On this West Virginia Morning, a festival highlights the grassroots movement to reclaim the Black roots of folk and country music, and a new tourism trail highlights the brewers and distillers of southern West Virginia.
Home » September 6, 1980: Singer John Denver Helps Dedicate New Mountaineer Field
Published
September 6, 1980: Singer John Denver Helps Dedicate New Mountaineer Field
Listen
Share this Article
On September 6, 1980, singer John Denver and some 50,000 West Virginia University fans belted out a rousing rendition of “Country Roads” to dedicate new Mountaineer Field in Morgantown.
The big day also marked the first game for new football coach Don Nehlen. WVU’s 41-27 victory over Cincinnati would be the first of 149 wins at WVU for Nehlen, who was on his way to becoming the most successful coach in school history and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
New Mountaineer Field replaced the old one, built in 1924, on the downtown campus. The new stadium initially seated 50,000, but expansions increased it to 63,500. The stadium’s largest crowd—some 70,000 fans—showed up in 1993 to watch WVU beat Miami of Florida to win its first Big East Conference title, in the midst of an undefeated regular season.
In the ‘90s, luxury skyboxes were added, and the Caperton Indoor Facility was completed, allowing teams to practice regardless of weather. In 2003, the stadium was renamed in honor of benefactor Mylan Puskar, while the playing field is still known as Mountaineer Field.
Maestro André Raphel who served as music director of the WSO from 2003-2018, will be taking the podium once again at the Capitol Theater in Wheeling on Thursday May 15 to conduct La Valse by Maurice Ravel, to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the WSO as well as the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ravel.
Two international students studying in West Virginia will be permitted to stay in the United States following new visa developments on the federal level.
To mark Earth Day, West Virginia University has announced a comprehensive set of 20-plus sustainability goals, to attain significant environmental improvements across the university's campus by 2035.