W.Va. lawmaker wants WVU to continue series with Marshall
As if there weren’t enough issues to worry about as a state senator, one West Virginia representative wants to try his hand at intercollegiate athletics.
Late Tuesday night, it was announced that Sen. Mike Woelfel plans to introduce a bill to guarantee that the West Virginia and Marshall basketball rivalry will continue beyond this year.
"“I have formed an impression that this series is over unless some action is taken,” Woelfel said. “Unless there is some affirmative intervention, the universities won’t meet again in basketball.”"
The most recent, and presumably final, rivalry contest between the Mountaineers and Thundering Herd took place on Dec. 17 in Charleston. WVU won the game, 86-68. Shortly after the final whistle, reports came out that it likely would be the final game between the two schools moving forward.
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That’s where Woelfel steps in.
He calls this bill the, Athletic Tradition Bill. In it, he states that, “The annual basketball contest serves to promote goodwill among West Virginians. It showcases the schools, the capital city and generates substantial revenue. The citizens of our state support the two universities with their hard earned tax dollars. West Virginians overwhelmingly support the game, watch it and deserve a continuation of the match-up.”
Woelfel certainly has a point. The game does bring together most of the state’s 1.8 million people with some rooting interest. Woelfel, himself, is a graduate of both WVU and Marshall.
This match up hits even closer to home for Woefel as he lives and works in Huntington. He is a democrat from Cabell County, home of Marshall’s campus.
The series used to switch between Huntington and Morgantown, with home games on each campus. The teams have been regularly playing each other since 1978. The past 25 match ups have been played in Charleston.
Last year, Marshall head coach Dan D’Antoni was quoted saying he would like to play WVU twice a year, once in Huntington and once in Morgantown.
He’s pushing his luck. Marshall is not in the Big 12, obviously. So, there is no need to play each other twice. It’s a preposterous idea. Now, playing once a year, like they have been, isn’t out of the question.
But it is for most WVU fans who feel the Mountaineers have nothing to gain playing “little brother” Marshall.
Woelfel feels an opposite reaction. It will be interesting to see if other powers-that-be in West Virginia agree with him.