Click here for all previous parts of the series

In February 1995, TLC’s “Creep” ruled the airwaves, Virginia Tech signed a recruiting class that included Loren Johnson, Michael Hawkes, Myron Newsome, Keith Short, Chris Cyrus, Jamel Smith, and Nathaniel Williams, and the Hokie men’s basketball team (a team that would ultimately win the NIT Championship) went 5-4. But the biggest news came out of the second floor of the Jamerson Athletics Center, when Virginia Tech football defensive coordinator Phil Elmassian bolted Blacksburg for the University of Washington.

In hindsight, the move was a mistake. Elmassian left a coordinator position under Frank Beamer to coach defensive backs for Jim Lambright. You remember Lambright, right? Had a 44-25-1 career record, 1-3 in bowls like the Sun, Holiday, Aloha, and Oahu. But he probably got a good suntan, so he had that going for him, which was nice.

...