Last time Virginia Teach and Marshall Played each other, Virginia Tech visited Marshall. This was the first time Frank Beamer had been in Huntington since the plane accident took place in 1970. This has meaning because two Virginia Tech Alumni passed away on the plane. Rick Tolley and Frank Loria played at Virginia Tech at different times, however both Frank Beamer and Loria played together in the mid-60's.
When Beamer traveled to Huntington in 2009 he took a detour by a West Virginia State motorcade to Spring Hill Cemetery to pay his respects to all who lost their lives on that day. At the memorial he left a small stone which which was in-scripted with the Hokies' names and numbers along with the words that appear above the tunnel leading to Worsham field.
Those words are: "For those who have passed, For those to come....Reach For Excellence". Those words choke me every time I read them out loud. Frank Beamer might be our opponents head coach but I have the upmost respect for his character after this.
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