“My mom and dad basically told me that it was an imaginary, college, made-up turkey.”

— Curt Kennedy, Richmond, Va.

“They say the Hokie is actually a stone : like the stone that the stadium is made out of. That's what I've been hearing that it is. I don't know why they got the bird out there.”

— Josh Morgan, VT wide receiver

“We're going to show everybody what a Hokie is, come the bowl game. They're going to see it.”

— Vince Hall, VT linebacker

“A guy made up a song a long time ago for a cheer. Hokie is just a word-filler in it, but it came to be one of the best mascots in the nation.”

— Derek Lester, VT senior

“A Hokie is a turkey. I really never figured out why it's called a Hokie.”

— Clifford Carter, Blacksburg, Va.

“Officially we're the Virginia Tech Fighting Gobblers. Hokie is the unofficial nickname.”

— Paul Lautermilch, Lynchburg, Va.