Even before Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium opened in September of 1965 Salem has been a big part of the football game day operations. Salemites have manned the “chain gang” for as long as Hokie fans can remember.
This year six of the 11 members of the crew live in Salem or have Salem roots. David Heath, who played football for Eddie Joyce at old Andrew Lewis High School, is the current crew chief and he follows the likes of the late Ernest “Pig” Robertson, Pig’s son Lee, Don Gilley and the late Dan Bowman.
Who could forget Salem legends Martin Halstead and Doug Williams, long time crew members from Salem, dashing out on the field for a measurement while the “Dudley Do-Right” cartoon theme song blasted from the public address system? Martin and Doug, who are no longer with us, were on the crew at Miles Stadium, Tech’s home before Lane was built.
Two who remember are Ed Thompson and Barry Cumbie, senior members of the current crew. Cumbie has been on the Tech chain gang since 1975 and Thompson has been running up and down the sidelines since 1980.
“Both of these guys are dedicated to the work that the VT chain crew does,” said Heath. “Ed is a great clip guy on the field, but on the ride to and back from Blacksburg he keeps everyone laughing. There is a tradition that we stop at the Glenvar Market every time on the way to the games. They are always looking for us on game day to laugh and joke with Ed.
“Barry is a versatile crew member. He can pretty much do any of the jobs in the crew.”
Cumbie is the longest tenured member of the crew. The late Pig Robertson, of Pig Robertson Fishing Rodeo fame, was the crew chief when Barry started.
“Pig bought supplies from the company I worked for,” remembers Cumbie about how he got on the crew. “He was there one day and was talking about how one of the guys on the crew couldn’t make it. I said ‘I’ll do it’ and I’ve been on the crew ever since.”
Thompson replaced Pig on the crew when Pig’s son Lee took over as crew chief.
“I went to church with Don Gilley and we played golf together,” said Thompson. “He mentioned they needed someone to join the crew and I jumped at the chance.”
It’s been a joy for Ed as he works his 46th season on the sidelines. He’s the “clip man” on the visitors’ side of the field. Once the chains are set he puts a clip at the first five yard marker to make it easier to measure.
Working the visiting side has been an experience for Ed. He’s been a Tech fan all his life but he can’t show emotion on the sidelines.
“They’ll pull you off the field if you show emotion,” he said. “I’ve been reprimanded a couple times.”
Ed has memories of the visiting coaches, some fond and some not so fond.
“Butch Davis from Miami was a terror,” he recalls. “One time he grabbed me and shoved me aside and said I was in his way. I told him I had right of way in the white space. That’s for officials, not coaches. Mike London(UVA) shoved me out of the way one time but then he apologized.”
And on the good side.
“Bobby Bowden(West Virginia, Florida State) was as nice as anyone you’ll meet,” he said. “Most of them are nice.”
Ed has an ACC blouse with over 30 autographs of people he’s met doing his job, including Bowden, Frank Beamer, Brian Kelly, Tom Osborne and ESPN celebrities like Lee Corso, Erin Andrews, Kirk Herbstreit and Samantha Ponder.
“No one has ever refused me,” he said. “I didn’t even ask (former UVA coach) George Welsh. I didn’t want him. One time he grabbed me and told me to get out of his ‘g…d…’ way and Gilley went off on him. Don told him, ‘you want to whip someone’s ass you whip mine’.”
Cumbie has been on the crew for over 50 years, and his job is to set the arrow on the field where the offense needs to reach for a first down. He started as a pole holder and would also do the statistics if the stat man didn’t show up. It’s something Barry has really enjoyed.
“I started liking the Hokies when I was eight years old,” he said. “I went to Andrew Lewis but I was too small to play and this is a great way to get involved. I always wanted to do something with football.”
Like Ed, Barry can’t let his emotions show while he’s working the game.
“We’re not allowed to talk to the coaches or players, and they’ll let us know if we screw up,” he said. “We can talk if they talk to us first and some will do that. The coach from Louisville in the ’80s(Howard Schnellenberger) kept us in stitches.”
Barry says he can still get out of the way. He’s been run over a few times.
“One year when we were playing Miami the sideline was full and Michael Vick hit me pretty good. It bent my pole.
“And when we did the UVA-Clemson championship game I was keeping the stats and got hit. Busted my lip and cut my hand. I gave my stat sheet to the head linesman and it was covered with blood.”
The Tech crew has had the privilege of working two ACC championships, that UVA-Clemson game and another when Florida State played Georgia Tech. They also worked the game when Tech played Boise State at FedEx Field in 2010 and when the Hokies played West Virginia there in 2017. Thompson hopes they work a few more big games and notes that the Tech crew is highly thought of.
“We’re always number one in the ACC,” he said. “We’re dedicated and we know what we’re doing.”
Ed was excited to welcome his grandson, Salem’s Will Pratt, onto the crew eight years ago.
“I have a picture of him when he was five years old standing on the field at the 10 yard marker,” he said. “It thrills me to death to have him on the stick right beside me, and he loves it, too.”
How long will Ed and Barry continue to work the chains? They don’t sound like they’re ready to give it up.
“I live for this,” said Ed. “I’ll do it as long as I can.”
And as for Barry?
“They’re going to have to carry me off the field,” he said with a chuckle.
