If there was ever a time to “Be a Mountaineer,” Saturday, December 27, 2008, was the day! Two major wins in football and basketball were belated holidays gifts that once again perched WVU on the national stage.

The Mountaineers, led by Pat White, engineered a wonderful fourth quarter, come from behind gird-iron victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, 31-30, before a record crowd at the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte. The game was described by area media as one of the best, thrilling bowl games ever.

The seniors on the WVU football team set a record by becoming the winningest class in Mountaineer history. Pat White was selected the Meineke Car Care Bowl’s MVP, and he became the only college quarterback to start and win four consecutive bowl games. This group of extraordinary young men once again showed the nation what it means to be a Mountaineer.

I was so proud to be a part of the bowl experience and to have the opportunity to watch, with thousands of fans, this great feat. We saw many new faces this year, which is always exciting for me. Many Mountaineer families traveled together to experience a WVU bowl game first hand. One of WVU’s newest fans, Interim President Dr. Peter Magrath, enthusiastically cheered our team to victory from the stands. Dr. Magrath certainly has embraced his Mountaineer spirit and has become one of our biggest cheerleaders. Joining President Magrath in celebration was one of our own, WVU Board of Governors Chair Carolyn Long of Braxton County. The 25,000 plus Mountaineer fans made as much noise as our counterpart Tar Heels who had approximately 40,000 faithful in attendance. The consensus from both sides was that this was a well played game worth the price of admission and more.

As I looked out among the sea of gold and blue in the stadium, it was very emotional. People often say this it is difficult to explain the sense of pride that you have as a WVU graduate, and that certainly was true this weekend. Hearing the crowd sing Country Roads as the team celebrated on the field was just another example of the strength and pride of our great University. We congratulate Coach Stewart, his assistant coaches and all of the men and women who helped lead our team to another thrilling victory.

I hope you will take a few minutes to visit WVU BowlSpace—http://bowlgame.wvu.edu/—where you can leave your own words of congratulations to this amazing team. I’m sure many of you caught some of your favorite moments on film, and we would love to share those pictures on our Web gallery. Please send your favorite photos to Tara Curtis at tecurtis@mail.wvu.edu.

We would be remiss if we didn’t thank our alumni and friends in Charlotte for their great hospitality. What a wonderful time we had in your beautiful city! From bowl events and activities to the great southern hospitality, everything was simply fantastic. It was another memorable experience for everyone.

Thanks to everyone who was a part of this superb effort over a busy and condensed two-day period of time. Our alumni staff, as well as many WVU staff members and volunteers, worked tirelessly to bring the best of Charlotte to WVU alumni and friends from across the country. Many had to be away from their families during the holidays, and we appreciate their efforts to make the bowl game a great event.

Topping off the wonderful Saturday was a basketball victory by the Mountaineers over the Ohio State in the hostile territory of Columbus, Ohio. Coach Huggins and his team got a very impressive win, beating the Buckeyes by nearly 30 points. Many fans in Charlotte watched the game from every venue possible in the surrounding area. Our spirits were further raised by this great win! Congratulations to the WVU basketball team! We look forward to another exciting season.

We were excited that so many new faces turned out for the bowl game. We hope that you will stay involved with the University through the Alumni Association. There are many opportunities for you to be involved, and I encourage you to continue to be an advocate for WVU as we move forward into the New Year. Best wishes for a safe holiday.

Always a Mountaineer,

Steve Douglas

P.S. – Thanks to everyone for a GREAT time!!