For 21 years, Don Nehlen has motivated young athletes to achieve excellence and respect for themselves, their University, and the state of West Virginia. The man they call "Coach" has earned the reverence and love usually given to fathers. In a very real sense, Coach Nehlen is a father to West Virginia University football. You might say that, before he arrived in Morgantown, WVU football had enjoyed a long adolescence. Under Nehlen's steady hand it grew strong and entered the world mature and confident.
When Nehlen announced his retirement on November 4, following an ever-so-close 27-31 loss to the Syracuse Orangemen at Mountaineer Field, the news that West Virginia's legendary coach was bowing out at the end of the 2000 season came as a surprise to many. Around the state and the nation that Saturday, West Virginians and other followers of the game entered an emotional state akin to mourning.
Don Nehlen retiring? Why, it was just yesterday that he led those gold and blue-clad boys out onto the fresh green Astroturf for the first time ever at the brand-new Mountaineer Field. Not 1980, no way.
And that glorious October day when Joe Paterno had to gamely shake Nehlen's hand following the Mountaineers' long-anticipated, super-sweet victory over Penn State—51-30!—was that really in 1988, 12 years ago?
Had seven years passed since Nehlen's team stole the Miami Hurricanes' formidable wind in untropical Morgantown in November and beat them 17-14 on the way to a second undefeated regular season?
Nehlen, whose Mountaineers had beaten college football's best teams year after year, was calling his final play. Fans held their breath as it unfolded, and before their eyes appeared beautiful visions of past glory. Nehlen, they whispered. And in their hearts they felt again the wonderful quickening, like watching a perfectly thrown pass spiraling into the outstretched hands of a receiver waiting all alone in the middle of the end zone. Into the hands the ball sails, a seemingly slow-motion drop and It's a touchdown! and from the stands comes the roar of the faithful. The final play is over and Victory! They search the sidelines for his smiling, confident face and shout his name Nehlen! Nehlen!
But he is gone.
The 21 Seasons With
Don
In December 1979, Don Nehlen inherited a Mountaineer football
program that had posted four consecutive losing seasons. There
were plenty of good individual players, but depth and big, physical
linemen were not in abundance. Within a couple of years, Nehlen
and his coaching staff changed that. The Mountaineers produced
four straight Top 20 seasons and capacity crowds were a common
occurrence at Mountaineer Field.
This was a remarkable turnaround for a school that had only tasted that kind of sustained success once in its long football history, when Art "Pappy" Lewis had the Mountaineers nationally ranked in the mid-1950s. In the nine decades prior to Nehlen's arrival, no West Virginia football team made two consecutive bowl appearances. Nehlen made that era nothing more than a memory.
During the 1980 season, Nehlen's initial year in Morgantown, the Mountaineers finished 6-6 to snap the string of losing seasons and played with enthusiasm and dedication, just as the new coach had promised. And the 1981 campaign exceeded even the most die-hard fans' expectations. Led by quarterback Oliver Luck, the Mountaineers posted a 9-3 record and gained a berth in the Peach Bowl (WVU's first bowl appearance in six years), stunning the Florida Gators in a 26-6 rout. WVU finished the season ranked in the Top 20 by both major wire services.
The 1982 season started with a bang in Norman, Oklahoma, where the college football world found out that West Virginia would be a force to be reckoned with. After falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, WVU came back to post a coveted 41-27 triumph over the Sooners. The Old Gold and Blue added victories over Maryland and Boston College on the way to a Top 10 ranking that year; a Gator Bowl appearance capped a second straight 9-3 season and Top 20 finish for one of college football's up-and-coming programs.
The
1983 season brought another 9-3 record, capped by a 20-16 victory
over Kentucky in the Hall of Fame Bowl and a 16th-place finish
in the polls. Facing one of college football's most difficult
schedules, the Mountaineers scored victories over bowl-bound
Maryland, Boston College, and Pitt that year.
During the 1984 campaign, the Mountaineers captured seven of their first eight games on the way to a spot in the Top 10. WVU not only downed rival Pitt for a second time, but also scored back-to-back wins over fourth-ranked Boston College and Penn State; BC's Heisman Trophy winner, Doug Flutie, suffered his fourth consecutive defeat at the hands of WVU. In the Bluebonnet Bowl, WVU marched into Houston's Astrodome and completely dominated TCU in a 31-14 rout for an 8-4 final record. The success continued in 1985 as the team posted a 7-3-1 mark, but dipped to 4-7 in 1986 as the
In 1987, the team went 6-6, five of those setbacks coming by a total of only 15 points. Nehlen and his staff were working with a freshman quarterback named Major Harris; after a rocky start, WVU began to roll, ending with a near-upset of undefeated Syracuse and a surprising, but well-deserved, Sun Bowl berth versus Oklahoma State.
Then, in 1988, the pieces fell into place;
West Virginia football was the talk of the nation, posting a
perfect 11-0 regular season mark, the first undefeated campaign
for Nehlen over three decades of coaching at the high school
and collegiate levels. The undefeated effort included wins over
Syracuse, Pitt, and Penn State en route to West Virginia's first-ever
Lambert Trophy and a berth opposite Notre Dame in the Sunkist
Fiesta Bowl playing for the national championship. Don Nehlen,
Major Harris, Renaldo Turnbull, Chris Haering, Bo Orlando, and
Reggie Rembert became household names, bringing the success story
of Mountaineer football into living rooms across the nation.
In 1989, the Mountaineers were 8-3-1 and invited to the Gator
Bowl; Turnbull, Rembert, and Mike Fox were all selected in the
first two rounds of the NFL draft. After a 4-7 record during
a rebuilding season in 1990, Nehlen and the Mountaineers returned
to the winning side of the ledger with a 6-5 mark during 1991
(the first season for the new Big East football conference) and
the 1992 squad battled hard luck and injuries to post a 5-4-2
record overall.
That fight paid dividends in 1993, when West Virginia was again at the forefront of the national championship hunt. Predicted to finish no better than fourth, West Virginia went a perfect 7-0 in Big East play, winning the league's first-ever round-robin championship with victories over Syracuse, Boston College, and Miami (the Hurricanes' first loss ever in Big East play). Posting another 11-0 regular season, the Mountaineers advanced as high as second in the national polls and accepted a bid to the USF&G Sugar Bowl, facing the Florida Gators.
In 1994, Nehlen produced what may have
been his finest coaching effort ever. From day one, when he took
a young and inexperienced team to the Kickoff Classic to face
the eventual national champion, Nebraska, Nehlen held his squad
together through a 1-4 start to post a winning season and a third-place
finish in the Big East, earning a berth in the Carquest Bowl
against South Carolina.
In 1995, the Mountaineers fought through injuries and inexperience
to post a 5-6 record, finishing the season with a 21-0 shutout
of Pitt. A year later, West Virginia returned to the bowl scene,
playing North Carolina in the Gator Bowl to cap an 8-4 campaign
in 1996. In 1997 there was another Florida bowl bid, as a Mountaineer
squad that rose as high as 17th in the polls before a rash of
mid-season injuries still managed a 7-5 mark and a Carquest Bowl
bid against Georgia Tech.
In 1998, WVU opened against No. 1 Ohio State at Mountaineer Field,
a game that was talked about all summer among WVU fans. Although
WVU did not pull the upset, that showing against the nation's
best set the tone for a solid season, with an 8-4 record and
an Insight.com Bowl berth against Missouri. In 1999, West Virginia
posted a 4-7 record that included a 52-21 win over Pitt at home
in the Backyard Brawl.
In Nehlen's final season at WVU, he led
the Mountaineers to a 7-5 record crowned by a decisive victory
over Mississippi in the Music City Bowl-win number 202 in Nehlen's
career.
WVU Sports Communications
Admiration and Respect
"I was a West Virginian, but he's the one who sold me on
the idea that West Virginia University could be more than it
had been and that I could be a part of something special. That
wasn't a sales job-it came to fruition."
Bill Legg '84, offensive coordinator
"As
long as you gave your best to Coach Nehlen, he returned it twice
as much for you."
Rick Gilliam, offensive lineman, 2000
"He's just a wonderful person who has done a fabulous job at [WVU]. I know the impact he's had on kids' lives there." Butch Davis, head coach, University of Miami
"The name of the game is players,
and the way Don has gotten good players in there and kept them
playing hard is a real credit to his ability as a coach."
Frank Beamer, head coach, Virginia Tech
"He is not only a great football coach,
but also a great gentleman and a good example for young coaches
coming into the profession. Coach Nehlen is someone that parents
would be proud for their son to play for."
Phillip Fulmer, head coach, University of Tennessee
"Don Nehlen is considered to be the
E.F. Hutton of college coaching because when he speaks, out of
respect for his wisdom and experience, we all listen. College
football certainly will miss one of the icons of our profession."
Joe Tiller, head coach, Purdue University
"I have a tremendous amount of respect
and admiration for what he's done to make West Virginia a traditional
national power. He's a man truly respected by his peers."
Carl Torbush, head coach, University of North Carolina
The House That Nehlen
Built
A scarf around his neck, Syracuse Athletic Director Jake Crouthamel
stood late Saturday afternoon [Nov. 4, 2000] outside West Virginia
University's Puskar Center.
About 15 yards away was the entrance to Syracuse's locker room. . . . As the Orangemen prepared to leave Morgantown, Crouthamel considered a question regarding whether WVU's football program was "in place" in the wake of the surprising resignation of Mountaineer Coach Don Nehlen.
"Look at it," Crouthamel said.
Before him was the football building. He was 60 feet from the weight room, looking up at the stands in the south end zone and the new $2 million video scoreboard. A jog around the building would reveal the adjacent two-year-old indoor practice center. Crouthamel said he was being forced to ponder video boards for his well-respected program's stadium, the Carrier Dome.
All the structure, including the Big East
Conference's largest on-campus stadium with 63,500 seats, will
greet the next coach hired by the Mountaineers.
Mike Cherry, Charleston Daily Mail
Thank You, Coach
All of those who love West Virginia and West Virginia University
are grateful to Don Nehlen for his significant contributions
to our state and University. He has given us his best years as
our football coach, bringing us national prominence and respect.
His more than two decades coaching the Mountaineers have inspired
an enormous pride in WVU and given new meaning to the words "Mountaineer
Spirit." His enduring record has forever changed the way
people look at West Virginia University, and, indeed, West Virginia.
Don and his wife Merry Ann have always been role models for our University community. Their skill as parents and love for each other are evident to all who know them.
Hundreds of young men owe their careers
to the climate of success created by this coach. His legendary
compassion, honesty, practicality, earnestness, and commitment
to hard work have made better players—both in the game and
in life.
And not only has Coach Nehlen branded WVU with a remarkable football
legacy, he has focused the spotlight on us through his leadership
of the American Football Coaches Association and other national
positions. As a proud partner, we have championed his honors
over the years.
On behalf of a thankful University, I want to congratulate a great coach for a job well done. Don Nehlen will always symbolize the very best of WVU.
President David C. Hardesty Jr.
The Nehlen Record at WVU 1980-2000
- 17 winning seasons (out of 21)
- 13 post-season bowl games
- Two undefeated regular seasons, 1988 and 1993
- Total wins, losses, ties: 149-93-4
- Career total wins: 202, one of only 17 college football coaches ever to achieve 200 Division 1-A wins
- 78 players became professionals
- 15 first-team all-American players
- 6 academic all-American players
- National Coach of the Year, 1988
- Big East Coach of the Year, 1993
- President, American Football Coaches Association, 1997
- Service Award, American Football Coaches Association, 1998
Values and Beliefs
Don Nehlen measures his success by the amount of people he's
reached, and the lives he's affected, through Mountaineer football.
That includes his players and their families, his coaches and
support staff, the fans throughout the state, and alumni around
the world-even the opposition. Coaches respect Don Nehlen, not
because he has beaten just about all of those he's faced during
more than four decades of competition, but because of what he
stands for. He's a down-to-earth guy who thinks the best things
in life are his wife, his grandkids, and hot fudge sundaes. He
believes in honesty, he believes in preparation, and he believes
that the discipline and lessons learned through playing football
will make you a better player in the game of life. He believes
in teamwork, he believes that patience is a virtue, he believes
that everyone who is a part of his football program is "family"
and thus somebody special. He believes that persistence pays
and that hard work and earnest commitment get you everywhere.
