An older WVU football tradition may be resurrected for the 2016 season.
Helmet stickers once adorned the West Virginia helmets in the days of “old” Mountaineer Field. They were bestowed to players who best exemplified a strong work ethic and dedication to the WVU football program.
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Players earned these stickers and wore them as a sign of pride in practices and games.
Other major Division I football programs like Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Clemson, Stanford, Michigan State and others still use this practice to showcase their top players.
Now, the Mountaineers might be bringing the tradition back again.
At the Spring Game last month at The Greenbrier Resort, some Mountaineer players had stickers adorned on their helmets.
The stickers took the shape of a musket and a miniature Mountaineer mascot. Both are symbols associated with the WVU football program and the entire state of West Virginia.
In essence, it’s the Mountaineers who are the lifeblood of many West Virginians. The WVU football program and the Mountaineer-related symbols represent the state from top to bottom. The next best thing to showcase the state would be a pepperoni roll.
Whether the stickers are muskets, mountaineers, pepperoni rolls, coal, pick axes or rhododendrons, it really doesn’t matter. The sticker is a nice touch for the players to wear their achievements so all can see.
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The helmet stickers open a world of completion between the players to see who can collect the most. More than likely, the fans won’t be able to learn about how players go about earning the helmet stickers. That’s a secret best kept within the WVU football program.
However, fans can see firsthand how many stickers a player will earn. Obviously, the more stickers the better.
But, it’s up to head coach Dana Holgorsen if the stickers will remain throughout training camp and into the 2016 season.