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Former Virginia Tech Frank Beamer to enter TaxSlayer Bowl Hall of Fame

Garry Smits
Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer is carried off the field with the Commonwealth Cup after defeating Virginia 23-20 in the last college game he coached in 2015. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

In the 1990s and into the early years of the 21st century, Frank Beamer’s Virginia Tech Hokies were frequent visitors to Jacksonville.

Beamer is now a part of the city’s football history for good with the announcement this week that he will be inducted into the TaxSlayer Bowl Hall of Fame on Dec. 30 at the annual Coaches Luncheon at the Hyatt Regency.

Also entering the Hall of Fame on a posthumous basis will be Tom Shouvlin, a member of the TaxSlayer Bowl’s volunteer leadership team for more than 40 years.

Beamer, who retired after the 2015 season after coaching at Virginia Tech for 29 years, brought five of his teams to the TaxSlayer Bowl between 1994 and 2006, winning twice — both in the Hokies most recent appearances.

Tech defeated Clemson 41-20 in 2001, the final college game for Beamer’s best quarterback at Tech, Michael Vick, then topped Louisville 35-24 in 2006.

The success Beamer established at Virginia Tech also made its fan base legendary for supporting bowl games. In the five TaxSlayer Bowls the Hokies played in, the average attendance was 65,168.

Virginia Tech also played in the inaugural ACC championship game in Jacksonville against Florida State in 2005, losing 27-22. Two years later, Beamer guided the Hokies back to Jacksonville for the ACC title game and beat Boston College 30-16.

“Coach Beamer has a great history with [the TaxSlayer Bowl] and it is such an honor to pay tribute to his exceptional performance as head coach of Virginia Tech … as well as for his outstanding coaching career and support of college football,” Gator Bowl Sports president Rick Catlett said in a statement.

Beamer’s Tech teams went 238-121-2 and went to a 23 bowl games in a row, the longest active streak in the NCAA.

Virginia Tech won four ACC titles, won or shared three Big East titles and Beamer was a three-time coach of the year in both leagues combined.

Shouvlin served on the bowl game’s board and was a past chairman of the committees for hospitality, transportation, game coordination, team entertainment, parking and the basketball tournament. He passed away on Sept. 21.