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1988: A year of the Million-Dollar Man, Big Horses, and Persistent Cab Drivers

Nothing captured the changing fortunes of Virginia Tech’s fortunes more than what happened on September 3, 1988, when the Hokies traveled to Death Valley to play godforsaken Clemson. A mere two years earlier, Virginia Tech swaggered in, waved the Tigers down their hill, and then beat them 20-14.

But now, before a crowd of 80,500, few of the key players from that Hokies team remained. Apparently, Tech’s new crop of players figured, “Well, we heard it worked in ’86. Let’s try it one more time.”

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