Who Wore It Best? The Virginia Tech Football All-Numbers Team: Part 2 (#11-19)

Part 1 (#1 – 10)
Part 2 (#11 – 19)
Part 3 (#20 – 29)
Part 4 (#30 – 39)
Part 5 (#40 – 49)
Part 6 (#50 – 59)
Part 7 (#60 – 69)
Part 8 (#70 – 79)
Part 9 (#80 – 89)
Part 10 (#90 - 99 + Bonus)

Welcome to Part 2 of our list of the best Hokie Football Players to wear each jersey number. Here's Part 1 in case you missed it. These are the picks so far:

#1 – Isaiah Ford
#2 – Jimmy Williams
#3 – Bryan Randall
#4 – David Wilson
#5 – Tyrod Taylor
#6 – Jason Worilds
#7 – Michael Vick
#8 – Vinnie Fuller
#9 – Vince Hall
#10 – Frank Loria

Today we'll be going over jerseys #11 – #19. If I was smart, I would've shown jerseys #1 – #9 in my first post; that way, this week would see #10 – #19; but oh well...

So here's the list. Let me know what you think. (Note: The Honorable Mentions are listed in alphabetical order.)

#11 – Xavier Adibi

This was another tough call between two great Tech defenders: All-American LB Xavier Adibi and All-American CB Kendall Fuller. Oddly enough, Adibi and Fuller had the exact same number of career interceptions (8) and career interception TDs (2). Granted, Adibi started 40 games in his career, compared to Kendall's 28 starts. I'm sure that if Kendall was healthy during the 2015 season, he would have easily taken the top spot here; but his Tech career will always seem a bit incomplete to me due to his season-ending injury and his subsequent early exit to the NFL. This is where my personal bias kicks in. During my college days, I would rock the #11 jersey at every Tech football game in honor of my main man, Xavier Adibi. The "X Man" was a freakish athlete that would fly around the field. He was named to the All-ACC first team as a senior in 2007 when he led the Hokies in tackles; he was also named a first team All-American by AFCA. His pick-six against Matt Ryan to seal the 2007 ACC Championship remains one of my favorite Hokie memories. Plus, Adibi looked scary good in that uniform.

(Honorable Mention: Kendall Fuller, Bobby Owens)

#12 – Maurice Deshazo

I once read an article that called Maurice Deshazo the Christopher Columbus of Tech football because he led the Hokies to a New World...of Bowl Games! Believe it or not, the Hokies had never been to consecutive bowl games prior to Deshazo setting foot on campus. But all of that changed when he led the Hokies to back-to-back bowls in his final two seasons (1993 & 1994). Desahazo was a big time quarterback recruit in the state of VA, so signing him was a huge win for Frank Beamer. Deshazo had a bumpy career, but he was at his best during the 1993 season when he finished fifth in the nation in passing efficiency. Deshazo led the Hokies to a 9-3 record that year, which included a 45-20 victory over Indiana in the Independence Bowl. That was only the second bowl victory in school history, and Deshazo was named the game's offensive MVP. That bowl game began a streak of 24 straight bowls for Tech that is still active. Deshazo was inducted into the VT Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

(Honorable Mention: Michael Brewer, Billy Holsclaw, Loren Johnson)

#13 – Bruce Arians

One of the top "Hokies in the NFL" is not a player at all; it's Coach Bruce Arians of the Arizona Cardinals. Yep, that photo is of Bruce Arians during his playing days at VT. His mid-1970's look of svelte hair and huge sideburns is absolutely hilarious. Arians was the starting QB at Tech during the 1974 season. Tech ran a wishbone offense back then, so his passing numbers weren't anything to write home about. But he did rush for 11 TDs that season, which was a school record for QBs. Fun fact: Bruce Arians was the first white football player to share a dorm room with a black football player in VT history. His roommate was none other than James Barber, who went on to father two Wahoos by the name of Ronde and Tiki.

(Honorable Mention: Billy Myers)

#14 – Torrian Gray

Torrian Gray is a proud alumnus of DBU. He helped lead the Hokies to four straight Bowl games for the first time in school history (1993 – 1996). Gray was the Rover on the '94 and '95 squads before switching over to Free Safety for the '96 season. He was named All-Big East three times and helped the Hokies to back-to-back Big East titles in 1995 and 1996. He recorded two interceptions during Tech's historic victory over Texas in the 1995 Sugar Bowl. After a few seasons in the NFL, Gray returned to Tech in 2006 to coach the defensive secondary; he coached some of the finest players to ever be part of DBU.

(Honorable Mention: Trey Edmunds, Nick Sorensen)

#15 – Don Strock

Don Strock set fire to the school record books during his time at Tech, and he owned virtually every school passing record when he graduated. He still owns a few school records to this day, including passing yards in a game (527) and passing YPG in a season (294.8 in 1972). Unfortunately, he also holds the record for most interceptions thrown in a game (5), in a season (27) and in a career (47). I'd like to imagine Don Strock in the huddle saying something like "To hell with the play call, I'm chucking it downfield!" Strock led the nation in total passing and total offense in 1972. Yep, you read that right...a Tech QB led the NATION in total passing and total offense! But for some crazy reason, Strock only finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year (perhaps it had something to do with his 27 interceptions). After college, Strock went on to play 15 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Miami Dolphins. He won a Super Bowl with Miami in 1973. Strock was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.

(Honorable Mention: Roland Minor, Eddie Whitley)

#16 – Jim Druckenmiller

QB Jim Druckemiller was the driving force behind Tech's stellar 1995 season, which helped raise the school's national brand. After dropping the first two games of the season, Druck led the Hokies to ten consecutive victories and Tech's first Big East title. Druck beat Miami for the first time in school history and "engineered the greatest comeback I've ever seen" (according to Bill Roth) against UVA in the regular season finale. His go-ahead 32-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Holmes with 47 seconds left remains one of the most memorable plays in Tech history.

That victory secured Tech a spot in the Sugar Bowl, where they soundly defeated Texas 28-10. That was Tech's first "major bowl" victory and it marked the Hokies' first season-ending top 10 finish. The following season, Druck led the Hokies to another 10-2 season and a second straight Big East title. Druck made one thing clear...the Hokies were here to stay.

(Honorable Mention: Cory Bird)

#17 – Kam Chancellor

Another very tough choice for the #17 jersey. Here are the candidates: Arguably the greatest kicker in school history (Shayne Graham), arguably the greatest cornerback in school history (Kyle Fuller) and arguably the greatest safety in school history (Kam Chancellor). Ugh, what a choice. Kyle Fuller probably has the best resume of all three; he was a second team All-American in 2013 and was a first round draft pick by the Chicago Bears. However, Shayne Graham made every clutch kick you could ask for, including the "Miracle in Morgantown" in 1999 that kept our National Championship hopes alive. And then there's Kam Chancellor: the hard-hitting safety who is now the enforcer of the "Legion of BOOM" in Seattle. If we focus solely on what each player accomplished during their time at Tech, then Kyle Fuller probably gets the nod here. But I can't ignore what kind of impact Kam has had on this program based on his success in the NFL; he's even turned into a part-time recruiter for us. Whenever anyone tells me that the Hokies never do anything in the NFL, I always bring up Bruce Smith and Kam Chancellor. That shuts them up quickly, and that's why "Bam Bam Kam" is on this list.

(Honorable Mention: Kyle Fuller, Shayne Graham, Bryan Still)

#18 – Brandon Flowers

Brandon Flowers was a playmaking cornerback that added some highlight reel hits during his Tech career. In his three short years in Blacksburg, Flowers was named an All-American twice (2006 & 2007). He led the ACC in pass breakups with 18 in 2006 on his way to being named first team All-ACC and third team All-American. In 2007, he was named a first team All-American after recording 86 tackles and 5 interceptions. He's still doing great things in the NFL. We've had some amazing cornerbacks at this school, and I don't if any of them have been better than #18.

(Honorable Mention: DJ Coles)

#19 – Danny Coale

It was a catch!!! Sorry...old habits die hard. Danny Coale was a fan favorite both for his clutch receptions and his ability to be wide open on every single play. Seriously, how was he always THAT wide open? He led the team in receiving with 904 yards in 2011; he also served as the team's punter in four games that season. Coale currently sits in third place for Tech career receiving yards behind Isaiah Ford and Jarrett Boykin. He was part of one of the more memorable comebacks in Hokie history: the "Miracle in Blacksburg" against Nebraska in 2009. The picture shown above is one of my all-time favorites; it perfectly captures one simple look on everyone's faces...hope.

(Honorable Mention: Ernest Wilford)

I would like to personally apologize to Mama Fuller for snubbing not one, but two of her sons this week (Kendall and Kyle). But hey, I put Vinnie at the #8 spot last week; and there's a chance that Corey could still make the list at #83. So...we good?

This is how our list looks after two weeks:

#1 – Isaiah Ford
#2 – Jimmy Williams
#3 – Bryan Randall
#4 – David Wilson
#5 – Tyrod Taylor
#6 – Jason Worilds
#7 – Michael Vick
#8 – Vinnie Fuller
#9 – Vince Hall
#10 – Frank Loria
#11 – Xavier Adibi
#12 – Maurice Deshazo
#13 – Bruce Arians
#14 – Torrian Gray
#15 – Don Strock
#16 – Jim Druckenmiller
#17 – Kam Chancellor
#18 – Brandon Flowers
#19 – Danny Coale