NORFOLK, Va. – They coached for nine years together under James Franklin at Penn State and the camaraderie between Old Dominion football coach Ricky Rahne and Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry was apparent during a forum Monday night at the Norfolk Marriott Waterside.
When coaches are close they like to give each other a hard time, and Rahne didn't hesitate to chide Pry for mispronouncing Norfolk, which he called "Nor-folk."
You know, the way people in New York or Los Angeles pronounce the name of the central city of Hampton Roads.
"Norfolk? Really?" he said and then pronounced it correctly as "Naw-fok."
A crowd of more than 100, a majority of them ODU fans, broke into laughter.
As Rahne continued to speak, Pry occasionally peppered him with questions.
"How's your run game," he asked.
"If I were you, I would just sit in a nice 4-3," Rahne said.
Again, the crowd roared.
Yet when it was Pry's turn to speak, the bind formed at Penn State was apparent.
"We're going to compete in everything we do," he said, and then pointed to Rahne and assistant coaches Kevin Smith and Kevin Reihner, all of whom coached together at Penn State.
All three ODU coaches smiled and nodded their heads at Pry.
ODU's motto is the three Cs: Care, Compete, Character.
"That's a quote coach Franklin uses all the time," Rahne said. "And it's a big part of our philosophy."
Pry's first game as Tech's coach comes on Friday, Sept. 2, when the Hokies play at ODU. The game will have an electric atmosphere and tickets will be at a premium. Expect the largest home crowd ever at ODU's 21,994-seat S.B. Ballard Stadium.
Stubhub.com already has tickets on sale for the game for up to $471 apiece. That's because no tickets will be sold to the general public. The only way to gain entry into the game is to purchase ODU season tickets, which can be had for $150 apiece for all six home games.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ODU SEASON TICKETS
It will be a difficult game for both head coaches. It's never easy going head to head against a good friend.
Rahne was the offensive coordinator at Penn State when he came to ODU. Pry was the defensive coordinator when Tech recently hired him.
"Obviously, we know each other well and I know Ricky is doing a great job," Pry said. "I've got a ton of respect for him and his staff and what they do. I know they've made great strides already, so I expect a competitive game.
"There will be a lot of fanfare. And our wives will have a hell of a tailgate."
ODU's Ricky Rahne, right, with Virginia Tech's Brent Pry
Rahne pondered that for a second before saying, "I don't know about that. My wife's pretty competitive. My wife loves everybody except on the day we play. She gets pretty territorial."
His wife, Jen Rahne, is a former Cornell volleyball player.
Rahne and Pry spoke at a forum hosted by the Norfolk Sports Club that included Virginia coach Tony Elliott and Norfolk State coach Dawson Odums. And while I work for ODU, I have to say all four coaches were extraordinarily impressive.
Pry is perfect for Virginia Tech. He grew up in Lexington, Virginia and his southern accent, intellect and down-home sense of humor have all made him a favorite in Hokie nation. He exudes energy and is an approachable guy.
Dawson Odums came to Norfolk State after a long and successful run at Southern University, one of the nation's traditional Historically Black College and University powerhouses. He was 6-5 in his first season at NSU last fall. He gave a powerful presentation in which he, like the other coaches, expressed you have to love your players as a coach.
Virginia coach Tony Elliott, also a first-year coach, comes with a powerful resume. He was offensive coordinator at Clemson, his alma mater, and helped the Tigers win two national championships and six ACC crowns.
I've rarely been as transfixed for two full hours as I was listening to these four outstanding men talk about the difficulties they have faced in life, who inspired them and their philosophies on how to win.
Rahne expressed the same thoughts I had afterwards.
"I wish more people could have seen it, not only because I think it's great for football in the state of Virginia, it's great for football in general," he said. "I wish more people could see football coaches in this light right here and not the light in which we're portrayed most of the game.
"Those people would see the football coaches I know who are great men who do their best to make sure their teams and their players on their teams are successful. I think sometimes that message gets lost."
Three of the four major media outlets in the area chose not to be there Monday and that's a shame. WVEC Sports Director Brian Smith was the only reporter there.
They missed an intriguing discussion about that Tech-ODU opener, recruiting, NIL and so many other issues in college football.
Pry didn't mince words about how Tech and U.Va. both failed to recruit well in-state under previous coaches. "That's why there are new coaches in Blacksburg and Charlottesville," he said.
Rahne recognized the importance of in-state recruiting from his first day on campus, and 55 percent of the signees in ODU's first three classes are from in-state schools. His staff has made a point to travel to every high school in the state that plays football.
Rahne said he welcomes Tech and U.Va. ramping up their in-state recruiting.
"People keep asking me, do you like competing against Virginia and Virginia Tech for players," he said. "And the answer is yes, I love it.
"I want those guys to help us put a fence around Virginia. Everybody else has felt too comfortable coming in because they felt like Virginia and Virginia Tech had not made this place a priority."
He said Virginia high school players need to understand the value of playing in-state, and mentioned a player who decommitted from ODU to go to a school out west.
"That was painful," he said. "At the last second, to lose a kid from the 757 we should be getting. But everybody thinks it's cool to go away. I don't want that to happen anymore."
Later on he added: "Bluntly, if we're talking about the NIL, it's going to be far more beneficial at a place where people already know you."
Elliott said U.Va. adheres to the same philosophy that Rahne set at ODU, in which families are welcome in the football offices and practice field. Every ODU player I interviewed over the last two years said the experience of mingling with families helped bond the coaches, players and the families.
Since coming to ODU, in every interview, be it in a postgame press conference, or a sit-down interview, Rahne has mentioned Jen Rahne and his sons, Ryder and Jake.
Ryder turned 13 last weekend and Rahne celebrated while also looking in the mirror for gray hair.
"I don't know how this happened, but my oldest turned 13 on Saturday. And that's just horrifying on many levels," he said.
"I spent the entire day with him. He's a big guy. Everyone wants to check is ID. He's really a monster.
"I felt fricking old."
Again, laughter and applause.
All four coaches talked about how important it is for players to know you care about them but Rahne went a step further.
"I care about my players and care means holding them accountable, holding them to a standard," he said. "You want to push them to maximize their potential. Care is not soft. That's their mother's job, that's not mine.
"I'm going to make sure they maximize their potential because they've been given a number of things most people haven't. And one of them is a terrific mother.
"If they should be a 3.0 student and only getting a 2.75, they're going to hear about it. For some guys, a 3.0 is pretty impressive. For others, it's not enough. We've all been given different talents and abilities."
Although he coached just one season in Conference USA, he said he realizes fans just could not quite figure out "how to hate" teams such as UTEP and UTSA.
ODU's move to the Sun Belt Conference means that not only will the Monarchs play a tougher schedule, it includes teams that have already resonated with fans.
"The Sun Belt is a league in which we're all together, there's a common theme, and that's going to be awesome for our fans," he said.
Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill "is just outstanding," he added. "If you sit and speak with him for more than seven minutes, you know you're going in the right direction and you're going to feel good about being in that conference.
"We'll be playing JMU. Marshall is coming with us, and we get to play App State and Coastal Carolina. Our fans really, really feel good about that."
ODU defeated Virginia Tech 49-35 in 2018 and asked if he drew any lessons from watching that game on video, he deadpanned that all you need is to have three NFL receivers and a walk-on, unheralded quarterback throw for more than 500 yards.
ODU actually had two wide receivers, Travis Fulgham and Jonathan Duhart, and former CFL receiver Isaiah Harper, who ended up in NFL camps and were dominant against the Hokies. Blake LaRussa, a former walk-on who looks more like a 150-pound wrestler than a football player, picked the Hokies apart, completing 30 of 49 passes for 495 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for another TD.
Blake LaRussa bloodied but not defeated by Virginia Tech
Then he grew more serious, and said the 2018 season was an example of how winning one game, no matter how big, isn't your goal.
"I've seen that game a bunch of times and I know everyone talks about it," he said. "It was obviously an important moment in Old Dominion history.
"But the reason we talk about going 1-0 (which means focusing on every day and not looking ahead) is if you go back and look at the record that year it wasn't great (4-8). There was a hangover from that game and some expectations.
"Winning one game is not enough and losing one game isn't going to kill you.
"We started off last season 1-6 and we were one of three teams since 1936 to start 1-6 and go to a bowl game. That was because of the 1-0 mentality."
Season ticket sales are up dramatically so far this spring and Rahne acknowledged the schedule is a factor.
"I'm not naïve enough to think that's all because of me," he said.
"I do know who's coming the first game and I do know some people there will be dressed in that ugly color of red" he added, pointing to the maroon attire worn by Pry and his assistant coaches.
"But I also know our fans are going to show up.
"We're playing Virginia Tech 10 years in a row. If you want to watch great Virginia football, S.B. Ballard Stadium is going to have it."