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’Hoos Get Creative With Personalized Plates

License plate reading DSTN-E, meaning 'Destiny'

Basketball season is just around the corner, and national championship plates have been popping up all over the commonwealth—more than 1,325 at last count, according to the Virginia DMV.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be a basketball fan to display UVA love. You don’t even have to live in Virginia.

Take a peek at the collection below (including a few anonymous ones from the DMV). And if your ride has ’Hoo plates, take a photo and share on our Facebook page or tag #UVAMagazine on Twitter.

These are just fun to read, especially while stuck in a traffic jam:

02BAH00
“This plate and I celebrated 25 years together in October 2018. I purchased it for my very first car while living deep in Va Tech territory. I have had only one nasty note left on my windshield because of it.” —Ashley Meloy Love (Col ’93)

DUKE SKS
“A friend of mine who attended Duke asked me why my license plate says, ‘DUKE SKS.’ I told him, ‘Because DUKE SUCKS doesn’t fit on a license plate.’” —Otis Fulton (Col ’79)

A few more from the DMV…

Four license plates:  S0XNH00S, UN0H00, THNXTJ, and BH00UR

Some drivers are determined to deliver messages to passing motorists: 

H00 AMI (FL)
“It’s a statement, not a question.” —James Renick (Col ’71)

IMAWAH00 (NC)
“During this year’s Final Four, I was on the highway when I noticed the driver of a big pickup truck … hanging out of the window and waving, … pumping his fist as if in support. I then looked down at the truck and noticed that it was covered in UNC decals and logos and even was painted in UNC colors. He was just showing his support for the ’Hoos and hoping we’d get revenge against Auburn.” —Michael Rendino (Col ’90)

H00CAR
“This plate has been on my vehicles for well over 40 years beginning with an orange Volvo station wagon.” —Dwayne Tooley (Col ’75)

A few more from the DMV…

Four license plates:  RUH002, H00M0I, H00HERE, and ME2H00

We award extra points for spelling creativity—you know, when the letters you long for have been snatched by other Virginia drivers:

Y00VEEA
“I must have tried 20 different combinations before I finally hit one that wasn’t taken. Once you sound it out, it makes sense … at least, it probably makes sense to other Wahoos!” —Heather Boyce (Col ’01)

A WAHU
“The license plate has traveled to a lot of hostile territories like North Carolina, Maryland and Bleaksburg (spelling intentional). Fellow ‘Hoos on the way to away games or the ACC/NCAA Tournaments always give a supporting wave.” —Kyle Lewis (Col ’07, Com ’19)

A few more from the DMV…

Four license plates:  Y0UVAY, UVEH, WAHEWZ, and H00ZE

Declare your loyalties, both near and far:

HI5 UVA (England)
“My initials were already taken, so I had to compromise with the closest fit. Hopefully there are plenty more alums repping the ’Hoos across Europe!” —Henry Ian Smart (Col ’11), living in London

G0 H00S (TX)
“I often have to explain GO HOOS is for UVA and not for the Hoosiers and Indiana.” —James Dolnier (Com ’97)

A few more from the DMV…

Four license plates:  PERUVA, OMAH00Z, CDNH00, and AFGH00N

Experiencing a bit of intercollegiate tension?

Z0U H00 (MO)
“I am proud of my journalism degree from Mizzou, but I couldn’t have gotten it without a solid undergrad experience at UVA.” —Whitney Spivey (Col ’05)

G0 VT&VA
“We wanted to show our support for our Wahoo daughter even though we are a house divided.” —Michelle Rockecharlie, mother of Rachel Rockecharlie (Nurs ’22)

A few more from the DMV…

Four license plates:  H00H0KE, TARH00S, H00DUKE, and JMUH00

And then … how about a few more plates to get us revved up for the upcoming season?

UMBH00
“I was present in Minneapolis for every moment of the Final Four. Right after the win, President Ryan, who was also there, tweeted: ‘Birth of my children. Wedding day. Today.’ That is exactly how I feel. We all felt the heartbreak last year when we lost to UMBC. ‘UMBHOO’ is a play on ‘UMBC Who?’ to signify that the loss is now a memory and that Virginia is now rightfully known for being national champions.” —Jo Ann Foltz Bjornson (Col ’98)

HPUST1 
“I was looking for a word or phrase that summed up our incredible season, but unfortunately RDMPTN wasn’t available. So I kept thinking what made this year possible. And that’s why I picked HPUST1: Tony Bennett’s Five Pillars of Humility, Passion, Unity, Servanthood and Thankfulness that took them to #1.” —Scott Seaton (Col ’82)

19H00P 
“[I] came of age during the Sampson era. As a JV player my first year, I was able to get a seat for all of Ralph’s home games at U-Hall, and I’ve been hooked since then, through all the great seasons and the hard times. Our two daughters, UVA18 and UVA22, joined me in Minneapolis. That experience, and the magic of [the] team and coaching staff, is still overwhelming.” —James Kibler (Col ’85)

A few more from the DMV…

Four license plates:  0MGUVA, PACLIN, 0T8577, and H00DUNK