Hokie coaches react to tragedy at Virgina Tech.
Virginia Tech cancels spring football game
Christopher Ritter, CT Online DirectorVirginia Tech has canceled the remainder of the spring football season. This includes the Saturday, April 21st spring football game.
Occasionally we step out of the steroid world to examine a story. This is one of those times.
In an incident reminding The Nation of a tragic shootings on the University of Iowa campus in 1991 when our ex-physics professor was slain (and here), a gunman killed a multitude of students on the Virginia Tech campus in Blackburn VA. Condolences to the families of the slain students, and murdered teachers. It will take time for the campus to heal; sometimes sports can help bring people together to aid the healing process.
Hokie coach Frank Beamer reacted at MS NBC:
Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer said he is "in shock" after a gunman shot to death more than 30 students at the campus in Blacksburg, Va., on Monday, ESPN reported.
"How could one person cause so many senseless deaths? I'm in shock," Beamer said. "This is such a caring, friendly place. This is a college town. And now one person has an impact like this?
"We found out this morning and our assistant coaches have been trying to reach all of our players. We're trying to find out if everybody is OK. The players are going to be going home to their apartments and dorms."
Indeed an Augusta GA TV station carried a report of a local QB who recently left high school early to enroll at Va Tech who left the fatal dorm just minutes before the first murders.
Brandon Barden, who played QB for Lincoln County last fall, signed to play football at Virginia Tech next year and enrolled early.
Barden is unhurt, but he lives in the dorm where some of the shooting happened. He left for football practice just a few minutes before it started. He and the other football players are now in the athletic dorm under tight security.
He spoke to his mom, Dr. Becky Barden, earlier today to tell her he was alright.
Other media outlets were reporting local students appeared to be fine, as the Cincy Enquirer reported on a local prep player, also on the Hokey football team.
Virginia Tech football player Aaron Brown, a Princeton High School graduate, was in class this morning when the shootings broke out at Tech's campus in Blacksburg, Va.
Aaron Brown telephoned his father, George Brown, shortly after news of the shootings today. George Brown lives in the Cincinnati suburb of Woodlawn.
Hokey basketball coach Seth Greenberg said his daughter was in a dorm near the first shootings:
Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg said the shootings happened as he was arriving at his office to interview a job applicant, ESPN said.
"I'm numb right now thinking about the parents coming to campus to identify their children,'' Greenberg told ESPN. "It's hard to put into words. What would drive someone to do this?
"This is the most peaceful, tranquil and safe environment. But this shows that there is nowhere that you're safe from tragedy or this type of senseless violence. It's devastating.''
Greenberg said his daughter Paige, a freshman, was in the dorm next to the one where the gunman shot his first victims, ESPN said. But she quickly left and went to a friend's house off-campus.
Va Tech will find the aftermath of this tragedy will be painful; we hope that the campus can reconstitute to move on.
Are there lessons here for college campus safety?
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