Reader's Write
July 04, 2007 08:17 PM | General
July 4, 2007
The reader’s write. Here is a small sampling of who some of you think is the best to have ever played against West Virginia:
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| Penn State's John Cappelletti turns the corner against West Virginia in this 1971 game at old Mountaineer Field.
Penn State photo |
Lance Greenzweig
San Diego
Erict Rhett: It was my senior year at WVU, the 'Eers went 11-0 and headed to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans to face the Florida Gators on New Year’s Day. A win could have given WVU a share of the national title. But Erict Rhett had other plans -- the result was a 41-7 loss and one heck of a hangover.
Tom Morsi
Welch, W.Va.
Tony Dorsett: He was awesome -- a great running back with great speed, power, and tremendous cut back ability. Maybe one of the best we have ever faced.
Jim Brown: Gino Torretta? Is this a joke? Very avg. QB on a great team. Bruce Smith is a top 3 all time DE and he is below Gino? C’mon.
Dave Beddow
Dan Marino: No issue with your 2, but Danny has to be in the top 5!
Beau Bowden
Michael Vick: The last minutes of the Virginia Tech game in 1999. Enough said.
Chris
Mike Alstott: I think he is still running down the field from the Purdue win in 1995.
Greg Richmond
Hugh Green: Most dominant defensive player I've ever seen play in person. He should have won the Heisman Trophy! Randy White is a very close second.
Jon
Barry Sanders: If you are basing this purely on the skills of the athletes then you have to put Barry Sanders as #1. Had he stayed in the NFL, Emmitt Smith wouldn't have come close to what his all-time rushing record would have been. Barry Sanders had moves like no other player to play the game and he deserves to be #1!
Jim Colosi
Dan Marino: When WVU played Pitt one year, they (Pitt) were behind something like 35-8 at the half. In the second half, Dan Marino (who was not a starter) came off of the bench and let Pitt to a 38-35 victory over the Mountaineers in Morgantown.
Chris
Alex Van Pelt: In his two appearances in Mountaineer Field, probably played as good as any opposing QB could: The 1989 tie (which still feels like a loss) and the 1991 home opener with the crowd bathed in gold and the season full of so much promise. As such, he is responsible for ruining two potentially great seasons. Not the best QB WVU ever faced, but responsible for the most heartbreaks.
Jeff Shriver
Calvin Johnson: His efforts against our secondary during the Gator Bowl were tremendous. He looked like pro versus high school; also displays himself professionally on and off the field.
Daniel Hamrick
Jim Brown: Brown faced the greatest defensive line ever seen by WVU comprised, among others, of three future all-pros: Bruce Bosley, Sam Huff and Chuck Howley. He ran through them and outran the secondary. No more needs said about the greatest football player who ever lived.
John D. Hess
Calvin Johnson: Hello from an old West Virginia boy. I love what you guys are doing and I think you have an excellent site that keeps me close to my beloved Mountaineers. I'm not going to make the case for Calvin Johnson being the BEST player to meet WVU and I know it's very recent history, but I think CJ will end up climbing your list of 50 best within the next couple of years. I have tons of respect for Larry Fitzgerald, but I think Johnson is the best receiver our team has ever faced and very well could be the best in the NFL within a couple of seasons.
William K. Crockett
Calvin Johnson: Far and away the most athletic player West Virginia football program has ever played against: Speed and size makes him simply overwhelming.
Gene Toler '70
Larry Csonka: The first time I saw Larry play at old Mountaineer Field everyone in the stands was yelling, "Hey diddle diddle we're gonna kill Little" (As in Floyd Little). It wasn't too far into the game when we started saying, "Who is that guy?" It wasn't much longer that we forgot about Little altogether. I remember one play where Csonka must have run for at least 20 yards with about four Mountaineer defenders hanging on him like they were just along for the ride.
Andrew Miller
Larry Fitzgerald: I didn't get to see the older guys like Davis, Marino, etc. but Fitzgerald is the only guy I've watched in person and totally been in awe.
Justin Elza
Michael Vick: His performance in Blacksburg, which I witnessed first hand, was just as impressive as his dance up the sideline in Morgantown. He had two bombs to Andre Davis, both of which had to be 50+ yards. He was kryptonite to us.
Karl Brown
Scott McBride (McBrien): Believe it or not, he's the reason Maryland thumped us not once, but twice in bowl games, and in the regular season. The ex-Mountaineer and transfer was simply too good for us on those days, and he played a magnificent game in his final one as a senior against us in the Gator Bowl. I know he's not on the list, and didn't even make the cut, but since we're talking about individual performances, to me his against us has to rank right up there among the best ever.
C. J. Krasyk
Calvin Johnson: I know that I have not seen a lot of the guys ahead of Johnson play but Johnson was unstoppable. We did not stop Ga. Tech – they just quit throwing to him. We could have put everyone on him and he would have still caught it if you threw it at him.
John King
Jim Brown: He was a one man team. Enough said.
Gary Christopher
Larry Csonka: I never saw anyone just take over a game and manhandle WVU the way Csonka did in 1965. WVU was up 19-0 and then he kicked it into another gear and ran over players for over 200 yards. The most crushing and bruising performance by a fullback I have witnessed in college football.
Larry Justice
Curt Warner: Guys, how do you leave this guy off the list? I grew up watching him in Wyoming County -- and he was awesome -- and he killed WVU when they played.
Beth Wilson
Doug Flutie: I was a WVU volleyball player from 1982-1985. I can remember riding on the bus back from Pittsburgh listening to the BC game, and cheering that Doug Flutie never beat WVU!
Anna, Ohio
Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Bradenton, Fla.
Charlotte
Wheeling, W.Va.
Deltona, Fla.
Lahmansville, W.Va.
Hundred, W.Va.
Canton, Ohio
Binghamton, N.Y.
Richmond, Va.
Brush Prairie, Wash.
Morgantown, W.Va.
St. Charles, Mo.
Atlanta
Lynchburg, Va.
St. Albans, W.Va.
Atlanta
Manassas, Va.
Knoxville, Tenn.
