Virginia Tech Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams officially representing Virginia Tech in college sports . The Hokies participate in the NCAA ' s Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 19 varsity sports . Virginia Tech ' s men ' s sports are football , basketball , baseball , cross country , golf , soccer , swimming and diving , tennis , track and field , and wrestling . Virginia Tech ' s women ' s sports are basketball , cross country , lacrosse , soccer , softball , swimming and diving , tennis , track and field and volleyball . Although Virginia Tech is still seeking its first national title in a varsity sport , it has won a national championship in bass fishing , as well as individual track and field events . Name . Virginia Tech ' s sports teams are called the " Hokies " . The word " hokie " originated in the " Old Hokie " spirit yell created in 1896 by O . M . Stull for a contest which was held to select a new spirit yell when the college ' s name was changed from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute and the original spirit yell , which referred to the old name , was no longer usable . Stull ' s yell won , and he received the $ 5 award . Later , the phrase " Team ! Team ! Team ! " was added at the end , and an " e " was added to " Hoki . " Stull later said that he made up the word as an attention - grabber . Though he may not have known it , " Hokie " ( in its various forms ) has been around at least since 1842 . According to Johann Norstedt , now a retired Virginia Tech English professor , " [ Hokie was ] a word that people used to express feeling , approval , excitement , surprise . Hokie , then , is a word like ' hooray , ' or ' yeah , ' or ' rah . ' " Whatever its original meaning , the word in the popular cheer did , as Stull wanted , grab attention and has been a part of Virginia Tech tradition ever since . The official university school colors - Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange - also were introduced in 1896 . The colors were chosen by a committee because they made a " unique combination " not worn elsewhere at the time . The team mascot is the HokieBird , a turkey - like creature . The teams were originally known as the " Fighting Gobblers , " and the turkey motif was retained despite the name change . Traditions . The stylized VT ( the abbreviation for Virginia Tech ) is used primarily by the athletic department as a symbol for Virginia Tech athletic teams . The " athletic VT " symbol is trademark ed by the university and appears frequently on licensed merchandise . During the early years of the university , a rivalry developed between the Virginia Military Institute and Virginia Tech , then called VPI . This rivalry developed into the original " Military Classic of the South , " which was an annual football game between VMI and VPI on Thanksgiving Day in Roanoke , Virginia . This rivalry continued until 1970 when Tech ' s football program became too large and too competitive for VMI . Today , Tech ' s major athletic rivalries include the Virginia Cavaliers ( see Virginia - Virginia Tech rivalry ) , the West Virginia Mountaineers ( the series is in indefinite hiatus since the 2005 season when the last scheduled game was played ) , and the Miami Hurricanes . Virginia Tech ' s fight song , " Tech Triumph " , was written in 1919 and remains in use today . Tech Triumph is played at sporting events by both the Virginia Tech band , The Marching Virginians , and the Corps of Cadets ' band , the Highty Tighties . The " Old Hokie " spirit yell , in use since 1896 , is familiar to all Tech fans . Virginia Tech ' s football traditions and the school ' s fans are the subject of a 2007 full length documentary called " Hokie Nation " which features a mix of interviews with coaches , players and fans as well as a look at Hokie football history and the direction of the program . Conference affiliation . Tech teams participate in the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) , which the school joined in 2003 after a tumultuous trek through five different conferences in the previous decade , most recently leaving the Big East in the controversial ACC expansion . In 1921 , Virginia Tech joined the Southern Intercollegiate Conference ( now Southern Conference ) , which contained 19 schools by 1922 , all current members of the ACC or Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) . In 1932 , thirteen schools left the then - gigantic Southern Conference to form the SEC and in 1953 , seven more teams left to form the ACC . Frank Moseley , Virginia Tech ' s director of athletics and football coach , believed that the new Southern Conference was a lower tier of competition and sought membership in the ACC , but was turned down . In 1965 , Tech left the Southern Conference to become independent . In 1977 , Virginia Tech once again sought admission to the ACC and was once again rejected . In 1978 , Virginia Tech joined the Metro Conference , winning the conference men ' s basketball championship in their first year . In 1991 , Virginia Tech was invited to join the Big East Conference for football only . Members of the Big East football conference included Boston College , Miami , Pittsburgh , Rutgers , Syracuse , Temple , Virginia Tech , and West Virginia . In 1994 , Virginia Tech was turned down for full membership in the Big East . In January 1995 , Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University were ousted from the Metro Conference and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the conference . The lawsuit was settled when Metro agreed to pay the Hokies $ 1 , 135 , 000 and Virginia Tech joined the Atlantic 10 Conference , along with fellow newcomers Dayton and LaSalle in June 1995 . In 1999 , the Big East agreed to accept Virginia Tech as a full member in all sports . Virginia Tech ultimately paid $ 8 . 3 million to join the conference , $ 1 . 1 million of which was actually paid after the school left . In April 2003 , Mike Tranghese , commissioner of the Big East , dropped a bombshell — that the ACC was secretly trying to lure away Big East members . Over the next several months , the ACC held meetings and discussions . Ultimately , Virginia Tech was invited to join the conference , along with Miami . Boston College was added the following year . Virginia Tech finally had achieved what Frank Moseley had sought so long ago — membership in the ACC . When Virginia Tech was invited to join the ACC , former Roanoke Times sports editor Bill Brill expressed his displeasure , saying " Virginia Tech will not win an ACC championship in my lifetime . " When Virginia Tech ' s football team proceeded to do precisely that in their very first season in the league , Brill ' s house in Chapel Hill , North Carolina received hundreds of mocking phone calls from angry Virginia Tech fans , curious to learn when the funeral arrangements would be held . Football . The Virginia Tech football team has held the Commonwealth Cup , given to the annual winner of the Virginia Tech - University of Virginia game for over 2 , 000 days . Virginia Tech has won the last 9 straight and 13 of the last 14 meetings against their in - state rival , last losing to UVA on November 29 , 2003 by a 35 - 21 score at a game played in Charlottesville . Tech last lost to UVA in Blacksburg during the 1998 season by a 36 - 32 count . Women ' s basketball . Virginia Tech ' s women ' s basketball team is led by coach Dennis Wolff . Soccer . Women ' s soccer at Virginia Tech began in 1980 with two club teams under the guidance of Everett Germain and his two daughters Betsy and Julie . Women ' s soccer has made great strides over the years and continues to be very successful . Recently , the Virginia Tech soccer team brought on a new head coach , Charles " Chugger " Adair , who was formerly the Associate Head Coach , where he acted as the recruiting cooridnator and head scout for Virginia Tech , as well as assisted with player development and management . Virginia Tech woman ' s soccer currently has two assistant coaches , Pete Pososki and Eric Lycan . Softball . Since starting its varsity program in 1996 , the Virginia Tech softball team has played in six conference championship games , winning both the ACC regular season and tournament titles in 2007 . Under head coach Scot Thomas and behind the strength of one of the nation ' s best college pitchers , senior All - American Angela Tincher , the Hokies made their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008 . On May 25 , 2008 , they defeated the fourth - seeded Michigan Wolverines to advance to their first College World Series . On March 26 , 2008 , Tincher pitched a no - hitter in a 1 – 0 exhibition win over the United States Olympic softball team , ending their 185 - game winning streak . Golf . The men ' s golf team has won 12 conference championships : In 2007 , Virginia Tech golfer Drew Weaver became the first American to win the British Amateur golf tournament since 1979 . Weaver edged out 2006 Australian Amateur champion Tim Stewart and earned an invitation to the 2007 Open Championship . Former Hokies that have won at the professional level include : Johnson Wagner ( three PGA Tour wins ) , Adam Hunter ( one European Tour win ) , and Brendon de Jonge ( one Nationwide Tour win ) . Non - varsity sports . Ice Hockey . Virginia Tech Ice Hockey was formed in 1984 . They joined the newly formed ACCHL in 1995 and have competed there ever since . The team won the regular season champion title during the 1996 – 97 season with a record of 13 – 1 . The Hokies play out of the Roanoke Civic Center and drew the biggest crowd in team history of 5 , 200 + to the VT vs . UVA game on January 19 , 2007 . They became the first non - Carolina team to win the Canes Cup on January 14 , 2007 by defeating the Duke University Blue Devils , NC State University Wolfpack and the East Carolina University Pirates . During the 2010 - 2011 season , the Hokies turned towards a more competitive conference , the Mid - Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association ( MACHA ) , where they play in the same division against Liberty , East Carolina , Maryland , and UMBC . In the 2011 - 2012 season , the Hokies earned a berth in the ACHA Division II National Tournament for the first time in program history , finishing 12th in the nation . The Hokies captured their first MACH championship in 2013 by defeating ( 3 ) Liberty , ( 2 ) UMBC , and ( 1 ) Penn State in succesion . Rugby . The Virginia Tech rugby team was founded in 1968 , although the first recorded college rugby match in Blacksburg dates back to 1891 . Virginia Tech rugby plays in the Atlantic Coast Rugby League against its traditional ACC rivals such as the University of Virginia . The Hokies are led by head coach Andy Richards . The Hokies have been successful in rugby sevens . The Hokies finished third in their conference in spring 2012 . The Hokies won the college division of the July 2012 Cape Fear 7s tournament . The Hokies also defeated other ACC teams to win the 2012 Virginia Tech 7s , beating NC State 22 - 5 in the final . In 2012 , the Hokies defeated Virginia 33 - 31 to win the Atlantic Coast Rugby League 7s , automatically qualifying for the 2012 USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships . Winning the 2012 ARRL 7s also qualified the Hokies for the 2013 Collegiate Rugby Championship , the highest profile competition in college rugby , broadcast live on NBC from PPL Park in Philadelphia . Bass fishing . The Virginia Tech College Bass team was founded in the 2006 - 2007 school year , and won their first national title that same year . Radio Network Affiliates . Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network Station List