Mountaineer fans praised after big win
West Virginia fans have built themselves up for notoriety. Sometimes, positives. Sometimes, negative.
On Tuesday, the Mountaineer Maniacs were heralded as some of the best.
WVU fans, students, alumni and the general public were lauded for their dedication to the basketball program on Tuesday. The Mountaineers beat Kansas, 74-63, in front of an announced attendance of 12,097.
When the game started, though, a majority of that crowd was not inside the WVU Coliseum. Many were sitting still in their cars on the roads and highways around Morgantown. A winter blast hit the region just as people were getting out of work, making their way to the game.
For about 3,000 students, nothing was keeping them away from their basketball team. The student section at the WVU Coliseum was filled as soon as the gates opened for the 7 p.m. With blue seats overwhelming the broadcast on ESPN2, seeing a full student section and hearing a loud crowd from behind the broadcasters table made things better.
Slowly but surely, fans began spilling into the arena. Traffic was still bad throughout the evening. Desperate measures were taken, including a daring adventure by former WVU baseball player Andy Altemus, who abandoned his car two miles away from the WVU Coliseum. He made the trek on foot and wound up at the game by the start of the second half.
"“The adventure of all adventures,” Altemus wrote on Twitter. “Worth every second and mile.”"
It was that kind of dedication that made Tuesday night’s win more special. Yeah, it stinks for the fans who spent their hard-earned money, because they couldn’t see the entire game. But being there for the final horn, watching (or even participating) in an epic court-rush and claiming victory over the No. 1 team in the nation is special.
Nobody in the stands scored a point or forced a steal, but their effort was noticed and appreciated.
"“Thank you Morgantown and Mountaineer Nation for braving Tuesday’s challenging conditions to make it to the Coliseum — or in front of your television sets — to support our basketball team and help it achieve an historic victory,” WVU Athletic Director Shane Lyons said in a statement. “We know the weather and road conditions presented obstacles to the community, even without the complicating factor of thousands of folks trying to get to the Coliseum for a nationally televised game against the No. 1 team in the nation. It was not feasible, nor even possible, to cancel or postpone the game as some have wondered or suggested, but this community came together in true Mountaineer determination to make it all work. It’s one reason Mountaineers are special.”"
Whether in your car, at your house or office or sitting in the WVU Coliseum, Mountaineer fans won’t forget this game. It was an instant classic and the kind of contest that will be talked about for decades. It took 33 years before the Mountaineers would win against a No. 1 team in Morgantown, like they did against UNLV in 1983.
The memories of this win will last much longer than the next 33 years.