wahoos'' or ''Hoos'', are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic C ...
.
Prior to the 1989 season, the stadium added 16 flags and received a new paint job, including the maroon and orange stripes still inside the stadium.
On September 5, 1992, during the season opener against
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...
, Lane Stadium's playing surface was dedicated in honor of longtime supporters from
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...
, Wes and Janet Worsham and renamed ''Worsham Field''. The Worshams pledged $1 million to the university's Second Century Campaign, which raised over $18.6 million, $1.7 million more than the original goal.
In the spring of
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
, renovations were completed on seven lower sections of the east stands. Renovations also included replacing concrete risers and the addition of wheelchair seating decreasing capacity to 50,000. Also, before the 1994 season, plaques bearing retired numbers of Tech heroes
Bruce Smith
Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Virginia Tech, where he was ...
,
Carroll Dale,
Jim Pyne
James M. Pyne (born 23 November 1971) is an American businessman and former professional football player who is the co-founder of Wheels Up. He has also served as the chief partnership officer of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As a former American ...
, and
Frank Loria
Frank Loria (1947 – November 14, 1970) was an American football defensive back. He was born in the town of Clarksburg, West Virginia in Harrison County and was a three sport athlete at Notre Dame Catholic High School.
He played college foo ...
were added to the wall in the north end zone. However, with the later addition of the north end zone seats, the four retired numbers now fly on flag poles above those stands.
Before the start of the
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
season, the oldest bleachers were replaced with new locust wood and the stands were waterproofed. On the east side, the roof on the old visitors' locker room was replaced along with the bleachers above the dressing room.
North End Zone Expansion
Before the
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
season, the university started work on the north end zone. The summer of 1999 saw the addition of roughly 2,100 seats to the north end zone increasing capacity to 53,130. In the summer of
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
, 3,000 more permanent bleacher seats were added to the north end zone increasing capacity to 56,272. That summer also saw the addition of a new scoreboard, known as Hokievision, installed behind the north end zone. The summer of
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
saw the latest round of additions to north end zone bleachers — 600 seats for The Marching Virginians. This move brought the capacity down to 53,662.
2000–present
= South endzone expansion
=
Prior to the
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
season, the stadium saw 11,120 seats added in the south end zone to effectively enclose that end of the stadium increasing capacity to 65,115. The double-deck structure is similar to that of the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...
' "
Dawg Pound
The Dawg Pound is the name of the bleacher section behind the east end zone in FirstEnergy Stadium, the home field of the Cleveland Browns, a National Football League (NFL) franchise based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Formation
According to Hanford Dixon ...
" section. It has bleacher, bench-back, and club seats. The structure is enclosed, but has gaps between the older structures and itself. This is the result of building codes and a desire to get fans even closer to the field.
= West Side press box expansion
=
![Lane Stadium 2005 construction](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Lane_Stadium_2005_construction.jpg)
Perhaps the biggest addition to Lane Stadium was completed prior to the
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...
season. After the
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
season, the old press box was removed and construction began on this west-side expansion, filling in to match what was built up during the 2004 season. The new boxes include a new press area, on the side toward the south end zone, with a dining area and improved facilities. Also, the fencing that surrounds the stadium was removed, and the area on the west side exterior of the stadium landscaped with walkways and a weekday parking lot for ticket patrons and Hall of Fame and Hokie Club visitors. New luxury suites, President's area, four private club seating areas, concession stands, ticket office, athletic fund offices, an Athletics Hall of Fame, and student academic services area were also included in this latest project. A two tier grandstand featuring 11,000 seats, 15 luxury suites, and a new visitor's locker room was completed. The $52.5 million expansion includes 23 luxury suites, a new press box, and club seating. The addition increased Lane Stadium's
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile tha ...
to 66,233.
Hokie Stone
Hokie Stone is a grey dolomite—limestone rock found near Blacksburg, in western Virginia. It gets its name from the traditional nickname attributed to students and alumni of Virginia Tech.
Hokie Stone is quarried by Virginia Tech for campus p ...
was added to the walls of each end zone in
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
. New kicking nets were also installed in both end zones. A new, larger video screen, called 'HokieVision' was also added in the north endzone. Improved playing surface lighting was added as part of the renovation as well. The traditional "Home of the Fighting Gobblers" sign was also removed from the West Stands during this renovation (the sign is currently located above the HokieShop in the West Stands concourse). In an article in "The Roanoke Times" newspaper, it stated that Tech was not going to even think about renovating Lane Stadium again until about 2013, and it also stated that when Tech renovates Lane Stadium, the university will most likely tear down the student's section and replace it with new concrete bleachers and increase that area's capacity, and also add suites on top of it, and possibly connect the south side with the east and west sides.
Prior to the
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
season, the West Side Outdoor Club seating area was completely renovated and new luxury chairback seats were installed. The entire seating structure was reconfigured, which decreased the number of seating rows, subsequently allowing for more legroom from row to row, and reduced capacity to 65,632.
= New Video Scoreboard
=
In time for the start of the
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
season, a new "Hokie Vision" video scoreboard was installed. This board is completely LED and the screen itself would completely contain the size of the old scoreboard. There are four pylons holding up the board: the smaller, center two were used as the pylons for the old board and the outer two (both larger) are used in addition to the original pylons to hold up the new board. This new scoreboard ranks third largest college football scoreboard.
= Bleacher Replacement
=
A portion of the East stands' bleachers were replaced in Spring/Summer of
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
.
= Frank Beamer Statue
=
During the 2018 season, Virginia Tech unveiled a commissioned statue of former head coach
Frank Beamer
Franklin Mitchell Beamer (born October 18, 1946) is a retired American college football coach, most notably for the Virginia Tech Hokies, and former college football player. He is the father of current South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane ...
in front of Lane Stadium's main entrance. The statue was erected to pay tribute to Beamer who coached at his alma mater for 29 seasons, winning 238 games and guiding the Hokies to 23 straight bowl games. The former coach was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
Lane Stadium - Quick Facts & Milestones
Traditions
Corps of Cadets
* Virginia Tech's
Corps of Cadets march into Lane Stadium and stand in formation on the field during the
National Anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
and Rendering of Colors.
* The
Corps of Cadets sit together in the lower level of the South end zone stands during every home game.
* Freshman
cadets do push-ups on the shoulders of their classmates equal to the point total after each score.
*
Skipper: The world's largest game cannon, "''Skipper''" is present at every home game. It was built in 1963 by a group of cadets, led by
Homer Hickam
Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. (born February 19, 1943) is an American author, Vietnam War veteran, and a former NASA engineer who trained the first Japanese astronauts. His 1998 memoir ''Rocket Boys'' (also published as ''October Sky'') was a ''New ...
, author of the book, ''
Rocket Boys.'' "''Skipper''" was created in an effort to silence the chant of: "''Where's your cannon?''" by the students of then arch-rival,
VMI during the annual
Thanksgiving Day game. The cannon was named "''Skipper"'' to honor John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated at the same time the cannon was built. As the captain of a PT boat in WWII, JFK was commonly known as "''Skipper''". In 2015, a custom display space in the new cadet dormitory, Pearson Hall, became the permanent home for ''Skipper,'' presenting the cannon in a highly visible location for students, alumni, and visitors to admire when not in use.
* The Highty-Tighties: Virginia Tech's regimental band, the
Highty-Tighties was founded in 1892 and is the oldest collegiate band in the
Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
. It is composed completely of members of the
Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets (VTCC) is the military component of the student body at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Cadets live together in residence halls, attend morning formation, wear a distinctive uniform, and recei ...
.
* Growley II'
'': ''The
Corps of Cadets welcomed a new canine ambassador among its ranks in the fall of 2016, a yellow
Labrador Retriever, named "''Growley II"'' (call sign ''“Tank”''). According to folklore, the name, "Growley" originated in the 1930s with the name of the commandant's dog. Cadets would regularly feed "''Growley"'' with portions of their breakfast since food was scarce. Cadets then began referring to breakfast as "''Growley",'' and the morning formation was typically announced as “''minutes to Growley''”. Today, "''Growley II"'' resides at Pearson Hall with his two cadet handlers and accompanies the
Corps of Cadets to home football games.
* Homecoming Game Traditions:
** Game Ball Run: Started in 1977, the VT Corps of Cadets' Ranger Company run the game ball for around campus, ending at the Homecoming Game Spirit Rally on Friday evening.
**Flaming VT: Originating the mid 1960s, During the Homecoming Game Spirit Rally, the Corps of Cadets' Hotel Company lights a flaming VT with a torch. When it first began, cadets would thread rolls of toilet paper soaked in kerosene onto a metal VT shaped frame and run the flaming VT through campus, urging students to join the crowd.
Pre-game
* "Hokie Walk": A tradition where the team arrives in buses and walks to the locker room among the fans, and led by the
Highty-Tighties and the
Hokie Bird
The HokieBird is the official mascot of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The successor to Virginia Tech's Fighting Gobblers, the HokieBird was created in 1981 and has retained its curre ...
.
* Hokie Village: A game-day celebration near Lane Stadium that started in 2014. It's a family oriented, carnival atmosphere, featuring games, music, and appearances by cheerleaders, the
Hokie Bird
The HokieBird is the official mascot of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The successor to Virginia Tech's Fighting Gobblers, the HokieBird was created in 1981 and has retained its curre ...
, and "''Skipper''".
* Pre-Game Field Show: At every home game, the
Highty-Tighties perform the pre-game field show. At least once a year, the
Marching Virginians perform their pre-game show, which begins with the band forming the shape of the
Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
and features the MV's forming several recognizable shapes such as spelling out "VT," "HOKIES," and "TECH."
* Virginia Tech's
Corps of Cadets march into Lane Stadium and stand in formation on the field during the
National Anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
and Rendering of Colors."''Skipper''" is fired inside Lane Stadium in the south end zone at the completion of the anthem.
* Fireworks: Fireworks are set-off during and after the singing of the
National anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
at night games.
Team entrance
* Prior to the team entrance, the cheerleaders start an alternating chant of "''Let's Go''" and "''Hokies''" with the east and west stands before the game.
* Enter Sandman: Beginning in 2000,
Metallica's "
Enter Sandman
"Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist an ...
" is played as th
football team enters the fieldthrough the tunnel behind the North end zone. As the music begins,
The Marching Virginians
The Marching Virginians are one of two collegiate marching bands at Virginia Tech (the other being the Highty Tighties, the regimental band of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets). Because the Marching Virginians draw from the general student bod ...
lead the stadium in jumping in place, which has become known as the "''Blacksburg Bounce''".
* Hokie Stone: As the team runs out of the tunnel during ''Sandman'', each player reaches up and touches a slab of
Hokie Stone
Hokie Stone is a grey dolomite—limestone rock found near Blacksburg, in western Virginia. It gets its name from the traditional nickname attributed to students and alumni of Virginia Tech.
Hokie Stone is quarried by Virginia Tech for campus p ...
, then runs between two phalanxes, consisting of the
Highty-Tighties,
Marching Virginians, and freshman
cadets. On the last home game of the season, senior cadets take the place of freshmen during the entrance as part of the corps of cadet's "Senior Day".
In-game
* Orange Effect: Since 2002, the students have designated one game where all fans are asked to wear orange. The ''Orange Effect'' game is always played against a team that does not use orange as a team color (e.g.,
Syracuse,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
,
UVA, or
Clemson).
* Maroon Effect: Added in 2005, The ''Maroon Effect'' game is always played against a team that does not use
maroon/
crimson as a team color (includes regular opponents such as:
Boston College or
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
). The very first (unofficial) ''Maroon Effect'' game was in 2002 against the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
.
* White Out: Added in 2008. The ''White Out'' game is typically done for an early season game, usually against an
FCS opponent, where all fans wear white.
* Marching Virginians: The
Marching Virginians occupy the field level bleachers, in front of the student section behind the North end zone during the game, and play songs throughout.
* Turkey Gobble: A turkey gobble sound is periodically played over the PA system to rile up the crowd during lulls, most commonly on opponent's third down plays. The turkey gobble is in memory of Floyd H. "Hard Times" Meade, a local boy who was adopted by the corps and became the school's first "mascot" in the late 19th century. Floyd later brought live trained turkeys to games to walk the sidelines during games and gobble on command.
* Key Play: A tradition started in the late 1980s: Virginia Tech fans shake their keys as a distraction during opponent's third down plays, signifying a "''key play''".
* Growley II: Since the beginning of the 2016 season, the
Corps of Cadets' canine ambassador, ''Growley II ('Tank')'', can be seen along the sidelines, in front of the cadet seating section, often chewing on a doll of the opposing team's mascot.
* Halftime Field Show:
The Marching Virginians
The Marching Virginians are one of two collegiate marching bands at Virginia Tech (the other being the Highty Tighties, the regimental band of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets). Because the Marching Virginians draw from the general student bod ...
perform the half-time field show at every game. At every field show, the band usually performs up to three songs followed by "
Tech Triumph "Tech Triumph" is the fight song of Virginia Tech. It was composed in 1919 by Wilfred Pete Maddux (class of 1920) and Mattie Eppes (Boggs).
The song is noted for beginning with the opening notes of ''Reveille'' — a nod to Tech's past as an all-m ...
" as they march off the field. The
Highty-Tighties perform the halftime show at least once a year.
* Hokie Pokie: The tuba section of
The Marching Virginians
The Marching Virginians are one of two collegiate marching bands at Virginia Tech (the other being the Highty Tighties, the regimental band of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets). Because the Marching Virginians draw from the general student bod ...
lines up on the goal line of the north end zone to play and dance the
Hokie Pokie ("Hokey Pokey"). This is performed during halftime at select games during the season. Prior to 2017, the "Hokie Pokie" was performed between the 3rd and 4th quarters of every home game.
Scoring plays
*Student Toss: Groups of students, most of whom are seated in the student section in the north end zone, lift up a student (usually female) to toss in the air for every point scored.
* Bench Press: The school mascot, the
Hokie Bird
The HokieBird is the official mascot of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The successor to Virginia Tech's Fighting Gobblers, the HokieBird was created in 1981 and has retained its curre ...
does one bench press for every point the Hokies score on a weight bench in the end zone.
* Push-Ups: Freshman cadets complete push-ups on the shoulders of their cadets seated in front of them, completing one push-up for every point scored by the Hokies.
* Flags: Following every touchdown, members of the cheer squad run onto the field carrying six large flags, each with a single letter, spelling: "H-O-K-I-E-S"
*Tech Triumph: After a scoring play, the
Marching Virginians will play the fight song,
Tech Triumph "Tech Triumph" is the fight song of Virginia Tech. It was composed in 1919 by Wilfred Pete Maddux (class of 1920) and Mattie Eppes (Boggs).
The song is noted for beginning with the opening notes of ''Reveille'' — a nod to Tech's past as an all-m ...
. During a touchdown, the band will reduce their sound while the team attempts the extra point, returning to normal following the kick.
*Skipper: During the game, ''Skipper'', the cannon is fired behind the north end zone stands of Lane Stadium after every score by Virginia Tech.
* Fireworks: Fireworks are set-off on scoring plays at night games.
See also
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Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
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Virginia Tech campus
The main campus of Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia; the central campus is roughly bordered by Prices Fork Road to the northwest, Plantation Road to the west, Main Street to the east, and U.S. Route 460 bypass to the south, althou ...
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Virginia Tech Hokies
The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 v ...
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List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums
This is a list of stadiums that currently serve as the home venue for Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. These include most of the largest stadiums in the United States.
Conference affiliations reflect those in the current 2022 ...
References
External links
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{{Virginia college football venues
College football venues
Virginia Tech Hokies football venues
American football venues in Virginia