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From the AD's Desk: Saturday Should be Exciting
September 23, 2015 04:48 PM | Football
There is certainly a lot about which to be excited as we get ready for Saturday’s sellout game against Maryland at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Our football team is off to a 2-0 start with impressive victories over Georgia Southern and Liberty, the women’s soccer and cross country teams continue to climb in the national rankings, Reed Sunahara recently achieved his first home victory as our new volleyball coach, and men’s golf has been revived after being dormant for the last 32 years.
We are also inducting another outstanding group into this year’s WVU Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, headlined by College Football Hall of Famer Bobby Bowden. It is my understanding that more than 60 members of Coach Bowden’s 1975 Peach Bowl team will be back on campus this weekend to help us recognize his outstanding 10-year tenure at WVU and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of that memorable season.
I am looking forward to meeting as many of Coach Bowden’s former players as I can this weekend. Saturday’s Hall of Fame ceremony will begin at noon inside the Caperton Indoor Practice facility and is free to the general public.
It will be exciting to see Milan Puskar Stadium packed once again as we face our old rival Maryland on Saturday. While growing up in Parkersburg, I became well acquainted with the WVU-Maryland game through the years and the importance of playing border schools such as the Terrapins, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Kentucky, Penn State and, of course, Pitt.
Regarding Pitt, it was particularly pleasing earlier this month to be able announce the revival of the Backyard Brawl, beginning in 2022. We all know how conference realignment ended some of college football’s greatest rivalries, which have made the sport so special, and to be able to bring back one of the oldest rivalries in the game is certainly gratifying.
Finally, as you continue getting ready for your tailgate parties and making final preparations for the trip to Morgantown this weekend, I ask that you remember to act responsibly and show good sportsmanship to our friends from Maryland on game day. Let’s make sure to extend a friendly hand, invite them over for something to eat at your tailgates and thank them for visiting our beautiful city.
We want a loud, enthusiastic crowd on Saturday and we want to continue our reputation for having one of the best home-field advantages in college football, but we also want to show our neighbors from Maryland that West Virginians are among the friendliest and most hospitable people anywhere.
Let’s continue to make Saturdays in Morgantown the best experience in college football!
And, Let’s Go Mountaineers!
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