MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – C.J. Cole, a sophomore wide receiver from McGuffey High and a resident of nearby Washington, Pennsylvania, was the recipient of this year's Nickolich Award as West Virginia football's most distinguished walk-on player.
 
The Nickolich Award is sponsored by the Blue & Gold News, and it has been given each year since 1991, usually before or during halftime of the spring football game.
 
West Virginia football coaches from Don Nehlen to Rich Rodriguez to Bill Stewart to Dana Holgorsen to Neal Brown are responsible for picking the recipient.
 
"With that award, there is a little bit of dues paid to it," Brown said following Saturday's spring game. "There are certain guys that have earned scholarships and there is a long history of quality walk-ons here … guys who have walked on, earned scholarships and became great players. Rich Braham, who was here today, just off the top of my head. Even in the four years we've been here, there have been some really good players that are walk-ons, and more importantly, they are the glue to your roster.
 
"For a small state, I think it's really important for us to have West Virginians, and there is only a certain amount of Power 5 scholarship players in our state, so it's important for us to have a quality walk-on program, and I think that's something that's improving."
 
The Nickolich Award, presented in memory of walk-on WVU football player Tommy Nickolich who tragically died of cancer in 1983, came about because Greg Hunter's original Blue & Gold News partner, Bob Bucy, knew the Nickolich family well in nearby Fairmont and was devastated by Tommy's untimely passing.
 
When Bob and Greg created their weekly publication in 1988, they went to Don Nehlen to see what could be done to memorialize Tommy, a good running back and defensive back at Fairmont Senior who was invited to walk-on for the Mountaineers as a defensive back.
 
After some thought, Nehlen suggested they recognize the top walk-on player each year with the award and present it during the spring football game.
 
The first recipient in 1991 was defensive back Keith Taparausky, who will forever be known for knocking down the drunk Maryland student who ran out onto the field as the teams were about to kick off during a night football game in College Park in 1993.
 
There have been other familiar names through the years, such as linebacker Ben Collins, one of the heroes of the 2002 victory at Pitt, and wide receiver John Pennington, whose touchdown catch right before halftime ignited WVU's blowout win over the Panthers in 2003. 
 
There have been many others.
 
Hunter, who has been involved in all 32 choices since the award's inception, emphasizes that the coaches are the ones who pick the winners.
 
"We just go and get the plaque. It started a couple years after we created the Blue & Gold News and it's been going on ever since," he said.
 
Tommy's family was involved with the award during its initial years, attending the spring game and presenting it to the recipients, but Hunter says they are now approaching their upper 80s.
 
Hunter indicated the notification process usually requires a couple of weeks to get the plaque made. He used to use Steve Gallo in Flemington, but the last few years he has gone locally to Blue and Gold Graphics on the Green Bag Road in Morgantown.
 
One year, Hunter said the recipient was so touched by winning the award that he thanked him profusely for helping him earn a scholarship.
 
"Now my parents won't have to pay for my schooling anymore," he told Hunter, to which he replied, "Hey, I just buy the plaque. I'm not in charge of giving out scholarships!"
 
Eventually, the player did earn a scholarship.
 
Linebacker Jake Abbott, a 2019 recipient, is noteworthy because it was the first time a Fairmont Senior player won the Nickolich Award.
 
Cole, this year's recipient, said he has taken some time to study up on the history of the award.
 
"I looked into it a little bit and read about some of the past winners," he noted. "Some of them are still around, and I know most of those guys. I understand (Nickolich) was a defensive back here in the 80s and this award is dedicated to him. He's from Fairmont and I'm from Washington, and I feel like those are two cities that are kind of alike in (its) mentalities. To have my name associated with his makes me proud."
 
Cole grew up in Washington, which puts him halfway between Pitt and West Virginia, with Penn State lurking a couple hours to the East.
 
"You are a little bit of everything (growing up in Washington)," he explained. "When you are a kid, you are kind of rooting for that hot team. When I went through the process (of considering a school), all three touched upon me and I would definitely say that I'm proud to be a Mountaineer. This fits my personality way more than the other two."
 
"First of all, C.J. is a guy who is very respected on our football team," Brown added. "There are three ways you become a leader. Number one, you are one of the best players, No. 2, you are one of the best people, and No. 3, you are one of the hardest workers. There is no doubt C.J. is one of the best people on our team and one of our hardest workers, and he was a factor for us last year on special teams. He played on two special teams, and he will continue in that role."
 
"I want to thank my coaches and everyone who has helped me along the way," Cole concluded.