This past baseball season, the West Virginia Mountaineers made a historic run to their first-ever College World Series, hosting an NCAA Regional for the first time in seven seasons and an NCAA Super Regional for the first-time ever on the way to finishing among the final four teams in the nation.
During that run, the West Virginia fan basetook center stageas the went viral multiple times for their incredible turnout at Kendrick Family Ballpark that resulted in an electric atmosphere, which culminated in a tradition every West Virginia fan knows well – the singing of "Take Me Home, Country Roads."
The song, which has become an unofficial theme song for the university over the years, first became a post-game tradition during Rich Rodriguez's first tenure leading the football program in the 2000's. And Rodriguez, who was in attendance for some of the thrilling home baseball games where the song went viral, revealed some insight into how that tradition came to be.
Rich Rodriguez talks origins of "Country Roads" post-game tradition
Rodriguez was asked exactly how the idea came to be and whose idea it initially was to make the move. Names mentioned included Rich himself, current WVU football Chief of Staff Dusty Rutledge, and Rita Rodriguez, Rich's long-time wife.
"It was a collaboration," Rodriguez said. "Rita might say it was her, Dusty would definitely say it was him. I thought it was just a good way to keep fans in the stands after the game."
From those humble origins, the tradition grew to be one of the greatest, most recognizable traditions in all of college sports. And now, the athletic department is coming off a summer wherethe Rodriguez-birthed tradition helped earn West Virginia's brandsome significant national exposurethat will only continue to help the Mountaineers grow in every sport.
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