![]() | |
Virginia Tech Hokies | |
---|---|
Position | Halfback |
Class | 1929 |
Personal information | |
Born: | Virginia | May 15, 1903
Died: | January 15, 1978 74) Hampton, Virginia | (aged
Career history | |
College | V. P. I. (1925–1928) |
High school | Hampton |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Frank W. Peake (May 15, 1903 – January 15, 1978) [1] was a college football running back for the Virginia Tech Hokies of Virginia Polytechnic Institute. [2] Peake's College Football Hall of Fame coach Andy Gustafson, said he never saw his equal as a punt returner. [3] Peake was voted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1978, [4] and the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, the second year Tech athletes were honored. [5] He was also an accomplished track star.
Frank Peake was born on May 15, 1903, in Virginia to John James Peake and Sarah Lena Darden.
After Virginia Tech’s freshman team won a game by a wide margin in 1925, a sports publicist nicknamed the team’s offensive backfield the “Pony Express”, taking off on Notre Dame’s famed “Four Horsemen.” The leader of that group was Frank Peake. He was joined by Scotty MacArthur, Herbert “Mac” McEver and Tommy Tomko. [3]
Peake was a fleet back who loved the open field. He scored three touchdowns in his first varsity game against Roanoke College and two more in the next game against Hampden-Sydney. When the Techmen played VMI in the season finale, he scored both touchdowns in Tech’s 14-7 victory. [3] One account claims he rolled up 675 yards on Virginia. [4]
In the 6 to 0 upset of the Colgate Red Raiders in New York, Peake ran for nearly 200 yards and scored the game's only points. During one three-game stretch, he accumulated rushing and return yardage of 306, 314 and 353 yards. He was credited with gaining 1,761 yards in eight games. 930 were from scrimmage, and 831 on punts and kickoffs. [6]
Frank Peake was selected All-Southern in 1928. In the game against Virginia he came off the sideline with an injured hip to return a punt for a touchdown. [3]
André N. Davis is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech, earning first-team All-American honors in 2000. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Davis also played for the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans in his career. While playing for Virginia Tech Davis appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Desmond Kevin Howard is an American former football wide receiver and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he was a two-time All-American, including a unanimous All-American selection in 1991, winning the Heisman Trophy. He was selected fourth overall in the 1992 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. Howard spent most of his career on special teams as a return specialist and holds the NFL single season record for punt return yardage. With the Green Bay Packers, Howard was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXI after setting an NFL record for punt return yards and returning a kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown, the longest return in Super Bowl history at the time. To date, he is the only special teams player to receive the award. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
William McGarvey Dudley, nicknamed "Bullet Bill", was an American football halfback, safety and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Detroit Lions, and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.
DeAngelo Eugene Hall is an American professional football coach and former player who was a defensive back for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the eighth overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft. Hall played half a season for the Oakland Raiders before being released and signed by the Washington Redskins in 2008, playing for them until retiring following the 2017 season. He was a cornerback for the majority of his career before playing at free safety during his last few seasons.
David Steven Brown was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1975), Seattle Seahawks (1976–1986), and Green Bay Packers (1987–1989). He was selected as a second-team All-NFL player in 1984 and a second-team All-AFC player in 1985. His 62 career interceptions ranks tied for tenth in NFL history, with only five players having more interceptions in a career since his career ended in 1989. His 50 interceptions with the Seahawks remains a club record.
Charles Louis Trippi was an American professional football player for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1947 to 1955. Although primarily a halfback, his versatility allowed him to fill a multitude of roles over his career, including quarterback, safety, punter, and return specialist. A "quintuple-threat", Trippi was adept at running, catching, passing, punting, and defense.
Antonio Michael Freeman is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL), most notably for the Green Bay Packers. He attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Virginia Tech.
Lemar R. Parrish is an American former football cornerback and return specialist who played in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals (1970–1977), the Washington Redskins (1978–1982) and the Buffalo Bills (1982). He played college football for the Lincoln Blue Tigers.
Frank Loria was an American football defensive back. He was born in the town of Clarksburg, West Virginia in Harrison County and was a three sport athlete at Notre Dame Catholic High School.
Garry Don Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a halfback and punter for nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).
Allen Ralph "Buck" Flowers, Jr. was an American college football player who was a halfback for the Davidson Wildcats football team of Davidson College in 1917 and for the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team of the Georgia School of Technology in 1918, 1919 and 1920.
The 2007 Dr. Pepper ACC Championship Game featured the Boston College Eagles and the Virginia Tech Hokies in a regular-season college football game that determined the conference's champion for the 2007 season. Virginia Tech defeated Boston College 30–16 to win the ACC football championship. The game, held at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, was a rematch of a regular-season game that took place on October 25, in Blacksburg, Virginia. In that game, Boston College, courtesy of a late-game comeback by quarterback Matt Ryan, won 14–10.
The 2005 Dr. Pepper ACC Championship Game was the inaugural contest of the championship game for the recently expanded Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). It was a regular season-ending American college football contest held at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Florida State Seminoles. The game decided the winner of the ACC football championship. Florida State University (FSU) defeated Virginia Tech 27–22 in a game characterized by penalties, defense, and a fourth-quarter comeback attempt by Virginia Tech. The game was the final contest of the regular season for the teams, as bowl games are not considered part of the regular season.
The 2000 Sugar Bowl was the designated Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game for the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season and was played on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. The Florida State Seminoles, representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies, representing the Big East Conference, by a score of 46–29. With the win, Florida State clinched the 1999 BCS national championship, the team's second national championship in its history.
William Edward Royal is an American former football wide receiver and return specialist. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies and was elected to its sports hall of fame in 2018. Royal also played for the San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears.
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the sport of American football. The Hokies compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They previously competed in the Big East. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium, located in Blacksburg, Virginia, with a seating capacity of over 65,000 fans. Lane Stadium is considered to be one of the loudest stadiums in the country, being voted number two in ESPN's 2007 "Top 20 Scariest Places to Play". It was also recognized in 2005 by Rivals.com as having the best home-field advantage in the country.
The 1966 Liberty Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the VPI Gobblers and the Miami Hurricanes, both independent programs. The eighth edition of the Liberty Bowl, it was played on December 10, 1966, at Memphis Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game was the final contest of the 1966 NCAA University Division football season for both teams, and ended in a 14–7 victory for Miami. A then-record 39,101 tickets were sold for the game, but due to 36 °F (2 °C) temperatures at game time, only 25,012 spectators attended.
The 1993 Independence Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Indiana Hoosiers at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana on December 31, 1993. The 18th edition of the Independence Bowl was the final contest of the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 45–20 victory for Virginia Tech. The game was the first bowl victory for Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, and began a streak of 27 consecutive bowl appearances for Virginia Tech.
The 1980 (season) Peach Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the Hurricanes from the University of Miami and the Gobblers from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on January 2, 1981. The game was the final contest of the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 20–10 victory for Miami. Another game by the same name followed the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season and was played in December, 1981.
The 1994 Gator Bowl was an American college football bowl game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Tech Hokies at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, on December 30, 1994. The game was the final contest of the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 45–23 victory for Tennessee.