Let’s Take The Way Back Machine Way Back…To Nov. 20, 1941

Bill Dudley,who in his final college game, led UVA to a 28-7 win over UNC and snapped a 9-game losing streak to the Tar Heels Welcome to another adventure in “Hootie’s Way Back Machine,” where we travel back into Wahoo history and detail a significant moment. Today, we’re going way, way back to Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 20, 1941, to Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. It was the final game for legendary Virginia star Bill Dudley, known in these parts as simply the “Bluefield Bullet,” or just the “Bullet.” Was customary in those days for UVa and North Carolina to […]

Wahoos In The NFL: Several Make Their Case In Week 2 Games

Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell scored his second touchdown of the preseason Saturday night for the Chicago Bears Week 2 of the NFL preseason is in the books, and several former Wahoos made a case to land on the 53-man roster of their respective teams when final cuts are announced on September 1st. We’ll start this week’s recap with a 15-year veteran who should have no issues making his squad. Atlanta backup quarterback Matt Schaub looked sharp again Friday, a week after tossing a perfect 9-for-9 performance. This time around against the Chiefs, the 37-year-old former Pro Bowl MVP finished his night […]

Cavaliers Get Verbal Commitment From Kadin Shedrick

Kadin Shedrick with UVA Coach Tony Bennett Virginia coach Tony Bennett and his staff joined nearly 30 other schools across the country on August 10th when they offered a scholarship to rising senior Kadin Shedrick. Ten days later, Shedrick announced his verbal commitment to the Cavaliers, less than a week after trimming his list of suitors from over 25 down to eight — UVA, Florida, Indiana, Louisville, Providence, Wake Forest, Wisconsin and Xavier. Shedrick, a 6-foot-10, 200-pound power forward from Holly Springs High School in North Carolina, took an unofficial visit to Charlottesville over the weekend and made it known […]

See Highlights Of UVA’s Second Scrimmage Of The Year

As the year moves within two weeks of the season opener for UVA, the Wahoos had their 14th practice Saturday, which featured their second scrimmage of the summer. Dave Koehn and Tony Covington discuss several video highlights from that scrimmage (courtesy of VirginiaSportsTV), which include a couple of spectacular plays by quarterback Bryce Perkins and freshman wide receiver Tavares Kelly. Take a look…

Being A Deep Threat Will Be De’Vante’s Cross To Bear This Year

De’Vante Cross has shone brightly as a potential deep threat for quarterback Bryce Perkins’ strong arm Heading into fall training camp, one of Bronco Mendenhall’s priorities was to identify at least one legitimate deep receiving threat. With Andre Levrone and Doni Dowling graduated, the search was on to find speedy receivers that can stretch opposing defenses and help open up other avenues for an offense that appears to be blessed with numerous skilled players. Two weeks from the season opener against Richmond, the Cavaliers are making strides. On Friday, Mendenhall rattled off a few players that have made strong impressions […]

Chances Transfer Thompson Joins Team This Season “Unlikely”

The saga of Ohio State transfer defensive end Dylan Thompson appears to have taken another turn according to Wahoo Coach Bronco Mendenhall after this morning’s practice. Thompson had been expected to join the team after finishing summer school classes in Columbus, but Mendenhall described the chances of that happening as “unlikely.” Asked about the delay in Thompson’s arrival and the reasons for it, Mendenhall said “(for) Dylan Thompson (it) is eligibility. Course work and becoming eligible. And so again, until he arrives he’s not part of our team. And right now it would be “If” he arrives would be the […]

Women’s Soccer Kicks Off Season Tonight Against Colgate

As Steve Swanson enters his 19th season as the head coach of the Virginia women’s soccer team, he’s anxious to “put the boat on the water.” He’s also happy to have a few key players back in the mix heading into tonight’s home opener. As of Wednesday, Swanson’s eighth-ranked Cavaliers, who open the season at Klöckner Stadium at 7 p.m. against Colgate, have four important members of the squad back from a summer stint with the U-20 National Team. Second-year midfielder Taryn Torres, an All-ACC preseason selection who led the ‘Hoos in scoring as a freshman in 2017, is back […]

Listen To Hootie, Greg DePalma Break Down The ACC Races, Players

Hootie sat down with Greg DePalma of Ourlads (an NFL scouting service that has been scouting, evaluating, and rating college football talent as it pertains to the NFL Draft since the early 1980s) and the two broke down all 14 of the ACC football teams according to their strengths, weaknesses, stars and potential stars. In addition, the two looked at both division races in the ACC as well as how the schedules may or may not favor certain teams, and they even predicted the players of the year come season’s end. If you’d like to listen along, click below:

Just About Every Team In ACC This Season Has A Good QB

One reason that ACC teams will be difficult to beat this season is that practically every squad features a proven quarterback. The ACC has an abundance of experienced trigger men, many of them dual threats, which can cause opposing defensive coordinators some sleepless nights. Essentially 11 of the league’s 14 teams return a quarterback who had some level of success last season. The only three that don’t are Louisville, where former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson rewrote the record books; Wake Forest, which boasted underrated John Wolford the past few seasons, and Virginia’s Bryce Perkins, who tore up the junior […]

UVA Expecting Big Things This Year From “The Juan And Only”

Juan Thornhill comes up with an interception in last year’s 28-21 win over Duke Juan Thornhill appropriately named his Twitter account, “The_Juan_and_Only.” The senior free safety from Altavista, and admitted country boy, does not lack for confidence. Or athletic ability. That’s what Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall is banking on, moving Thornhill over from cornerback to free safety, where job demands are more physical. You want physical? Don’t mess with Thornhill. “Juan is a freak,” said Shawn Griswold, UVa’s strength and conditioning guru. There’s reason for Griz’s awe. In the final week of summer conditioning, when all the measurables are compiled, […]

Shawn Moore, Billy McMullen, Hootie and Jay Get Together

Jerry joined WINA Sports Director Jay James on Best Seat In The House tonight, along with former UVA greats Shawn Moore and Billy McMullen for a rather robust conversation. Needless to say, when this group gets together, they can’t contain their opinions in only one segment, so the conversation extended into two XL-sized interesting pieces. In case you missed it, here are the recordings of the segments, which you can listen to by clicking below: Moore, Mullen and Ratcliffe, Part 1 Moore, Mullen and Ratcliffe, Part 2

‘Hoos In The NFL: Benkert Gets Off To Quick Start For Falcons

Kurt Benkert finished 9 of 17 for 125 yards and an interception for the Atlanta Falcons in his pro debut Not one, but two former University of Virginia quarterbacks saw plenty of playing time for the Atlanta Falcons Friday night as NFL preseason action kicked off this weekend. That duo of Matt Schaub and Kurt Benkert also happen to be Nos. 1 and 2 on the Cavaliers’ all-time single-season passing yards list. Schaub, expected to be Atlanta’s primary backup QB, got the start as Matt Ryan watched from the sideline, and did not disappoint. Schaub, now back with the team […]

Oh, If Lambeth Field Could Talk; The Stories It Could Tell…

Historic Lambeth Field is where the Wahoos held their 6th fall practice Thursday. More than 100 Virginia football players made the short trek from the McCue Center across the footbridge over Emmet Street, spilling into sacred ground at Lambeth Field on a toasty August afternoon Thursday. Lambeth’s history goes unnoticed by today’s players. They know Virginia once played there, but that’s about it. Even most media attending the first 30 minutes of the practice had never been to Lambeth and knew nothing of the place. UVa coach Bronco Mendenhall likes to conduct practice there once in awhile because it’s the […]

There Will Never Be Another Like James Thomas “Monk” Bingler

James Thomas “Monk” Bingler We knew him simply as “Monk,” the man at the door of Scott Stadium’s press box and various spots around John Paul Jones Arena. Year after year, Monk was always there with a handshake, a ready smile, a twinkle in his eyes, and usually a really corny joke. James Thomas “Monk” Bingler, a Charlottesville legend, a University of Virginia “ambassador,” left us this week at the age of 94. Most media that walked through the double doors to the press box each autumn had no idea of Monk’s background. He must have told me a jillion […]

Media Veteran John Markon Joins Us As Contributing Photographer

We are pleased to announce that for the coming football season, newspaper veteran John Markon will be working with us as a contributing photographer, shooting photography of all home UVA football games for JerryRatcliffe.Com. Markon knows sports in the state of Virginia and UVA well. He is a UVA graduate, and was an award-winning sportswriter for several newspapers in the state, including 31 years with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. During that tenure, he covered six Olympic Games, 13 World Series, 19 Super Bowls, more than a few NCAA championship football games and more than 30 major golf tournaments. He has also […]

Bronco Not Happy With Lack Of Sharpness During 6th Practice

With historic Lambeth Field as a backdrop, Virginia’s football team finished its sixth practice of fall camp on Thursday. It wasn’t the best. Coach Bronco Mendenhall said he had been pleased with the five previous practices but wasn’t happy with the lack of sharpness. He quickly recognized that the competitiveness in practices building up to Thursday had taken its toll. “The team showed signs of a lot of work,” Mendenhall said. “We have been increasing the work capacity, pushing the limits in every possible way, and it showed today.” The coach plans on having a “significant” scrimmage on Saturday, and […]

Sometimes, Sports Can End Up Being More Than “Just A Game”

It’s easy to become cynical about sports. It’s equally easy to scoff “it’s just a game.” And then you have a morning like I did today. At 9:30 AM, my cellphone rang. It was a number I didn’t recognize from an area code I couldn’t recall ever seeing. I didn’t answer, assuming it was either Rachel at Credit Card Services telling me of some incredible deal, the IRS saying if I didn’t mail them a check in the next two hours armed agents would be arresting me, or great news about some Disney vacation I’d allegedly just won. But when […]

New Rules Allow Players To Return After Declaring For Draft

The NCAA announced some significant rule changes today aimed at cleaning up college basketball, and they include such things as allowing a player to return to his college team if they’re not chosen in the NBA draft, and even the ability to sign with an agent if designated an “elite” player. The NCAA on its website listed these five rules changes that also include more official campus visits, a certification program for agents and the requirement that if a player leaves to play professionally but later returns to finish his or her degree, the schools must pay all costs. Here […]

Why Risk Company’s Brand Just To Recover 27,000 Followers?

If you follow media in the state, you couldn’t help but notice the story that broke this morning where the Roanoke Times decided to sue its former Virginia Tech beat writer – Andy Bitter – because Bitter would not give back his Twitter handle and its 27,000 followers when he left to go work for The Athletic. I read the comments of at least three sportswriters on Twitter this afternoon and they all said this case will be “interesting.” Which they have to say because the chain that owns the Roanoke Times owns most of the newspapers in the state, […]