Virginia Tech offensive tackle Ed Wang made history this past weekend when he became the first full-blooded Chinese American player to be drafted into the NFL this past weekend when he was picked up in the fifth round by the Buffalo Bills.
Wang was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia, my old stomping grounds in Northern Virginia, and of course, we share the same alma mater. I always remember his signature long hair and ginormous build — he was a formidable presence that you could not miss on the football field at Lane Stadium.
His Beijing-raised parents were both members of China’s Olympic track and field team in the 1970s, and it’s inspiring to hear about their journey together as a family to get to this point:
A huge congratulations to Ed Wang — he will surely become a role model for young Asian American kids around the country! How exciting that one of our very own Hokies has been able to come this far and establish a milestone in the history of both football and the APA community.
April 27, 2010 @ 4:58 pm
6’5″ and 315 lbs?!!! hes friggin huge!!!!!!
April 27, 2010 @ 8:02 pm
He’s pretty much the largest Asian man I have ever seen.
May 4, 2010 @ 2:41 pm
but he’s not the first asian-american to be drafted from VT. eugene chung was the first asian-american to be picked in the first round (13th pick overall!) from VT and played for the patriots. he graduated from oakton high too.
May 4, 2010 @ 8:03 pm
I knew there was an Asian American player who was drafted to the NFL before, but I had no idea he was from VT too! That’s awesome!!! And he’s from NoVa too, so cool π
May 4, 2010 @ 2:53 pm
oh and michael vick was the first african-american to be drafted as first pick. lots of hokies making football history π
May 4, 2010 @ 8:04 pm
I didn’t know this either! So proud of Hokie football! Although not so proud of Michael Vick anymore in light of what happened in recent years….
May 5, 2010 @ 2:07 pm
yeah the dogfighting thing was gross but there are nfl players who literally murdered people and got less of a punishment than vick did. it really doesn’t make any sense. i can’t be judgmental because honestly, i can’t say that i would’ve been different had i grown up in a community where dogfighting was all around me and the norm. i’m still a vick fan and ive watched a few episodes of his show. i just hope he continues to improve himself as a person and as a player.