\

Gary Cope (Founder)

From TV sports anchor to self-taught Web designer and developer, Gary Cope has had quite the professional career since graduating from Virginia Tech in 1997. Armed with a degree in Communications, Gary moved to Michigan to work as the Iron Mountain bureau chief for WLUC-TV. After a short, and very cold, stint in the Upper Peninsula, Gary returned to Virginia where landed a videographer gig with WSLS-TV in Roanoke, but quickly worked his way up to sports reporter and anchor. He also co-produced Virginia Tech Sports Today during the 1998 season.

Gary left WSLS in September 1999 to take the sports reporter and weekend anchor job at WVIR-TV in Charlottesville. He spent two and half years at NBC29 before leaving television to become the sports editor for The Culpeper Star-Exponent and as a sports talk radio show host at WKAV in Charlottesville. After the managing editor of the paper abruptly resigned, Gary interviewed for the job, but Media General dragged its feet, so he accepted an offer from the state’s top weekly paper, The Fauquier Citizen. He earned a Virginia Press Association award for his sports feature writing and two more VPA awards for layout and design.

Gary joined the corporate world as a communications specialist at SRA International, Inc., in Fairfax, VA. He moved back to the New River Valley with his son Nicholas. Gary currently works at Virginia Tech as the Chief Web Editor for three university Web sites. He also serves as an In-House SEO professional and writer.

Gary also founded CWI Media & Marketing, a small business providing Web, graphic and marketing development for small- to mid-sized businesses and organizations. Gary is a native of Newport News, Va., but lives in Blacksburg.

Read Gary Cope’s posts on VTHokieFans.com.

Shane Kunkle

Shane Kunkle has nevernever heard of Virginia Tech until a college search in his guidance counselor’s office during his junior year of high school. He visited the Blacksburg campus as part of a whirlwind college tour and decided, on the spot, that he wanted to go to Virginia Tech, even though he didn’t know a soul there.

Many great years followed and Shane developed a life-long passion for the school and all its athletic teams, especially football. He graduated in 2000 with a degree in Computer Engineering and decided to stick around after graduation and work in Blacksburg at the Corporate Research Center. Shane spent nearly 10 years in Blacksburg.

He lives in Baltimore, Md., with his wife (also a Hokie) and newborn son. They try to make it back to Tech every chance they get whether it’s for weddings, visiting friends or of course a football game. He has his 2009 season all planned out with plenty of football road trips to the ‘Burg and beyond. Look for his posts each week for the stats you will need for a strong 2009 season. Go Hokies!

Read Shane Kunkle’s posts on VTHokieFans.com.

Popularity: 3% [?]