BLACKBURG, VA. — Ben Taylor has always been a team first guy.

Whether it was at Bellaire High School where he helped lead the Big Reds to back-to-back appearances in the Division IV state championship game in 1995 and 1996, at Virginia Tech where he developed into an all-American linebacker or in the National Football League where he played for five seasons, Taylor was always more focused on team success than his own individual accolades.

However, the 1997 Bellaire graduate made a confession earlier this week.

“I got a letter in the mail, I opened it and was was like, ‘man, this is awesome!” Taylor said.

The letter Taylor received was from Virginia Tech University, informing him that he had been chosen as a member of the Hokies’ Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2017.

“Certain awards are pretty cool, but to be inducted into something like this (hall of fame) is right at the top of the list for me,” Taylor said. “When you look at some of the names who are in it like Bruce Smith and some of the other all-Americans, it’s just cool to be associated with it.”

Taylor will be formally inducted to the hall of fame on Friday, Sept. 22 and then be recognized the next afternoon when the Hokies play Old Dominion on the football field.

“I haven’t been able to get back to Tech nearly as much as I would have liked to, but I’ll definitely be there for this induction,” Taylor said. “With coaching, our sons and stuff like that, I haven’t had the opportunity to get back, but this is going to be exciting because my sons are old enough to understand and really enjoy it.”

Taylor’s road to Blacksburg wasn’t as smooth as many future hall of fame athletes have been. After graduating, Taylor didn’t enroll at Tech until the spring semester of 1998 as he recovered from shoulder surgery. He had battled shoulder problems during his prep career and put off the surgery so he could play in the OVAC All-Star Game in 1997.

“I went out to Montana after the all-star game and had the surgery and then enrolled at Virginia Tech,” Taylor recalled. “I am just grateful that Coach (Frank) Beamer and Coach (Bud) Foster gave me an opportunity to play at that level. It was the perfect fit at the perfect time for me.”

During that fall when Taylor was recovering, his father, Ben, who has since passed away, put together highlight tapes and sent them to countless schools.

It was in Bud Foster’s defensive scheme where Taylor’s frame, speed and ability seemed to fit best. So, he accepted the offer basically on the spot.

“I had some interest from the MAC schools, but I had received an invitation to come visit Virginia, so we stopped by Tech, too,” Taylor said. “I really fell in love with Tech. It was the perfect fit for me. I guess my dad hounding me to send out all of those tapes worked out. He was right again.”

It didn’t take Taylor long to begin to make an impact with the Hokies. He played in 11 games as a freshman and then worked his way into the starting lineup in 1999, which is the season Tech finished 11-0, won the Big East championship and played Florida State for the national championship.

“I was a young buck in that national championship game,” Taylor laughed. “A couple of losses my senior year (to Pitt and Miami) really haunt me more than the national championship game loss. I remember at Pitt I had a ton of family and friends there who wanted to do well for, and we got destroyed. We were terrible. Miami had like 11 guys get picked in the draft and won the national title that year. We lost 24-22 that game.

All told, Taylor finished with 318 tackles, including more than 100 stops as a junior and senior. He also had an 18-tackle effort against East Carolina during his junior season. As a senior, he accumulated 121 tackles, including 18 for loss and 4.5 sacks. He had double digit tackles in eight games that season.

Taylor still ranks second among Tech linebackers for tackles for loss with 31 and was twice a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. He was named second-team all-American by both Football News and the Associated Press after his senior season.

Though thrilled and honored, Taylor admits that when he was a kid growing up, major college football nor the NFL were his goals.

“Honestly, all I wanted to do was play for the Bellaire Big Reds,” Taylor said. “The experiences of playing for Bellaire were invaluable. I was actually texting with Coach (John) Magistro the other day. I was able to have the success I did because of what I learned and who I played for at Bellaire High School.

Though his professional playing days were cut short due to nagging injuries, Taylor has absolutely no regrets about his career, which included four years with the Browns and one season with the Packers.

“I had some good games and it’s obviously disappointing that we didn’t win a lot in Cleveland, but I look back and the average NFL career is like 3.2 years, and I was fortunate enough to last five,” Taylor said. “I played with some really good players, did some cool things and learned a lot.”

Much of what Taylor learned at all of his football stops has played a role in formulating the kind of coach he is now at Division III Shenandoah University, which is 3.5 hours away from his home in Winchester.

“So much of what I learned from Coach (John) Magistro, Coach (Gene) Ammirante, Coach Beamer, Coach Foster and just growing up in the Ohio Valley has been invaluable throughout my life and career,” Taylor said.

Taylor, who was in the Ohio Valley for a week earlier this month visiting with family, resides in Winchester, Va. with his wife, April, and three sons — Benjamin III (10), Noah (8) and Elijah (4). The Taylors, who celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary on June 25, are expecting their fourth son in November.