Fourth year at the University of Virginia is a time of great reflection for many students, myself included. We think back on all of the amazing memories we’ve made here — the friends, the stories, the late nights talking about nothing and everything all at once — and we look ahead to walking down the Lawn at graduation, imagining what the future holds for us.
For many of us, college has really comprised the best years of our lives, no matter how cliche it sounds. And now that we’re reaching the end of an era, with the looming specter of the “real world” on the horizon, it’s comforting to cling to the remaining moments we have.
Virginia sports have provided me with many of those great memories. Being in the press box last season when Joe Harris and the men’s basketball team slayed Duke is one of the top five sports moments of my entire life.
And in four years, I have borne witness to so many exciting events — a men’s lacrosse championship, postseason berths in men’s soccer and two College World Series appearances for the baseball team, not to mention the incredible show that the women’s soccer team has put on this year — and countless amazing athletes, from obvious names such as Mike Scott and Chase Minnifield to less well-known stars like Jarmere Jenkins, Caroline Miller and Robby Andrews.
It’s a little harder, though, to look back fondly on the past four years of Virginia football. Any of those who have stuck with the Cavaliers since the beginning of the Mike London era knows that it’s been a period marked by some ups — most coming in 2011’s surge to a bowl appearance — but far more downs.
With Virginia in the midst of a six-game losing streak for the second straight season, you might be hoping for a swift and painless end. After all, out of sight, out of mind, right? That’s what I thought when I first considered that Saturday will mark the last time I walk through the gates of Scott Stadium as an undergraduate student. As a lifelong LSU fan, I’ll admit that I’ve often treated the Cavaliers as second-best in the fight for my football allegiances, so I thought it would be easy to let go as 2013 drew to a close.
But then I found myself unable to sleep at 4:30 a.m. last night, so I threw on my sweats from that long-gone time when I was a high school football player, and I took to the roof of my house to look out over Rugby Road and synthesize my thoughts.
I still remember dressing up in my shirt and tie as a first year, taking what seemed like a million pictures with the rest of my dorm and crossing Alderman Road to sit on the Hill with my friends. We didn’t really care that Virginia was in the process of going 4-8; Mike London was brand new and had plenty of time to grow into the program savior that we hoped he would become. And we were all going to watch it happen together.
My second year was a shock to the system, but in a positive way. The Cavaliers went 8-4 against strong odds and claimed a bowl bid. As a newly initiated fraternity member, I was surprised to be welcomed by my new brothers on a trip to Atlanta to watch Virginia take on Auburn in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. It didn’t so much matter that the Tigers spanked the Cavaliers; it was an unbelievably fun bonding experience that far outweighed the disappointing result of the actual game.
Last season, the Cavaliers came crashing back down to earth. A six-game losing streak — which I’m still less than thrilled to say I predicted in this very space — led to another 4-8 record. And amid the great Rocco-Sims quarterback controversy of 2012, the calls for London’s head began. But being in the student section for some of those disappointing losses — and the rare wins, like the comeback victory against Miami — brought me so much closer to the friends I attended the games with, some of whom will probably be groomsmen and de facto “uncles” down the road.
This year has been no different. The walks from Scott Stadium back to Rugby Road have been pretty difficult at times, and the calls for London’s firing have reached a fever pitch. He might have fallen far short of the promising future we hoped for back in 2010, but my friends, and my time at the University never have.
Virginia football has been hugely influential in my development and growth as a person, and it has nothing to do with whether David Watford is throwing touchdowns or interceptions. It doesn’t matter whether Taquan Mizzell plays like a five-star recruit or a doe-eyed freshman. Virginia football has been so important to me and so many others because of the way it brings people together.
So, with my last home game rapidly approaching — my Thanksgiving travel plans mean I won’t be back in time for Virginia Tech — I’m going to get dressed up one more time, head to Scott Stadium, and watch Virginia take on Clemson. Maybe they’ll lose; maybe they’ll surprise everyone and upset the Tigers. Whatever the outcome, I’m going to spend time with my friends, and I’m going to appreciate every second of it.
And when it’s all done and I’m back on Rugby Road, I’ll raise a glass to four years of football that I’ll never forget.
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