Davis named an ACC Legend
Andre Davis, a former Tech receiver in the late 1990s and early 2000s, was selected to be a member of the 2013 Class of Legends by the Atlantic Coast Conference. The legends will be honored Dec. 6, the night before the league’s football championship game in Charlotte, N.C., and also during ceremonies at the game.
Davis still holds the Tech record for most yards per catch in a season, averaging 27.5 yards per reception in 1999, and the record for most receiving yards in a season (962 in 1999). That season, he caught 35 passes for 962 yards and nine touchdowns in helping Tech to an 11-0 record and a spot in the BCS national championship game. His nine touchdown catches tied the single-season school record that still stands today.
Davis also excelled as a punt returner, setting school records in return yardage average for a season (22.0 in 2000) and a career (15.9), and also tying the single-season mark for touchdowns on returns (three in 2000).
Davis, who now lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C., joins Mike Cloud (BC), Terry Kinard (Clemson), Wes Chesson (Duke), Jamie Dukes (Florida State), Robert Lavette (Georgia Tech), Boomer Esiason (Maryland), Edgerrin James (Miami), Ken Willard (North Carolina), Dave Buckey (NC State), Don Buckey (NC State), Johnny Majors (Pittsburgh), Floyd Little (Syracuse), Tom Scott (Virginia) and Jay Venuto (Wake Forest) as 2013 ACC legends.
Another Tech Hall of Famer passes away
For the second time in less than a month, a Tech Hall of Famer has passed away.
Dickie Beard, a running back who played in the early 1950s, passed away on Sept. 7 in Roanoke, Va. The 79-year-old had been diagnosed with lymphoma just seven weeks prior to passing, according to a Roanoke Times story.
Beard played with Jack Prater, a Hall of Famer who passed away on Aug. 27. The two were part of the 1954 Tech team that went 8-0-1 under head coach Frank Moseley. That team finished 16th in the final Associated Press poll.
Beard was the leading rusher on the 1954 team, finishing with 647 yards and two touchdowns, and he made 15 extra points. His 647 yards rushing marked a Tech single-season record for a modern era player (post-1950), a record that stood for 11 years.
Beard rushed for 1,378 yards in his career, becoming the first Tech player in the modern era to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a career. In 1954, he was an honorable mention All-American and the state’s athlete of the year by The Associated Press.
The Cumberland, Md., native was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.
Cline the 10th true freshman to play
Kalvin Cline, a native of Boca Raton, Fla., became the 10th true freshman to play this season when he took the field during the Tech-Western Carolina game. The 10 true freshmen to play this season are the most ever under Frank Beamer at Tech. In 2002, nine true freshmen played.
Cline, who committed to the Hokies after the signing period, only played one year of high school football, catching 19 passes for 411 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior at Pine Crest High School. But the 6-foot-4, 238-pounder enjoyed a good debut for the Hokies, catching four passes for 46 yards against the Catamounts.
“He’s athletic, and he’s smart,” Beamer said. “Offensively, we move around a lot and shift, so there’s a lot of stuff going on. We threw him in there, and he didn’t miss much. To not be around it and not getting reps, to being thrown in there and picking up most of it is really pretty impressive.
“He’s got some toughness, and he cares. I like the kid. He gives us a little stretch there. You’d like to see him get a little bit bigger and stronger, and he will in time. He’s only a true freshman. He’s an athletic tight end, and hopefully he can help this year.”
Tech guard ruled ineligible for the season
The NCAA ruled that Virginia Tech freshman guard Malik Mueller is ineligible for the 2013-14 basketball season because of issues dealing with initial eligibility requirements. The native of Ehingen, Germany, will remain on scholarship and be able to practice with the team, but not play in any games.
“I am extremely disappointed for Malik,” Tech men’s basketball coach James Johnson said. “This young man has worked very hard this summer both in workouts and in the classroom. I know that Malik will use this year to improve as a better basketball player and will continue his strong work in his academics. He will help this team in practice and from the sidelines.”
Mueller will have four years of eligibility remaining when he is allowed to begin competing in games in the fall of 2014.
