Mountaineer Legends Society

• By Michael Fragale
• Posted July 21, 2016

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will introduce the Mountaineer Legends Society this fall at Milan Puskar Stadium, and it will serve as one of three ways the department can use to honor its past great student-athletes.

The WVU Sports Hall of Fame will serve as the first honor to recognize greatness in Mountaineer athletics. A former student-athlete must first be inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame to be considered for the next step of recognition.

After induction into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame, the second step to honor Mountaineer greatness will be with a Legends Society distinction, if the student-athlete meets the criteria for his or her sport. Criteria for Legends Society status has been established for all 18 current varsity sports, along with former sports, so that each program can recognize its past great student-athletes.

The Mountaineer Legends Society program will replace the retirement of a jersey honor, which had previously served as the second form of recognition. The ultimate honor for greatness in a Mountaineer uniform will still be to have a number retired. Currently only two numbers in football and two in men’s basketball have been retired.

Football will kick off the Mountaineer Legends Society this fall with the addition of Legends Park outside the north entrance of Milan Puskar Stadium. In addition, fans will see the football Legends on column wraps around the stadium’s concourse. With their induction into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame and attainment of the new established criteria set for football, a total of 36 former football players will make the initial entrance into the Mountaineer Legends Society.

Men’s and women’s basketball legends will be unveiled once the WVU Coliseum renovations are completed, and the department will determine and initiate the timeline for the remaining varsity sports in the future.

“This project has been in the developmental stage for several years, and I believe it will give us another great avenue to honor our history,” Director of Athletics Shane Lyons said. “This club will be like our own ring of honor. We are calling it Mountaineer Legends Society because that’s what these former student-athletes are to our fans. Their accomplishments are greatly appreciated and now with three forms of recognition, first being the Hall of Fame, next the Legends Society and then the ultimate retiring of the number, I believe fans will start to see more of our all-time greats being honored.”

A yearly review will determine if a sport has a student-athlete who qualifies for Legends Society status based on criteria set for that sport. If or when the athlete is inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame and the required sport criteria has been met during his or her career, admission into the Mountaineer Legends Society will be automatic.