By Shelly Poe
The Mountaineer athletic program is undertak- ing a series of
facility enhancements to keep West Virginia University competitive.
Projects being planned or under way include renovation and modernization
of the Coliseum locker rooms, creation of a club seating area
on the lower level of the Coliseum, construction of a seating
grandstand at the soccer facility, addition of stadium suites
at the north end of Mountaineer Field, and an update to the public
display areas at the Puskar Center showcasing the tradition of
West Virginia football.
This aggressive investment will improve recruiting, allow WVU teams to be competitive at a higher level, increase revenue opportunities, and enhance Mountaineer fan comfort. Funding for the $24.5 million project will come from private contributions, a bond financing program, and stadium suite revenues.
For the latest news on the Big East Conference and WVU team sports, go to www.msnsportsnet.com.
Mickey Furfari is Mountaineer Proud
Mickey Furfari, the "dean" of
sportswriters in West Virginia, has been honored with a Mountaineer
Proud Endowment: a Legends of West Virginia University Basketball
Scholarship Fund was established in his honor.
Furfari is embarking
on his 56th year of covering the Mountaineers. His columns, features,
and news stories are syndicated by the Newspaper Holdings, Inc.,
chain in seven state newspapers. A 1948 graduate of the WVU School
of Journalism, he is an original member of the WVU Sports Hall
of Fame Selection Committee. He has written a football preview
for the WVU Alumni Magazine or alumni newsletter for some
32 years.
He writes "Where They Are Now" stories for the WVU
football and basketball game programs.
"The support for Mickey from all quarters of the WVU sports
family and Mountaineer following is heartening," said Norman
Julian, a former colleague who headed up the endowment. Furfari
was sports editor of The Morgantown Dominion Post for
40 years, and was sports editor of the Pacific edition of the
Stars and Stripes newspaper during World War II.
"I am truly grateful to the many, many fine people who contributed
to this project," said Furfari. "While I feel it's
most undeserving, I nonetheless certainly am appreciative of
the generosity and thoughtfulness of all those involved."
Furfari has been covering the Mountaineers since he and the late
Jack Fleming, the "Voice of the Mountaineers," were
co-sports editors of The Daily Athenaeum in 1946-47.
Legends endowments are part of the Mountaineer Pride program
established by Athletic Director Ed Pastilong to fund Mountaineer
athletics. All the money from the Legends legacy goes toward
basketball scholarships.
A previous Legends endowment honored Mickey's former colleague,
Tony Constantine, retired sports editor of the old Morgantown
Post. Both journalists were chief resource persons for the
book Legends, Profiles in WVU Basketball, by Julian.
The book features coaches and All-Americans at WVU from the 1930s
to the present. They, as well as athletic directors and friends
and readers of Furfari, contributed to the endowment.
Of profits from the book, ten percent go to the Legends endowments
that fund scholarships for WVU basketball players. The names
of both Furfari and Constantine appear on the Mountaineer Pride
display in the Coliseum and on bricks at the Scholars Walk in
front of the new Downtown Library Complex.
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"West Virginia basketball has a solid
tradition, but its facilities have not kept pace with those of
other Big East teams. A new locker room setup, improved study
and lounge areas for the players, and a modern team video theater
will bring Mountaineer basketball back in step with our competitors,
and give us the resources necessary to competing for Big East
and national titles." "An expansion of our Coliseum weight
facilities will pay big dividends in how our young ladies prepare
themselves for Big East basketball. And the locker room renovation
will be a boost in showing recruits and their families the importance
West Virginians place on their teams." "The addition of an 1,800-seat grandstand
tops off the facilities we have been building for Mountaineer
soccer. Fans want to see us play, and these new seats, along
with improved parking and handicap-accessible seating, will make
it more convenient and possible for them to do so. Those amenities,
plus first-class concession and restroom facilities, will give
us a big-time atmosphere that will keep Mountaineer soccer among
the best in the Big East." "Our existing stadium suites have
been tremendously popular, so the addition of a two-story, 19-suite
structure in the north end zone will give more fans and businesses
an opportunity to socialize and enjoy the games in first-class
comfort. Not only will we be generating revenue, but we will
be able to increase the ADA accessible seating and restrooms,
as well as change the look of that end of our stadium. It's an
exciting project." |
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