Virginia Tech senior Eddie Royal has been a force in the Hokies' success in the past several years. The flanker caught the go-ahead touchdown in the Hokies' championship win over Miami during his freshman year in 2004, and then caught the go-ahead touchdown in the team's win over Boston College in this year's Dr. Pepper ACC Championship game.
How did you get started playing football?
At a young age, I saw my four older brothers play and (became) interested. We played in the street in our neighborhood all the time. At the age of seven, I started playing youth league football in Reston (Virginia). Coach Kennedy was my coach, and he was a real motivating coach. He wouldn't let you slack at all and was hard on me all the time. Hard work was instilled in me at a young age and I developed that trait to be a hard worker through youth league.
What other teams have you played on?
In seventh grade, I moved to Herndon and started playing for a team there. I went to three different high schools. I went to South Lake the first year and got to play a year with my brother on varsity and that was a great experience for me. I got thrown into the fire on varsity as a freshman, so having him there was great. I transferred to a private school the next year, but that didn't work out too well, so I went to Westfield for the other two years and ended up winning a state championship there and started getting offers.
 | | Eddie Royal catches the go-ahead touchdown in the 2007 Dr Pepper ACC Championship game. |
What is your greatest accomplishment as an athlete?
As a student-athlete, I'd say graduating just because of how hard it is to stay focused on schoolwork and because of the time. We don't have as much time as other students to sit down and study for tests and prepare for presentations. For me, graduating is better than anything I could do on the field.
Do you have plans yet for after graduation?
I want to go into coaching. I love helping young kids out and I feel that coaching lets me do two things I love - being around football and helping young kids. A coach can help change lives around, and I've had a lot of influential people in my life that made me see things in a different way. I want to be able to do that and show them that they can go to college, too. When you see someone who has done it - like I have - you listen to them more.
Who is your most influential role model?
My mother. She raised seven of us and did a great job. She's always been there for us and has made it to most of my games. I have four brothers and two sisters, so I really appreciate that time she devoted. I don't know how she did it, but she raised a great household. We're all successful. My sister graduated two years ago and is in the Air Force, one brother is playing arena football. She did a great job showing us that with family and with God, you can do anything.
What is the best advice you've received from a coach?
To not trust my hands too much. What that means is that I need to look every ball in. Sometimes as a receiver, I don't look the ball all the way in and just trust my hands to catch it. Receivers sometimes think more about getting up field before catching the ball, but little things like making sure you catch it make the difference.
 | | Eddie Royal brings a punt-return into the endzone for a touchdown at Clemson. |
Why did you choose Virginia Tech?
I felt it was a family-like atmosphere and I felt at home. My main (criteria) was feeling comfortable wherever I was (despite) being away from home. Coach Beamer and the other coaches coach family and tell us we need to be brothers, so I really liked that and I felt at home when I came here. I have a close family, so it was tough, but my sister was here at Virginia Tech which made it easier, too.
What is your most memorable moment in sports?
When we played Miami my freshman year, I made a touchdown catch that put us ahead to win the division championship. This past year, I caught a touchdown pass in the ACC Championship to go ahead. Winning the division championship my freshman year and then winning the ACC Championship to go out (would be my most memorable).
What are your thoughts heading into the FedEx Orange Bowl?
I'm excited about going to a BCS bowl game. We've been here before - we went to New Orleans my freshman year. We just have to go out and play. We're playing a great opponent and it's going to be a great game, but we've done a (terrific) job preparing the last few weeks and going out and playing the way we know how to play. We just need to go out and execute.
After falling to Boston College in the regular season, the team rallied to win out the rest of the season. How does that affect the team's mindset heading into bowl season?
We're motivated because we feel that we should have been in the national championship. We think of it as an opportunity to show everyone in the country that we are one of the top two teams, that we can go out there and play with anybody. Kansas is a great team, and this is our opportunity to go out and showcase our talent on the national stage where everyone's going to be watching.
What do you most enjoy about the bowl experience?
Going around to all of the activities that they have us doing. We get to go out and experience a lot of different things that you wouldn't normally be able to do. The best part, though, is being around my teammates and getting to be in a big-time football game.
Eddie Royal and the Hokies take to the field against Kansas in the FedEx Orange Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 3, in Miami, Fla.
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