Bill Text: VA SJR99 | 2016 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Frank Beamer.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2016-01-29 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ99ER) [SJR99 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2016-SJR99-Enrolled.html
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WHEREAS, Frank Beamer, the highly respected head coach of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University football team who guided the team to 23 consecutive winning seasons and bowl game appearances, retired as head coach in 2015; and WHEREAS, a native of Hillsville, Frank Beamer graduated in 1969 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), where he started at cornerback on the football team for three seasons and helped take the team to two Liberty Bowls in 1966 and 1968; and WHEREAS, Frank Beamer began his coaching career in 1969 as an assistant coach for the Radford High School football team, while he was earning a master's degree from Radford University; and WHEREAS, Frank Beamer went on to serve as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at The Citadel and defensive coordinator at Murray State University before becoming head coach at Murray State University and leading the football team to a 42–23–2 record; and WHEREAS, in 1987, Frank Beamer became the first Virginia Tech alumnus to coach the Virginia Tech football team since the 1940s; over the course of his 29-season career, he led the Hokies to four Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles, 23 bowl game appearances, two major bowl game victories, and a national championship game appearance; and WHEREAS, Frank Beamer pioneered an aggressive style of special teams play that became known as "Beamer Ball"; during the 1990s, the Hokies blocked 66 kicks, more than any team in the country; and WHEREAS, the Hokies and Frank Beamer made history in 1999 and 2000, posting the winningest seasons in school history with the team's first 11–0 regular season record, back-to-back 11–1 overall records, and a trip to the national championship; and WHEREAS, Frank Beamer oversaw the Hokies' transition from an independent team to the Big East in 1991 and the ACC in 2004; in the team's first season in the ACC, Frank Beamer was named ACC Coach of the Year for leading a young team to an ACC title and a Bowl Championship Series game, and the team earned the 2004 Fall Sportsmanship award; and WHEREAS, in 2008, Frank Beamer recorded one of his finest efforts as a head coach, leading one of the youngest teams in his career through one of his toughest schedules to claim an ACC title and a win in the Orange Bowl; and WHEREAS, Frank Beamer made a promise to his players and their families that he would take care of these young men, and he has kept that promise, as evidenced by the fact that 230 of 244 (94.3 percent) of senior football players from 2001 to 2014 earned their degrees; and WHEREAS, Frank Beamer finished his career as the winningest active coach in the National Collegiate Athletics Association Football Bowl Subdivision with 280 career wins; he earned numerous awards and accolades, including eight national coach of the year awards in 1999 and the Coach of the Decade award from the Big East in 2000; in 2005, he was voted by 40 college coaches as the coach for whom they had the most respect, and he was the first active head coach inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame; and WHEREAS, after his well-earned retirement, Frank Beamer plans to seek new opportunities to serve the community and to spend more time with his wife, Cheryl; children, Shane and Casey, and four grandchildren; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Frank Beamer on the occasion of his retirement as head coach of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University football team; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Frank Beamer as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his achievements and best wishes on a happy retirement. |
