Shane Beamer demands his father Frank cheers for South Carolina over Virginia Tech

Some might call it the Beamer Bowl, but at least inside the Beamer household in Columbia, S.C., there’s no question which sideline Frank Beamer will be cheering for during the Aug. 31 season-opener between South Carolina and Virginia Tech inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

A decade removed from his final game roaming the Hokies sideline as its legendary head coach, the 78-year-old Frank Beamer still serves in an emeritus-like role inside the Virginia Tech athletic department as a “special assistant to the athletic director.” The elder Beamer has been a staple in Blacksburg since arriving on campus in 1987, leading the Hokies to seven conference titles and 238 wins across 29 seasons as head football coach until his retirement following the 2015 season.

That longstanding connection recently led to an interesting conversation between Beamer and fourth-year VT head coach Brent Pry, during which the septuagenarian expressed his diplomatic desire for both South Carolina and Virginia Tech to play well. Pry broke into collegiate coaching as a Hokies graduate assistant under Frank Beamer between 1995-96.

But on Aug. 31, fifth-year Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer — the only son of Frank and Cheryl Beamer — fully expects his father’s loyalty will be much more one-sided in support of the Gamecocks, and not the Hokies.

“He’s giving the politically-correct answer saying he wants both teams to play well,” the 48-year-old Shane Beamer said laughing during a preseason press conference in late July. “I called my parents on Saturday, I was driving back from the beach and my son and I were in the car, and (Frank Beamer) was telling me that same story. And it was kind of, ‘Hold on now, you can tell Brent (Pry) that, but you’re sitting with us.’

“You’re not going to sit with my wife where she is (in the South Carolina family section) just hoping both teams play well. There better be more allegiance to (South Carolina) than just hoping to see a good game.”

Of course, there was more than a twinge of humor behind the Gamecocks head coach’s comments. But the younger Beamer, who grew up in Blacksburg and is a Virginia Tech alum having played receiver and long snapper for the Hokies between 1995-99, might not be as playful about the topic come game day.

Shane Beamer is entering his fifth year leading the Gamecocks and is coming off his best season to date after leading South Carolina to a 9-4 record courtesy of a six-game win streak to end the 2024 regular-season, including wins over ranked opponents Texas A&M, Missouri and rival Clemson.