On their board, I read with interest that UVa’s “real” rival is UNC, and I’m sure a lot of them prefer to believe that, but my first exposure to VT – UVa was my Sophomore year. The game was at Victory Stadium in 1960. I believe they may have been a slight favorite.

I was seated at the end of a row, directly across from the start of their student section. Terry Strock (no known relation to Don & Dave) took the opening kickoff back for a TD and the rout was on. The guy seated directly across from me never got up as the play was in progress, but when it was over and everyone sat back down, he loudly exclaimed, “I’ll be GD. …Here we go again.” He reached under his seat for something wrapped in a brown paper bag, took a loooong pull, and had be carried out before halftime by his buddies. It was my first exposure both to the game and to SERIOUS drinking.

That started a 4-game run that pulled the series to dead even the following year. They’ve never been on the high end of the see-saw since.

Trust me. They knew then and they know now who their real rivals are even if it’s more convenient to forget.