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Virginia Tech’s last game of the 1991 gauntlet came against #1 Florida State on October 12, 1991. The FSU game was originally scheduled for Blacksburg, but Athletic Director Dave Braine agreed to move it to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando for an $800,000 guarantee that ultimately turned out to be $1 million – the first million-dollar payday in school history. At the time, the athletic department was financially strapped; a home game would have netted about $350,000. Despite the financial windfall, Braine – in retrospect – regretted the decision.

“We needed the money, and it really helped us at the time,” Braine said. “But I did have second thoughts about it, because that was one time we took advantage of the kids. It had been a very close, competitive game, and I will never forget when it was over, (senior quarterback) Will Furrer came up to me and said, ‘If we had played in Blacksburg, we would have won.’ ”

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