Top 50 Hokie Spotlight: Chuck Hartman

Via HokieSpots.com

When people think of the greatest coaches in Virginia Tech history, the first name that comes up is usually Frank Beamer. But while Beamer was putting Virginia Tech football on the map, there was another coach on campus putting together a legendary career of his own.

Chuck Hartman came to Virginia Tech following a successful 19-year tenure at High Point University. The Gastonia, NC native spent 28 seasons in Blacksburg, from 1979-2006. At the end of his 47-season career Hartman won 1,444 games, which was good for 4th in D1 history . Hartman’s 961 wins in Blacksburg are the most in program history, and the most wins by a coach in any sport at Virginia Tech.

Hartman had his #1 jersey retired in 2006, becoming the first member of the Hokies baseball program to earn this honor. In 2019, Hartman was honored with a plaque on a bench along the Huckleberry trail. The bench was strategically placed across from the Hokies baseball stadium, English Field at Union Park.

Hartman is a member of five different Hall of Fames, including the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame (2002), and the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2004). Additionally, Hartman was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, alongside Frank Beamer.