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Virginia Tech's Hokie nickname is one of the most unique in all of sports and has a fascinating history. That history becomes more fascinating when digging into its predecessor.
What was Virginia Tech's nickname before they became the Hokies?
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Answer
Gobblers (or Fighting Gobblers)
The term Hokies (or, at the time, Hoki) actually predates Gobblers (aka Fighting Gobblers) but Virginia Tech's athletic teams were known as Gobblers before they were the Hokies.
The Gobblers nickname was first used in 1908, 16 years after Virginia Tech (then the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College) fielded a football team. The origin is unclear. One story says football players made a turkey gobble noise for spectators while another says athletes gobbled down food after games, most notably a Thanksgiving Day win over North Carolina.
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