A Hokie?

After spending Homecoming weekend in Blacksburg, I was asked by my bf who has never experienced this SW VA college atmosphere...."honey, what exactly is a Hokie?"

Now that is an interesting question, as I've been asked that ALOT since I entered VT as a freshmen in 1999. I've always just answered, "it's just a made up mascot, it's not real, etc." Now, back from the long weekend, I was just informed by a friend that there is now a "true" definition of the term on the VT website. So to everyone that has ever asked me, "what exactly is a hokie?," here is your answer:

WHAT'S A HOKIE?
The answer leads all the way back to 1896 when Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College changed its name to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. With the change came the necessity for writing a new cheer and a contest for such a purpose was held by the student body.

Senior O.M. Stull won first prize for his "Hokie" yell which is still used today. Later, when asked if "Hokie" had any special meaning, Stull explained the word was solely the product of his imagination and was used only as an attention-getter for his yell. It soon became a nickname for all Tech teams and for those people loyal to Tech athletics.

The HokieBird: The bird is a "HokieBird" which has evolved from a turkey.

So there you have it...

And a side note, things don't change much in the Burg...tailgating, football and lots of alcohol. That's how we do!