Coale Wins Tatum Award, First Hokie Ever

COALE (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Virginia Tech senior wide receiver Danny Coale has been named the recipient of the 2011 James Tatum Award, ACC Commissioner John Swofford announced Thursday.

The Tatum Award is given annually in memory of the late Jim Tatum to the top senior student-athlete (in athletic eligibility) among the league's football players. Tatum, a two-time ACC Coach of the Year, coached in the fifties at both Maryland and North Carolina and believed strongly in the concept of the student-athlete.

The Award will be presented at the ACC’s Night of Legends event which will be held Friday evening at the Charlotte Convention Center as part of the festivities held around the Dr Pepper Bowl.

Coale, a native of Lexington, Va., ranks second at Virginia Tech in career pass receptions (155) and pass receiving yardage (2,530). His receiving yards are the 19th-best career total in ACC history. He leads Tech and is 9th in the ACC in reception yardage this season with 776 yards and a 15.5 per-catch average.

He becomes the first Virginia Tech football player to be honored with the Tatum Award.

Coale graduated from Virginia Tech in the fall of 2010 with a degree in finance with a 3.3 grade point average and is now working on a second undergraduate degree in Marketing Management. He was an Academic All-America All-District selection this year.