The WVU Board of Governors had approved plans for premium seating at Hope Coliseum and also gave the go-ahead to proceed with plans for more premium seats and a long overdue update to the press box at Milan Puskar Stadium, projects expected to cost in the neighborhood of $150 million dollars.
It was a bit ironic that this announcement came just three days prior to the anniversary of the last game at old Mountaineer Field; for 55 years from 1924 to 1979, the home of WVU football.
The last game at old Mountaineer field was on November 10th, 1979 against Pitt. I was a student at that time, living in Sunnyside and passed the old stadium every day when the sprit moved me to make it to class on time. More on that in a moment.
But what were the factors that made the University take the stadium out of the downtown campus and move out to Evansdale to its current home?
The plans for a new stadium actually began in 1975, when the administration were confronted with two options; repair the facility that was falling apart or start over somewhere else.
The five-year period leading up to the opening of the new stadium in 1980 was a rough one for the old stadium. The wooden bleachers were rotting away and the paint was chipping everywhere. By 1979, the turf was ten years old and barely covering the concrete in spots.
The fans were close to the action, but it some cases, that was a problem. If you were in the lowest rows, the players and cheerleaders blocked your view. The stands were so close to the sidelines, there was no room for quarterbacks to warm up behind the benches.
Now, about that final game; November 10th, 1979.
Two teams going in opposite directions. Pitt was on the rise, WVU was not. But the fans came out anyway in droves and smashed the stadium’s all-time attendance record. Somehow, more than 38 thousand wedged their way in that day, a gorgeous sunny afternoon, one more time for old time’s sake.
Pitt won the game, 24-17. The curtain came down on Frank Cignetti soon after, while the Panthers, who were quarterbacked by Dan Marino making his second career start, went to beat Penn State and win the Fiesta Bowl in the coming weeks, setting the stage for great season in 1980.
I’ll never forget that day, for several reasons. First, for the obvious historical reasons and also, it was the only game I ever attended on crutches – to this point of my life, anyway. I had messed up my right knee playing flag football the previous weekend.
I was on crutches from the moment I left our rented house on South Street in Sunnyside. I got down there ten minutes before kickoff. Without an assigned seat, it was a miracle I found a spot on the aisle, right on the goal line, press box side, about a dozen rows off the field. I can still recall like it happened yesterday, Pitt’s Randy McMillan, straining for the goal line, when a WVU defensive tackle, I think it was undersized nose guard Dave Oblak, put his helmet right on the football, it popped loose and the Mountaineers recovered.
Many of us, still around from those days, had some unforgettable moments at the old stadium. But that’s the great thing about memories, the stadium may have a a new address, but those memories stay right with you and aren’t going anywhere.