New Orleans Saints lend a hand in West Virginia

West Virginia may be Mountaineer Country, but it is transforming into New Orleans Saints territory for the rest of the summer.

For the third consecutive year, the Saints have migrated from Louisiana to West Virginia for the three-week training camp in preparation for the grueling NFL season. The Mountain State may not  have any professional sports teams (aside from four Minor League Baseball franchises) but all residents can lay claim to the Saints for a short time.

The Saints, meanwhile, are making the most of their visit by helping out local communities in southern West Virginia.

Greenbrier County was ravaged by flood damage in June and citizens are still reeling from the effects. The torrential rain and river levels were hard to combat and even harder to shape up. As people from across the country have donated money and supplies to help the effort, Saints players donated their time and energy.

On Wednesday, a new park was built for West Virginia children by the players and coaches.

None of these players really have any ties to the state of West Virginia. The same goes for the New Orleans community. Players came from all over the country, in different circumstances, to join professional teams. When they’re playing in respective towns, many players take it upon themselves to give back to the cities they are playing in. Just like a businessman, lawyer or street sweeper, they are employees living and working in the city.

Greenbrier County, W.Va. which is about one thousand miles from New Orleans is also a different style of community. Skyscrapers are replaced by rolling hills. City streets are replaced by winding valleys. It truly is a world away from the kind of environment these players were raised in. Still, need knows no boundaries. And in southern West Virginia, the need is as prevalent as ever. By the Saints giving a small gesture, kids in Greenbrier County are seeing a big result.

Normally, it’s the West Virginia Mountaineers are who the heroes to children across the state. One part of the Mountain State will always treasure the New Orleans Saints. Their stay is only temporary, but Saints head coach Sean Payton wants to return to West Virginia as constantly as possible.

On top of the thousands of fans who will flock to the Greenbrier Resort to catch a glimpse of Saints practice, a Morgantown resident is also interested in the commotion.

WVU football head coach Dana Holgorsen traveled to the southern part of the state on Thursday, with his son, to watch some professional football. He was able to hang out with Payton and the coaching staff and maybe pick their brains to see how he can adapt a higher level of football to his team.

“It’s that time of the year,” Holgorsen said on a NOLA.com video. “When August 1 gets here, everyone kind of gets excited and eager to get started. The Saints are a great program. They have tremendous coaches. (Quarterback) Drew Brees is as fun to watch as I’ve seen. My son is a quarterback and he wanted to come over and watch him for a couple hours.”

When the Saints come marching in, it’s fun for the entire state to take notice. The black and gold may clash with West Virginia’s old gold and blue, but for about a month, all high levels of football are home in the Mountain State.