Though many hoped for recently departed Maryland coach Bobby Ross, athletic director Dutch Baughman turned to Frank Beamer, a Hokie alumnus and defensive back from 1966 to 1968.
Beamer had worked his way up the assistant coaching ladder since his 1969 graduation before spending six seasons in the head job at Murray State.
 Among the assistants Beamer brought with him from the Racers was linebackers coach Bud Foster, who had joined Beamer's first Murray State staff as a graduate assistant immediately upon his own graduation there.

Virginia Tech joined the Big East Conference for football play in 1991 (later joined for all sports in 2000).
The Hokies were competitive in the new league early on, but could never beat annual foe, the Miami Hurricanes, despite having a 6-6 record vs. the Hurricanes during the Big East years.
In 1993, the Hokies earned a trip to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, its first bowl game under Beamer.
With a win in that game, the Hokies notched only the fourth nine-win season in school history at the time.
It became the first of 23 straight bowl games under Beamer, until he retired in 2015.

1995 season
After finally beating the Hurricanes during the 1995 regular season, the 13th ranked Hokies clinched a berth in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana–the program's first appearance in a major bowl game.
They the 9th ranked Texas Longhorns 28-10.
This was a signature win for the Hokies, capping the most successful season to date; it became turning point for the program as a whole.

1999 season
Virginia Tech's most successful football season was in 1999 under the guidance of redshirt freshman quarterback, Michael Vick.
Among other amazing moments, on November 3, the Hokies came from behind on the road, to win against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Vick led a desperate last minute drive that culminated in a dramatic Shayne Graham game-winning field goal.
The 22–20 victory has since become known as the "Miracle in Morgantown."
The team completed the year with its first ever undefeated regular season, finishing with an (11–0) record.
On January 4, 2000, the Hokies faced the Florida State Seminoles in the 2000 Sugar Bowl for the national championship.
A back and forth game, the Hokies trailed 28–7 late in the second quarter but came back to take a 29–28 lead at the start of the fourth.
However, they were not able to hold on and the Seminoles won 46–29.
The Hokies finished third in the AP Poll and second in the Coaches Poll–in both cases, the highest final ranking in school history and the highest ever for a Division I team from the Commonwealth.

The following season, in 2000, the Hokies were again contenders for the national championship, but a loss to #3 Miami in early November, in a game in which Michael Vick was limited because of an injury, cost them a trip to the Orange Bowl.
The Hokies later went on to defeat the Clemson Tigers 41–20 in the 2001 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida.

At the start of the 2004 season, the Hokies faced the #1 and eventual national champion USC Trojans in the BCA Classic played at FedExField in Landover, Maryland.
The Hokies kept the game close, but eventually lost 24–13.
The regular season ended with the Hokies winning the ACC championship in their first year in the conference and a return to the Sugar Bowl and a match-up with the Auburn Tigers.
Auburn, the SEC champion and one of three undefeated teams (USC and Oklahoma being the other two), took a 16–0 lead into the fourth quarter.
Led by senior quarterback Bryan Randall, the Hokies scored 13 points but fell just short of the comeback when the Tigers recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.

The 2005 season saw many ups and downs, but would end in disappointment.
Taking over for Bryan Randall was Marcus Vick, younger brother of Hokies great Michael Vick.
The Hokies started off the season 8–0, including victories over West Virginia and ACC rivals Georgia Tech and Boston College.
Going into the tenth week of the season, the Hokies were ranked 3rd in the country behind USC and Texas and would face the
Though many hoped for recently departed Maryland coach Bobby Ross, athletic director Dutch Baughman turned to Frank Beamer, a Hokie alumnus and defensive back from 1966 to 1968. Beamer had worked his way up the assistant coaching ladder since his 1969 graduation before spending six seasons in the head job at Murray State.  Among the assistants Beamer brought with him from the Racers was linebackers coach Bud Foster, who had joined Beamer's first Murray State staff as a graduate assistant immediately upon his own graduation there.
Virginia Tech joined the Big East Conference for football play in 1991 (later joined for all sports in 2000). The Hokies were competitive in the new league early on, but could never beat annual foe, the Miami Hurricanes, despite having a 6-6 record vs. the Hurricanes during the Big East years. In 1993, the Hokies earned a trip to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, its first bowl game under Beamer. With a win in that game, the Hokies notched only the fourth nine-win season in school history at the time. It became the first of 23 straight bowl games under Beamer, until he retired in 2015.
1995 season
After finally beating the Hurricanes during the 1995 regular season, the 13th ranked Hokies clinched a berth in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana–the program's first appearance in a major bowl game. They the 9th ranked Texas Longhorns 28-10. This was a signature win for the Hokies, capping the most successful season to date; it became turning point for the program as a whole.
1999 season
Virginia Tech's most successful football season was in 1999 under the guidance of redshirt freshman quarterback, Michael Vick. Among other amazing moments, on November 3, the Hokies came from behind on the road, to win against the West Virginia Mountaineers. Vick led a desperate last minute drive that culminated in a dramatic Shayne Graham game-winning field goal. The 22–20 victory has since become known as the "Miracle in Morgantown." The team completed the year with its first ever undefeated regular season, finishing with an (11–0) record. On January 4, 2000, the Hokies faced the Florida State Seminoles in the 2000 Sugar Bowl for the national championship. A back and forth game, the Hokies trailed 28–7 late in the second quarter but came back to take a 29–28 lead at the start of the fourth. However, they were not able to hold on and the Seminoles won 46–29. The Hokies finished third in the AP Poll and second in the Coaches Poll–in both cases, the highest final ranking in school history and the highest ever for a Division I team from the Commonwealth.
The following season, in 2000, the Hokies were again contenders for the national championship, but a loss to #3 Miami in early November, in a game in which Michael Vick was limited because of an injury, cost them a trip to the Orange Bowl. The Hokies later went on to defeat the Clemson Tigers 41–20 in the 2001 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida.
At the start of the 2004 season, the Hokies faced the #1 and eventual national champion USC Trojans in the BCA Classic played at FedExField in Landover, Maryland. The Hokies kept the game close, but eventually lost 24–13. The regular season ended with the Hokies winning the ACC championship in their first year in the conference and a return to the Sugar Bowl and a match-up with the Auburn Tigers. Auburn, the SEC champion and one of three undefeated teams (USC and Oklahoma being the other two), took a 16–0 lead into the fourth quarter. Led by senior quarterback Bryan Randall, the Hokies scored 13 points but fell just short of the comeback when the Tigers recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.
The 2005 season saw many ups and downs, but would end in disappointment. Taking over for Bryan Randall was Marcus Vick, younger brother of Hokies great Michael Vick. The Hokies started off the season 8–0, including victories over West Virginia and ACC rivals Georgia Tech and Boston College. Going into the tenth week of the season, the Hokies were ranked 3rd in the country behind USC and Texas and would face the 
Virginia Tech Hokies football