The Black Diamond Trophy is the name given to the annual football game that takes place between Virginia Tech (VT) Hokies and the West Virginia University (WVU) Mountaineers. The tradition of this cross-conference contest between Virginia Tech football program in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as well as West Virginia University’s West Virginia football program that is part of the Big East Conference goes all up to 1912 when the two teams first met against one another.
The first match between these two prestigious universities of higher education was played on the 16th of November 1912. The outcome of that first game saw Virginia Tech’s Virginia Tech squad walking away with a victory after beating them West Virginia opponents with 41-0 at the end of the game. Although the relationship between these two rivals in the same region began in the early 20th century, the formal Black Diamond Trophy was not established until 1997, when the teams began to play each other regularly.
West Virginia University is located in Morgantown, West Virginia and Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia. Both campuses are located approximately 250 miles apart. Students travelling to their Virginia Tech campus to away football matches played at The West Virginia campus take Interstate 79 north for the majority of the nearly four-hour journey between Blacksburg towards Morgantown. The location for Black Diamond Trophy SPBO football game. Black Diamond Trophy football game is played every year between Lane Stadium (capacity 66,233) in Blacksburg and Mountaineer Field in Morgantown which accommodates 60,180 spectators.
This name Black Diamond Trophy is a symbol of the coal industry, which has been dominating the Appalachian region in which these two schools have been located for decades. The particular region of the country in which the Virginias are situated is rich in coal-related historical records. The term”black diamond” used to describe coal is somewhat similar to the term crude oil “black gold”.
Prior to that the Black Diamond Trophy was introduced in 1997, West Virginia held a commanding advantage in the 41 games which preceded the trophy’s symbolic meaning. In 1996, the WVU program led by a score of 25-15-1. Since the introduction of the Black Diamond Trophy in 1997 Virginia Tech has the series advantage with a lead of six victories for the Hokies and only three wins from the Mountaineers.
Unfortunately, the fate for the Black Diamond Trophy is very uncertain. In 2004, Virginia Tech switched from the Big East Conference (which West Virginia is a part of) to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Because of conference schedule conflicts, both schools haven’t played since 2005. Although the Black Diamond Trophy is currently being suspended, the fans of the region are hoping that it will come back soon.