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STEVE DeSHAZO: Date published: 5/19/2010 By Steve DeShazo NO SALESMAN Last night's visit to And that doesn't count the spring scrimmage the Cavaliers held in Norfolk, the heart of the talent-rich "757" area code that has been unkind to Virginia recruiters recently. Toss in yesterday's debut of "Virginia Football: The Building of a Program" on Comcast SportsNet, and it's clear that before he tries to win a football game, London has to win over a fan base. "When I first took the job, I said, 'I need everybody's help--players, fans, coaches,'" London said. "It's easier to go into their backyards and ask for support than to just sit back and expect them to spend Saturdays in your hometown." And it's quite a selling job London has in front of him. The recent lacrosse tragedy aside, Virginia's athletic program is robust--four spring teams have been ranked No. 1 in the country, and men's soccer won the national title last fall. But the school's two most-lucrative sports, football and men's basketball, are in major rebuilding mode. London inherited a 3-9 team that lost its final six games under fired coach Al Groh. He told the alumni and guests at former Virginia linebacker Charles McDaniel's home that the Cavalier program had "a dark cloud" hanging over it. And when he attended the recent Atlantic Coast Conference coaches' meeting, London said he felt like a child at Thanksgiving who has his meal at a card table while the adults dine in style. "I knew we had to change what people thought about the program," said London, a former Virginia assistant who spent the past two seasons as Richmond's head coach. "We had to reinvest, re-energize and reinvigorate the fan base by reaching out to them and letting them know that things are going to be different."
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