Always a Hokie

Press Releases

Always a Hokie:

Players, Coaches, and Fans Share Their Passion for Hokies Football

By Mark Schlabach, Norm Wood & Ray Glier

Contact: Bill Ames, Independent Publishers Group, 312-337-0747, ext. 326, bames@ipgbook.com

During college football season, the entire community of Blacksburg, Va., knows why they will always be a Hokie. On game days, the more than 66,000 fans that make Lane Stadium a madhouse will always be Hokies. The millions of Virginia Tech alumni and fans around the world will also always be Hokies.

Always a Hokie: Players, Coaches, and Fans Share Their Passion for Hokies Football by Mark Schlabach, Norm Wood and Ray Glier explores all of the great Virginia Tech traditions, teams, bowl games, All-Americans and coaches, making it the ultimate compilation of all that is great about Virginia Tech and Hokies football. Players and coaches recall-in their own words-idyllic Saturday afternoons at Lane Stadium, home of one of college football's powerhouse programs.  Buzz Nutter, Don Strock, Rick Razzano, Vaughn Hebron, Michael Vick, Shayne Graham, Josh Morgan, and many other Hokie greats share their favorite memories from their time in Blacksburg.  Highlights from the book include:

• The most important moments in Virginia Tech football history

• Beloved traditions and memories from Blacksburg
• The greatest players in Hokies football history
• Virginia Tech coaches, especially the legendary Frank Beamer
• Memories of conference championship seasons
• Recaps of every VT bowl game

Always a Hokie: Players, Coaches, and Fans Share Their Passion for Hokies Football draws together the insights from nearly 100 former players, coaches, and fans who tell their personal stories about what being a part of this legendary football program means to them. It's not just one tradition, one season or one particular game - it's the stories coming from the people who were there and made the magic happen over the decades that capture the true essence of the Hokie way.

About the Authors:

Mark Schlabach is a national college football columnist for ESPN.com. A former staff writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Washington Post, Schlabach has covered college football for nearly two decades and is the author of six previous books on the topic. A 1996 graduate of the University of Georgia, Schlabach and his wife, Heather, live with their three children in Madison, Georgia.

Norm Wood is the ACC beat reporter for the (Newport News) Daily Press. He started at the paper in 1998, has covered Virginia Tech athletics since 2000, and added University of Virginia athletics to assignments in 2008. Wood is a 1998 graduate of the University of Georgia. He enjoys hanging out with his wife, Liz, and favorite mutt, Clover.

Ray Glier has been a freelance journalist for 19 years. He contributes to the New York Times, USA Today, MSNBC, the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Miami Herald, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, among other publications. He grew up in Fairfax, Virginia, and attended West Virginia University. He was the executive sports editor of The Knoxville Journal (1989-1991).

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