As the father of a former (mostly back-up, non superstar) Hokie wrestler - but still very proud of him despite those disclaimers - I cannot say enough about Robie and his assistants. They treat the wrestlers like family, and that matters a lot.

In contrast, I spoke just this week with the father of a top-ranked wrestler with international credentials who is the starter for a perennial top-3 team and who will be an AA several times (I won't say the name of the wrestler or the school) and he said that team does not feel like a family, with most of the wrestlers being focused almost entirely on themselves, and the coaches focusing almost exclusively on the superstars.

Getting back to our experience. We suffered a major loss while my son was at Tech, with our oldest daughter (also a Hokie) and her fiance dying in a car accident. Our younger daughter almost died as well, but has since recovered completely. To say the least, our son was as devastated as the rest of us.

The double funeral then coincided with one of the biggest recruiting weekends in the team's history at that point, with lots of really big names coming to Blacksburg. The names coming to Blacksburg that weekend were so significant and such a high point for the program that it made all the wrestling news outlets. Despite that, Tony Robie and a few members of the team who were close with my son made the trip to NOVA to be there for our son at the Friday night wake. Coach Robie apologized that he couldn't stay longer, but he had to turn around and make the 4-hour trip back for the recruiting weekend. It meant a lot that they came, and it showed the quality of people they are - beyond being great coaches and wrestlers. Coach Frayer wasn't part of the program then, but I've come to see what a great influence he has on the young men.

I can't imagine better people to entrust with a young man entering college and college wrestling.