The first Virginia football game I can remember watching on TV was the 1998 Peach Bowl, right after I had turned 11. I think the first Virginia football game I attended was Duke at home in 1999. The Wahoos lost the first one, 35-33, on a missed field goal as time expired and the second was a 24-17 overtime defeat.
But the second game I attended, also in '99, was a thrilling win over No. 6 Georgia Tech, 45-38, after Virginia was down 17-0 after the first quarter. Such is the up-and-down life of a Cavaliers fan. But
these early experiences obviously hooked me, for whatever reason, and I haven't looked back.
Legendary coach George Welsh led the 'Hoos during that era. So I have him to thank for making me a UVa fan. Welsh died Jan. 2 in Charlottesville at 85.
It's a shame I didn't witness/don't remember some of the biggest wins and moments of Welsh's run in Charlottesville: the first bowl game in 1984, the Peach Bowl, when UVa beat Purdue, 27-24; the '89 team that went 10-3 and tied for the ACC title (but beat Duke, which had the same record); 1990, when the 'Hoos beat Clemson for the first time in 29 tries and rose to No. 1 in the country; Nov. 2, 1995, when Virginia stopped Florida State's 29-game ACC winning streak, becoming the first conference team to beat the No. 2 Seminoles, 33-28 on a Thursday night in Charlottesville (UVa went on to tie FSU for the conference title, but again, the Cavaliers beat the team they tied); that same year, when UVa beat Georgia in the Peach Bowl, 34-27; and the 1998 rally at Lane Stadium when Virginia found itself down 29-7 at the half to the Hokies but stormed back for a 36-32 victory.
Funny enough, that game in Blacksburg came right before the '98 Peach Bowl, and one of my regrets is having no recollection of the comeback win but remembering the bowl defeat. Indeed, perhaps my biggest regret as a Virginia fan is not being born earlier.
I missed the glory days of the '80s and most of the '90s, when Welsh took a moribund program and made it nationally relevant. It is hard to imagine just how bad UVa football was before Welsh took over. It probably looked like the scene from "The Waterboy" when viewers saw the first game of that
season, and the cheerleaders were either drinking or passed out on the sideline and "Mr. Coach Klein" was at wit's end. That's probably similar to what Welsh might have seen when he first got to Charlottesville.
Some older fans don't have to imagine it. They remember how many people attended games in the '70s, or the fact that Virginia had two winnings seasons in 29 years -- TWO -- prior to Welsh arriving. Compare that to the current period fans had to endure (and is hopefully over): one winning season (2011) from 2008-17, with two bowls and no bowl victories. Sort of pales in comparison.
I can say Welsh is UVa's legend and what he did was impossible, and believe it, but I can't fully appreciate it since I didn't experience it. That was one of the main points I got from reading the reaction to Welsh's death. It is hard to fathom the difficulty of the job he had in building UVa's modern football program (the school had some success before the '50s). He was described as humble and not someone that would toot his own horn, so writers all seemed to say that Welsh was underappreciated in his time.
At his introductory news conference, Welsh espoused a belief in having excellent academics and football, something ingrained in him from his time as a player at Navy, and then in the Navy, and then as the football team's coach. In his first season at UVa in 1982, Welsh went 2-9. But the team rapidly improved, going 6-5 in '83 before breaking through for the '84 bowl win and finishing 8-2-2.
In his introductory news conference, Bronco Mendenhall said, "We will have fantastic students,
fantastic people, and a fantastic football team. And it's not 'or.' You're not going to just have academics or football, and it won't just be football or character ... It'll be 'and.' I want all that." The Cavaliers went 2-10 in his first season. But the Wahoos have rapidly improved, going 6-7 last season and 8-5 this year, capped off with a bowl victory. So far, both coaches have won the same number of games each season, and they both hold the same beliefs about what the foundational tenets for a program should be.
Mendenhall is doing his best to turn around Virginia football, but let's not forget that what he's doing is possible because of the path Welsh blazed. Welsh set the standard and showed what Virginia could be, even after decades of losing and apathy. Let's hope Mendenhall continues to follow Welsh's model and has the same amount of success, if not more.
To "The Old Salt," I'm sorry I wasn't witness to your best moments in Charlottesville and can't fully appreciate your greatness. I either wasn't born yet, or I was a little kid unaware of what was happening about an hour from my hometown. But because of you, my family watched Virginia, because you made UVa into a football program that people cared about. If it wasn't for you, they wouldn't have been watching, like so many others. And if they weren't watching, I probably wouldn't have tuned in.
I bleed orange and blue because of you. Thank you.
But the second game I attended, also in '99, was a thrilling win over No. 6 Georgia Tech, 45-38, after Virginia was down 17-0 after the first quarter. Such is the up-and-down life of a Cavaliers fan. But
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| George Welsh holds up the trophy after his Cavaliers defeated Purdue, 27-24, in the 1984 Peach Bowl. |
Legendary coach George Welsh led the 'Hoos during that era. So I have him to thank for making me a UVa fan. Welsh died Jan. 2 in Charlottesville at 85.
It's a shame I didn't witness/don't remember some of the biggest wins and moments of Welsh's run in Charlottesville: the first bowl game in 1984, the Peach Bowl, when UVa beat Purdue, 27-24; the '89 team that went 10-3 and tied for the ACC title (but beat Duke, which had the same record); 1990, when the 'Hoos beat Clemson for the first time in 29 tries and rose to No. 1 in the country; Nov. 2, 1995, when Virginia stopped Florida State's 29-game ACC winning streak, becoming the first conference team to beat the No. 2 Seminoles, 33-28 on a Thursday night in Charlottesville (UVa went on to tie FSU for the conference title, but again, the Cavaliers beat the team they tied); that same year, when UVa beat Georgia in the Peach Bowl, 34-27; and the 1998 rally at Lane Stadium when Virginia found itself down 29-7 at the half to the Hokies but stormed back for a 36-32 victory.
Funny enough, that game in Blacksburg came right before the '98 Peach Bowl, and one of my regrets is having no recollection of the comeback win but remembering the bowl defeat. Indeed, perhaps my biggest regret as a Virginia fan is not being born earlier.
I missed the glory days of the '80s and most of the '90s, when Welsh took a moribund program and made it nationally relevant. It is hard to imagine just how bad UVa football was before Welsh took over. It probably looked like the scene from "The Waterboy" when viewers saw the first game of that
 |
| Bronco Mendenhall got to meet George Welsh at his introductory news conference in December 2015. After Welsh's death, Mendenhall tweeted, "I am saddened to hear that Coach Welsh passed away this week. My condolences go out to his family. He was a true pioneer for UVA football and provided the model of success we are working hard to replicate. We will miss his frequent visits to the football offices." |
Some older fans don't have to imagine it. They remember how many people attended games in the '70s, or the fact that Virginia had two winnings seasons in 29 years -- TWO -- prior to Welsh arriving. Compare that to the current period fans had to endure (and is hopefully over): one winning season (2011) from 2008-17, with two bowls and no bowl victories. Sort of pales in comparison.
I can say Welsh is UVa's legend and what he did was impossible, and believe it, but I can't fully appreciate it since I didn't experience it. That was one of the main points I got from reading the reaction to Welsh's death. It is hard to fathom the difficulty of the job he had in building UVa's modern football program (the school had some success before the '50s). He was described as humble and not someone that would toot his own horn, so writers all seemed to say that Welsh was underappreciated in his time.
At his introductory news conference, Welsh espoused a belief in having excellent academics and football, something ingrained in him from his time as a player at Navy, and then in the Navy, and then as the football team's coach. In his first season at UVa in 1982, Welsh went 2-9. But the team rapidly improved, going 6-5 in '83 before breaking through for the '84 bowl win and finishing 8-2-2.
In his introductory news conference, Bronco Mendenhall said, "We will have fantastic students,
 |
| George Welsh has a road and indoor practice facility named after him at Virginia. |
Mendenhall is doing his best to turn around Virginia football, but let's not forget that what he's doing is possible because of the path Welsh blazed. Welsh set the standard and showed what Virginia could be, even after decades of losing and apathy. Let's hope Mendenhall continues to follow Welsh's model and has the same amount of success, if not more.
To "The Old Salt," I'm sorry I wasn't witness to your best moments in Charlottesville and can't fully appreciate your greatness. I either wasn't born yet, or I was a little kid unaware of what was happening about an hour from my hometown. But because of you, my family watched Virginia, because you made UVa into a football program that people cared about. If it wasn't for you, they wouldn't have been watching, like so many others. And if they weren't watching, I probably wouldn't have tuned in.
I bleed orange and blue because of you. Thank you.
 |
| Thanks, Coach. |
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