WVU Sports Hall of Fame

Inducted: 2006

Written by Bryan Messerly

West Virginia sports writing legend Domenick "Mickey" Furfari Jr. has spent 58 years covering the Mountaineers since his graduation from the WVU School of Journalism in 1948.

The Morgantown, W.Va., native was the co?sports editor of The Daily Athenaeum with the late Jack Fleming from 1946?48.

While in college, Furfari also worked for the Associated Press in Huntington, W.Va., before serving in the U.S. Army in World War II from 1943?46, part of that time as sports editor of Pacific Stars and Stripes.

Furfari spent 1948 as assistant sports editor at the Charleston Gazette before returning to Morgantown to work 40 years (1949?89) as a managing editor, sports editor, Sunday editor and executive sports editor for Morgantown newspapers.

He has garnered a wide variety of honors throughout his illustrious career, including: Young Man of the Year from the Morgantown Jaycees (1958), Gene Morehouse Memorial Award from West Virginia Sports Writers Association (1974), Proficiency Award from the Morgantown Touchdown Club (1976) and the Perley Isaac Reed Award from the WVU School of Journalism. The West Virginia Sports Writers Association's college coach of the year award is named for him and a Legends of West Virginia University basketball scholarship fund was created in his name.

A five?time West Virginia Sports Writer of the Year, Furfari is a lifetime member of the WVU Alumni Association, West Virginia Sports Writers Association and Baseball Writers Association of America. He is a current member of the WVU all?time and WVU Sports Hall of Fame selection committees.

Furfari lives in Morgantown and has spent the last two decades as a special writer/columnist for syndicate of seven West Virginia newspapers.

He and his late wife Betty had three children: J. Michael, Jane Stofferahn and Lisa Meduho; six grandchildren: Ryan and Matthew Stofferahn, Leigh Anne Pederson, Lauren Meduho, Robin and Tina Furfari; and two great?granchildren: Brooke and Reese Pederson.

Furfari was officially inducted into the College Basketball Writers Hall of Fame at the Final Four in Houston, Texas in 2011.

Updated 4/18/2011