Hokies give legendary Frank Beamer permanent spot in locker room

Published Mar. 30, 2016 10:25 a.m. ET

Chris Bahr

Frank Beamer won't be a fixture in the Hokies locker room following his retirement, but Virginia Tech is making sure the legendary head coach never really will leave.

The university announced Tuesday that the home locker room at Lane Stadium will be named The Frank Beamer Locker Room.

"The heart and soul of Virginia Tech football resides within the young men who will use this locker room," Beamer said in a statement. "The locker room is a place where lifelong friendships form and teams grow stronger together. While this space will always belong to our student-athletes and Hokie Nation, if my name helps remind our student-athletes to give that extra effort on the field, study a little longer or do a good turn for a fellow Hokie, then I'm all for it."

Beamer went 238-121-2 in his 29 seasons as the Hokies' head coach and led the team to 23 consecutive bowl appearances, including a 55-52 win over Tulsa in the Independence Bowl this past season.