Most rivalry trophies honor a school, a mascot, or a nearby landmark. This one honors an industry. Black diamond is an old term for coal, and the trophy that Virginia Tech and West Virginia play for was created in 1997 to salute the coal heritage that both campuses sit inside. It is sponsored by an equipment company headquartered in Bluefield, right on the state line.
The two have met 54 times since 1912, and West Virginia leads 30-23-1.
How the series took shape
The first meeting, in Blacksburg in 1912, was a 41-0 win for what was then VPI. It remains the largest margin either side has produced.
For six decades the game came and went, played in Charleston and Huntington and Richmond and Bluefield as much as on either campus. West Virginia’s longest winning streak in the series, seven games, is spread across those irregular years between 1915 and 1958.
The rivalry became an annual fixture in 1973 and stayed that way through 2005, including a stretch as Big East conference partners from 1991 through 2003. When Frank Beamer built Virginia Tech into a national program in the 1990s, the game became one of the best in the East.
The games people still talk about
- A hard fought 22-21 West Virginia win featuring a 99 yard interception return, an 85 yard touchdown run by Artie Owens, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Mountaineers coach Bobby Bowden. Virginia Tech had two chances at a winning field goal and missed both.
- Down 23-6 at halftime in Morgantown, West Virginia rallied behind quarterback Oliver Luck for a 34-23 win, still one of the great comebacks in the series.
- A seventh ranked West Virginia team survived six turnovers and 13 penalties to win 22-10 in Blacksburg, on its way to the first undefeated regular season in school history.
- Virginia Tech won 12-10 in Morgantown, its first win there since 1967, the year Beamer played in the game as a Hokie.
- West Virginia won 14-13 and finished the regular season undefeated, with a late Virginia Tech field goal attempt sailing wide.
- The Miracle in Morgantown. West Virginia went ahead 20-19 with 1:15 to play. Freshman Michael Vick answered with a drive built around a 26 yard scramble down the sideline, and Shayne Graham hit a 44 yard field goal as time expired for a 22-20 win that kept third ranked Virginia Tech unbeaten and on track for the national championship game.
- Andre Davis scored on a 30 yard reverse, a 64 yard reception, and a 76 yard punt return inside a six minute stretch. Virginia Tech scored 41 second half points, a school record, in a 48-20 win.
- The upset of the series. Third ranked Virginia Tech came to Morgantown against a 2-4 West Virginia team and lost 28-7, held to 211 total yards. Rasheed Marshall threw a 93 yard touchdown pass and ran for another score.
- Virginia Tech won 34-17 and became the only team to beat West Virginia all season.
The long pause
Virginia Tech left the Big East for the ACC in 2004, and after the 2005 meeting the annual series ended. Scheduling it again took real effort from both athletic departments, and the trophy’s future was uncertain until Virginia Tech confirmed it would be at stake whenever the teams met.
They played a neutral site game at FedExField outside Washington in 2017, the first meeting in 12 years, and it delivered. Twenty first ranked Virginia Tech beat twenty second ranked West Virginia 31-24, with the Hokies stopping the Mountaineers twice from the 15 yard line on the final plays.
A home and home followed. West Virginia won 27-21 in Morgantown in 2021, scoring on an 80 yard run by Leddie Brown on its second play from scrimmage. The Mountaineers returned to Lane Stadium in 2022 for the first time since 2004 and won 33-10, outgaining Virginia Tech 421 yards to 228 and holding the ball for more than 38 minutes.
West Virginia holds the trophy, and no future games are currently scheduled.
Tracking today’s stars
Since the NCAA’s interim policy took effect on July 1, 2021, athletes have earned from their name, image, and likeness through endorsements, sponsorships, social content, and appearances. RallyFuel’s Heisman NIL Power Rankings weigh performance at 35 percent, NIL visibility at 20, social reach at 20, and fan demand at 25, and the NIL Trophy Case applies the same method across ten awards.
Curious how the two programs compare today? The School Rivalry tool puts them side by side on NIL, fan engagement, rankings, and championships. Compare West Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Why it deserves a rematch
Realignment separated these two, and the trophy has spent most of the last two decades waiting on a schedule. But the case for bringing it back is easy: two programs about two hours apart, a shared region, 54 games of history, and a prize named for the rock that built the place. Few trophies in the sport carry that much local meaning. Browse upcoming matchups.
