Loyalty and redemption have been themes of Virginia Tech football for as long as most of us can remember.  Frank Beamer was big on loyalty, mostly to his benefit, but sometimes to his detriment as well, and some of the best moments in Hokie football history came after some disappointing results.

I think the storylines of the 2020 season are about loyalty and redemption.  Recent showings of loyalty on the part of both the athletic director and head football coach will be proven to be either correct or incorrect decisions, and if they are proven correct, then we’ll have yet another terrific redemption story to add to the annals of Virginia Tech football history.

Loyalty: Whit Babcock And Justin Fuente

You’ve got to be careful with loyalty.  At its best, loyalty can be a major strength and a big reason for success.  At its worst, loyalty can become a major detriment, and it can hold you back.  That applies not only to football, but to plenty of real-life situations as well.  How long do you stay loyal to that employee that you like, but who isn’t getting it done?  How long do you stay in the relationship that isn’t healthy?  Football coaches and athletic directors struggle with loyalty decisions all the time, and it can be difficult to know when it’s right to be loyal or when it’s best to cut ties.

It was certainly difficult for Frank Beamer to straddle the fence of loyalty at times.  Back in the day, Frank’s loyalty to his assistants (combined with high pay) meant that Tech was an attractive job for assistants.  He would rarely fire anyone, and he would always go to bat for his staff for salary raises.  That helped him keep elite assistants like Jim Cavanaugh and Bud Foster, who along with Frank formed the backbone of the program for so many years.

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