List of Virginia Tech Hokies head football coaches
List of Football Coaches for the Virginia Tech Hokies
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The Virginia Tech Hokies college football team represents Virginia Tech in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The program has had 36 head coaches, and 3 interim head coach, since it began play during the 1892 season.[1]


History
- As of the 2025 season, the team has played more than 1,349 games in 133 years under 35 different head coaches and 3 interim coaches.
- Seven head coaches have led the Hokies in postseason bowl games: Jimmy Kitts, Jerry Claiborne, Bill Dooley, Frank Beamer, Justin Fuente, J.C. Price, and Brent Pry.
- Two coaches have won conference championships: Jerry Claiborne, in the Southern Conference in 1963 and Frank Beamer with seven, three in the Big East Conference and four in the ACC.
- Frank Beamer leads in seasons and games coached and wins, with 280 victories in 427 games in 29 seasons. He was the winningest active coach and longest tenured coach in Division I FBS at the time of his retirement in 2015.[2]
- A. B. Morrison, Jr. has the highest winning percentage (.857) and Bob McNeish has the lowest winning percentage (.086).
- Andy Gustafson, Jerry Claiborne, and Frank Beamer have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Key
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List of head coaches
| # | Name | Season(s)[A 7] | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DC[A 8] | CC | NC | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E. A. Smyth | 1892–1893 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | Joseph Massie | 1894 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.800 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | Arlie C. Jones | 1895–1896 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0.679 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 4 | Charles Firth | 1897 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0.714 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 5 | J. Lewis Ingles | 1898 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 6 | James Morrison | 1899 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.800 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 7 | Eugene Davis | 1900 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 8 | A. B. Morrison, Jr. | 1901 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0.857 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 9 | R. R. Brown | 1902 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0.583 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 10 | Charles Augustus Lueder | 1903 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0.833 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 11 | John C. O'Connor | 1904 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0.625 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 12 | Sally Miles | 1905–1906 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0.737 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 13 | C. R. Williams | 1907 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0.778 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 14 | R. M. Brown | 1908 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0.556 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 15 | Branch Bocock | 1909–1910, 1912–1915 |
50 | 34 | 14 | 2 | 0.680 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 16 | Lew Riess | 1911 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0.778 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 17 | Jack E. Ingersoll | 1916 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0.778 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 18 | Charles A. Bernier | 1917–1919 | 25 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 0.740 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 19 | Stanley Sutton | 1920 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0.400 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 20 | B. C. Cubbage | 1921–1925 | 48 | 30 | 12 | 6 | 0.688 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 0.560 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 21 | Andy Gustafson† | 1926–1929 | 36 | 22 | 13 | 1 | 0.625 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 0.548 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 22 | Orville Neal | 1930–1931 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 0.528 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0.333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 23 | Henry Redd | 1932–1940 | 88 | 43 | 37 | 8 | 0.534 | 25 | 27 | 7 | 0.483 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 24 | Jimmy Kitts | 1941, 1946–1947 |
29 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 0.500 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 0.571 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 25 | Sumner D. Tilson | 1942 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0.750 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0.833 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 26 | Herbert McEver | 1942, 1945 | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0.528 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0.538 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 27 | Bob McNeish | 1948–1950 | 29 | 1 | 25 | 3 | 0.086 | 1 | 19 | 3 | 0.132 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| Int | Allan Learned | 1950 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 28 | Frank Moseley | 1951–1960 | 100 | 54 | 42 | 4 | 0.560 | 27 | 22 | 2 | 0.549 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 29 | Jerry Claiborne† | 1961–1970 | 102 | 61 | 39 | 2 | 0.608 | 12[A 9] | 7 | 0 | 0.632 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | Neyland Trophy (1994)[6] |
| 30 | Charlie Coffey | 1971–1973 | 33 | 12 | 20 | 1 | 0.379 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 31 | Jimmy Sharpe | 1974–1977 | 44 | 21 | 22 | 1 | 0.489 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 32 | Bill Dooley | 1978–1986 | 102 | 64[A 10] | 37 | 1 | 0.632 | —[A 11] | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 33 | 1987–2015 | 361 | 238 | 121 | 2 | 0.659 | 124 | 52 | 0 | 0.704 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0 | AFCA Coach of the Year (1999) AP Coach of the Year (1999) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year (1999) Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (1999) George Munger Award (1999) Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (1999) Walter Camp Coach of the Year (1999) Joseph V. Paterno Award (2010) Big East Coach of the Year (1995, 1996, 1999) ACC Coach of the Year (2004, 2005)[A 12] Neyland Trophy (2017)[6] | |
| 34 | Justin Fuente | 2016–2021[8] | 74 | 43 | 31 | 0 | 0.581 | 28 | 20 | 0 | 0.583 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ACC Coach of the Year (2017) |
| Int | J. C. Price | 2021 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.333 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 35 | Brent Pry | 2022–2025 | 40 | 16 | 24 | 0 | 0.400 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 0.435 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Int | Philip Montgomery | 2025 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0.333 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 36 | James Franklin | 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Notes
- A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
- Virginia Tech did not join a conference until 1920, and was not a member of a conference from 1965 to 1990.
- Statistics correct as of the end of the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
- Virginia Tech did not field teams in 1943 and 1944 due to World War II.
- Divisional champions have advanced to the ACC Championship Game since the institution of divisional play beginning in the 2005 season. Since that time, Virginia Tech has competed as a member of the Coastal division.
- Virginia Tech left the Southern Conference in 1965 for various financial and structural reasons. Virginia Tech wanted to schedule more large schools but was prevented from doing so by the Southern Conference schedule. In addition, The Hokies hoped to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- Includes a forfeit by Temple University during the 1986 season. Temple forfeited game because of an ineligible player.
- In 1978, Virginia Tech joined the Metro Conference in all sports except football.[7]
- The ACC Coach of the Year is voted by Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA).