West Virginia Mountaineers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids West Virginia Mountaineers
University	West Virginia University
Conference	Big 12 (primary) Sun Belt (men's soccer) Great America Rifle Conference (rifle)
NCAA	Division I
Athletic director	Wren Baker
Location	Morgantown, West Virginia
Varsity teams	18
Football stadium	Milan Puskar Stadium
Basketball arena	Hope Coliseum
Baseball stadium	Kendrick Family Ballpark
Mascot	The Mountaineer
Nickname	Mountaineers
Fight song	Hail, West Virginia (official) Fight Mountaineers (official) Take Me Home, Country Roads (unofficial)
Colors	Old Gold and Blue

The West Virginia Mountaineers are the sports teams that represent West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. This university is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in Division I. The Mountaineers joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012. The men's soccer team also competes as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.

WVU currently supports seven sports for men, ten for women, and one sport for both (rifle). Men's golf was the newest sport added in the 2015–16 school year.

Discovering Mountaineer Sports

WVU offers a wide range of sports for student-athletes. These teams compete at a high level in college athletics.

Football: The Heart of WVU Sports

Plaque marking where Mountaineer Field was between 1924 and 1979

Football is a very popular sport at WVU. The West Virginia Mountaineers football team plays in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). They play their home games at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown. The Mountaineers are part of the Big 12 Conference.

As of the end of the 2024 season, WVU had a record of 787 wins, 533 losses, and 45 ties. This places them 23rd in wins among NCAA FBS programs. WVU became a Division I program in 1973.

West Virginia vs. Iowa State game, 2012

The Mountaineers have had 80 winning seasons. This includes one undefeated season in 1922 (10–0–1). They also had five seasons with 11 wins (1988, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007). The team has won 15 conference championships. These include eight Southern Conference titles and seven Big East Conference titles.

WVU had two undefeated regular seasons in 1988 and 1993. However, they lost both bowl games. The 2005 and 2006 seasons were the first time the school had back-to-back 11-win seasons. In 2007, the Mountaineers started the season ranked #3, their highest preseason ranking ever. They later reached #1 in the Coaches Poll. They finished that season with a third straight 11-win season after winning the Fiesta Bowl.

• Stadium: Milan Puskar Stadium at Mountaineer Field
• Head coach: Rich Rodriguez
• Conference: Big 12
• All-time record: 701–456–45 (.583)
• Bowl record: 14-17
• Conference titles: 15 (8 Southern Conference, 7 Big East Conference)
• Consensus All-Americans: 11
• BCS Bowl Game record: (3-0)
• Highest Coaches Poll ranking: #1 (2007)
• Highest AP Poll ranking: #2 (2007)
• Highest final top 25 ranking: #5 (1988 & 2005)

Baseball: Hitting Home Runs

• Playing facility: Kendrick Family Ballpark (3,500 plus hillside seating)
• Head coach: Steve Sabins
• Most victories: 44 (2025)
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 16
• Last NCAA appearance: 2025
• All-Americans: 17
• Players in the Majors: 26

Men's Basketball: Slam Dunks and Championships

West Virginia men's basketball has played in three major championship finals. These include the 1959 NCAA final and the 1942 NIT final. They also played in the 2007 NIT Championship. They lost to California in the 1959 NCAA finals. However, the Mountaineers won the 1942 NIT Championship against Western Kentucky. They also won the 2007 NIT game against Clemson. In 1949, future coach Fred Schaus was the first NCAA player to score 1,000 points.

More recently, West Virginia reached the Final Four of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. This team was led by coach and former WVU player Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers won the 2010 Big East men's basketball tournament. They then earned a #2 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament.

In 2015, West Virginia made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They were eliminated by Kentucky. In 2018, West Virginia again reached the Sweet Sixteen of the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They lost to #1 seed Villanova, who later became the champion.

• Playing facility: Hope Coliseum (14,000)
• Head coach: Ross Hodge
• Most victories: 31 in 2010
• Big East Conference Champion: 2010
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 31
• Last NCAA appearance: 2021
• NCAA Final Four: 1959, 2010
• NIT appearances: 15
• Last NIT appearance: 2014
• NIT Championships: 2 (1942, 2007)
• All-Americans: 13
• Drafted players: 28
• Players in the NBA: 14

Women's Basketball: Scoring Big

• Playing facility: Hope Coliseum (14,000)
• Head coach: Mark Kellogg
• Most victories: 30 in 2014
• Big 12 Conference Champion: 2017
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 11
• WNIT appearances: 2
• Last NCAA appearance: 2017
• All-Americans: 4
• Drafted players: 3
• Players in the WNBA: 2

Cross Country: Running the Distance

• Head Coach: Sean Cleary
• World Cross Country qualifiers: 13
• BIG EAST Conference Champions: 2007
• NCAA Regional Champions: 2004, 2008, 2024, 2025
• NCAA appearances: 16
• NCAA Top 10 finishes: 7: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2024, 2025
• NCAA Elite 8 finishes: 5 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2024,
• NCAA Final 4 finishes: 2: 2008, 2024
• Highest NCAA finish: 2nd 2024
• Last NCAA appearance: 2025
• All-Americans: 22
• Elite 89 winners: Ahna Lewis-2009, Kelly Williams 2014
• NACAC Champions, Metcalfe, Grandt, Harrison
• NACAC Silver Medals

Asselin, Forsey, Wood. Simpson

• National team members:

World Cross Country team members 14

NACAC Championship team members 10

Men's Golf: On the Green

WVU had a men's golf team from 1933 until 1982. On July 1, 2013, the athletic director, Oliver Luck, announced that the sport would return. The team started playing again in the 2015–16 school year.

• Competition facilities: Seven regional courses (mostly in West Virginia):
  • Two courses at Lakeview Golf Resort, Cheat Lake – Lakeview and Mountainview
  • Two courses at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, Pennsylvania – The Links and Mystic Rock. The team also uses the Nemacolin Golf Academy for practice.
  • Pete Dye Golf Club, Bridgeport
  • The Pines Country Club, Morgantown. Used for both competition and practice.
  • Stonewall Jackson Resort, Arnold Palmer Signature Course, Roanoke
• Head coach: Sean Covich

The Mountaineer golf team reached their first top 25 ranking in the fall of 2019. This happened after they finished in the top 5 at the Gopher Invitational. In April 2021, they were ranked 76th.

In 2021, the Mountaineers won their third straight Mountaineer Invitational. Mark Goetz won the individual tournament with a score of -12.

Gymnastics: Leaping to Success

• Competition facility: Hope Coliseum (14,000)
• Head coach: Jason Butts
• Most victories: 26 in 1992
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 3 (under former head coach Linda Burdette)
• AIAW appearances: 1
• Last NCAA appearance: 2000
• All-Americans: 4

Rifle: Aiming for Gold

With 26 individual NCAA National Champions and 23 team NCAA National Championship titles, West Virginia University's rifle team is the most successful rifle program in NCAA history. Their most recent National Championship as a team was won in 2026. The Mountaineers compete in the Great America Rifle Conference. They have won 11 regular-season conference championships.

The team's home matches are held at the WVU Rifle Range, which opened in 2010. Virginia Thrasher, who won a gold medal in the women's 10-meter air rifle at the 2016 Summer Olympics, was on the Mountaineers rifle team from 2015 to 2019.

• Playing facility: WVU Shell Building
• Head coach: Jon Hammond
• Most victories: 19 in 1964
• NCAA appearances: 26
• NCAA Team Championships: 23
• NCAA Team runner up: 7
• National Individual Champions: 25
• NCAA All-Americans: 65
• Olympians: 13
• Gold medal: Virginia "Ginny" Thrasher - Rio 2016
• Awards: CaptainU Coach of the Year

Women's Rowing: Power on the Water

• Playing facility: WVU Boathouse
• Head coach: Jimmy King

Men's Soccer: Kicking Goals

West Virginia men's soccer competes in the Sun Belt Conference since 2022. The team was the 2024 double champion (regular season and tournament) of the Sun Belt. They finished that year 16th in the nationwide United Soccer Coaches Ranking. They were also 21st in the NCAA DI Men's Soccer RPI ranking with a 13-2-7 record.

• Playing facility: Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium (1,600)
• Head coach: Daniel Stratford
• Most victories: 15 in 2006
• NCAA tournament appearances: 15
• Last NCAA appearance: 2021
• All-Americans: 7
• Mountaineer professionals: 12

Women's Soccer: Dominating the Field

Since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2012, West Virginia women's soccer has had a strong record. They achieved a 27–1–3 record in regular-season league games. In 2016, the Mountaineers won their fifth straight regular-season league championship. This was a first for the Big 12. West Virginia also won Big 12 tournament championships in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2018. The team is coached by Nikki Izzo-Brown, who has been the only head coach for the program.

• Playing facility: Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium (1,600)
• Head coach: Nikki Izzo-Brown
• Most victories: 23 in 2016
• BIG EAST Conference Champions: 2007, 2010, 2011
• BIG 12 Conference Champions: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022
• NCAA tournament appearances: 21 (lost in finals 2016)
• Last NCAA appearance: 2020
• All-Americans: 45
• Academic All-American: 4
• Mountaineer professionals: 28

Men's Swimming: Making Waves

• Playing facility: Mylan Park
• Head coach: Vic Riggs
• Most victories: 13 in 2007
• Big East Conference Champions: 2007
• NCAA qualifiers: 19
• NCAA All-Americans: 2
• Olympians: 1

Women's Swimming: Diving into Success

• Playing facility: Mylan Park
• Head coach: Vic Riggs
• Most victories: 9 in 1990
• NCAA qualifiers: 14
• NCAA All-Americans: 4
• Olympians: 1

Women's Tennis: Serving Up Wins

• Playing facility: Mountaineer Tennis Courts
• Head coach: Miha Lisac
• Most victories: 21 in 1990

Men's Track: A Look Back

The men's track program at WVU was discontinued in 2003.

Women's Track: Racing to Victory

• Playing facility: Mylan Track, Shell Indoor Track
• Head coach: Sean Cleary (2007-present) - 108 All-Americans for Cleary
• Assistants: Shell Ann Galimore, Erin Oreilly, Clara Santucci, Amy Cashin, Jordan Hamric, Phil White
• Olympians: 11
• NCAA National Champions: 4
  • Pat Itanyi Long Jump 1994
  • Kate Vermeulen 1999 Mile
  • Megan Metcalf 5000 2005
  • Ceili McCabe 3000m 2024
• NCAA Runner Up finishes: Marie Louise Asselin 2011-5000, Kate Harrison 10,000 2012

• NCAA Top 10 finishes: 1 (2010)
• NCAA Sweet 16 finishes: 1999, 2010, 2011
• NCAA top 20 finishes: 5 (1999, 2009, 2010, 2010, 2011, 2024)

Women's Volleyball: Spiking High

• Playing facility: Hope Coliseum (14,000)
• Head coach: Jen Greeny
• Most victories: 35 in 1979
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 1
• Last NCAA appearance: 2021
• NIT appearances: 1
• All-Americans: 0
• All-East: 2

Wrestling: Grappling for Glory

• Founded: 1921
• Dual meets and tournament facility: Hope Coliseum (14,000)
• Head coach: Tim Flynn
• Most victories: 14 in 1976 and 1990
• NCAA individual appearances: 67
• Best NCAA finish: 6th in 1991
• All-Americans: 16
• National Champions: 3
• EWL Champions: 18

• Before joining the Big 12, West Virginia wrestled as part of the Eastern Wrestling League. The Big East was not a wrestling conference.

Championships: Celebrating Victories

NCAA Team Championships

West Virginia has won 24 NCAA team national championships.

• Men's (1)
  • Boxing (1): 1938 (unofficial)
• Co-ed (23)
  • Rifle (23): 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2025, 2026
• See also: Big 12 Conference national team titles
• See also: List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships

Other National Team Championships

These are national team titles not given by the NCAA:

• Men's basketball (1): 1942
• Rifle (4): 1913, 1961, 1964, 1966
• Cricket (3): 2019, 2020, 2022
• See also: List of college athletics championship game outcomes#Rifle
• See also: List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships

NCAA Individual and Relay Championships

West Virginia athletes have won 41 individual and relay national championships:

Other Sports at WVU

Rugby: A Strong Club Sport

The West Virginia Rugby Football Club started in 1974. It is the oldest club sport at WVU. In the fall of 2013, WVU won the Keystone Conference. They then played in the American Collegiate Rugby Championship. In the spring of 2014, WVU reached the D1-AA national playoffs. They beat Princeton 41–24 but lost to San Diego. The Mountaineers play their home games at the Mylan Park Athletic Field Complex. Shotaro Egashira has been the Head Coach since Fall 2024.

Cricket: National Champions

The West Virginia Cricket Club competes in American College Cricket. In 2019, the Mountaineers won the American College Cricket National Championship. They defeated NJIT. The team qualified for the 2020 National Championship tournament, but it was canceled due to COVID-19. When American College Cricket restarted in 2022, the 2020 tournament was played. The Mountaineers also qualified for the 2022 tournament. They played in both events in the same week. They won both, becoming 2020 national champions against Arkansas State and 2022 national champions against Florida.

WVU Traditions and Spirit

Mascot: The Mountaineer

The Mountaineer, WVU mascot, as seen in 2007

The Mountaineer became the official school mascot in 1890. The mascot started appearing at sports events in 1936. A new Mountaineer is chosen each year. This happens during the last two men's home basketball games. The new Mountaineer gets a scholarship, a special buckskin suit, and a rifle. The mascot travels with most sports teams. Male mascots traditionally grow a beard. Jonathan Kimble, from Franklin, WV, was the WVU Mountaineer for 2012-2013. Each new Mountaineer officially takes over at the annual spring football game.

Logos: The Flying WV

The "flying WV" logo, designed in 1980

The "Flying WV" is the most common logo for West Virginia athletics. Sports artist John Martin designed it. It first appeared in 1980 on football uniforms. In 1983, it became the official logo for the university.

While the "Flying WV" is used for the whole university, some departments have their own logos. For example, the athletics department uses a script "West Virginia" logo. The baseball team uses an interlocking "WV" logo.

Songs: The Sound of Mountaineer Pride

The official fight songs of West Virginia University are "Fight Mountaineers" and "Hail, West Virginia." "Hail, West Virginia" was written by WVU alumni Earl Miller and Ed McWhorther in 1915. The "Pride of West Virginia" Mountaineer Marching Band plays "Hail, West Virginia" before football games. The song mentions "Gold and Blue" to distinguish WVU from its rival, Washington & Jefferson College.

Fans also love "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver. This song is the unofficial song of the university. The West Virginia University Alma Mater was composed in 1937. It is sung before every home football game.

Colors: Gold and Blue

In 1890, students chose "old gold and blue" as the official colors. These colors came from the West Virginia state seal. Today, a brighter gold is often used in logos and merchandise. This change helps create a more exciting atmosphere for sports events. The university accepts "gold and blue" as the color scheme. They emphasize "gold and blue" to be different from their rival, the University of Pittsburgh, which uses "blue and gold."

Marching Band: The Pride of West Virginia

The West Virginia University Mountaineer Marching Band is known as "The Pride of West Virginia." This band has 390 members. They perform at every home football game. They also make many appearances locally and nationally. The band received the prestigious Sudler Trophy in 1997.

Game Day Traditions

Firing of the Musket

The Mountaineer mascot carries a musket and powder horn. They fire a blank shot to start many athletic events. The Mountaineer points the gun in the air and fires. This signals the crowd to cheer at home football and basketball games. The Mountaineer also fires the musket every time the football team scores.

Formation of the state by the marching band

Formation of the State

The Pride of West Virginia forms the shape of the state of West Virginia. They do this during the pregame show at all home Mountaineer football games. The state outline moves down the field while "Hail West Virginia" plays. The shape then flips to face the student section. This happens when the crowd starts the "Let's Go...Mountaineers" chant.

Cheers: Getting Loud for the Team

The "Let's Go...Mountaineers" cheer started at football games. It was a friendly competition between different sides of the stadium. The student section chants "Let's Go...", and the other side responds "Mountaineers". This chant can go on for a long time. It has also spread to other sports like basketball and soccer.

Carpet roll at a basketball game

Since the early 2000s, the "WVU First Down" cheer is used in football. Fans raise their arms and yell before a first down is announced. After the stadium announcer says, "First down, West Virginia," fans lower and raise their arms three times. They also yell "WVU." Then, they clap and point to the end zone, cheering "first down!"

Carpet Roll: A Special Entrance

In 1955, Fred Schaus and Alex Mumford came up with an idea. They decided to roll out a special gold and blue carpet for basketball players. The players would use this carpet when entering the court for warm-ups. They also warmed up with a special gold and blue basketball. This tradition stopped in the 1960s. However, former Mountaineer player Gale Catlett brought it back in 1978. He was the head coach of the men's basketball team then.

The Passionate Fanbase

The WVU student section performing the first down cheer at a home football game.

West Virginia is a state without professional sports teams. Because of this, people in West Virginia strongly support West Virginia University and its sports teams. Mountaineer fans are known for traveling to bowl games and other games across the country. West Virginia games have also received high TV ratings. Men's basketball coach Bob Huggins, who played for WVU and was born in Morgantown, said that the strong connection between the university and the people of West Virginia is unique. Former basketball player Da'Sean Butler mentioned fan support as a reason he chose to play for WVU. He said, "everybody loves our school to death."

WVU fans, especially in the student sections known as the "Mountaineer Maniacs," are very enthusiastic. While their passion is a huge part of game day, there were times when celebrations got a bit too wild. For example, there were instances where small fires were set after games, often involving furniture. However, much of this behavior has become less common in recent years.

West Virginia fans are also known for their kindness. After the death of Jasper Howard from the University of Connecticut, WVU fans showed great support. A banner at Mountaineer Field read "Today we are all Huskies." Connecticut fans were impressed by the warm welcome. They noted how many WVU fans offered their condolences. Randy Edsall, UConn's head football coach at the time, wrote a letter to WVU. He said, "The response that you gave our team before and after the game was tremendous and greatly appreciated. The pregame moment of silence and team handshake was the most moving experience I have ever had in my 29 years of coaching football."

Notable Mountaineer Athletes

• Joe Alexander - former NBA player
• Tavon Austin
• Stedman Bailey
• Terry Bowden - Yahoo sports analyst
• Tommy Bowden - former head football coach at Clemson University and Tulane University
• Darryl Bryant - international professional basketball player
• Kadeisha Buchanan – current Canada women's international soccer player
• Marc Bulger - former NFL quarterback
• Da'Sean Butler - former NBA basketball player, now a coach for WVU basketball
• Jevon Carter - NBA player
• Gale Catlett - former West Virginia head coach with the most wins
• Avon Cobourne - former NFL running back, played in the CFL
• Mike Compton - former NFL guard
• Robert Dennis - university's first Male Big East Conference Track & Field champion
• Noel Devine - current CFL running back
• Devin Ebanks - NBA basketball player
• Raymon Gaddis - current defender for the Philadelphia Union
• Mike Gansey - former professional basketball player, now in the front office of the Cleveland Cavaliers
• Major Harris - quarterbacked for West Virginia in their 1988 undefeated season
• Chris Henry - former NFL wide receiver
• Johannes "Joe" Herber - former German international basketball player
• Jeff Hostetler - former NFL Quarterback
• Chuck Howley - WVU five-sport Letterman, former NFL linebacker and Super Bowl MVP
• Sam Huff - former NFL linebacker, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Bob Huggins - former WVU basketball player; former head basketball coach of the WVU men's basketball team
• Rodney "Hot Rod" Hundley - first pick in the 1957 NBA draft
• Patience Itanyi - West Virginia University's first-ever female track and field national champion
• James Jett - All-American sprinter and wide receiver for the Raiders
• Adam "Pacman" Jones - former NFL cornerback
• Greg Jones - three-time NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion; former Associate Head Coach for the Mountaineer Wrestling team
• Kevin Jones - former power forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers
• Brian Jozwiak - former lineman, Kansas City Chiefs
• Ken Kendrick - owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Steve Kline - former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Oliver Luck - former NFL quarterback and former athletic director at WVU
• Pat McAfee - former NFL punter
• Dan Mozes - First Team All American center, won the Rimington Trophy
• Adrian Murrell - former running back for New York Jets
• Kevin Pittsnogle - former WVU basketball star
• Jerry Porter - former NFL wide receiver
• Rich Rodriguez - former head football coach at West Virginia University and University of Michigan
• Todd Sauerbrun - former NFL punter; went to the Pro Bowl
• Owen Schmitt - former NFL fullback
• Floyd B. "Ben" Schwartzwalder - Former head coach of the 1959 National Championship Syracuse University football team
• Steve Slaton - former NFL running back
• Geno Smith - quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders
• Darryl Talley - WVU all-time team member and former NFL Linebacker
• Rod Thorn - former WVU basketball player and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• John Thornton - former defensive tackle
• Virginia Thrasher - sports shooter who won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics
• Mike Vanderjagt - former NFL placekicker
• Jerry West - WVU and NBA basketball player, model for NBA logo
• Pat White - former NFL quarterback and Minor League Baseball player
• Andrew Wright - current defender/midfielder for Morecambe F.C.
• Amos Zereoué - former NFL running back

See also

In Spanish: West Virginia Mountaineers para niños