Tales from the Virginia Tech Sidelines

by Chris Colston

In Tales from the Virginia Tech Sidelines, Chris Colston, editor of the Hokie Huddler for more than a decade, shares the school's greatest football stories ever told. From the days of Miles Stadium to Lane, from the Frank O. Moseley era to Beamerball, these stories will keep you laughing all season. A treasury of anecdotes, this book covers Hokie football from the days when players tackled cows for fun all the way to the present, where every dorm room is internet-wired. No Hokie bathroom is complete without Tales from the Virginia Tech Sidelines.

200 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2003

About the author

WHY SHOULD YOU READ CHRIS COLSTON?

One word: Authenticity.

OK, maybe two words. Add “Unique.”

The authenticity comes from Colston’s 26 years as a professional sportswriter, including 13 years at USA Today and USA Today Sports Weekly. He’s been there, done that. But his career path is what makes his story remarkable. He had no journalism degree; after graduating from college he worked as a pizza delivery man, managed a corner hot dog stand, built moving crates, and sold shoes. His first journalism job came at rural weekly newspaper with a circulation of 300. From there he joined a university sports department, running its newspaper, circulation 3,000, before landing at USA Today Baseball Weekly, circulation 300,000. That led to covering NFL and NBA for USA Today, circulation three million.

How to peg Colston’s genre, other than “pure fun entertainment”? His stuff is contemporary, it’s funny, it’s serious, it’s character-driven—but the plot moves. His books are quick reads, but they have much to say about the state of journalism over the past two decades.

In his travels across America, Colston banked a wealth of memories by covering big-time sports from the inside. He has weaved those experiences into a rollicking series titled American Sportswriter, featuring quick-witted sportswriter James Hoak. But while the series might be labeled “contemporary sports fiction” or “contemporary action-adventure,” the books are really about life—and how we all cope with it.

You can email me at chris@chriscolston.com

Reviews

[Jack Hambly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was terribly underwhelmed. There was an actual story, about a paragraph long, in which Frank Beamer went and ordered a steak at a restaurant. Feeling rather indignant, I looked at my girlfriend and exclaimed "Holy S! That's the greatest F'ing story ever! Wait, I'm gonna read it again!" before taking the ten seconds to read the paragraph again.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as I hoped, but still a must for Hokies. There are too many anecdotes that are a stretch for being included in this book because they are so trivial! But, recommend it for Hokies.