Hokie ClubThe Tech team captains for the LSUfootball game and head coach Frank Beamer made the trip from the JamersonAthletics Center across the campus to Burruss Hall on Thursday morning to placethe East Carolina game ball at the memorial commemorating those who died in thetragedy that occurred on campus on April 16th.
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Xavier Adibi, D.J. Parker, CarltonWeatherford and Eddie Royal joined Beamer. The football was enclosed in a glasscase, and Parker, the Hokies' starting free safety, set the case next to thebig piece of Hokie stone that has the words 'We Are Virginia Tech ~ We WillPrevail' inscribed on it.
"It was the right thing to do,"Beamer said to a few media members who came to watch. "We've got a big gamethis upcoming Saturday and big games ahead of us the rest of the season, but wewant to always remember these victims and all those who were affected by whattook place on April 16th."
The football inside the case hasspecial lettering on it. It sports the phrase 'In Honor of You,' and thenunderneath that phrase is the team's slogan for this season - 'None of us is asgood as all of us.' The score of the game and the date of the game are on theball as well.
After placing the case, theplayers and Beamer walked around the memorial and looked at the 32 pieces ofHokie stone, each with a name inscribed on it representing a young man or womanwho died on that cold mid-April day. The stones form a half circle around thebigger piece of Hokie stone.
Beamer and the players hope thosevisiting the memorial will leave the case alone. The memorial is open to thepublic, so the case is subject to be stolen.
"Putting this game ball here wasvery important to me and to our football team," Beamer said. "It's our way ofpaying our respects, and I would hope those visiting this memorial wouldrespect that and each individual who is represented by these Hokie stones."
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