Mountaineer Legends the “Best of the Best” of WVU Athletics
July 23, 2018 05:09 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Two summers ago, the first group of Mountaineer football legends was revealed as part of West Virginia University's Mountaineer Legends Society.
The members of that initial class and those who have followed make up those attractive banners that now adorn both concourses at Milan Puskar Stadium, as well as the displays outside the north end zone of the facility.
Then last September, the men's and women's basketball versions of the Mountaineer Legends Society were introduced, and those members are now part of the interactive display that resides at the WVU Coliseum Gold Gate.
Now, earlier today, the initial varsity sports group of Mountaineer Legends was revealed, comprising 45 deserving West Virginia University individuals who encompass current and inactive sports. Four, Steve Harrick, Martin Pushkin, Kevin Gilson and two-sport All-American Kristin Quackenbush, are recognized twice for their outstanding contributions.
Others include former men's gymnastics coach Bill Bonsall, a World War II hero and an NCAA champion men's gymnast at Penn State who oversaw WVU men's gymnastics for 31 years before the sport was discontinued in 1981.
There are boxing's two national champions, Ashby Dickerson and Sam Littlepage, who excelled when it was still a sponsored NCAA sport before World War II.
Boxing, incidentally, was far more popular on campus than basketball was at the time and when WVU used to sponsor triple-header events at the old Field House during the wintertime, boxing was always the final sport on the card following indoor track and basketball.
All-American Joby Foley represents men's tennis, another former West Virginia University sport. Foley was part of those strong Mountaineer teams in the late 1980s that dominated Eastern tennis.
Women's tennis also has one occupant, Jo Marie (Cinco) Bohn.
Golf, a longstanding intercollegiate sport at WVU that was abolished in 1981 but revived after the Mountaineers entered the Big 12 Conference, has three representatives so far - coaches Ira Errett Rodgers and Charley Hockenberry, and former PGA tour professional Mike Krak.
Rodgers, also a Mountaineer football legend, took up golf while he was coaching the Mountaineer football team and won the state amateur championship at The Greenbrier in 1929, although he never returned to defend his title. Rodgers is also a Mountaineer Legend in football.
Men's track, another sport no longer competing at WVU, has three tremendous coaches in the Mountaineer Legends Society, Art Smith, Stan Romanoski and Pushkin. Five of their outstanding athletes are also in this exclusive group: Jack Carter, Garnet Edwards, Carl Hatfield, James Jett and Mike Mosser.
The WVU women's track standouts to be included in the new Coliseum Legends display include Connie Ellerbe, Pat Itanyi, Megan Metcalfe, Kristin Quackenbush, Charity Wachera and Pushkin.
Quackenbush was so exceptional as a WVU athlete that she is a part of two displays, one for women's track where she earned All-America honors and also in gymnastics, her main sport at WVU where she also was recognized as an All-American.
Shari Retton and coach Linda Burdette-Good are the others making up the initial women's gymnastics legends group.
Rifle's inaugural group of Mountaineer Legends is comprised of coach Ed Etzel and All-Americans David Johnson, Bruce Meredith, Ann-Marie Pfiffner, Web Wright and Jack Writer.
Many, many more shooters are on the way, of course.
WVU baseball, the second-oldest sport at West Virginia University dating back to 1892, has five initial occupants in the Mountaineer Legends Society – coaches Steve Harrick and Dale Ramsburg, and players Chris Enochs, Jim Heise and Bill Marovic.
Harrick is also part of wrestling's first group of Mountaineer Legends who represent a sport at WVU that dates back to 1921. The others are All-America performers Dominic Black, Scott Collins, Lewis Guidi and Dean Morrison.
Men's swimming and diving became an official West Virginia University sport in 1953, while the women first began competing in 1974. Introductory Mountaineer Legends occupants include coach Kevin Gilson and John Havlik for the men, and Gilson and Kim Kaufman for the women.
All-American goalkeeper Jon Capon is men's soccer's initial representative in the Mountaineer Legends Society, and women's soccer, first introduced as a WVU sport in 1996, already has two members in All-Americans Chrissie Abbott and Katie Barnes.
The planning process for this dates back to 2011, but was accelerated when Shane Lyons became athletic director in 2015.
He wanted a detailed process established to recognize West Virginia University's most impactful athletes in all sports, current and inactive.
A committee was assembled to pick up the work that began seven years ago, and a stringent list of criteria was eventually established to recognize deserving individuals who have demonstrated "consistent and unique national excellence in his/her collegiate careers."
Additionally, their accomplishments must be "significant on an individual or team basis, and, in general, must have made a noteworthy contribution to the history of the athletic program."
Specifically, to be placed under consideration for the Mountaineer Legends Society, an athlete must achieve College or Professional Hall of Fame status, be recognized as an All-America or named conference player of the year, among other sport-specific criteria.
For coaches, a national championship or achieving multiple conference titles, winning a noteworthy amount of games for their specific sport or those who were recognized as coach of the year put them under consideration.
The key component for any individual to be considered for the Mountaineer Legends Society is induction into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame, so the Legends Society is actually the next step beyond the WVU Sports Hall of Fame. Therefore, the burden of determining deserving future candidates for the Mountaineer Legends Society falls on the WVU Sports Hall of Fame through its selection process.
Once the Mountaineer Legends Society criteria was established, it was forwarded to the WVU Athletic Council for final approval.
Some very deserving names have not yet been included in the Mountaineer Legends Society, but will be once they are inducted (or accept induction) into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.
In addition to this year's group of 45 varsity sports individuals, the Mountaineer Legends Society is currently comprised of 112 occupants, 80 of whom are still living as of last spring.
Football Legends to be unveiled later this fall include recent WVU Sports Hall of Fame inductees Avon Cobourne, Willie Drewrey, Dan Mozes, Steve Slaton and Pat White.
One new men's basketball player, Mike Gansey, will also be added to the Legends list for 2018 when he is officially inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.
This is the best of the best that West Virginia University has to offer, and Lyons, the WVU Athletic Council and the committee members who established the initial Mountaineer Legends Society criteria deserve a great deal of credit for putting this process in place to recognize our most deserving individuals.
The members of that initial class and those who have followed make up those attractive banners that now adorn both concourses at Milan Puskar Stadium, as well as the displays outside the north end zone of the facility.
Then last September, the men's and women's basketball versions of the Mountaineer Legends Society were introduced, and those members are now part of the interactive display that resides at the WVU Coliseum Gold Gate.
Now, earlier today, the initial varsity sports group of Mountaineer Legends was revealed, comprising 45 deserving West Virginia University individuals who encompass current and inactive sports. Four, Steve Harrick, Martin Pushkin, Kevin Gilson and two-sport All-American Kristin Quackenbush, are recognized twice for their outstanding contributions.
Others include former men's gymnastics coach Bill Bonsall, a World War II hero and an NCAA champion men's gymnast at Penn State who oversaw WVU men's gymnastics for 31 years before the sport was discontinued in 1981.
There are boxing's two national champions, Ashby Dickerson and Sam Littlepage, who excelled when it was still a sponsored NCAA sport before World War II.
Boxing, incidentally, was far more popular on campus than basketball was at the time and when WVU used to sponsor triple-header events at the old Field House during the wintertime, boxing was always the final sport on the card following indoor track and basketball.
All-American Joby Foley represents men's tennis, another former West Virginia University sport. Foley was part of those strong Mountaineer teams in the late 1980s that dominated Eastern tennis.
Women's tennis also has one occupant, Jo Marie (Cinco) Bohn.
Golf, a longstanding intercollegiate sport at WVU that was abolished in 1981 but revived after the Mountaineers entered the Big 12 Conference, has three representatives so far - coaches Ira Errett Rodgers and Charley Hockenberry, and former PGA tour professional Mike Krak.
Rodgers, also a Mountaineer football legend, took up golf while he was coaching the Mountaineer football team and won the state amateur championship at The Greenbrier in 1929, although he never returned to defend his title. Rodgers is also a Mountaineer Legend in football.
Men's track, another sport no longer competing at WVU, has three tremendous coaches in the Mountaineer Legends Society, Art Smith, Stan Romanoski and Pushkin. Five of their outstanding athletes are also in this exclusive group: Jack Carter, Garnet Edwards, Carl Hatfield, James Jett and Mike Mosser.
The WVU women's track standouts to be included in the new Coliseum Legends display include Connie Ellerbe, Pat Itanyi, Megan Metcalfe, Kristin Quackenbush, Charity Wachera and Pushkin.
Quackenbush was so exceptional as a WVU athlete that she is a part of two displays, one for women's track where she earned All-America honors and also in gymnastics, her main sport at WVU where she also was recognized as an All-American.
Shari Retton and coach Linda Burdette-Good are the others making up the initial women's gymnastics legends group.
Rifle's inaugural group of Mountaineer Legends is comprised of coach Ed Etzel and All-Americans David Johnson, Bruce Meredith, Ann-Marie Pfiffner, Web Wright and Jack Writer.
Many, many more shooters are on the way, of course.
WVU baseball, the second-oldest sport at West Virginia University dating back to 1892, has five initial occupants in the Mountaineer Legends Society – coaches Steve Harrick and Dale Ramsburg, and players Chris Enochs, Jim Heise and Bill Marovic.
Harrick is also part of wrestling's first group of Mountaineer Legends who represent a sport at WVU that dates back to 1921. The others are All-America performers Dominic Black, Scott Collins, Lewis Guidi and Dean Morrison.
Men's swimming and diving became an official West Virginia University sport in 1953, while the women first began competing in 1974. Introductory Mountaineer Legends occupants include coach Kevin Gilson and John Havlik for the men, and Gilson and Kim Kaufman for the women.
All-American goalkeeper Jon Capon is men's soccer's initial representative in the Mountaineer Legends Society, and women's soccer, first introduced as a WVU sport in 1996, already has two members in All-Americans Chrissie Abbott and Katie Barnes.
The planning process for this dates back to 2011, but was accelerated when Shane Lyons became athletic director in 2015.
He wanted a detailed process established to recognize West Virginia University's most impactful athletes in all sports, current and inactive.
A committee was assembled to pick up the work that began seven years ago, and a stringent list of criteria was eventually established to recognize deserving individuals who have demonstrated "consistent and unique national excellence in his/her collegiate careers."
Additionally, their accomplishments must be "significant on an individual or team basis, and, in general, must have made a noteworthy contribution to the history of the athletic program."
Specifically, to be placed under consideration for the Mountaineer Legends Society, an athlete must achieve College or Professional Hall of Fame status, be recognized as an All-America or named conference player of the year, among other sport-specific criteria.
For coaches, a national championship or achieving multiple conference titles, winning a noteworthy amount of games for their specific sport or those who were recognized as coach of the year put them under consideration.
The key component for any individual to be considered for the Mountaineer Legends Society is induction into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame, so the Legends Society is actually the next step beyond the WVU Sports Hall of Fame. Therefore, the burden of determining deserving future candidates for the Mountaineer Legends Society falls on the WVU Sports Hall of Fame through its selection process.
Once the Mountaineer Legends Society criteria was established, it was forwarded to the WVU Athletic Council for final approval.
Some very deserving names have not yet been included in the Mountaineer Legends Society, but will be once they are inducted (or accept induction) into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.
In addition to this year's group of 45 varsity sports individuals, the Mountaineer Legends Society is currently comprised of 112 occupants, 80 of whom are still living as of last spring.
Football Legends to be unveiled later this fall include recent WVU Sports Hall of Fame inductees Avon Cobourne, Willie Drewrey, Dan Mozes, Steve Slaton and Pat White.
One new men's basketball player, Mike Gansey, will also be added to the Legends list for 2018 when he is officially inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.
This is the best of the best that West Virginia University has to offer, and Lyons, the WVU Athletic Council and the committee members who established the initial Mountaineer Legends Society criteria deserve a great deal of credit for putting this process in place to recognize our most deserving individuals.
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