West Virginia Must Graduate to Higher Aspirations

frank martino — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:05:44 -0500

Move on.

We blew the shot at a national title. We lost a winning coach.

But we won the Fiesta Bowl. We got a coach who embodies the soul of West Virginia—a good person who works hard to get ahead.

And we get to watch Owen Schmidt run one more time—in the Senior Bowl.

Stop pointing fingers. Settle the lawsuit so that no one looks any worse. Forgive and forget. Do not let the bad incidents of the 2007 Football season define you, when there were so many good times.

We have a great team returning in 2008. We have terrific fans, alumni, students, families, great facilities. More West Virginians are actually playing for the Mountaineers than ever before. We now have a great asset, who can glean Florida's fields for talented athletes. The future is bright.

We should not be influenced or upset by outside sportswriters, or fans of other programs. We know what adversity is. We know about hardships and hard work. Just ask any coal miner that has to spend his days in a mine only four feet high.

We have a great reputation across the country as hard workers with great attitudes. When we meet other West Virginians in other parts of the country who may be wearing blue and gold and the WV, we greet each other, and talk about home and the Mountaineers. And we smile.

We believe in integrity and honesty and openness. We are like a breath of fresh air in a world of ugly lies. Even the President visited this state six times to experience it, to realize that there are good people out there and a lot of them are in West "By God" Virginia.

So save your money for next year's season tickets. Buy your gold shirts, your WV hats, and save your voice for "Let's Goooooooooo Mountaineers."

Open Your Eyes, WVU: The Case for Bill Stewart

frank martino — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:03:40 -0500

Let's face it—the WVU administration hasn't made many great decisions lately concerning their football coaching staff.

Bickering over school books and sideline passes cost them Rich Rodriguez. Contract issues cost them Jimbo Fisher.

The Mountaineer brass have also looked at Butch Jones, Terry Bowden, and Doc Holliday—but after the Fiesta Bowl, it's clear they have exactly what they need:

A coach who cares more about his players than himself.

Bill Stewart is the kind of coach you come back and hug years after you're done playing. He's a man of integrity and kindness, and the sort of father figure young college players need.

Couple that with the offensive smarts of Calvin Magee and Co., and you have a winning combination without a prima donna attitude.

What you have, in fact, is what West Virginia is known for: nice people who work hard.

WVU would be fortunate to keep this group together after their performance against a great Oklahoma team. Magee was never given the chance to show his offensive genius before the Fiesta Bowl, because Rodriguez would never let him make the play calls.

That came back to haunt WVU in the Pitt loss, when Rodriguez refused to use the plays Magee called down from the booth. That info comes directly from the Mountaineer football team.

Rodriguez's hard head cost him the Pitt game, the respect of his former players at WVU, and the admiration of the entire state of West Virginia. Now he's a man without a home state.

As for Stewart—he's smart enough to allow the talents of both the coaching staff and the players to rule the day.

Bill Stewart, with Magee's help, earned a Fiesta Bowl win against a team many people (including Lee Corso) considered to be the No. 1 squad in the country.

These same guys will bring WVU a national title if they're given the chance.

It's said that Nice Guys finish last. West Virginia would be smart to let this Nice Guy finish first.

Bleacher Report - Articles by frank martino

West Virginia Must Graduate to Higher Aspirations

Open Your Eyes, WVU: The Case for Bill Stewart