The NFL isn’t the only major football league that has a huge following. Many people are even bigger fans of college football and the young, immense talent it produces from high school teams.
Among the greatest of these is the University of West Virginia, home to numerous players that have allowed the Mountaineers to rank 14th in NCAA football team victories, comprising a total of 701 wins throughout the years. Fast forward to early 2018 when West Virginia betting sites appeared and 2020 when top recruits Sean Martin and Zach Frazier signed up with the team, and you’ll see there has never a more exciting time to be a Mountaineers fan.
To continue with this momentum, let’s look back at some of the greatest West Virginia Football talent from over the years that have allowed the team to become what it is today.
Sam Huff
Appearing first on the list is none other than the notable Sam Huff. Playing guard and tackle for the team for four seasons in the mid-1950s, Huff led the Mountaineers to a record of 31-7 over the course of three years and a huge win in the 1954 Sugar Bowl.
In his NFL career as a New York Giant, he proved himself to be a greatly talented defensive player delivering rounds of jaw-dropping tackles. Years later he was rewarded by being inducted into the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, only the second WVU team member in history to be given the honor. He’s also the first player to be featured on Times Magazine cover.
Pat White
The most famed Mountaineer quarterback is without question the legendary Pat White. Originally from Daphne, Alabama, White registered four successful years (2005-2008) with West Virginia and a total of 35 wins, quite impressive for such a short amount of time.
The talented player also held the NCAA highly sought after record for rushing yards made by a QB- 4,480, until it was broken just this past year by Denard Robinson completing 4,495 yards. Moreover, White helped lead his team to four back-to-back bowl wins, making him the only QB in NCAA history to have done so.
Steve Slaton
Steve Slaton, one of WV’s greatest running backs of all time, ranks number one in the team’s history with 50 total rushing touchdowns, making it an obvious fact that this guy can bolt with precision. He also holds the college league record for most touchdowns in a single game (6), alongside most points scored in a single game (36). WV fans know that Slaton added indispensable value to the team, recording 1,744 rushing yards in a single season.
Jeff Hostetler
Back in the 80s, Jeff Hostetler threw a whopping four touchdowns in his first game played in 1982 to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners. Drafted into the NFL as a New York Giant, he led his team to receive a Super Bowl title in 1991, defeating the Buffalo Bills as the starting quarterback. In his two-season career at WV, he passed 4,261 yards, a phenomenal number for such a small college career.
Major Harris
Another quarterback who rivals the talent of White is Major Harris, the only Mountaineer to bring WVU to a national title game. In his career with the college football team, he received All-American honors among a list of many others and was later drafted by the Houston Texans in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played for the Miami Dolphins and even the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Story by Alexander Kall
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