Virginia's Keys to the Game

2 | www.cavalierdaily.com The Cavalier Daily HOOS, HOKIES AND HATRED A look back at how the Commonwealth’s greatest rivalry began Vignesh Mulay | Sports Editor COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA AND MARSHALL BRONFIN | THE CAVALIER DAILY From 1895 to the present day, whether in Lambeth Field (left) or Scott Stadium (right), football fans have always enjoyed an intense rivalry between Virginia and Virginia Tech. Over the last 125 years, Virginia have its nose so far in the air, as in sons as an undergraduate, one as a being paid to play, and Carpenter er, was most likely the final straw,” and Virginia Tech — schools sepa- Charlottesville,” Lazenby said. “It graduate and one more as a faculty responded by threatening to sue the Edds added. rated by less than 150 miles — have was Mr. Jefferson’s University … In member. student newspaper for libel. Virginia and Virginia Tech faced each other on the football truth, it’s just silly stereotypes, but Despite his talent and the fact University students, who ran the would not play again until 1923. field 101 times. The in-state rivalry that’s the kind of stuff that feeds a that he played five seasons in six athletics department, even consid- It was by far the longest intermis- has been full of dramatic games, fan base, one side looking down at years in Blacksburg, Carpenter was ered canceling the game altogether. sion ever between the two football thrilling storylines and plenty of the other.” not able to defeat Virginia. Desper- But, after the University’s entire teams. The almost two-decade gap animosity on both sides. But Virginia and Virginia Tech’s ate for a win against the Cavaliers, student body convened at Madison in the rivalry was a direct result of While most college football fans football teams are more closely con- Carpenter enrolled at the Universi- Hall and voted on the matter, Vir- Virginia’s anger towards Virginia are well aware of the longstanding nected than one might think. The ty of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ginia decided to play Virginia Tech Tech finally boiling over after years rivalry between Virginia and Vir- two teams were established within as a law student and joined the so as to not disappoint the fanbase. of tension. ginia Tech, they may not be as fa- four years of each other — Virginia school’s successful football team. “To put it bluntly, [the catalyst “It went on so long, people for- miliar with the feud’s deep and con- played its first intercollegiate game At the time of the move, Carpenter for the rivalry] was Virginia Tech’s got why they didn’t like each oth- troversial roots. As the Cavaliers in 1888, while Virginia Tech took said, “I just want to beat the Uni- reluctance to play by established el- er,” Lazenby said. “They didn’t even and the Hokies meet for the 102nd the field for the first time in 1892. versity of Virginia,” according to igibility rules,” Edds said. remember what happened, but they time Saturday, let’s take a look at Interestingly, many University the Associated Press. In spite of his After going as far as signing an just knew they weren’t going to how the over-a-century-old rivalry graduates, including W.E. Ander- best efforts, Carpenter once again affidavit, denying accusations of play.” first started. son, Joseph Massie and Arlie Jones, failed to beat Virginia in 1904 — being compensated, Carpenter was In many ways, Carpenter may Even off the football field, rela- played significant roles in the emer- this time as a Tar Heel. allowed to compete in the game, just be the most influential char- tions between the Virginia and Vir- gence of college football in Blacks- “After losing again, when a U.Va. which was held at Lambeth Field acter in the Cavaliers and Hokies’ ginia Tech communities have been burg. Anderson — who was simul- extra point ricocheted off a player’s in Charlottesville Nov. 4, 1905. long, interconnected story. His ac- tense since the late 1800s. There was taneously a professor and player head up through the goalpost for Unfortunately, Virginia fans at the tions drove a permanent wedge be- a clear divide that existed between for Virginia Tech — helped start a one-point U.Va. win over North time not only witnessed Carpenter tween Virginia and Virginia Tech, the two schools. Virginia was a state the Hokies’ football program, while Carolina, Carpenter was devastat- take the field for the seventh time one that still exists in the present university — a historic institution Massie and Jones both coached the ed,” Edds said. “U.Va. was his white against them, but also saw him lead day — more than a century later. of higher learning — while Virginia team in the mid-1890s. According whale. So [Captain] Ahab went Virginia Tech to a historic victory While Carpenter’s name may not Tech — then known as Virginia Ag- to Kevin Edds, writer and director back to his original ship for one over its in-state rival. The game, be universally known today, gen- ricultural and Mechanical College of “Wahoowa: The History of Vir- more hunting season.” which only ended due to darkness, erations of Virginia and Virginia — was a land-grant university that ginia Cavalier Football,” “the birth At this point, it appeared Car- finished with a scoreline of 11-0 in Tech fans learned to dislike each emphasized practical agricultural of Hokie Nation was started by penter’s dreams of taking down Virginia Tech’s favor. other because of beliefs that origi- and engineering education. Wahoos.” Virginia were crushed. However, in “Virginia Tech won the game, nated from that fateful 1905 game. “I broke it down into class war- For years, there was little antag- unprecedented fashion, Carpenter even though Carpenter was eject- Since the rivalry resumed in fare,” said Roland Lazenby, best- onism between the two teams. Vir- decided to return to Virginia Tech ed for punching a U.Va. player — 1923, Virginia and Virginia Tech selling sportswriter and co-author ginia — the most dominant foot- in 1905 for his seventh season as a perhaps in retaliation — and then have played 92 times. During this of “Hoos ‘N’ Hokies, the Rivalry: ball team in the South at the time college football player. threw the football into the stands stretch of history, countless coach- 100 Years of Virginia Tech-Virginia — comfortably won its first eight Carpenter’s controversial home- at Lambeth Field,” Edds said. “The es, players and fans have come and Football.” “ The U.Va. crowd tended games against Virginia Tech from coming was not well-received by uproar in Blacksburg over Tech’s gone. However, one element of the to be a lot of sons of bankers and 1895 to 1904 by a combined score of Virginia. The University’s students, first-ever win in the series was rivalry remains constant — each the Virginia Tech crowd tended 175-5. However, the rivalry quickly administrators and supporters were enough for U.Va. to discontinue the side’s unwavering desire to beat the to be a lot of sons of farmers, and heated up largely due to one driv- becoming increasingly frustrated rivalry for 17 seasons.” other, an emotion originally felt by bankers and farmers have never en Virginia Tech player — Hunter with their opponents’ disregard for In addition to the Carpenter Carpenter 120 years ago. gotten along all that well.” Carpenter. the sanctity of student-athlete eli- situation, Edds said Virginia Tech “There’s no shortage of insults Lazenby added that the tension Carpenter was an iconic college gibility. In Virginia’s eyes, Carpen- added insult to injury when its stu- the two sides could toss back and between the two institutions also football halfback who was named to ter — on the verge of playing for dent yearbook, The Bugle, printed forth,” Lazenby said. “Fortunate- had a geographic component. He the All-Southern team three times nearly a decade — epitomized an a caricature of U.Va. Athletics Di- ly, it’s not like politics. In politics explained that those who grew up and was inducted into the College issue plaguing amateur sports. rector William Lambeth preaching today, we’re really arguing to the in the western part of Virginia — in Football Hall of Fame in 1957. To Soon enough, in the leadup to ‘Pure Athletics’ while handing a point of genuine hate. With U.Va. cities like Blacksburg — have “al- say Carpenter’s career was unique the 1905 Virginia-Virginia Tech $100 bill to a football player behind and Tech, they still love each other.” ways had an inferiority complex re- would be an understatement. Car- game, relations between the two his back. garding the lowlanders,” including penter enrolled at Virginia Tech in sides turned ugly. College Topics — “That insult to Lambeth’s honor, those from Charlottesville. 1898 and competed on the football the original name of The Cavalier after Virginia Tech was the team “Nowhere did a state university team from 1899 to 1903 — three sea- Daily — alleged that Carpenter was guilty of having an ineligible play- THE RIVALRY ISSUE Friday, December 11, 2020 | 3 Virginia legend Micah Kiser reflects on the rivalry The Los Angeles Rams linebacker provides an inside look into the early stages of Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s tenure at Virginia Muhammad Amjad and Chad Whych | Sports Writers As the final whistle blew on a After receiving the prestigious at all.” the Commonwealth Clash. From Now a player on the Los Angeles 10-0 defeat, the full-capacity crowd “academic Heisman” Campbell But the annual matchup against the start of spring practices, Mend- Rams, Kiser’s been able to translate at Scott Stadium dispersed and Award in 2017, Kiser was drafted by the Hokies quickly became a cor- enhall would motivate the team’s his success from college to the NFL.

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