Frank Beamer leaves behind attractive Virginia Tech job

Frank Beamer took one for the team, because that is what he always said he would do. Thus, he and Virginia Tech avoided an uncomfortable mess to end his tenure, detouring away from the Bobby Bowden route to head down Beamer Way.

This decision needed to be made, and Beamer is the one who needed to make it -- not only for himself, but for the program, too. The last four years have proven as much. As the losses piled up, it became increasingly clear that Virginia Tech needed to go in a new direction. You only hoped Beamer would eventually realize that.

Once he did, he closed the chapter, announcing Sunday he would retire when the season ended. What Beamer did at Virginia Tech goes down as one of…