BLACKSBURG, Va. – As a statistician for 53 years, Carolyn Shockley says she knows just about everything going on around her.
But during the final home game of the season for the Virginia Tech football team, she was caught off guard.
Her co-worker, Damian Salas, said it wouldn’t be easy peeling Shockley away from the press box, but with her son and former Hokie Greg in on the plan they were able to make it work.
“I get a call from Damian saying that ‘we’re going to honor the 1999 team, could Greg step in for the guy who was supposed to be there because the guy was stuck in traffic,‘” Shockley said. “I said yeah so I gave Greg‘s number to Damien and Damien says ’Well, how about if you go down to the field with him.‘ And then the announcement starts that they were honoring me and I’m gonna cry all over again,” Shockley said.
It was worth the white lie to honor someone as legendary as her.
Shockley’s story began in high school in Hillsville, where she kept the stats for the football team.
“It starts with a lack of Title IX. When I was in high school there were no girl sports, and I loved sports. I loved the stats so since I couldn’t play, I kept the scorebook,” Shockley said.
Up Interstate 77, then east on Interstate 81 to Virginia Tech where Shockley continued to break barriers: a trailblazing career and 53 years of service makes her the longest-tenured Division I female statistician in the country.
“I was in the press box for the first football game and the sports information director Wendy Weinstein at the time just brushed it off, ‘well, OK give her the sheet,’” Shockley said. “And I was keeping drive charts. Long story short—end of the season. I did very well, moved up to the rushing stats and at the end of football season Wendy said, ‘What do you know about basketball,’” Shockley said.
“It’s pretty great, you know, she’s seen a lot. She used to work up in the crow’s nest here in Cassell. Now she’s down on the table for football. She was the first female ever allowed in the box in Lane Stadium,” Salas said.
Over the half-century, she has certainly seen a lot, but one moment she says tops them all.
“My boys after every game, I was either filming or taking pictures and at the end of every game they would find me and point at me,” Shockley said. “And I have a picture of Kevin pointing to me and Greg pointing to me so they knew I was there.”
Those same boys that tricked their sweet mom onto the field in late November so she could feel as seen as they were by her.