Imagine wearing the signature buckskin uniform of the Mountaineer at a home WVU football game. Running up and down the field and in the stands, firing your musket at every touchdown. Quite a rush, right? Every Mountaineer mascot ever chosen for this honorable duty at West Virginia University has felt this rush of adrenaline. Now, imagine looking into the stands and seeing a blur of people. Individual faces are lost in the crowd—everything is fuzzy. This is what Mountaineer Derek Fincham sees when he turns around. He is legally blind.
You’d never know it watching him entertain the crowd, but the WVU student was born with a disability called X-linked ocular albinism. It’s a disorder that allows excess light into the eye, distorting his sight and causing nystagmus, or a shaking of the eyes. While the condition prevents him from driving and other daily tasks most people take for granted, it hasn’t kept him sidelined. In spring 2004, Fincham realized his childhood dream of donning the buckskins. Since he was ten, the Petersburg, West Virginia, native had his sights set on becoming the Mountaineer mascot.
“Through the support of my family and friends, I have been able to not only achieve this goal, but carry it out in my own unique way,” Fincham said. “I hope to one day advocate for other individuals with disabilities to help them achieve their life goals.”
Cheering for the Team
“Over the past two years as the Mountaineer, I have had many memorable games,” he said. “The overtime win against Maryland in 2004 was truly amazing, but the game I will never forget is the triple-overtime victory over Louisville last year.”
Nothing could be sweeter for Derek Fincham than charging on the field at the Georgia Dome and leading thousands of WVU fans in “let’s go, Mountaineers” at the January 2 Sugar Bowl. Except for maybe the thrill of cheering on the men’s basketball team during its Elite Eight and Sweet 16 runs in the NCAA tournament.
As exciting as it was to lead the Mountaineer football team on the field on game day, Fincham said the most important part of his job was visiting kids at the WVU Children’s Hospital.
During one such visit, an eight-year-old girl made a big impression on him.
“Her face lit up as I walked in,” Fincham recalled. “Her mother told me that she had been in the hospital for several weeks and I was the first person she talked to. No matter how many times I may be on TV or have my name in the paper, knowing that I made a difference in that one girl’s life has meant the most.”
Whether cheering up patients at Children’s Hospital or cheering the Mountaineers to victory, Fincham has loved every minute of it.
“The 2005 Gator Bowl—it was an experience that I will never forget,” he said. “The Mountaineers faced off against a great Florida State team coached by former Mountaineer coach Bobby Bowden.”
Even though WVU lost to FSU (30–18), Fincham never lost faith.
“The Mountaineers will head down to Atlanta and show Georgia what West Virginia football is all about,” he said, leading up to the 2006 Sugar Bowl. “I know that when the final shot is fired, the Mountaineers will come out with a victory and we will proudly sing Country Roads.”
And what a victory it was. WVU shocked No. 7 Georgia 38–35 to finish 11–1 and fifth in the nation.
Giving Back and Moving On
Besides serving as the WVU mascot for the past two years, Fincham is a spokesperson for the LeVar Burton Vision Enhancement Technology Center—named after the actor who played Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, a blind engineer on Star Trek: The Next Generation who was able to see with the help of a special visor. The center pairs researchers from the WVU School of Medicine and the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources to develop new vision-enhancing technologies.
Fincham earned his bachelor’s degree in religious studies from WVU last year and is working toward a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling. He uses a JORDY (Joint Optical Reflective Display) provided by the technology center—a high-tech device that looks like a pair of glasses and magnifies objects up to 30 times.
After graduation, he wants to pursue a master’s degree in divinity and return to West Virginia to be ordained as a Methodist minister. He also plans to practice as a private rehabilitation counselor and serve as an advocate for individuals fighting for equality in the workplace and their communities.
Fincham comes from a family steeped in Mountaineer tradition. His mom, Debbie, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from WVU in 1977. His dad, Dave, received a bachelor’s degree in art education in 1976 and a master’s degree in administration in 1981. They currently serve on the Mountaineer Parents Club visiting committee.
In addition, Fincham’s sister, Danielle, received a master’s degree in elementary education from the University in 2003, and her husband, Nickoli Riggins, graduated from WVU in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in biology.
“As you can see, my family is filled with true Mountaineers,” he said. “When it came time for me and my sister to apply for college, we both knew where we wanted to go. It is my hope to give my children the same Mountaineer pride that was passed down from my parents to me.”
Derek Fincham is one proud Mountaineer who hasn’t let his disability get in the way of his collegiate career and his love for WVU.