Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 18, 1995 TAG: 9511200096
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Now that both programs are nationally ranked and have clinched conference co-championships, it's hard to picture Virginia and Virginia Tech meeting at the corner of Jefferson Street and Reserve Stadium.
Although the Tech-UVa game has long since outgrown Victory Stadium, it was an on-and-off home to the series for nearly 20 years, attracting overflow crowds of as many as 26,000.
That's how many turned out in 1958 to see the first Harvest Bowl, for which Tech and UVa shared billing with Miss America, Mary Ann Mobley. Tech traditionally played VMI on Thanksgiving Day, leaving Virginia for the first Saturday in October.
The last Tech-UVa game to be played at a neutral site was in 1963, when Heisman Trophy candidate Bob Schweickert led Tech to a 10-0 triumph at Victory Stadium. It was Tech's eighth straight victory over Virginia in Roanoke, one reason the Cavaliers were eager to have the series moved.
``I don't know if that was the case,'' said Roanoke realtor Lacy Edwards, who played at Tech from 1961-64. ``More than anything, I think it was the bottom line. As the programs got bigger, there was a need for bigger stadiums.''
Tech played at Miles Stadium (cap. 17,000) before Lane Stadium opened in 1965.
Edwards played quarterback at Jefferson High School in Roanoke, but almost all of his playing time for the Hokies came on defense. He was Schweickert's backup, however, which got him into the '62 Tech-UVa game.
Edwards led the Hokies to their first two touchdowns in a 20-15 victory and was named most valuable player.
Post-game accounts said the Cavaliers were driving for a possible go-ahead touchdown when Edwards bent down and picked up 11 cents off the field.
``It was a dime and a penny,'' Edwards said. ``I gave them to coach [Jerry] Claiborne and said, `This is for luck.' And, sure enough, Virginia fumbled. I'm superstitious now.''
Virginia quarterback Gary Cuozzo, who later played in the NFL, completed three passes to Gene Angle on the Cavaliers' ill-fated final drive. Angle, like Edwards, had played at Jefferson.
Another Jefferson alumnus, Jimmy Lugar, played at Tech in the mid-1950s and led the Hokies in passing yardage in 1956. He participated in two Tech victories over UVa at Victory Stadium, but also was around for a 38-7 loss to the Cavaliers in Richmond in 1957 - the only time Virginia beat Tech between 1953-63.
``It was a big rivalry,'' Lugar said, ``equally as big as the VMI game.''
Lugar said, except for one year when he was in the Marines, he has been to every Tech-UVa game since the 1950s. When the game is in Charlottesville, he leaves Friday and doesn't return until Sunday.
``I don't mind spending two nights up there,'' he said earlier this fall. ``I look forward to it, matter of fact. It can make for a long afternoon at [UVa's] Alumni Hall if we don't win, though.''
by CNB