Forty years of the WVU Coliseum

Last week, my dad, my uncle, Jamie and I were able to go to see WVU play UConn at the Coliseum.  I tried to capture the moment with a photo, but my big head got in the way of my dads face :(  It was an awesome game, and it was absolutely incredible to share in the celebration with my dad, Russ, and Jamie.  The team looks like it is starting to come together strong and just in time for the Big East Tourney.  Perhaps next year, I will have the foresight to schedule some time off and we will be able to land tickets to watch this legendary tournament in the Garden!  Until then, I will savor the memory of another Mountaineer win, and get geared up to watch the defending Big East Champion mountaineers play their first game game on TV with friends Wednesday night.

While we were there, this video played and it got me a little nostalgic.



The video walks through the 40 years of the WVU Coliseum's existence.  As I watched the video, I have to admit I got a little emotional. I started thinking about games I was able to see with friends and family over the years.  I reflected on photos my brother took when I was little and he was a WVU student in the early 80s.  I thought about listening to Jack Fleming on my dad's transistor radio as he made home made pizza's.  I remembered the disdain for Pitt for Pitt that was instilled in me from an early age via "Beat Pitt" signs on buildings in my home town of Parkersburg.

Finishing my undergrad and graduate degrees here in Morgantown, I have many more memories of going to games as soon as my classes were over and waiting to be allowed into the building.  I remember  the excitement of having a roommate who served as our mascot, the Mountaineer.  And I remember names of players.  People like Dale Blaney, Lester Rowe from Buffalo, Darryl Prue, Chris Brooks, Adrian Pledger, PG Green, Kevin Pittsnogle, Mike Gansey, Da'Sean Butler and more comprise the stuff of legend for Mountaineer fans during the Coliseum era.

I wonder what the next 40 years will look like?  If God would be gracious enough to allow me to be a father, I imagine we will probably spend time in a similar way, only this time, listening to Tony Caridi on the radio and sharing stories of many Mountaineer greats and legendary exploits as we are able to attend games ourselves.

I hope you enjoy the video, and, if you grew up in this state, I hope this video brings back some of those great Mountaineer basketball memories for you as well!

And, wouldn't it be something if we were able to get a second Big East Championship this week? :)