The West Virginia Mountaineers have a storied history, both on the gridiron as well as in several other collegiate sports. But one of the most iconic and recognizable parts of the WVU brand is the beloved Mountaineer mascot.
Suited up in a buckskin outfit and toting an old-school rifle, the Mountaineer has been the university's mascot since 1934, and features as an integral part of the WVU football game day experience -- firing the rifle when the team enters the stadium, at the end of each quarter, and upon every WVU score. The Mountaineer is also tasked with performing several push-ups upon each WVU score, with the number of push-ups reflecting the total number of points the team has scored in the game up to that point.
Countdown to kickoff, with @WVUMascot 📣🏈 pic.twitter.com/ZQnqlcLsv1
— WVU Sports (@WVUSports) July 9, 2025
On Thursday, ESPN published its "Mascot Power Rankings" for college football, with 21 mascots from various FBS schools (and two FCS programs) making a list that was divided into four different categories -- the "Costume Division," the "Mechanized Division," the "Human Division," and the "Live Animal Division."
WVU's 'Mountaineer' made the cut for the "Human Division," sharing the No. 2 ranking with a similarly themed SEC mascot -- Tennessee's 'Davy Crockett' character, meant to represent the program's 'Volunteers' nickname.
"I can already see my mentions from by-god WVU and my fellow Tennessee alums for the sharing of this spot, but two rowdy mountain men in coonskin caps who wield custom-built mountaineer rifles? I'll take my chances with those dudes walking into any tense situation, especially a football Saturday," wrote ESPN's Ryan McGee.
McGee also shared a funny anecdote about the WVU mascot's tradition of firing off his rifle after scores that dates back to the Big East days, where he noted that WVU ran the score up on a road trip to Boston College and had local fans on edge all day with the ensuing celebratory gunshots.
"Still one of the funniest things I've ever seen was at Boston College in the early days of the Big East football conference. Whenever West Virginia scored -- and that day, it was a lot -- that Mountaineer would blast his powder musket and those poor startled people of Chestnut Hill were convinced the Redcoats were back in town," McGee wrote.
The Mountaineer mascot duties are set to be handled by WVU student Cade Kincaid this season, and he followed Rich Rodriguez and select players to Big 12 Football Media Days earlier this month. While at the event in Dallas, he told members of the press that Rodriguez had given him some fun advice ahead of the 2025 season that should have Mountaineer fans eager to see the return of the veteran coach's offense to Morgantown.
"He said tell your people two things -- get ready to do more push-ups, and buy more gunpowder," Kincaid said.