| West Virginia Mountaineers football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Current season: 2024 West Virginia Mountaineers
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| First season | 1891 | ||
| Head coach | Neal Brown | ||
| 5th year, 30–29 (.508) | |||
| Home stadium | Milan Puskar Stadium | ||
| Year built | 1980 | ||
| Stadium capacity | 60,000[1] | ||
| Stadium surface | FieldTurf | ||
| Location | Morgantown, West Virginia, U.S. | ||
| Conference | Big 12 Conference | ||
| Past conferences | Independent (1891–1924, 1928–1949, 1968–1990) WVIAC (1925–1927) SoCon (1950–1967) Big East (1991–2011) | ||
| All-time history | |||
| All-time record | 781–526–45 (.594) | ||
| Postseason bowl record | 17–23 (.425) | ||
| Conference titles | 15 SoCon: 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1964, 1965, 1967 Big East: 1993, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011 | ||
| Rivalries | Maryland Terrapins (rivalry) Penn State Nittany Lions (rivalry) Pittsburgh Panthers (rivalry) Syracuse (rivalry) Cincinnati Bearcats (rivalry) Virginia Tech Hokies (rivalry) Marshall Thundering Herd (rivalry) | ||
| Heisman winners | 0 | ||
| Consensus All-Americans | 13 | ||
| Current uniform | |||
 | |||
| Colors | Gold [2] and Blue [2]
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| Fight song | Hail, West Virginia | ||
| Mascot | The Mountaineer | ||
| Marching band | The Pride of West Virginia | ||
| Outfitter | Nike | ||
| Website | wvusports.com | ||
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers are a member of the NCAA FBS Big 12 Conference and play their home games at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown. The Mountaineers are currently coached by Rich Rodriguez.
Conference affiliations[]
- Independent (1891–1924, 1928–1949, 1968–1990)
- West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1925–1927)
- Southern Conference (1950–1967)
- Big East Conference (1991–2011)
- Big 12 Conference (2012–present)
Championships[]
Conference championships[]
West Virginia has won or shared a conference championship on 15 occasions, ten outright and five shared, including eight Southern Conference (SoCon) titles and seven Big East Conference titles.[3]
| Year | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Art Lewis | Southern Conference | 8–2 | 4–0 |
| 1954 | Art Lewis | Southern Conference | 8–1 | 3–0 |
| 1955 | Art Lewis | Southern Conference | 8–2 | 4–0 |
| 1956 | Art Lewis | Southern Conference | 6–4 | 5–0 |
| 1958 | Art Lewis | Southern Conference | 4–5–1 | 4–0 |
| 1964 | Gene Corum | Southern Conference | 7–4 | 5–0 |
| 1965 | Gene Corum | Southern Conference | 6–4 | 4–0 |
| 1967 | Jim Carlen | Southern Conference | 5–4–1 | 3–0 |
| 1993 | Don Nehlen | Big East Conference | 11–1 | 7–0 |
| 2003† | Rich Rodriguez | Big East Conference | 8–5 | 6–1 |
| 2004† | Rich Rodriguez | Big East Conference | 8–4 | 4–2 |
| 2005 | Rich Rodriguez | Big East Conference | 11–1 | 7–0 |
| 2007† | Rich Rodriguez | Big East Conference | 11–2 | 5–2 |
| 2010† | Bill Stewart | Big East Conference | 9–4 | 5–2 |
| 2011† | Dana Holgorsen | Big East Conference | 10–3 | 5–2 |
† Co-champion
Regional championships[]
The ECAC Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy is an annual award given to the best team in the Eastern Region of FBS-level college football. West Virginia has received the award as Eastern Champion on four occasions.
| Season | Coach | Region | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Don Nehlen | Eastern | 11–1 |
| 1993 | Don Nehlen | Eastern | 11–1 |
| 2007 | Rich Rodriguez | Eastern | 11–2 |
| 2011 | Dana Holgorsen | Eastern | 10–3 |
Logos / Uniforms[]
The "Flying WV" logo.
Beginning in 1970, the Mountaineers donned the program's first official logo—the WVU "state outline"—on their helmets through the 1979 season and have reintroduced the logo as part of a "throwback" helmet since 2013.[4] West Virginia used a white helmet with the state outline logo from 1970 to 1972, a gold helmet with the same logo from 1973 to 1978, and reverted to the white helmet and state outline logo in 1979 and again in 2013.
The "Flying WV" is the trademark logo for West Virginia Mountaineer football, adorning the team's helmet and uniform. It debuted in 1980 along with the current gold and blue color scheme as a part of a football uniform redesign by head coach Don Nehlen, and has since become one of the most widely recognized logos in collegiate athletics.[5] In adopting the Flying WV logo on the team's helmets, Nehlen wanted to create a distinct image for the football program that could be easily identified. When Nehlen began his tenure as head coach in 1980, he initially had difficulty in distinguishing between WVU and its opponents while watching game film.[5] The logo itself was created by sports artist John Martin, brother of then-Athletic Director Dick Martin. John Martin's primary inspiration for the logo was the depiction of mountains created with the combination of the state initials 'W' and 'V'.[5][6] The surge in the logo's popularity led to its adoption as the official logo of West Virginia University in 1985.[5]
Since 1980, West Virginia's standard uniform has consisted of a dark blue jersey (home) or a white jersey (away) with gold pants and a dark blue helmet adorned by the gold "Flying WV" logo on both sides. West Virginia's uniform scheme has also included a gold helmet, white helmet, gold jersey, dark blue pants, and white pants at various stages throughout its history. WVU also added a gray uniform and helmet combination to its rotation for the 2012 season.[7]
"State outline" logo, used from 1970 to 1979.
The Mountaineers wore a Nike Pro Combat uniform or the 2010 season edition of the Backyard Brawl. The uniform was specifically designed to pay tribute to West Virginia's coal mining industry. The jersey and pants consisted of a shade of white accented by a layer of coal dust, along with accents of university gold that referenced canaries utilized in coal mining. The helmet also implemented the coal dust accent, along with a yellow line down the center designed to embody the beam of light emitted by a miner's headlamp.[8] West Virginia also donned the Pro Combat uniforms later that season for the Champs Sports Bowl.
WVU introduced new uniforms for the 2013 season. The helmets, jerseys, and pants featured blue, gold, and white primary color sets, creating 27 different possible uniform combinations. The reintroduction of the gold and white helmets to the uniform scheme marked the first time each have been used since the late 1970s.[9] All of the helmets featured a matte, non-glossy paint finish and the "Flying WV" logo adorned on each side. WVU introduced a white "throwback" helmet during the 2013 season, utilizing the 1970s "state outline" logo.[10] The West Virginia state motto, Montani Semper Liberi, (“Mountaineers are Always Free”), was stitched inside the back collar of all three jerseys. A canary image was stitched inside the front collar, representative of West Virginia's coal mining heritage for their use in testing toxicity levels in the mines. The jerseys had a unique number style exclusive to WVU, featuring sharp points and edges inspired by a miner's pickaxe.[9]
As of the 2019 season and as part of a larger re-branding of all WVU sports teams, the Mountaineers incorporated new Nike Vapor Untouchable football uniforms. The all-gray alternate uniform also returned to the rotation.[11] West Virginia debuted "Country Roads" uniforms on September 1, 2022, against longtime rival Pitt. The uniforms are inspired by West Virginia's roadways, with interstate maps on the shoulders and yellow striping that resembles center line markings on the helmet.[12]
Image gallery[]
Seasons[]
2020s[]
| Season | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rich Rodriguez | |
| 2024 | Neal Brown; Chad Scott | 6-7 |
| 2023 | Neal Brown | 9-4 |
| 2022 | Neal Brown | 5-7 |
| 2021 | Neal Brown | 6-7 |
| 2020 | Neal Brown | 6-4 |
2010s[]
| Season | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Neal Brown | 5-7 |
| 2018 | Dana Holgorsen | 8-4 |
| 2017 | Dana Holgorsen | 7-6 |
| 2016 | Dana Holgorsen | 10-3 |
| 2015 | Dana Holgorsen | 7-5 |
| 2014 | Dana Holgorsen | 7-6 |
| 2013 | Dana Holgorsen | 4-8 |
| 2012 | Dana Holgorsen | 7-6 |
| 2011 | Dana Holgorsen | 10-3 |
| 2010 | Bill Stewart | 9-4 |
2000s[]
| Season | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Bill Stewart | 9-4 |
| 2008 | Bill Stewart | 9-4 |
| 2007 | Rich Rodriguez; Bill Stewart | 11-2 |
| 2006 | Rich Rodriguez | 11-2 |
| 2005 | Rich Rodriguez | 11-1 |
| 2004 | Rich Rodriguez | 8-4 |
| 2003 | Rich Rodriguez | 8-5 |
| 2002 | Rich Rodriguez | 9-4 |
| 2001 | Rich Rodriguez | 3-8 |
| 2000 | Don Nehlen | 7-5 |
1990s[]
| Season | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Don Nehlen | 4-7 |
| 1998 | Don Nehlen | 8-4 |
| 1997 | Don Nehlen | 7-5 |
| 1996 | Don Nehlen | 8-4 |
| 1995 | Don Nehlen | 5-6 |
| 1994 | Don Nehlen | 7-6 |
| 1993 | Don Nehlen | 11-1 |
| 1992 | Don Nehlen | 5-4-2 |
| 1991 | Don Nehlen | 6-5 |
| 1990 | Don Nehlen | 4-7 |
1980s[]
| Season | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Don Nehlen | 8-3-1 |
| 1988 | Don Nehlen | 11-1 |
| 1987 | Don Nehlen | 6-6 |
| 1986 | Don Nehlen | 4-7 |
| 1985 | Don Nehlen | 7-3-1 |
| 1984 | Don Nehlen | 8-4 |
| 1983 | Don Nehlen | 9-3 |
| 1982 | Don Nehlen | 9-3 |
| 1981 | Don Nehlen | 9-3 |
| 1980 | Don Nehlen | 6-6 |
References[]
- ↑ Milan Puskar Stadium. Retrieved on August 11, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 West Virginia Mountaineers Athletic Identity Logoslick (PDF). vuni_ftp.sidearmsports.com (April 15, 2019). Retrieved on July 11, 2024.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. West Virginia Championships. College Football Data Warehouse.
- ↑ NationalChamps.net Helmet Project. NationalChamps.net. Retrieved on August 24, 2015.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Stump, Jake (2012). The Legend of the Flying WV West Virginia University Alumni Magazine.
- ↑ The Flying WV. West Virginia University. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17. Retrieved on December 23, 2012.
- ↑ Patterson, Chip. "West Virginia officially reveals all-gray alternate uniforms", CBSSports.com, June 28, 2012.
- ↑ Hudson, Ryan (November 26, 2010). West Virginia And Pittsburgh Debut Their Nike Pro Combat Uniforms. SB Nation. Retrieved on May 25, 2012.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 PHOTOS: WVU Football's New Uniforms. West Virginia Illustrated (April 20, 2013). Retrieved on September 25, 2017.
- ↑ Fornelli, Tom. "PHOTOS: West Virginia's throwback helmets", CBSSports.com. Retrieved on February 1, 2014.
- ↑ Bragg, Tom (April 13, 2019). WVU football: Mountaineers unveil new uniforms at Gold-Blue Game. Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved on April 16, 2019.
- ↑ WVU football unveils Country Roads uniform (in en-US) (2022-06-20). Retrieved on 2022-11-01.
External Links[]
- https://wvusports.com/sports/football Official WVU Mountaineers football team website link
- West Virginia Mountaineers football article at Wikipedia
