By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

Follow us at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin.  Become a fan at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

Tech and WVU will compete for the Black Diamond Trophy when they meet up again.

BLACKSBURG (hokiesports.com) – Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Jim Weaver announced Wednesday that the Virginia Tech-West Virginia football rivalry will be renewed for a two-game series beginning in 2021.
The contract will start with the 2021 game being played in Morgantown on Sept. 18, and the second year of the deal will take place in 2022 in Blacksburg on Sept. 24.

x9cI am pleased we are able to resume the rivalry between Virginia Tech and West Virginia and have every belief that this rivalry will flourish and be good for college football,x9d Weaver said.

The series will resume after undergoing a 16-year hiatus, beginning in 2005 when the series ended after Virginia Tech left the Big East Conference to begin its current membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference. West Virginia left the Big East Conference to begin play in the Big 12 last year.

The series has been played 51 times, beginning in 1912, with West Virginia owning a 28-22-1 overall advantage. The Mountaineers own a 16-9 record in games played in Morgantown and 5-1 in games played at a neutral site, while Virginia Tech has a 12-7-1 advantage in games played in Blacksburg.

The most current portion of the series was played every year from 1973 until 2005, a span of 33 years. The Mountaineers edged the Hokies during that time, 17-16, but the Hokies won six of the final eight meetings (and the past two) between the two border rivals.

Tech and WVU will compete for the Black Diamond Trophy when they meet up again. The name x9cBlack Diamondx9d refers to the regions history with the coal industry. The trophy is sponsored by Rish Equipment Company, which provides funding for athletic scholarships at both Tech and West Virginia. The Hokies have won six of nine games since the Black Diamond Trophy was initiated in 1997.

Photo: Roanoke.com