The 2020 Virginia High School Hall of Fame class is headed by legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. He enters the hall as an athlete from Hillsville High School.
A three-sport athlete in high school, Beamer led the Indians at quarterback his junior and senior years. He threw 43 touchdowns in a time when the forward pass was rarely utilized and amassed more than 3,000 yards through the air.
In 1964, Beamer led the team to an 8‐2 record, narrowly missing a berth in the state tournament, after a loss to rival Blacksburg. That season remains one of the most successful in Carroll County regular season history. Beamer was named all‐state and all‐south his senior year. His tough and gritty play caught the eye of Virginia Tech head coach Jerry Claiborne, who recruited Beamer as a defensive back.
Sponsored by the Virginia High School League (VHSL), the Virginia High School Hall of Fame will welcome 14 new members who have made outstanding contributions to high school athletic and activity programs. The 31st annual hall of fame induction dinner will be held on Sunday, April 26, at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Charlottesville.
The Class of 2020 includes seven athletes in addition to Beamer: Barney Cobb – John Marshall; Wheeler Hughes – Dunbar; Leroy Keyes – G. W. Carver; Cora Jackson-Robinson – Essex; Jeff King – Pulaski County; Tara Sheets – Gate City; and Jasmine Thomas – Oakton.
Three coaches will be inducted into the hall: Gregg Conner – Powhatan; Darnell Dozier – Princess Anne; and Jim Larkin – Chancellor. The class also includes three contributors: Charlie Cloe – Central Virginia football officials; Tom Dolan – Jamestown HS/VHSL; and Valerie Kibler – Harrisonburg..
An assistant football coach at Radford High School from 1969‐71, Beamer was not long to stay in the high school ranks. In 1972, he began his long and storied career in the college game at the University of Maryland. He went on to make stops at The Citadel and Murray State before being named the head coach of his alma mater following the 1986 season.
Before retiring in 2015, Beamer’s 238‐121‐2 record over 29 years at Virginia Tech made him the winningest football coach in school history and the winningest active and longest tenured coach in major college football at the time of his retirement. His Hokie teams won three Big East, and four ACC titles, played in bowl games from 1993‐2015, and played for the national championship in 2000 in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State.
Beamer is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Virginia Tech and Murray State halls of fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He was the consensus National Coach of the Year for the 1999 season.
Tickets for the induction dinner are $35 and can be purchased on-line: https://gofan.co/app/VHSL.
The high school hall of fame is dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of outstanding achievements by students and adults in sports and activities within Virginia’s public high schools.
Athletes are eligible for consideration 10 years after completion of their high school careers and are judged primarily for their achievements in interscholastic sports. Coaches are eligible after 15 years of experience or upon retirement and are judged on the merits of their achievements at the high school level. Contributors are professionals who have rendered significant services in some other capacity such as administration, academic activities, officiating, media or sports medicine.
The Class of 2020 will bring total hall membership to 309.
