An Alumni Reunion
April 30, 2010 10:05 AM | General
(10:05 a.m.)
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| Dale Wolfley |
Dale Wolfley has done a wonderful job in assembling a list of more than 130 former football lettermen that will be returning for Friday’s Gold-Blue Spring Game at Milan Puskar Stadium.
And how about this … Wolfley said the social media web site Facebook was the primary way he was able to contact so many former alums so quickly.
“We have a football letterman’s Facebook page,” Wolfley said. “Well, not knowing anything and just messing around with it until I figured it out a little bit, we set up a Facebook page and invited everyone to come back and the response has been tremendous.”
Even more impressive is the wide range of alums committed to returning. A pair of 1944 teammates will be attending today’s game along with former quarterbacks Fred Wyant, Mike Sherwood, Major Harris, Jake Kelchner and Rasheed Marshall.
“I made sure that this was going to be all-inclusive because that’s the whole idea of doing this,” said Wolfley.
A private reception was held for the players and their families Thursday night at Touchdown Terrace with golf and other activities scheduled for today. Also, a group of former players will make an appearance at WVU’s Children’s Hospital.
“We will have about 40 guys going over there and we have sold out all 80 golf spots,” said Wolfley.
By the way, you can check out football’s Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/WVUFootballLettermansClub
Cunningham says tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling the MAC at 304-293-9396.
Since 2005, West Virginia is the only school in the country to have made four NCAA Tournament “Sweet 16” appearances in men’s basketball and have also won two BCS bowl games.
During that same period of time, only four programs have won two BCS bowl games and made a Final Four appearance: West Virginia, LSU, Ohio State and Texas.
And since 2000, there have been seven programs that have made two BCS bowl appearances and a Final Four appearance: West Virginia, Florida, Illinois, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas.
Folks, that is some pretty elite company right there.
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| Selvish Capers |
Capers became the first Mountaineer offensive linemen selected since 2003 when Lance Nimmo went in the fourth round. Capers was also the 11th WVU player picked since the formation of the current Big East Conference in 2005.
Louisville leads the new Big East with 21 drafted players, including a pair of first rounders and six top 100 picks. Cincinnati is next with 16 players drafted, including six last year. Third is Pitt with 15 players selected. Rutgers, with a pair of first rounders this year, has had 13 players drafted since 2005 including three first rounders.
Big East Drafted Players Since 2005
Now compare that to the 2008 line which had eight returning players with a combined 100 career starts. Here is the returning starting experience of West Virginia’s offensive lines dating back to 2002:
http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/21373344?tag=comBlogEntryListCnt;entry21373344
Interesting read.
Speaking of interesting, Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall delivered some eye opening remarks to the Connecticut Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, saying it might be time for the Big East to deliver Notre Dame an ultimatum. Edsall said the Big East football coaches have been asking the Big East to do this for two years now:
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/sports/x43878276/UConn-Football-Edsall-discusses-draft-picks-Big-Easts-status
The Big East runner-up will face a team from the ACC in the Champs Sports Bowl, the third place team will also take on an ACC team in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, Big East No. 4 will play a team from the Big 12 and the Papajohns.com or Liberty Bowl matchup could be against a team from the SEC.
Compare that to last year when Rutgers faced Conference USA’s Central Florida in the Beef ‘O’ Brady Bowl and South Florida took on Northern Illinois from the MAC in the International Bowl.
Elsewhere in the Big East, DePaul has replaced Jerry Wainwright with Oliver Purnell, Seton Hall has replaced Bobby Gonzalez with Kevin Willard and St. John’s has replaced Norm Roberts with Steve Lavin.
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| Devin Ebanks |
Here is the list of early entrants from the Big East:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/27/sports/la-sp-crowe-20100427
In related news, life on Earth requires sunlight.
I know, too, that West Virginia thought Maryland could have been more supportive of its candidacy. Not getting into the ACC was one of Athletic Director Legs Hawley’s biggest disappointments.
Rutgers went through something similar last year by having to add Texas Southern to its schedule to reach 12 games.
Men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins will receive the Furfari Award as College Coach of the Year and All-American Clara Grandt will be presented with the McCoy Award as the Female Track Person of the Year.
Congratulations to all.
Have a great weekend!
