1984 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

The 1984 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Bill Dooley, in his seventh year, and played their home games at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and four losses (8–4), and with a loss against Air Force in the Independence Bowl. Bruce Smith won the Outland Trophy and was the first pick overall in the 1985 NFL draft.

1984 Virginia Tech Hokies football
Independence Bowl, L 7–23 vs. Air Force
Conference	Independent
Record	8–4
Head coach	Bill Dooley (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Pat Watson
Defensive coordinator	Bob Brush (1st season)
Home stadium	Lane Stadium
Seasons ← 1983 1985 →

1984 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Boston College		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 11 South Carolina		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Army		–		–				8	–	3	–	1
Rutgers		–		–				7	–	3	–	0
No. 17 Florida State		–		–				7	–	3	–	2
Virginia Tech		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
No. 18 Miami (FL)		–		–				8	–	5	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Penn State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Navy		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Southern Miss		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Tulane		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Louisville		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8		at Wake Forest	Groves Stadium Winston-Salem, NC	W 21–20	26,543	[1] [2]
September 15		West Virginia	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)	L 7–14	48,100	[3] [4]
September 22		Richmond	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	W 21–13	36,200	[5] [6]
September 29		Virginia	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)	L 23–26	50,600	[7] [8]
October 6	1:30 p.m.	vs. VMI	Foreman Field Norfolk, VA (Oyster Bowl, rivalry)	W 54–7		[9] [10]
October 13		Duke	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	W 27–0	36,400	[11] [12]
October 20		William & Mary	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	W 38–15	34,500	[13] [14]
October 27	6:00 p.m.	at Temple	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA	W 9–7	10,124	[15] [16]
November 3		Tulane	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	W 13–6	30,400	[17] [18]
November 10		at Clemson	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	L 10–17	77,754	[19] [20]
November 17		at Vanderbilt	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	W 23–3	38,238	[21] [22]
December 15		vs. Air Force	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl)	L 7–23	41,100	[23] [24]
Homecoming

Roster

1984 Virginia Tech Hokies football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE Steve Johnson WR Donald Snell So	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 78 Bruce Smith	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Bill Dooley Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Team players in the NFL

The following players were drafted in the 1985 NFL draft.

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Franchise
Bruce Smith	Defensive end	1	1	Buffalo Bills
Jesse Penn	Linebacker	2	44	Dallas Cowboys
Ashley Lee	Defensive back	8	201	Atlanta Falcons
Joe Jones	Tight end	10	270	Dallas Cowboys
Al Young	Defensive back	11	299	New York Giants

• Source:^[25]

Awards and honors

• Bruce Smith, Outland Trophy^[26]
• Bruce Smith, Consensus All-American^[27]

References

1. "Hunter's late scoring burst shoves Virginia Tech by Wake". The State. September 9, 1984. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Hokies escape Deacs". The Roanoke Times. September 9, 1984. p. 29. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
3. "Mountaineers edge Va. Tech". The News and Advance. September 16, 1984. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Miscues take toll in 14-7 Tech loss: Mountaineers end Hokies' six-game win streak". The Roanoke Times. September 16, 1984. p. 187. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
5. "Virginia Tech turns back Spiders". The Daily News Leader. September 23, 1984. Retrieved November 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Hokies escape Spider threats". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 23, 1984. p. 25. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
7. "Cavs surprise Hokies 26–23". The Charlotte Observer. September 30, 1984. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Virginia 26, Tech 23: Virginia-Tech game was worthy of hype". The Roanoke Times. September 30, 1984. p. 19. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
9. "Va. Tech romps by VMI, 54–7". The News and Observer. October 7, 1984. Retrieved February 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Hokies humble Keydets". The Roanoke Times. October 7, 1984. p. 6. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
11. "Virginia Tech defense throttles Duke, 27–0". The News and Observer. October 14, 1984. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Duke sacked by Hokies' defense, passing attack". The Roanoke Times. October 14, 1984. p. 27. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
13. "Virginia Tech dominates W&M". The Roanoke Times & World-News. October 21, 1984. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Virginia Tech dominates W&M". The Roanoke Times. October 21, 1984. p. 11. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
15. "Hokies win over Temple". Bristol Herald Courier. October 28, 1984. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Hokies give Owls the boot". The Roanoke Times. October 28, 1984. p. 27. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
17. "Hokies stumble by Green Wave in 13–6 yawner". Kingsport Times-News. November 4, 1984. Retrieved October 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Tech defense puts the clamps on Tulane". The Roanoke Times. November 4, 1984. p. 23. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
19. "Tigers escape Hokies". Florence Morning News. November 11, 1984. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "Tech falls 17-10: Clemson edges Hokies to extend home win streak". The Roanoke Times. November 11, 1984. p. 29. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
21. "Va. Tech rolls 23–3 by Vandy". Bristol Herald Courier. November 18, 1984. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
22. "Hokies stifle Vandy: Virginia Tech offense clicks in 23-3 victory". The Roanoke Times. November 18, 1984. p. 27. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
23. "Hokies find Force is too powerful". The Shreveport Times. December 16, 1984. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
24. "Verdict: Falcons 23, Hokies 7: Air Force keeps Tech winless in postseason". The Roanoke Times. December 16, 1984. p. 27. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
25. "1985 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
26. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Award Winners: John Outland Trophy" (PDF). 2012 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 22. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
27. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Award Winners: All-America Selections" (PDF). 2012 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 9. Retrieved October 14, 2012.