With the greatest season in Hokie football history behind us, Virginia Tech’s popularity is arguably at its highest level to date. Back in Virginia, I’m sure you can’t go five minutes without seeing a car drive by with a Tech sticker in the back window, or a kid walk by in a Hokie cap. Unfortunately, here in Orlando, it’s a little harder to come by. Driving back from the Sugar Bowl was the worst. Sure, there were equal amounts of Seminole and Hokie cars on the road when we started out, but as we proceeded deeper and deeper into enemy territory, the VT fans became few and far between, leaving us with car upon car of smug Seminole fans. Sure, I still see a Hokie sticker every once and a while down here, but sometimes, it’s kind of like wandering through the desert looking for water. You want to believe you see it, but you’re not sure if it’s going to disappear before you get to drink.

So anyway, that’s why when I heard Ike Charlton would be holding his NFL draft party at the ESPN Club at Disney’s Boardwalk (heard first on HokieCentral’s message board) with Lee Corso in attendance, I leapt at the chance to go. I convinced my wife, Ashley, the trooper that she is, to accompany me down to the club to partake in the draft festivities. Luckily, I had two things working in my favor - she likes football, and it was the weekend of my birthday.

We arrived at the ESPN Club around 11:30 (with the draft starting at noon). I kind of expected a crowd, but had no problem getting a prime table near the big screen. Ike and his representatives (I assume one was Ray Savage) were there in a special section of the room, which would later be filled by approximately 30 friends and family members. Mr. Corso was also there, and just before twelve, the ESPN personnel staged a Question & Answer period with Ike and Lee. They rattled off Ike’s vital statistics and showed a brief highlight film, and then got down to some questions.

There weren’t a whole lot of questions, but during the session, Lee provided us with some key insights. He loves Sebastian Janikowski. He was adamant that the Bears should take him with the ninth pick (not too far off from where he was really selected at #17 by Oakland). Corso noted that the big Polish drink…um, kicker could have been the difference for a few extra wins for many teams last season, and would be a natural fit for Chicago with their large Polish population. He swore to all attending that if Janikowski did not have the biggest impact of any rookie in the NFL next year, he would buy us all dessert at the next draft. Will, keep this baby in the archives!

We got some thoughts from Ike as well. He didn’t really have a preference for a team, he just wanted a chance to contribute. I got a chance to ask him which players in this year’s draft had impressed him the most, and who he was looking forward to matching up against in the NFL. Ike mentioned big Bubba Franks in Miami, Thomas Jones at UVa, and of course, Peter Warrick from FSU. Ike said he would like to line up against Warrick again someday, because he didn’t get to check him as much as he had hoped at the Sugar Bowl. You and me both, Ike.

My question was the final one, and the draft began. After gloating over the Redskins’ two picks which will hopefully bring Bruce Smith his first Super Bowl ring, I listened in on where Ike’s agents thought he would go in the draft. They were hopeful and confident he would go in the first round, most likely to San Francisco with the 24^th pick. Other teams they thought had shown good interest, and were places he might go in the first round, included Buffalo, Minnesota, and St. Louis. They also mentioned New Orleans and Dallas. Seattle had been a possibility, but with the previous day’s trade of Seahawk RB Ahman Green for Green Bay DB Fred Vinson, it seemed unlikely. Oops.

So there Ashley and I sat, drinking soda after soda, chicken zinger after chicken zinger. When the 15^th pick rolled around, Denver selected the day’s first cornerback, Deltha O’Neal out of Cal. Ike looked a little psyched because this was a bit of an unexpected pick - a corner was off the board much sooner than anyone had thought. Could a vaunted "run" on cornerbacks be soon to follow? In a word, no.

While waiting for the next cornerback, or first Virginia Tech player to be chosen, I got a chance to talk to Ike, and have him sign my Virginia Tech mini-helmet (also signed by all the past Hokie participants at the Florida Gridiron Classic All-Star Game at the Citrus Bowl - Loren Johnson, Pierson Prioleau, Carl Bradley, Anthony Midget, and Jamel Smith). I asked him a little about what we could expect from our receivers and cornerbacks next year. He was definitely high on Emmett Johnson, and said Andrae’ Harrison and Ernest Wilford needed more time to work on their routes. He felt we were in decent shape with Ronyell Whitaker and Larry Austin.

The next cornerback taken was several hours later at pick 23 by Carolina, Rashard Jackson of Jackson State. Surely, Ike would be the next CB taken, and besides, Ike had really hit it off with Bill Walsh. But alas, the phone did not ring. Ohio State’s Ahmed Plummer got the call instead at pick #24. That’s okay, I thought, you don’t want to go to San Francisco anyway. And Hokie fans don’t want him possibly competing with Pierson Prioleau when there are so many other CB jobs out there!

More picks dragged by. Minnesota. Buffalo. St. Louis. All non-CB, non-Ike picks. "Don’t worry, honey," I said. "I’m sure he’ll be picked soon." She groaned. "Look!" I said, pointing at the screen. "He’s made Mel’s Top 5 CB list!" She just rolled her eyes. Did I mention that the first round was one of the longest in league history? Over five hours long. Thank God it was the weekend of my birthday.

The ESPN Club periodically interviewed Ike and his agents throughout the day. Around the time the second round began, they said the 49ers had told them that they would be taking two cornerbacks with their first three picks. They also said that New Orleans was a likely destination. But the Saints pick came and went, taking Kansas State DE Darren Howard off the board. Finally, San Francisco’s next pick arrived. "With the 35^th selection in the NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Virginia Tech….defensive end John Engelberger!" Doh! Wrong Hokie. I was happy that ‘Berger got taken, but not as happy as Ike would have been. At this point, I think he was starting to feel a little anxious. Heck, we all were. We were expecting him at the least to be a high second rounder, and it didn’t look like it was going to happen.

My wife couldn’t take it anymore, and I didn’t blame her. She really wanted to stay and see Ike get picked, but she was going nuts. I figure six hours is a heck of a lot more than I could have hoped for her to stay. So she left, but of course, we had taken separate cars just in case such a scenario arose.

Finally, a bit of good news occurred. One of their phones rang, and Ike was quickly talking to someone from deep inside an NFL War Room. One of Ike’s family members, who had noticed my Tech helmet and cap, whispered over to me that it was the Cowboys on the phone, and there was a slight chance they might take him with their next pick. "The Cowboys?? Not the Cowboys!" I groaned as I brandished my Darrell Green jersey. They laughed. Around the same time, Ike’s group also let out a huge cheer when Ike’s face appeared on the screen, right after Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit discussed how Ike, Shyrone Stith, and a couple of other juniors hadn’t been taken yet. I could imagine the celebration that would occur when he was actually selected.

The fourth 49ers pick of the day, #48, was on the clock. Were they still planning to take two cornerbacks? You betcha. Except this time it was Texas A&M's Jason Webster. Ummm…who? C'mon, even Kiper doesn't know who he is!

The Cowboys were up next, presenting the greatest hope so far. Dallas did indeed select a corner with its first pick of the draft (knowing they'll need to replace Deion when he leaves for the 'Skins). Unfortunately, it was Dwayne Goodrich of Tennessee, who had played such great pass defense against Peter Warrick and Seminoles in the Fiesta Bowl two years ago, but had underachieved this past season.

Now I think Ike was getting upset. I would be too - you’ve got all of your closest friends and family with you, you’ve been sitting in a hard, wooden chair for over six hours in a tie, and none of the teams you thought you hit it off with said "You’re it, you’re the guy." I felt some of his pain. I’d been sitting there too for 6+ hours, waiting for that dang phone to ring! At this point, around 7:30, Ike left the club to get some air and be by himself. Of course, this is exactly the time that the Seahawks called for him.

"Where’s Ike?" said his agent, with the phone in his hand. Ike’s friends went to track him down. "Where’s Ike??" Finally, Ike arrived back in the club, and got on the phone. The ESPN guys brought him over a Seahawks hat, and then these words flashed up on the screen. "Seattle Seahawks" and then "Ike Charlton - CB Virginia Tech". The room exploded with cheers, making it hard for Ike to hear his new employers on the phone.

While Ike’s group celebrated, I had a chance to talk to some of his family and friends. His first cousin and grandmother thanked me for sticking it out and being such a true fan. I also talked to his best friend, Andre, who had also played football at Dr. Phillips High School, but never rose to the same level that Ike had. Andre was very proud of his buddy, and we talked about how in the long run, it really didn’t matter where Ike got drafted. There are thousands upon thousands of kids whose dream is to be in the NFL, and Ike is one of the few who got to do it, with his college degree to boot. Andre was just about to tell him that before the call from Seattle came in.

When the cheering died down and Ike got off the phone, the ESPN people interviewed him. He was a little upset he hadn’t been drafted earlier. Not trying to take anything away from anyone else, Ike just felt he was the best corner in the draft, and that he would show it to all those teams that had passed on him. I didn’t hear him say anything negative about Virginia Tech or its coaches. In any event, if the NFL does realign with Houston’s addition in 2002, and Seattle is moved into the NFC West as some suspect, I think he might make a certain team in Northern California regret passing up him up. I hope so.

I finally got a chance to go up, shake his hand, and congratulate him. At this point, a line of little kids had formed, eager for the newest Seahawk to sign their ESPN coasters. I think he was a little surprised that I had stayed as long as I did. I told him good luck and to show them what he’s got out there in Seattle. Completely genuine in his appreciation, he thanked me, clasping me on the back.

I think Ike is really going into an ideal situation. Seattle is actually a decent team, likely headed for the playoffs. He’s got a great coach to learn from in Mike Holmgren, and one of the league’s top corners in Shawn Springs to teach him the ropes. He’ll have every opportunity to compete for the corner spot opposite Springs, and, with the departure of Ahman Green, there might be some kick return duties in his future. He can rib Shaun Alexander about dropping that pass in the Music City Bowl, and he should feel quite comfortable having yet another bird as his team’s mascot. And of course, there’s the famous Seattle rain, strangely similar to the weather patterns of a certain spot in southwestern Virginia.

All in all, I think it was a worthwhile experience. Would I do it again? Well, let’s just say I’m glad I wasn’t at Shyrone Stith’s draft party. But the same message for Ike is true for Shyrone - it doesn’t matter where they got drafted. They're in the NFL now, and they’ve got a huge opportunity to make a mark there. I don’t think either of them will blow this chance, and I look forward to watching them progress on Sundays this fall.

Would Ashley do it again? Well, let's just say I'm going to become very familiar with women's gymnastics and all of the latest Julia Roberts movies over the next few months - just in time to see the Hokies match up against Central Florida in the Citrus Bowl next November 11th.