I like to think I would be a great writer except for an unfortunate lack of talent. Despite my shortcomings, I wanted to wish Pitt and Pitt's fan(s) much luck and a successful season - other than losing to WVU. May the 105th Backyard Brawl be epic, injury free, and the officials seen but not heard.
My belief is that WVU and Pitt are better programs for playing each other. The rivalry defines each program - like it or not. We are stronger together.
I also wanted to attempt to explain to the many Pitt fans who are unfamiliar with WVU football the the special relationship the Mountaineers share with the people of West Virginia and Mountaineer fans throughout the world. West Virginia is a wonderful place full of natural beauty and great people. And the Mountaineer program should be admired for what's it's been able to accomplish.
As West Virginians, we are often the butt of jokes and undeserved scorn. Our state may be poor, but our people are prideful, hardworking, and generous. Our nature is to be fiercely independent, pragmatic, eccentric and intensely loyal. And the glue that binds us together, the bond that transcends state lines, income, occupation, or political beliefs is our love for the Mountaineers.
From Hancock to McDowell, from Wayne to Jefferson, and all points in between, our bond with the Mountaineers is unequivocally West Virginian. Mountaineer pride is in our DNA. Our children inherit our affinity for the old Gold and Blue as they would any genetic trait.
Year after year the annual Gallup Well-Being Index survey finds that West Virginians are the unhappiest people in the United States. It doesn’t surprise me. West Virginians look at good fortune with suspicion. We know that every rainbow is preceded by a devastating flood, that every free lunch is tainted with salmonella, and that everybody, everywhere is out to screw us over.
Our pessimism is so deeply ingrained that nearly every West Virginian believes that whatever fate has in store for us, the best we can hope for will be painful and humiliating. The only exception to that deep abiding pessimism is WVU football.
Our hardscrabble, paycheck to paycheck lives are buttressed at both ends by the Mountaineers. WVU football is our point of pride, the antidote to the stereotypes featured on TV, propagated by tasteless jokes, and other forms of derision. The success of the Mountaineer football program rewrites the narrative for all of West Virginia. But most importantly, the Mountaineers provide a necessary distraction from toil and trouble.
Mountaineer football, without a doubt, means more to the people of West Virginia than any other program does to any other state. Win or lose, sweet victory or bitter defeat, our heart and soul is with the Mountaineers. And there is no better example than that of the Sago Mine Disaster.
On the morning of January 2, 2006, hours before the West Virginia Mountaineers faced the SEC’s mighty Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, tragedy struck Sago, WV. A methane gas explosion at the Sago Mine trapped 13 miners underground for nearly two days. All but 1 died.
The miners, knowing death was near, scribbled goodbye notes to their families. All 13 mentioned their love of the Mountaineers. One miner wrote he regretted dying without knowing the outcome of the Sugar Bowl.
The bond between the people of WV and the football program was strong. Sago was on the minds of the Mountaineer staff and players as they prepared to take on Georgia. Coach Rich Rodriguez, a native of tiny Grant Town, a son of a former coal miner, was subdued in the aftermath of WVU’s upset of Georgia, one of the greatest wins in program history. “It’s a tough day for our state.” Rodriguez said after the game.
Shelly Poe, then West Virginia’s sports information director, spoke of the concern of the coaching staff for the Sago Miners: “After the game, the coaches were asking about (Sago.) If you and your family are raised in West Virginia, it's inevitable that you have a relative, a neighbor, someone you went to school with who works in the mines."
Four years later, when tragedy struck again, the bond between the Mountaineers and the people of West Virginia was on full display.
On April 5, 2010, 29 miners were killed in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine Raleigh County, WV. During a memorial service on April 24, 2010, President Barack Obama mentioned the affection the Upper Big Branch Miners had for the Mountaineers.
As part of his eulogy, Vice President Joe Biden mentioned the families of several miners wanted it known their husbands/fathers/sons hated Rich Rodriguez for leaving WVU. Biden’s comments caused the gathered mourners to laugh and flash a brief smile. Everyone understood last dying curse of any West Virginian, at the time, would have been directed at Rich Rod.
In 2017, I would witness firsthand how our love of the Mountaineers is present to our final breath. On October 14th, I sat holding my grandmother’s hand as we watched Texas Tech play the Mountaineers.
My Grandmother, Doris McGinnis, a lifelong Mountaineer fan, knew her time was short. Doris was ready to go, but not before the game was over. On gameday her health rallied to the point she was her usual feisty self. I sat holding her hand as we watched the Mountaineers fall behind 28-17 at the half. We never lost faith.
After Will Grier’s 4th touchdown put the Mountaineers in the lead, my grandmother squeezed my hand and said with a wink, "That Will Grier sure is a handsome, the only thing prettier is his deep ball."
Less than 17 hours later Dorris passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends - wearing a Mountaineer scarf.
Such is the bond between Mountaineers.
There are many storied programs in college football, all with rabid fans devoted to their program. But the Mountaineer program is different. No other program in the nation shares a bond with its fans and the people of its state as deep and meaningful as the Mountaineers and the people of West Virginia.
West Virginia has always been the program that defied the odds. It's success, on the field and off, is hard to comprehend. How can a state, as challenged as West Virginia, produce a football program ranked 15th all-time with 679 wins, the most of any school without a national championship, surrounded by programs with more resources? The list of accomplishments for Mountaineer football is long and impressive... 3 BCS wins, one of the few truly self-supporting and profitable athletic departments in college football, 299 appearances on national TV, one of only 15 Power 5 programs to go to 18 bowls over the past 20 years, ranked 20th nationally for the best home record over the past 19 seasons, and recognized as one of the best game day experiences in college football.
The Mountaineers defy the odds year after year, and 2022 will not be the exception. 2022 is the year the Mountaineer program returns to national prominence. And there is no better way to make a statement game than a win over Pitt in the 105th Backyard Brawl.
Let the nation doubt. How can the Mountaineers lose with 1.8 million West Virginians willing them to victory?
WVU 45 Pitt 24.
Cue Country Roads.
My belief is that WVU and Pitt are better programs for playing each other. The rivalry defines each program - like it or not. We are stronger together.
I also wanted to attempt to explain to the many Pitt fans who are unfamiliar with WVU football the the special relationship the Mountaineers share with the people of West Virginia and Mountaineer fans throughout the world. West Virginia is a wonderful place full of natural beauty and great people. And the Mountaineer program should be admired for what's it's been able to accomplish.
As West Virginians, we are often the butt of jokes and undeserved scorn. Our state may be poor, but our people are prideful, hardworking, and generous. Our nature is to be fiercely independent, pragmatic, eccentric and intensely loyal. And the glue that binds us together, the bond that transcends state lines, income, occupation, or political beliefs is our love for the Mountaineers.
From Hancock to McDowell, from Wayne to Jefferson, and all points in between, our bond with the Mountaineers is unequivocally West Virginian. Mountaineer pride is in our DNA. Our children inherit our affinity for the old Gold and Blue as they would any genetic trait.
Year after year the annual Gallup Well-Being Index survey finds that West Virginians are the unhappiest people in the United States. It doesn’t surprise me. West Virginians look at good fortune with suspicion. We know that every rainbow is preceded by a devastating flood, that every free lunch is tainted with salmonella, and that everybody, everywhere is out to screw us over.
Our pessimism is so deeply ingrained that nearly every West Virginian believes that whatever fate has in store for us, the best we can hope for will be painful and humiliating. The only exception to that deep abiding pessimism is WVU football.
Our hardscrabble, paycheck to paycheck lives are buttressed at both ends by the Mountaineers. WVU football is our point of pride, the antidote to the stereotypes featured on TV, propagated by tasteless jokes, and other forms of derision. The success of the Mountaineer football program rewrites the narrative for all of West Virginia. But most importantly, the Mountaineers provide a necessary distraction from toil and trouble.
Mountaineer football, without a doubt, means more to the people of West Virginia than any other program does to any other state. Win or lose, sweet victory or bitter defeat, our heart and soul is with the Mountaineers. And there is no better example than that of the Sago Mine Disaster.
On the morning of January 2, 2006, hours before the West Virginia Mountaineers faced the SEC’s mighty Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, tragedy struck Sago, WV. A methane gas explosion at the Sago Mine trapped 13 miners underground for nearly two days. All but 1 died.
The miners, knowing death was near, scribbled goodbye notes to their families. All 13 mentioned their love of the Mountaineers. One miner wrote he regretted dying without knowing the outcome of the Sugar Bowl.
The bond between the people of WV and the football program was strong. Sago was on the minds of the Mountaineer staff and players as they prepared to take on Georgia. Coach Rich Rodriguez, a native of tiny Grant Town, a son of a former coal miner, was subdued in the aftermath of WVU’s upset of Georgia, one of the greatest wins in program history. “It’s a tough day for our state.” Rodriguez said after the game.
Shelly Poe, then West Virginia’s sports information director, spoke of the concern of the coaching staff for the Sago Miners: “After the game, the coaches were asking about (Sago.) If you and your family are raised in West Virginia, it's inevitable that you have a relative, a neighbor, someone you went to school with who works in the mines."
Four years later, when tragedy struck again, the bond between the Mountaineers and the people of West Virginia was on full display.
On April 5, 2010, 29 miners were killed in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine Raleigh County, WV. During a memorial service on April 24, 2010, President Barack Obama mentioned the affection the Upper Big Branch Miners had for the Mountaineers.
As part of his eulogy, Vice President Joe Biden mentioned the families of several miners wanted it known their husbands/fathers/sons hated Rich Rodriguez for leaving WVU. Biden’s comments caused the gathered mourners to laugh and flash a brief smile. Everyone understood last dying curse of any West Virginian, at the time, would have been directed at Rich Rod.
In 2017, I would witness firsthand how our love of the Mountaineers is present to our final breath. On October 14th, I sat holding my grandmother’s hand as we watched Texas Tech play the Mountaineers.
My Grandmother, Doris McGinnis, a lifelong Mountaineer fan, knew her time was short. Doris was ready to go, but not before the game was over. On gameday her health rallied to the point she was her usual feisty self. I sat holding her hand as we watched the Mountaineers fall behind 28-17 at the half. We never lost faith.
After Will Grier’s 4th touchdown put the Mountaineers in the lead, my grandmother squeezed my hand and said with a wink, "That Will Grier sure is a handsome, the only thing prettier is his deep ball."
Less than 17 hours later Dorris passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends - wearing a Mountaineer scarf.
Such is the bond between Mountaineers.
There are many storied programs in college football, all with rabid fans devoted to their program. But the Mountaineer program is different. No other program in the nation shares a bond with its fans and the people of its state as deep and meaningful as the Mountaineers and the people of West Virginia.
West Virginia has always been the program that defied the odds. It's success, on the field and off, is hard to comprehend. How can a state, as challenged as West Virginia, produce a football program ranked 15th all-time with 679 wins, the most of any school without a national championship, surrounded by programs with more resources? The list of accomplishments for Mountaineer football is long and impressive... 3 BCS wins, one of the few truly self-supporting and profitable athletic departments in college football, 299 appearances on national TV, one of only 15 Power 5 programs to go to 18 bowls over the past 20 years, ranked 20th nationally for the best home record over the past 19 seasons, and recognized as one of the best game day experiences in college football.
The Mountaineers defy the odds year after year, and 2022 will not be the exception. 2022 is the year the Mountaineer program returns to national prominence. And there is no better way to make a statement game than a win over Pitt in the 105th Backyard Brawl.
Let the nation doubt. How can the Mountaineers lose with 1.8 million West Virginians willing them to victory?
WVU 45 Pitt 24.
Cue Country Roads.
