Frank Beamer

After 26 seasons as head football coach at Virginia Tech University, Frank Beamer is not only the longest tenured but also the winningest active coach of any major college program, and Let Me Be Frank contains his personal reflections on more than a quarter-century leading the Virginia Tech program. Beamer has directed his alma mater to 20 consecutive bowl appearances, including six BCS bowls, five top-10 finishes, and a trip to the National Championship Game in 1999 led by a freshman quarterback named Michael Vick. But success didn’t come immediately: he started his career at VT with four losing seasons in his first six years, including a 2-8-1 record in 1992 when many fans wanted him fired. He relates how he turned a mediocre program into a perennial power while sporting a clean NCAA record and a well-earned reputation as one of the most-respected head coaches in the nation. However, Beamer is regarded as an even better man than a football coach: he created a state-wide program to help children read, and in the aftermath of the deadliest campus massacre in U.S. history, he met with the parents of the victims and visited with each wounded student. He shares stories from his time spent both on and off the gridiron, including memories of generations of Hokies stars such as Vick, André Davis, Jim Druckenmiller, Corey Moore, Jake Grove, and others.