TechSideline.com has learned through conversations with the Gazelle Group and the East Carolina athletic department that a reported 2004 Black Coaches Association (BCA) game has not been finalized.

A recent hokiesportsinfo.com press release that announced Virginia Tech football scheduling changes contained the following note:

As the result of negotiations for the VT/LSU series, a previous contract for home-and-home games with East Carolina University in 2004 and 2005 has been cancelled. However, plans are for the Hokies to face the Pirates in the 2004 Black Coaches' Association preseason football game. The game will mark the final college football preseason contest due to its recent elimination by the NCAA. Now, the Hokies will play 12 games in each of the next three seasons (2002-2004) with seven home games coming each year in that period.

While the article said "plans are" for the 2004 BCA game, which does not imply that the game is finalized, the article later says that the Hokies will play 12 games in 2002-2004, implying that the 2004 BCA game will happen. This led many Hokie fans to assume that the 2004 BCA game was a done deal and was scheduled to occur.

Not necessarily. When contacted by TechSideline.com, Gazelle Group officials noted that an agreement for a 2004 BCA game between Tech and ECU has not been signed, and they refused to comment on the status of such a game, or even to acknowledge that it might be in the works.

TechSideline.com also spoke with East Carolina associate athletic director Nick Floyd, who 

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