NORFOLK, Va. — Four of the more prominent football coaches in the commonwealth of Virginia got together as the Norfolk Sports Club held "The Football Coaches Forum" at the Waterside Marriott in downtown on Monday. A pair were in their first year and from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia Tech's Brent Pry came from Penn State, but was raised in Lexington, Virginia. He would go on to become a graduate assistant under legendary Hokies head coach, Frank Beamer.
His arch-rival at the University Of Virginia, Tony Elliott was a long-time assistant with Dabo Swinney at Clemson. Both spoke before the crowd about the importance of showing a presence in Hampton Roads. "We know how important this area has been to Virginia Tech", says Pry. Elliott believed in his team being, "An inside/out program. What better way to do it than with guys from the state". His staff alone shows a 757 look. Marques Hagans (Hampton High School) is an associate head coach and Chris Slade (Tabb High School) handles defensive ends. "It just means more".
The star power continued with the other two head coaches whose schools were just a few miles away from where they were speaking in Norfolk. Old Dominion's Ricky Rahne got the Monarchs to their first bowl game and win since 2016. Over at Norfolk State, Dawson Odums did an incredible job in his first year with the Spartans. He led them to a 6-5 record that included a 6-game winning streak. They also got plenty from being at the event. "It's great to get out in the community again", says Rahne who will start the season at home against Pry when they take on the Hokies on Friday, September 2nd. He and Pry were assistants at Vanderbilt and later at Penn State. "I want all the colleges in Virginia to be successful. I just don't want to be successful when they play us", he joked.
Odums saw nothing but positives for his Spartans program. "It's always a blessing", he said. "It's a great event to have your name on the same flyer as ODU, Virginia Tech, and Virginia so we're on the rise."