Stewart to visit Bluefield

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April 24, 2010

By TOM BONE Bluefield Daily Telegraph The Bluefield Daily Telegraph Sat Apr 24, 2010, 05:00 AM EDT

BLUEFIELD — The support that southern West Virginians give to West Virginia University athletics is evident when a surge of traffic flows northward on game days in Morgantown.

The financial support is substantial, too, and that brings coaches and major athletics administrators to Mercer County each spring on a prospecting trip known as the Coaches Caravan.

The need for funding is immediate and ongoing, said Frazier Miller, a West Virginia alumnus who has been in on planning these WVU dinners since they began in the 1960s. The university does not apply any of its state-appropriated funds to the athletic budget, he said.

“Most universities contribute to the athletic program,” he said Friday, “but they totally bank on the Mountaineer Athletic Club to keep it going.” That supports all 17 WVU sports and more than 350 male and female student-athletes.

Miller noted that WVU athletics, across the board, has climbed to 12th nationally in the Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings and is first among Big East schools.

The coaches’ stop this spring is set for Wednesday, May 19, at the Bluefield Elks Club. A social hour starts at 6 p.m. to be followed by the dinner. The cost, $65 per person, has remained the same for three years now.

Football coach Bill Stewart, assistant men’s basketball coach Erik Martin and the head coach of gymnastics, Linda Burdett-Good, are expected to speak at the Bluefield stop, one of 10 on this year’s tour.

The evening will include highlight videos from the football and men’s basketball seasons, door prizes and a question-and-answer session with the WVU staff.

The recent success of the basketball teams and Mountaineer football have no doubt helped the donation total.

“Some of it does depend on your win-loss (record),” Miller said. “Mountaineer fans have always been here, but it’s just grown. Surrounding counties are well-represented at our functions as well.”

“It’s a matter of loyalty,” he said. “They just show their support and loyalty for Mountaineer sports.”

As usual, the master of ceremonies at the dinner will be Gary McPherson, senior director of athletic development at WVU.

“We always have a great reception in the Bluefield area,” he said Friday by phone. He referred to trips made to Morgantown by local fans. “My hat is off to them because it’s not the easiest trip from Bluefield.”

After coaching for about 35 years, he moved over to work with the Mountaineer Athletic Clubs for the past 16 years. He said both jobs are similar, in that they deal with “recruiting.”

“We recruit contributors for their financial ability,” he said. “We get out and meet with people, and let them see what the needs are.”

“Our caravan is very important,” he said. “It provides us an opportunity to get around the state and tell them what is going on here in Morgantown.”

Contributors enjoy “a chance to mingle” with the coaches, he said. “They’re right there where you get to ask them questions, take a picture, get an autograph.”

He spoke of “our commitment of over $6 million to provide scholarships to our student-athletes.” The mission also encompasses private support for capital projects, such as athletics facilities construction on campus, and endowments.

He said 475 student-athletes made the athletic director’s “honor roll” with grade point averages of 3.0 or better.

“That’s a primary goal, to see that our students receive an education. ... These young people need to be prepared to face the world when they get out of here.”

He said in his efforts to get to “all parts of the state,” he has observed, “We don’t have that many people — but we have a lot of proud people.”

Miller said the Mercer County Mountaineer Athletic Club covers Bluefield, Princeton “and surrounding areas of both Virginias.”

He also noted the upcoming appearance of retired WVU football coach Don Nehlen in Bluefield, Va., on April 29, to speak to the Sales Executive Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

“He’d be welcome over at ours, too,” Miller said.

— Contact Tom Bone at

tbone@bdtonline.com

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