Football: Detailed WVU History Now Available
May 16, 2009 08:34 PM | General
May 16, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Few schools in the country have a football program as rich in history and success as West Virginia University, and no other book captures that history quite like the West Virginia University Football Vault®: The History of the Mountaineers. As much a scrapbook as it is a history book, opening the Vault is like getting a guided tour through your own personal WVU football museum.
Author John Antonik, a West Virginia graduate and the school’s director of new media, is a longtime observer of the WVU sports scene, having served since 1991 as a full-time member of the West Virginia’s sports information department. He writes the tale of the Mountaineers from 1891 through the 2008 season. Antonik mixes great game coverage with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and personal stories to present a view of WVU football that you won’t find anywhere else.
The book combines Antonik’s fascinating tales of Mountaineer legends — Fielding “Hurry Up” Yost, George “Daddy” Krebs, Clarence “Doc” Spears, Earle “Greasy” Neale, Art “Pappy” Lewis, Jim Carlen, Bobby Bowden, Don Nehlen, Rich Rodriguez, Paul Martin, Ira Errett “Rat” Rodgers, Marshall “Little Sleepy” Glenn, Harry Clarke, “Jumbo Joe” Stydahar, Fred Wyant, Bruce Bosley, Sam Huff, Tom Woodeshick, Oliver Luck, Jeff Hostetler, Major Harris, Steve Slaton, Pat White and others — with never-before-published historic photographs and replicas of unique memorabilia tucked inside the pages.
Explore the book’s dozens of sleeves and pockets to get your hands on an 1891 photo of the costumed cast from Shakespeare’s “Richard III,” produced as a fundraiser for the inaugural team; a postcard honoring the memory of Rudolph Monk, fatally injured in a 1910 game; the itinerary for the Mountaineers’ first bowl game, the 1922 East-West Bowl in San Diego; a 1940s-era pennant; a copy of coach Don Nehlen’s first WVU contract; quarterback Oliver Luck’s Rhodes Scholarship application; and a Jeff Hostetler biographical card.
In addition, you’ll find reproductions of tickets and programs from some of West Virginia’s most memorable games — the 7-0 win in 1919 over Washington & Jefferson; the 1938 Sun Bowl against Texas Tech; the 1954 Sugar Bowl against Georgia Tech; the 1983 Backyard Brawl against Pitt; and the 2006 Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia, among others.
The book’s foreword is provided by Pro and College Football halls of fame inductee Sam Huff, who was only momentarily tempted by recruiting pitches from other schools. “Why would I ever go anyplace else?” he wrote. “I was born in Edna Gas, which is practically in Morgantown. West Virginia University was in my blood. If you were from West Virginia, WVU was in everyone’s blood.”
The afterword comes from Don Nehlen, the longest serving West Virginia head football coach and the program’s all-time leader in victories by a wide margin.
The West Virginia University Football Vault®: The History of the Mountaineers is part of the College Vault Books series from Whitman Publishing in Atlanta. The hardcover 12" by 10" book with slipcase is available for $49.95 in bookstores. The book can also be ordered online at www.CollegeVaultBooks.com.
