Hokies grind on under Beamer

Published Jul. 22, 2012 6:02 p.m. ET

foxsports

This is just another day at the preseason office for Virginia Tech.
The Hokies, consistently one of the premier teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, enters the 2012 season as a second-tier attraction compared to the likes of flashy picks Clemson and Florida State. But you can count on Virginia Tech being there. It seems to be every season, week in and week out, without fail.
Talk is rare from Blacksburg, Va., but Hokie players do not take being put in the media’s backseat lightly.
“We want to be on top, we want to be above those teams. I feel we are up there,” cornerback Kyle Fuller said.
Such determination is common under coach Frank Beamer, who became the winningest coach in FBS football following the firing of Penn State’s Joe Paterno. Beamer boasts 251 career wins (209 at Virginia Tech), with a .668 winning percentage, at his alma mater.
Beamer is known for his workmanlike personality, for bringing the trademark lunch pail to the sidelines to symbolize what his team’s bring to the table.
“I forgot all about how many wins he had, but definitely shows how great of a guy he is and as a coach, the way he prepares his team week in and week out, it’s the same,” Fuller said. “I’m proud of Coach Beamer ... he definitely has a big impact on the whole program and that leads to all the wins he has.