MORGANTOWN — Morgantown High School football head coach Sean Biser and his three sons, Jacob, Caden and Jackson, have always had the game of football in common.
All four of them played for Keyser before moving on to college. Coach Biser played for West Virginia University as a lineman for three years from 1990-92. Caden followed in his dad’s footsteps and joined the Mountaineers in 2021 after playing his senior season at Morgantown High following his father’s hiring.
Jacob and Jackson played together at Frostburg State. After Jacob graduated, he joined his father on the staff of Morgantown High, and Jackson transferred to Sheperd before finally arriving at WVU for the upcoming 2024 season. The eldest Biser, Tyler, was also a football player for the Golden Tornado.
With Jackson’s recent addition to the Mountaineers, the Biser family’s football journey has come full circle, converging at a local stop. Biser and his three youngest sons are deeply ingrained in the local football scene, either playing or coaching the sport.
“It’s special to have the three of them here and involved with the game,” Coach Biser said. “From when they were babies in their carriers to when they could play themselves, they were always around practices and games.”
Biser remembers giving his sons their sleds to push while he ran weightlifting with his team at practice.
“They grew up with it in the locker room and on the field, and now, as they’ve gotten older, to have Caden and Jackson playing at WVU and Jacob at MHS coaching with us, it’s special to me,” he said.
Caden said he couldn’t forget the sound of the metal sled scraping on the concrete as he and his brothers pushed it back and forth.
“It probably didn’t go more than ten yards,” he said. “But it made us feel like one of those guys playing for our dad.”
Eventually, they all became “one of those guys” playing for Coach Biser at Keyser High School, which Jackson said he holds close to him. Family was a huge influence in Jackson’s decision to transfer to WVU and continue playing football.
“I had been through a few injuries and honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to play another season,” he said. “When WVU called, I knew it was a no-brainer. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play where my dad played and get to play with Caden.”
For Jacob, who is on staff with his father at MHS, continuing to be involved in the sport was important to him, and after graduating from Frostburg, coming to coach in Morgantown was the perfect opportunity.
“Just being around the sport and being in the locker room growing up made me fall in love with the game,” he said. “I was in there early on as a middle schooler with dad and knew when the chance came up that I wanted to move out here and coach.”
Although they are all from Keyser, Morgantown has quickly become home to the Biser family. Sean, his wife Sarah, and his daughter McKaily moved here in 2020 after Sean’s hiring at MHS. McKaily played volleyball for Frostburg State.
“This is my second time around here in Morgantown, but it’s a little different from being a college student and an adult,” Sean said. “WVU and Mon County Schools have such a great relationship. Being here has helped me be closer to the coaches at WVU and, of course, with my sons playing. Morgantown High has been welcoming to my family and I from day one. It’s a great place to be.”
With two of them already on the sidelines at MHS, Coach Biser can’t help but think about the possibility of all four of them being on staff for the Mohigans one day.
“It’s something I’ve always thought about but when I was in high school I never thought I would be a coach,” he said. “It wasn’t until college that I realized how much I love everything about the coaching side of football. I know Jacob has the bug, and I hope the other two may also. Whether or not they want to coach, that’s up to them. Just like playing, I never once made them do it.”
One thing among his three sons that they all agreed upon was the lesson of hard work instilled in them by their father.
“As I got older, I realized all the things he used to tell me to do worked,” Caden said with a chuckle. “Hard work is something I always saw him do.”
Jackson said the ability to persevere comes from seeing his dad always push through anything that comes his way.
“When I had my injuries and didn’t want to play, or when I was too small, I just never quit working,” he said. “And that’s because I never saw my dad quit.”
Of course, Coach Biser isn’t quick to forget the lessons he has learned from his kids.
“I’ve probably gotten just as much from them as they have from me,” he said. “I learned early on how to relate to my kids as players with my older son. I still had expectations and treated them like other players on my team. My kids also helped me have a better relationship with my players, as many of those guys become like sons to you.”
The Biser family has made a big impact in the Mon County football world, and it may be a while before they go anywhere.
