West Virginia Mountaineer

West Virginia Mountaineer
West Virginia Mountaineer
University	West Virginia University
Conference	Big 12
Description	Person in buckskins and coonskin cap, carrying a rifle
First seen	1920s

The Mountaineer, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia

The West Virginia Mountaineer is the official mascot of West Virginia University. Selected annually from the university’s student body, the mascot is a popular tradition at the school.

History

In the 1930s the unofficial mascot appeared at West Virginia University sporting events wearing flannel shirts, bearskin capes and coonskin caps. At first volunteers, Burton “Irish” Crow, Lawson Hill, William “Buckwheat” Jackson, among others made appearances throughout the season.

Beginning in 1934, The Monticola (the WVU yearbook) sponsored a contest to determine the male senior who had contributed most to the university throughout his four years in college. This male was entitled to be, “The Mountaineer.” However, within the next decade the choice shifted to a person who suited the role. This dropped the restriction of a male senior, who had done the most for the university.

In 1936, Boyd Harrison “Slim” Arnold was to be the first official “buckskin-clad”.

The Mountain honorary society was not active for three years, during this time the president of the student body was responsible for choosing the Mountaineer.

Currently, The Mountaineer Selection Committee still chooses the Mountaineer through an intense application and interview process. Finalists are decided based on outstanding character and enthusiasm. Finalists then compete in a cheer-off at a WVU basketball game. The winner receives a tuition waiver or scholarship.

The Mountaineer was first used in commerce in 1972 and registered as a U.S. trademark in 1985. Mountaineer’s retired rifles, and costumes are housed in a glass case in the Vandalia lounge of the Mountainlair, located on the downtown campus. In 1950, The Mountaineer Statue Festival raising $15,000. This bought the bronze statue of the Mountaineer in the Mountainlair front lawn.

Natalie Tennant, who became the West Virginia secretary of state in January 2009, served as the first female Mountaineer in 1990. Rebecca Durst was the only other woman to fill the role in 2009. Rock Wilson is the only Mountaineer to serve the position for three years (1991-1994).

The current West Virginia University Mountaineer is Michael Garcia. He is a from Fairmont, WV in Marion County. Michael Garcia is an undergraduate student at WVU, majoring in Political Science.

West Virginia University Athletic Traditions

One of the most beloved of all West Virginia athletic traditions, the Mountaineer first appeared at WVU sporting events in the late 1920s.

Daily Athenaeum articles indicate that designating individuals to serve as the Mountaineer started as early as 1927. Clay Crouse was designated that year followed in 1932 by Burton Crow and then Bill Fahey. Others may have served. However, it was not until 1934-35 when trackster Lawson Hill was selected by Mountain that a more stable process was established. By 1937, the Mountaineer was being selected on an annual basis by Mountain.

The Mountaineer is a member of the student body chosen by the Committee for outstanding enthusiasm, character, service to the community and academics. The mascot symbolizes the proud and rich heritage of the Mountain State and its people.

However, the Mountaineer doesn't just have responsibilities associated with athletics. The mascot is expected to appear at community and alumni events to promote Mountaineer spirit statewide.

Candidates apply to become the Mountaineer by writing essays about why they want the position. From there, they are interviewed by Mountain members and representatives of the athletic department and student affairs. The top candidates are then invited to "cheer-off" at the next-to-last home basketball event each season. There, the candidates are judged and the Mountaineer is announced at the season's final basketball game.

Boyd H. "Slim" Arnold, a physical education major from Bayard in Grant County, was the first Mountaineer selected to serve three years in succession (1937-38-39) and was the longest tenured until Rock Wilson equaled it in 1993. (1991-92-93).

During Arnold's tenure, he became the first Mountaineer to wear the now traditional buckskin uniform. Minutes of Mountain meetings from the late 1930s indicate that a donor gave the Honorary several deerskins asking that a buckskin costume be made for the Mountaineer. Prior to that the Mountaineer wore overalls, a flannel shirt, coonskin cap, a sheep or bear skin type vest and carried a rifle.

The post has remained relatively unchanged since that time. The costume is tailored to fit each year's winner, and male Mountaineers customarily grow beards during their tenure. The rifle is a percussion rifle that has been traditionally built by Marvin Wotring. This style of rifle requires the user to become schooled in the amount of powder required to fire the charge.

In 1991, Natalie Tennant of Fairview became the first female selected as Mountaineer.^[1]

Duties

The responsibilities of the Mountaineer Mascot are set forth by the Mountaineer Advisory Committee Manual Regulations. The Mountaineer must attend every away and home West Virginia Mountaineers football game, as well as every home men’s and women’s basketball games. They might also be required to travel with the team as determined by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. The mascot is also encouraged to attend certain events such as alumni events, community events, and visit the WVU Children’s Hospital. It is said that the Mountaineer may make close to 300 appearances per year. He or she is also responsible for the cleaning, care, and handling of the rifle and no one else is allowed to fire it except for himself or herself or the Alternate Mountaineer. Additionally, the Mountaineer is expected to follow a proper code of conduct at all times. While in costume, the mascot cannot be under the influence of alcohol or use tobacco at any time, and may not accept money or gifts for appearances or endorse a company or product for profit.

Traditions

The Mountaineer Mascot is a part of many traditions at West Virginia University. Most of them are associated with sporting events. It is the Mountaineer who leads the football team onto Mountaineer Field every game, firing his or her rifle into the air. The Mountaineer also leads the fans, along with the cheerleaders, on the football field and the basketball court in the Let’s Go Mountaineers cheer and other cheers.

Other schools with Mountaineer Mascot

List of Mountaineers

List of Mountaineers
Clay Crouse – 1927
Burdette “Irish” Crow – 1932-33
William “Bill” Fahey – 1933-34
Lawson M. Hill – 1934-35 (deceased)
William “Buckwheat” Jackson – 1936-37 (deceased)
Boyd H. “Slim” Arnold – 1937-39 (deceased)
Julius W. Singleton Jr. – 1940-1941 (deceased)
William F. Gott – 1942-43 (deceased)
War Years – 1943-44
Robert L. Carr – 1945
James G. Couglin – 1946 (deceased)
Sidney H. Gillis – 1947
Matthew W. Harrison Jr. – 1948 (deceased)
John P. Russell – 1949
Thomas A. Deveny III – 1950
James Almond – 1951 (deceased)
Dan B. Fleming – 1952
Dan R. Oliker – 1953
John Coyner – 1954
Fred S. Pattison – 1955 (deceased)
Larry Reppert – 1956
James L. McCoy – 1957 (deceased)
Robert H. Allen – 1958
David L. Ellis – 1959
William R. McPherson – 1960 (deceased)
Jerry S. Sturm – 1961
William D. Thompson – 1962
William W. “Buck” Rogers Jr. – 1963
Edward S. Pritchard – 1964-65 (deceased)
Kenneth B. Fonville – 1966
Louis A. Garvin Jr. – 1967
Frederick G. Reel – 1968, 1969
Douglas F. Townshend – 1970
Robert S. Lowe – 1971
Mark Lothes – 1972
Stuart A. Wolpert – 1973, 1974
Junior Taylor – 1975
Jerome E. Scherer – 1976
Bruce D. Heisler – 1977
Richard D. Poling – 1978
James Campbell – 1979
Cecil C. Graham – 1980
Andy M. Mergler – 1981
Ed R. Cokeley – 1981
Robert E. Richardson – 1982
Michael G. Russell – 1983
Mark Boggs – 1984
Tim S. Nilan – 1985
Matt P. Zervos – 1986
Tom E. Dulaney Jr. – 1987
Dan C. Pearson – 1988
Benjamin F. White – 1989
Natalie E. Tennant – 1990
Rock S. Wilson – 1991, 1992, 1993
John R. Stemple – 1994, 1995
Andrew R. Cogar – 1996, 1997
Brandon S. Flower – 1998, 1999
Scott W. Moore – 2000, 2001
Trey Hinrichs – 2002, 2003
Derek Fincham – 2004, 2005
Brady Campbell – 2006, 2007
Michael Squires – 2008
Rebecca Durst – 2009
Brock Burwell - 2010, 2011
Jonathan Kimble - 2012, 2013
Michael Garcia - 2014, 2015

References

^ "The Mountaineer". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved 12 February 2014.

Sullivan, Ken (2006). The Mountaineer. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
Ambler, Charles H. (1951). A History of Education in West Virginia. Huntington, WV: Standard Printing and Publishing.
Doherty, Jr., William T.; Summers, Festus O. (1982). West Virginia University, Symbol of Unity In a Sectionalized State. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press.
[1]

External links

[1] "The Mountaineer". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved 12 February 2014.

[1]

v t e West Virginia Mountaineers football
Venues	Mountaineer Field (1924–1979) Milan Puskar Stadium (1980–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Cincinnati Marshall: Friends of Coal Bowl Maryland Old Ironsides Penn State Pittsburgh: Backyard Brawl Syracuse Virginia Tech
Culture & lore	The Mountaineer Marching band "Take Me Home, Country Roads" 1921 Backyard Brawl 2007 Backyard Brawl
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

v t e West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball
Venues	WVU Fieldhouse (1929–1970) WVU Coliseum (1970–present)
Rivalries	Cincinnati Marshall Pittsburgh
Culture & lore	The Mountaineer
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics