From the day he first set foot in Blacksburg, Jerry Reece (AOE '90) has been the consummate Hokie. He has attended countless football games, plastered his car with "VT" stickers, and sworn to uphold the honor of his alma mater against all rivals, especially the one located in Charlottesville.

Yet in 1997, Jerry did something he never thought possible: he married Elizabeth Blackburn, proud member of UVA's Class of '91.

"I knew that Wahoos aren't all bad because several friends went there," Jerry says. "But after Elizabeth and I began dating and things started getting serious, it seemed a little funny that I would find true love at UVA."

The Reeces are just one of many couples who have proven that love can indeed conquer all--including the most intense of college rivalries.

It's customary, if not expected, for Hokies to trade good-natured barbs with Wahoos and remind each other who won the last athletic contest between the schools. But when that special someone comes along carrying a degree from Mr. Jefferson's university, even the most orange and maroon of Hokies have a change of heart.

Well, not everyone.

"My feelings about UVA have not changed one bit since I was in college," insists Bill Bush (accounting '90), who dares to live with wife Leigh Ann (UVA '94) in the heart of Wahoo countryCharlottesville. "I tell her that UVA is a fine school and that she got a good education. But I also try to make sure that no contributions to their athletic department come out of my checking account."

First impressions

For some Wahoos like Elizabeth Reece, marrying a Hokie wasn't really that big of a deal. "I come from a big Tech family; my father, sister, aunts, and uncles all went there," she explains. "When I decided to attend UVA, I became sort of the 'black sheep.' Since we've been married, the joke is that Jerry gets along with my family better than I do."

Other times, however, the prospective spouses have to question just what they're getting into. Melanie Kirsch, a UVA grad, did a double take when she first saw the apartment of her new beau, Chris Colston (communications '80), former editor of the Hokie Huddler. "Every room was filled with Virginia Tech stuff--the walls, tables, you name it," she recalls. "I told Chris, 'You realize I can't date you anymore.'"

Their relationship endured ("Though we obviously didn't spend a lot of time at my place," says Chris) and even included a whirlwind road trip to both the Music City and Peach Bowls in 1998. But after they married and bought a house last year, it was time for compromise.

"All my Hokie stuff is confined to my home office now," says Chris. "The rest of the house has to be 'sports-neutral.'"

Paul and Lisa Johnson faced a similar challenge when they moved into their new home. "One of the first things we did was figure out how to hang both schools' flags over the carport on game days," says Paul (economics '92). "Our neighbors think we're nuts."

And even though Bill Bush remains a staunch Tech supporter, Leigh Ann knows compromise when she sees it. "The license plate on our Trooper is 'WAHOK1,'" she says. "The fact that he has anything even close to 'Wahoo' on his truck is quite an accomplishment." And though she feels that there may still be a disproportionate amount of Tech memorabilia in their house, she says, "I never let Bill forget where he lives, or who wins the game."

Rivalries and romance

Ah yes, THE game. Hokies vs. Wahoos. Agriculture vs. Culture. Burruss Hall vs. The Rotunda. Although most Wahoo wives claim that sports is primarily a Hokie passion, Paul Johnson recalls how Tech's 1990 win over the Sugar Bowl-bound Wahoos almost ruined his relationship with Lisa. "We had been dating since high school, and the rivalry hadn't been too bad for us," he says. "But when we beat UVA in that last game, Lisa was really upset. She stomped into my apartment, stalked into the bedroom, and slammed the door. She got over it a few minutes later, but things were tense for a while."

"It's true, I do have a short fuse on game days," replies Lisa, a 1993 UVA grad. "But I've always been into sports, and it's something that we can do together." In fact, Lisa claims she has no qualms rooting for the Hokies in any game that doesn't involve the Wahoos. "I don't mind it when Virginia Tech wins," she says. "But if UVA loses, Paul had better keep his distance."

Not surprisingly, the last two years have been an emotional roller coaster for every Hokie-Hoo marriage. "In 1998, we were having a great time at the game," says Chris Colston, remembering the excitement in Lane Stadium as Tech surged to a big halftime lead. "Melanie took a lot of good natured ribbing from the Tech fans sitting around us, but she wasn't afraid to cheer on UVA as they made their comeback in the second half. By the end of the game, she was the only happy person in the section."

Changes in attitudes...

But now that football season is over and the pom poms have been stashed in the closet, one gets a sense that marriage has mellowed these Hokie husbands' attitudes toward their old rivals. To reciprocate for all the trips to Blacksburg, for example, Chris Colston agreed to attend Melanie's class reunion in Charlottesville.

"I had to sit through all these speeches about how great UVA is--something I never would have done before," he says. "But I have to admit that UVA has a pretty campus, and the school does a lot good things. Meeting Katie Couric [a UVA alumna] didn't hurt either."

Jerry Reece even went so far as to purchase a UVA sweatshirt in the name of domestic bliss. "I just tell people it's for the 'state' of Virginia," he says jokingly. "The fact that it's orange and blue is mere coincidence."

Reece is quick to add that he never shies away from discussing Elizabeth's academic heritage. "When it comes to speaking of my wife as a UVA grad, I speak proudly," he says. "But when it comes to her being a Wahoo sports fan, however, I tend to skip that part. On more extreme days, I delude myself into thinking I've converted her."

The feelings seem to be mutual. "The rivalry can be exasperating during the fall," says Lisa Johnson. "The rest of the time, it gives us something else to talk about. Overall, it's fun being married to Paul--even if he is a Hokie."

However, some of the biggest challenges of these Hokie-Hoo marriages may be yet to come. "We're expecting our first child in May," says Melanie Colston. "I don't even want to think about what that kid will go through."
Jim Parsons (political science '80, MAEd, MBA) is a freelance writer residing in Manassas, Va.