MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — John Beilein humbly acknowledges that he is a member of several halls of fame, a product of serving over four decades as a college basketball head coach across multiple levels of the game.
As he stepped up to the podium inside the Caperton Practice Facility Saturday morning during the 36th induction ceremony for the WVU Sports Hall of Fame, Beilein admitted he was uncertain that this group might welcome him back to Morgantown. Despite a departure in 2007 that he expressed regrets for, Beilein says he was overcome with emotion when Director of Athletics Wren Baker called him to announce his inclusion in a distinguished Hall of Fame class.
“I cried like a baby when I came here because the program was so bad. I cried like a baby when I left because the program was so good. I cried when Wren called me this past summer. I expect I’ll cry today,” Beilein said at his induction on Saturday.
“I hated the way it ended in 2007, hated it. I didn’t want it to be that way. At the same time, I love the way it is ending 19 years later by being here tonight.”
John Beilein on his induction to the WVU Sports Hall of Fame: https://t.co/oIFtpS077E
— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) October 10, 2026
Beilein came to Morgantown to lead the Mountaineers in April of 2002 following the resignation of Gale Catlett. Head coaching stints at Erie Community College, Nazareth College, LeMoyne, Canisius and Richmond preceded his appointment at WVU. He inherited a program coming off an 8-20 season with a nearly vacant roster. Some of Beilein’s first players became WVU program legends, including Kevin Pittsnogle, J.D. Collins, Johannes Herber and Tyrone Sally.
“I was the third choice. They really wanted Coach [Bob] Huggins the first time and then Dan Dakich. Ed Pastilong, Mike Parsons, Dave Hardesty, when I met them it was an instant match. It worked so well. It was tremendous. I couldn’t have done it without them. They gave me every bit of support anybody would ever want.
“Here comes this guy from Richmond and Buffalo and all of these places, they embraced my family and I like we were family.”
Seasons with 14 and 17 wins set the stage for a three-year run that included NCAA Elite Eight and Sweet 16 bids, respectively, and an NIT Championship. Days after winning his final game as WVU’s head coach at Madison Square Garden, Beilein accepted the head coach position at Michigan.
“I could have seen myself coaching here 20 years. But it just didn’t work out that way. At the same time, those five years, when Tony [Caridi] says Camelot, I had to go and look in the dictionary and say, ‘What does Camelot mean?’ It was just this great time of success, happiness and hope. That’s exactly how you like to draw it up.”
Beilein remained at Michigan until 2019. He led the Wolverines to a 33-win season and an NCAA runner-up finish in the 2017-2018 season. Still, Beilein holds fond memories of his brief, but successful half-decade in Morgantown.
“In 45 years of coaching, these five years here have to be, if not my favorite, five of my favorite years ever. It was a remarkable, remarkable run that we had. And it was because of the people of West Virginia, the support I had of the University, my family, the players, the coaching staff, the administration, all those people.
“Mark won a state [football] championship here at Morgantown High. Andy went to University. Pat played here and they both graduated from West Virginia. We loved our time here, we really did. It was just a remarkable five years.”
Several of Beilein’s former players at WVU are now coaching or on staffs at the top levels in college and professional basketball. Mike Gansey, who attended Saturday’s ceremony, serves as the President of Basketball Operations for the Philadelphia 76ers. Joe Mazzulla owns an NBA title and league Coach of the Year honors with the Boston Celtics.
“I became a coach because I had mentors around me in high school and college that I just loved them and I wanted to be like them. I hope these guys have the same feeling that our coaching staff had the same effect on those guys.”