Since West Virginia’s first intercollegiate football game in 1891, thousands and thousands of individuals have played for the Mountaineers.
The first recorded use of numbers on WVU uniforms was in 1915, and they have been a standard fixture ever since. For many, the number is almost as much an identifier during their careers as their name. At West Virginia, who could think of Jerry West without No. 44 or Major Harris without No. 9?
With that came the idea of putting together a list of the best Mountaineer to wear each number for both football and men’s basketball.
Some student-athletes wore multiple numbers during their careers. When more than one uniform number was used, I tried to focus on the digit that was associated the most with that individual. I’ll admit this list is completely subjective, so feel free to express your own opinions on the BlueGoldNews.com message boards.
We’ll start out on the football side and over the next few weeks run through our picks for the best to ever don each number.
Today we’ll look at numbers 0-9 on the gridiron.
0 – Bryce Ford-Wheaton (WR, 2020). This is an easy choice since Ford-Wheaton is the only Mountaineer to ever wear zero, taking advantage of a new NCAA rule in 2020 allowing the use of that number. He wore #83 his first two years in the program before switching to #0 last season.
Honorable mention – none
1 – Tavon Austin (WR, 2009-12). WVU’s all-time leader in career receptions (288) and receiving yards (3,413) also happens to have the best single-game rushing performance in Mountaineer history (344 yards vs. Oklahoma in 2012). A first-round NFL draft choice, the argument could be made Austin is the greatest Mountaineer ever, not just the greatest to wear No. 1. Austin was a first-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2013, going No. 8 overall. He’s spent the past eight years in the NFL.
Honorable mention – Vann Washington, Jerry Porter, Kay-Jay Harris, Shelton Gibson, Tony Fields, T.J. Simmons
2 – Rasheed Marshall (QB, 2001-04). The Big East offensive player of the year in his senior season, Marshall finished his career with 5,558 passing yards (third in school history at the time of his graduation) and 7,598 total yards (second). He was a fifth-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005 and spent one season with that NFL club.
Honorable mention – Dan Kendra, Lind Murray, Charles Emanuel, Darius Reynaud, Robert Sands, David Sills, Ka’Raun White
3 – Stedman Bailey (WR, 2010-12). Bailey is second in WVU history behind only contemporary Tavon Austin in receptions (210) and receiving yards (3,218). Bailey and Austin each hauled in 114 receptions in 2012, tying them at the top of West Virginia’s single-season list, while Stedman’s 1,622 receiving yards and 25 receiving touchdowns each are the best ever in a single season in Mountaineer history. Drafted in the third round by the St. Louis Rams in 2013, Bailey played three years in the NFL before an off-field injury forced him from the game.
Honorable mention – Billy Evans, Paul Woodside, John Holifield, Alvoid Mays, Matt Taffoni, Quincy Wilson, Charles Sims, Skyler Howard
4 – Marc Bulger (QB, 1999, also wore #10 in 1996-98). Bulger wore #10 throughout most of his WVU career, but switched to #4 his senior season to honor his father, Jim, who wore that number during his college career at Notre Dame. Though an injury severely limited Marc’s senior season, he still finished atop of the Mountaineer record book in passing yards (8,153), attempts (1,023) and completions (524), although Geno Smith has since passed him by. Drafted in the sixth round by New Orleans in 2000, Bulger’s NFL journey took him to St. Louis and Baltimore for a 10-year ride. He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 and was eventually followed there by his basketball-playing sisters, Kate (2018) and Meg (2019).
Honorable mention – Leddie Brown, Jahmile Addae, Shaq Riddick, Charles Fisher, Steve Grant, Wendell Smallwood
5 – Pat White (QB, 2005-08). The first and still only college quarterback to start and win four bowl games, White could beat an opponent with his feet (4,480 career rushing yards, twice as many as any other WVU QB) or his arm (6,049 passing yards, fifth in school history). Drafted in the second round by the Miami Dolphins in 2009, White spent one year with that club. He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Honorable mention – Jack Eastwood, Travis Curtis, Antonio Brown, Chris Henry, Mario Alford
6 – Grant Wiley (LB, 2000-03). Wiley bookended his WVU career with notable honors, being named the Big East Rookie of the Year as a redshirt freshman than then earning consensus All-America honors as a senior. His 492 career tackles remain the most in Mountaineer history. His 47.5 tackles for loss also are West Virginia’s career record. The Trappe, Pennsylvania, native was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
Honorable mention – David Saunders, Daikiel Shorts, Dravon Askew-Henry
7 – Will Grier (QB, 2017-18). A transfer from Florida, Grier’s star burned exceptionally bright in his two seasons at WVU. His 2018 season (3,864 passing yards) and 2017 season (3,490 yards) are the third and fifth best years in Mountaineer history. Despite a career that featured just 22 games, his 71 passing TDs are the second-most in school history behind only Geno Smith’s 98. Grier was drafted by his hometown Carolina Panthers in the third round in 2019 and has spent the past two years with that club.
Honorable mention – Clay Hite, John Talley, Mike Baker, Bryan Bauman, David Carter, Brandon Myles, Noel Devine, Daryl Worley, Rushel Shell, Josh Chandler-Semedo
8 – Karl Joseph (DB, 2012-15). Though his senior season was cut short after just four games because of a knee injury suffered in practice, Joseph is one of the great safeties in WVU history. For his 42-game career, he had 208 tackles, nine interceptions and eight fumbles forced. He was a first-round pick by the Oakland Raiders in the 2016 NFL Draft. He’s spent the past five years in the NFL.
Honorable mention – Danny Buggs, Charlie Bauman, Chad Johnston, Khori Ivy, Keith Tandy, Kyzir White
9 – Major Harris (QB, 1987-89). In his three seasons steering the Mountaineer offense, Harris guided WVU to heights the football program had never reached before, including an opportunity to play for the 1988-89 national championship. At the time of his graduation, Harris’ 7,334 yards of total offense were the most ever by a Mountaineer. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009 and the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
Honorable mention – Marshall Mills, Cedric Thomas, Larry Holley, Pac-Man Jones, K.J. Dillon, Clint Trickett
"football" - Google News
May 31, 2021 at 05:00PM
https://ift.tt/2SMRtpq
What's In A Number? The Top Football WVU Mountaineers: 0-9 | WVU | West Virginia Mountaineers sports coverage - Blue Gold News
"football" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ST7s35
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "What's In A Number? The Top Football WVU Mountaineers: 0-9 | WVU | West Virginia Mountaineers sports coverage - Blue Gold News"
Posting Komentar