The list of two-sport collegiate athletes ranges from hall-of-fame lacrosse and football player Jim Brown to Pro Bowler Julius Peppers, who played both football and basketball at North Carolina, to former Duke football and basketball player Reggie Love.
In Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday, there will be another as Virginia Tech small forward and tight end Jeff King puts on the pads to square off with the Blue Devils.
Last year, King enjoyed a breakout season for the Hokies on the gridiron, catching 25 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. In addition, the Pulaski, Va., native, led Virginia Tech by playing in 820 total downs.
In January, King began practicing and conditioning with the basketball team with hopes that he could contribute to the Hokies despite not having played basketball since high school. Officially joining the squad towards the start of the ACC season, he averaged 1.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in 16 contests for the Hokies.
“I grew up watching ACC basketball,” the senior said. “Those games were always on at my house, and to have the opportunity to play in this league and to contribute was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”On the hardwood, King enjoyed his best success in the Hokies’ two contests against the Blue Devils, when he scored a combined 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds. In particular, King sank a crucial basket down the stretch in Virginia Tech’s 67-65 upset win over Duke in Blacksburg, Va., Feb. 18.
“He brought a lot to our team,” Virginia Tech men’s basketball head coach Seth Greenberg said in March. “Not only did he bring leadership and confidence, coming from a winning program, but he brought toughness.”
After the Hokies lost to Memphis in the second round of the NIT, King’s one-year basketball stint came to an end, and he refocused his efforts back to football. Emerging as one of the best tight ends in the college game, King was tabbed the best offensive player in the Hokies’ spring practices and was named a captain for the 2005 season.
“It’s been a great year, but for me, what would make it even better is if we can play football the way I know we can,” King said. “We have a chance to be really, really good this year. We had ‘the edge’ last year and we have it again this year. We lost that underdog edge, that we had in previous seasons around here—a couple years ago—but we’ve got it back now. It’s better to work like you’re the underdog, and this team has that.”
At the ACC’s football media day in July, King and teammate Darryl Tapp replicated a New England Patriots’ practice to set the tone for the upcoming season. Showing up to interviews without their 2004 ACC championship rings, the duo wanted to tell their team that it must forget the past and not rest on its laurels.
“That impressed me,” Virginia Tech head football coach Frank Beamer told the Morris News Service Aug. 31. “I took my ring off last night. And I didn’t put it on this morning.... It’s time to go forward.”
With Virginia Tech set to defend its ACC crown and contend for a national championship, King has his heart set on capping his career off with a win in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl.
“I think that as you get to your senior season, you start looking back on it, and the wins mean a lot more than catches or personal accomplishments,” King said.
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