Brian Roy Bluhm

Brian Bluhm, 25, a graduate student in civil engineering, was an avid fan of the Detroit Tigers, who announced his death before their Tuesday, April 17, 2007, game against Kansas City, which Detroit went on to win 7-6.

"He went to a game last weekend and saw them win, and I'm glad he did," said Bluhm's close friend, Michael Marshall of Richmond, Va.

Bluhm received his undergraduate degree in civil engineering at Virginia Tech and was getting ready to defend his thesis. He already had accepted a job in Baltimore, Marshall said.

Bluhm moved from Iowa to Detroit to Louisville, Ky., before coming to Virginia Tech. His parents moved to Winchester, Va., while he was in school, so Blacksburg became his real home, Marshall said.

Bluhm also loved the Hokies, and a close group of friends often traveled to away football games. But Marshall said it was his faith and work with the Baptist Collegiate Ministries that his friend loved most.

"Brian was a Christian, and first and foremost that's what he would want to be remembered as," Marshall said.