DeAngelo Hall says Frank Beamer is “so much more than a football coach”

ASHBURN — The emotion was visible in DeAngelo Hall’s eyes as he reflected on the impact Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer has had in his life.

The Washington Redskins’ cornerback played for Beamer from 2001 through 2003 before the Atlanta Falcons selected him eighth overall in the 2004 draft. Hall was deeply moved when Beamer announced on Sunday that he is retiring after his 29th season.

Beamer, 69, has a 235-120-2 record at Virginia Tech and has led the Hokies to 22 consecutive bowl appearances. Prior to Beamer’s arrival in 1987, Virginia Tech had played in just six bowl games in school history. Beamer transformed the program on the field, but was also an invaluable staple of the Virginia Tech community. 

“When you’ve got the option to go to Miami on South Beach, or L.A., or anywhere else, it’s kind of hard to figure out why you’d go to Virginia Tech,” Hall said on Monday. “But Coach Beamer has been so much more than a football coach to me and a lot of other guys. We still talk to him to this day. I was definitely sad about it, but I know that he’s kind of ready to be done with this chapter in his life and move on to being a grandfather, getting back in his kids’ lives as a father. It’s definitely tough. I didn’t think it was going to happen. I kind of hear whispers of it and didn’t think it was going to happen this soon, but I got calls from him and other coaches on the coaching staff kind of telling me what’s going on. I wish nothing but the best for him and hopefully we can find a right replacement.”

With Beamer’s retirement, there are now 10 vacancies at the FBS level, ranging in profile from North Texas to USC.

Where does the Virginia Tech coaching position rank?

“I think it’s up there,” Hall said. “I think obviously with the history we’ve established there, the tradition that we have is definitely a job that I think is going to be very sought after. I think the last couple of years we’ve kind of not been as great just because we haven’t been able to get a lot of the top recruits. But just to see the way Coach Beamer has been able to take guys who were either walk-ons or two-, three-star guys and turn them into NFL players, man, it’s just a tribute to him and his coaching staff.”