Photo courtesy of VT Athletics
How a rusted box inspired generations and became the heart of Hokie football
Hokie Pride. Ultimate Teamwork. Dominating Defense.
These are just a few of the characteristics that make the famed Lunch Pail what it is, a battered and rusting box that became the identity of Virginia Tech football’s defense.
The tradition of the Lunch Pail began in 1995 when legendary Virginia Tech coach Bud Foster was named defensive coordinator. The original lunch pail, which once belonged to a coal miner, was acquired by the mother-in-law of then co-defensive coordinator Rod Sharpless.
The rest is history.
The pail included the defense’s mission statement, keys to success and goals. Each week, the hardest working player on the defense earned the privilege of carrying the pail to and from practice during the week and to the sideline on game day.
Over time, Hokie players collected turf from playing fields after road victories and deposited blades of grass in the box. Tech painted on the side the letters W-I-N, which Foster said stood for “What’s Important Now.”
Foster’s triumph in defense cemented the legend of the Lunch Pail. From 1995 to 2013, his team consistently ranked among the top ten nationally in total defense, achieving this feat eleven times. They led the nation in total defense in 2005 and 2006, and also topped the charts in scoring defense twice and rushing defense once.
Under his leadership, Tech accumulated more sacks and interceptions than any other FBS program, with only Alabama and Ohio State ranking higher in scoring defense during his tenure. In 2006, Foster received the Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in America.
But the lunch pail symbolizes more than just team triumphs. It also represents the blue-collar work ethic and pride of the community at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
In 2007, following the tragic shooting on campus, the lunch pail took on an even greater meaning. The names of the 32 victims were listed on a laminated card and placed inside the pail with a maroon ribbon. Underneath the victims’ names is an inspirational reminder from Nikki Giovanni’s Convocation remarks: “We will remember. We will prevail. We are Virginia Tech.”
The Hokies have carried on their memory ever since.
“[The shooting] was a horrible tragedy,” former defensive end Orion Martin said when he took possession of the lunch pail during preseason camp in ’07. “To have those names in there, it makes it even more of an honor to have the lunch pail.”
The honor of carrying the iconic Lunch Pail cannot be overstated. Current safeties coach and former defensive back Pierson Prioleau will never forget the moment he laid hands on it in after Virginia Tech’s season-opening win against Rutgers in 1997, especially after watching watch a lot of really good players carry it around, guys like J.C. Price, Cornell Brown, Torrian Gray and Myron Newsome.
Only two Hokies have ever received a permanent pail: former star defensive end Darryl Tapp, who carried it for nearly two years during Tech’s early ACC days, and former defensive line coach Charley Wiles, one of the longest tenured and most respected of Tech’s defensive coaches.
When Foster retired in 2019, Virginia Tech honored him with a banner in Lane Stadium displaying his last name and an outline of the lunch pail. During the post-Foster transition, Virginia Tech phased out the lunch pail tradition out of respect for Foster as Justin Hamilton, a protégé of Foster, established himself as the new coordinator.
But the decision to bring back the Lunch Pail was a no-brainer for head coach Brent Pry as he ushered in a new era of Tech football. And it doesn’t come as a surprise. After all, Pry learned how to coach that side of the ball from Foster and his Lunch Pail defense during his time as a graduate assistant with the 1995 Hokies.
Bringing back the Lunch Pail marked a return to Virginia Tech football’s roots. The beloved tradition holds a reminder of Hokie Nation’s strength and symbolizes an aggressive, rough and tumble defense, one that finished the 2023 season ranked fourth in passing defense.
Virginia Tech Athletics
