West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser, and clinical campuses for the university's medical and school at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston and the Eastern Division at the WVU Medicine Berkeley and Jefferson Medical Centers. WVU Extension Service provides outreach with offices in all 55 West Virginia counties.
Jerome Alan West is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability to make a big play in a key situation such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks; "the Logo", in reference to his silhouette being the basis for the NBA logo; "Mr. Outside", in reference to his perimeter play with the Los Angeles Lakers and "Zeke from Cabin Creek" for the creek near his birthplace of Chelyan, West Virginia. West played the small forward position early in his career: he was a standout at East Bank High School and at West Virginia University, where he led the Mountaineers to the 1959 NCAA championship game. He earned the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor despite the loss. He then embarked on a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and was the co-captain of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team, a squad that was inducted as a unit into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
The Backyard Brawl is an American college football rivalry between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers. The term "Backyard Brawl" has also been used to refer to college basketball games played annually or semi-annually and may also be used to refer to other athletic competitions between the two schools. It is a registered trademark for both universities, and refers to the close proximity of the two universities, separated by 75 miles (105 km) along Interstate 79.
Robert Edward Huggins is an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed “Huggy Bear”, he is currently the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team. Huggins previously held the head coaching positions at Walsh College (1980–1983), the University of Akron (1984–1989), the University of Cincinnati (1989–2005) and Kansas State University (2006–2007). He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022. Huggins is currently the winningest active head coach in NCAA D-I basketball.
Rodney King Thorn is an American basketball executive and a former professional player and coach, Olympic Committee Chairman, with a career spanning over 50 years. In 2018, Thorn was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. The Mountaineers have been a member of the Big 12 Conference since 2012. At that time, the Mountaineers joined the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member for men's soccer. The men's soccer team now competes in the Sun Belt Conference.
Frederick Appleton Schaus was an American basketball player, head coach and athletic director for the West Virginia University Mountaineers, player for the National Basketball Association's Fort Wayne Pistons and New York Knicks, general manager and head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, head coach of Purdue University basketball, and a member of the NCAA Basketball Committee. He was born in Newark, Ohio.
Rodney Clark "Hot Rod" Hundley was an American professional basketball player and television broadcaster. Hundley was the number 1 pick of the 1957 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals out of West Virginia University. In 2003, Hundley received the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. West Virginia plays its home games at Milan Puskar Stadium on the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers have won or shared a total of 15 conference championships, including eight Southern Conference titles and seven Big East Conference titles. The Mountaineers compete in the Big 12 Conference and are led by head coach Neal Brown.
George Smith King, Jr. was an American professional basketball player and collegiate coach. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia.
Mark Cecil Workman was an American professional basketball player from Charleston, West Virginia. He played collegiately at West Virginia University. Workman was the first overall pick in the 1952 NBA draft, by the Milwaukee Hawks.
Ronald Robert Williams was an American basketball player.
William L. Stewart, nicknamed "Stew", was an American football coach. He was named interim head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan in December 2007. After leading the Mountaineers to a 48–28 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl, he was named the school’s 32nd head football coach on January 3, 2008. Stewart resigned in the summer of 2011. He was previously the head coach of Virginia Military Institute for three seasons.
The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. WVU has won 13 conference tournament championships, and has 31 appearances in the NCAA tournament, including two Final Fours, most recently in 2010. The Mountaineers have also appeared in 16 National Invitation Tournaments, and have won two championships, in 1942 and 2007.
Garrett William Ford Sr. is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. A native of Washington, D.C., and a graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School, he played college football at West Virginia University, and professionally in the American Football League (NFL) with the Denver Broncos. Ford received a bachelor's degree in physical education from WVU in 1969 and earned a master's degree in guidance and counseling from WVU in 1973. Ford later returned to his alma mater and served an assistant football coach and assistant athletics director. He was the first African American assistant coach in West Virginia University history and is a member of the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Ford's son, Garrett Ford Jr., was also a starting tailback for West Virginia.
Jarrett Brown is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at West Virginia, and was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent following the 2010 NFL Draft. He served as the starting quarterback for the West Virginia Mountaineers at West Virginia University during the 2009 season after three seasons as the backup to Pat White. He was also a member of the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, BC Lions and Spokane Shock. In 2019, he signed with the West Virginia Roughriders.
Darryl "Tony" Robertson is a former American basketball shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors. He played college basketball at West Virginia University.
Lloyd Sharrar was an American basketball player who was a college All-American at West Virginia University (WVU) and played for several years in the Amateur Athletic Union. He was also a second round pick of the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1958 NBA draft.
Leroy Jevon Carter is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers. A point guard for the Mountaineers, Carter was known as one of the top defensive players in college basketball, winning the NABC Defensive Player of the Year and the Lefty Driesell Award after both his junior and senior seasons, and winning the inaugural Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in his final season.
Leland E. Byrd was an American college athletic administrator, basketball player and coach. He was an All-American player at West Virginia University (WVU) and went on to serve as athletic director at several universities.
