Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 15, 1995 TAG: 9511150077
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
As Tech coach Frank Beamer said Tuesday, ``I think you have to look at what gets you to this point.''
Beamer wasn't referring to I-81, I-64 and U.S. 29. He meant the unprecedented success the programs are enjoying. The Cavaliers and Hokies meet as eight-victory teams, and each is ranked and bowl-bound for a third consecutive year.
``I've said before there aren't many programs that can change their status,'' Beamer said. ``Most of them are locked right where they are. We've gone up a level.''
Ditto Virginia.
In the search for the reasons for the NCAA Division I-A football renaissance in Virginia, look no further than the coaches' offices, where stability has brought more than credibility.
By the end of this season, no man will have coached more games at either school than Welsh and Beamer. Each ranks among the top 15 among active I-A coaches (at 108 schools) in longevity in his current position.
If that doesn't sound impressive, well, it is. In their histories, Tech and UVa have changed coaches more often than uniforms. In a College Football Association survey of I-A schools conducted during the summer, only three schools changed head coaches more often in their history than Tech's 36 hirings.
They were Navy (47), Welsh's alma mater and first stop as a head coach, Virginia (44) and Kentucky (42).
How much does coaching mean in success?
``A bunch,'' Beamer said. ``You name me a school that's a Top-10 program, year in and year out, that changes coaches every four years. I think most programs that win consistently have coaching stability.''
Welsh said Monday he is surprised he and Beamer have remained in their current jobs. He has become the most successful coach in UVa history, but there was a time he wondered how long he'd last.
``I remember back in 1983 [Welsh's second UVa season], and they just crushed us here,'' Welsh said. ``We were having trouble recruiting. I thought to myself that we were going to have to beat Tech somewhere along the way in the next two years or we were not going to have any credibility with the state [high school] coaches.''
Welsh was 1-4 in his first five UVa dates against the Hokies, then coached by Bill Dooley. Beamer lost his first three games against Welsh, and is 2-3 since 1990.
In fact, Dooley has played no small role in the success at the two state schools. When he moved to Tech from North Carolina in 1978, it slowed the recruiting of the Amos Lawrences and Lawrence Taylors to Tobacco Road.
Dooley's retirement from coaching at Wake Forest - after his Tech program's downfall - markedly altered the number of state high school players who were crossing borders.
``I am a little bit surprised that both programs are doing so well at the same time, but Frank and I both agree there's enough talent to supply two programs in the state,'' Welsh said.
``We used to talk about building a fence around the state to keep players at home, but I'm not foolish enough to think you can really do that. I do think, though, that the Carolina schools, Maryland and even the national schools haven't been as effective in recruiting Virginia in the last six or seven years as they were before.''
While Welsh took UVa to its first bowl in a 1984 Peach, there wasn't any guarantee he would reach a 14th season at UVa or be prime to become the ACC's record-holder for victories.
``If the McCue Center [UVa's $8 million football facility, opened in 1991] never had been built, I don't think I would have stayed,'' Welsh said. ``It was like swimming underwater, going upstream. That made a difference.''
As for Beamer, it isn't likely he'd have survived nine years with 49 victories in any other program. He's there because it's his alma mater, and because his first two seasons were spent on NCAA probation from the Dooley years.
``In some ways, I'm surprised Frank didn't take the Boston College job [before the 1991 season], because it was his,'' Welsh said. ``His program wasn't in great shape at the time, but he probably did the right thing in staying.
``They like him there. He's from there, and he's a lot younger than me [Welsh is 62, Beamer 49]. He could be at Tech 15 more years if he wants.''
There's no question Tech's admission to the Big East Football Conference boosted the program, too, but Beamer's grasp of what his alma mater has to sell is no small ingredient in Tech's rebound, too.
``The big thing is that people are feeling better about each of these programs, right now, than they ever have,'' Beamer said.
Count the head coaches among those happiest.
``I think the Virginia people made a mistake,'' Welsh said. ``They used to tell all of those jokes about Tech and then Tech was kicking the hell out of us.
``I used to think that was a huge mistake to do that. I think we've got that stopped now.''
Yes, football at Tech and UVa isn't a laughing matter anymore.
by CNB