Team Information

1922 (10-0-1)

Roster | Stats

Date Opponent Time
Sat., Sept. 30 vs. West Virginia Wesleyan W, 20-3
Sat., Oct. 7 Marietta W, 55-0
Sat., Oct. 14 at Pitt W, 9-6
Sat., Oct 21 vs. Washington & Lee T, 12-12
Sat., Oct. 28 Rutgers W, 28-0
Sat., Nov. 4 at Cincinnati W, 34-0
Sat., Nov. 11 at Indiana W, 33-0
Sat., Nov. 18 Virginia W, 13-0
Sat., Nov. 25 Ohio W, 28-0
Thurs., Nov. 30 Washington & Jefferson W, 14-0
Mon., Dec. 25 vs. Gonzaga (East-West Classic) W, 21-13

1988 (11-1)

Roster | Stats

Date Opponent Result
Sat., Sept. 3 Bowling Green W, 62-14
Sat., Sept. 10 Cal-Fullerton W, 45-10
Sat., Sept. 17 Maryland W, 55-24
Sat., Sept. 24 at #18 Pitt W, 31-10
Sat., Oct. 1 at Virginia Tech W, 22-10
Sat., Oct. 8 at East Carolina W, 30-10
Sat., Oct. 22 Boston College W, 59-19
Sat., Oct. 29 Penn State W, 51-30
Sat., Nov. 5 at Cincinnati W, 51-13
Sat., Nov. 12 at Rutgers W, 35-25
Sat., Nov. 19 #14 Syracuse W, 31-9
Mon., Jan. 2 vs. #1 Notre Dame (Fiesta Bowl) L, 21-34

Head Coaches

Career Wins - 30

Career Losses - 6

Career Ties - 3

Clarence "Doc" Spears

- 1921-24 -

The late Clarence "Doc" Spears owns the highest winning percentage of any Mountaineer football coach with at least a four-year tenure. During his years at WVU from 1921-24, Dr. Spears compiled a record of 30-6-3, good for a winning percentage of .808.

Born in DeWitt, Ark., Spears had the distinction of coaching three All-Americans in Russ Meredith, Fred Graham and Red Mahan and also had four second team All-America picks. He led WVU to its first bowl game in 1922, San Diego's East-West Game, where the Mountaineers defeated Gonzaga 21-13 to cap a 10-0-1 season for the first undefeated season in school history.

The 1922 team racked up victories against Pitt, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Indiana, Virginia and Ohio, among others. The only blemish during that season was a 12-12 tie versus Washington & Lee. Spears' charges outscored the opposition 267-34 in 1922 and posted seven shutouts.

Bowl Wins

1922

Career Wins - 149

Career Losses - 93

Career Ties - 4

Don Nehlen

- 1980-00 -

Coach Don Nehlen, the winningest football coach in WVU history, served as Mountaineer coach from 1980-2000, posting a 149-93-4 record in Morgantown. One of the five winningest coaches in the nation at the time of his retirement, Nehlen's career record of 202-138-8 (including nine seasons as head coach at Bowling Green from 1968-76) made him one of only 17 coaches in NCAA history to record 200 wins.

Taking WVU to 13 bowls and 17 winning seasons, Nehlen coached 15 first team All-Americans, 82 all-conference players, six first team Academic All-Americans and 80 players who went on to professional football. He received coach of the year honors from Kodak, AFCA, Bobby Dodd Award, Walter Camp, Scripps-Howard, Playboy, Woody Hayes Award, Joseph Sheehan Award and was the unanimous choice as the 1993 BIG EAST coach of the year.

In 1997, Nehlen served as president of the 10,000-member American Football Coaches Association, the culmination of a career that saw him on the AFCA's Board of Trustees, chair of the College Football Association's coaches committee and a nominator for the College Footbal Hall of Fame. After quarterbacking Bowling Green to a MAC championship, Nehlen began his coaching career in 1958 at Mansfield (Ohio) High School. He served as head coach at Canton South and Canton McKinley Highs, and was an assistant coach at Cincinnati, Bowling Green and Michigan. His last game as a head coach was a 49-38 win over Ole Miss in the 2000 Music City Bowl.

A member of the Mid-American Conference, Bowling Green and Gator Bowl halls of fame, Nehlen has a bachelor's degree (1958) from Bowling Green and a master's (1966) from Kent State. A native of Canton, Ohio, he and his wife Merry Ann have two children - Dan and Vicky - and five grandchildren.

Bowl Wins

1981

1983

1984

2000

Top Players

Fred Graham - End -
Walter Mahan - Guard -
Russ Meredith - Tackle -
Nick Nardacci - Running Back -
Jack Simons - Running Back -
Charles Tallman - End -
Major Harris - Quarterback -
Kevin Koken - Center -
Reggie Rembert - Wide Receiver -
Bo Orlando - Defensive Back -
Robert Pickett - Linebacker -
Renaldo Turnbull - Defensive End -