MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Coach Neal Brown made it clear during his introductory press conference in January 2019 he was going to respect the traditions of the WVU football program, including welcoming back alumni.
During the previous regime under Dana Holgorsen, several former players mentioned they did not feel welcome, including Pat White and Steve Slaton.
“We don’t need a red carpet treatment, but there should be time for walk-throughs,” Slaton said during the “Pat White Podcast” in 2017. “I don’t think a lot would come back to every game, but there should be a tour so you can show your kids. I couldn’t even show my kids the locker room or the Hall of Fame, where I have things that would be there for a long time.”
White agreed, as both felt slighted during the 10-year anniversary season from the Mountaineers’ 11-2 campaign in 2007 that was capped off with a Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma.
“I mean, you get to the facility where you spent four or five years and you knock on the door and it’s, ‘No, you can’t come in here.’ All right, I’ll go home,’ ” White said.
Right off the bat when he was hired, Brown welcomed back all alumni, and this week, made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. McAfee, a kicker and punter at West Virginia from 2005-08, is another who never felt the need to return to Morgantown due to feeling slighted, but has made a career for himself outside of football as a sports personality and commentator with ESPN.
Brown and McAfee discussed Brown’s understanding of the Name, Image and Likeness ruling the NCAA passed, as well as how Brown tries to instill leadership on the team, what he expects with the 2020 squad and the facility upgrades to the Puskar Center. The interview was capped off with Brown hoping McAfee could eventually lead the team in “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” with McAfee then breaking out into the tune.
During the COVID-19 quarantine, Brown has also gotten several alumni to jump on Zoom calls with different position groups, including linebacker Najee Goode, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, offensive lineman Mark Glowinski tight end Anthony Becht and safety Karl Joseph.
Keeping alumni involved is critical to building a strong tradition, according to Brown.
“They built the tradition of the program, and whether you’re a great player or a role player, whatever you were, it’s important to welcome the guys back,” he said. “There’s always going to be things you can’t do with them from a compliance standpoint. There’s going to be things you can’t do with them from a privacy standpoint. But as far as I’m concerned, the former players helped build this program and they have a vested interest in this. They’ve invested their time and effort into this.
“They should be welcomed back and that’s something we’re going to continue to do in order to grow. It’s not perfect. We’re still trying to do things to build those relationships. As we build this program, it needs to be a source of pride for them.”
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