MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — There’s always a professional line that needs to be drawn when covering sports — that’s a well known aspect of the job.
But sometimes, there are moments that bring you back to when you were growing up, didn’t have a stress in the world other than whether or not your favorite team won or lost.
As the WVU football beat reporter, being objective is one of the biggest aspects of the job. However, going to Mountaineers games with my dad at Milan Puskar Stadium in the early- to mid-2000s is why I ended up wanting to make sports my livelihood.
On a cold Thanksgiving night in 2005 against Pitt, many were headed for the exits as WVU held a huge lead and the temperature was approaching 0 degrees. Since it was the last home game of the year, I didn’t want to leave, despite the fact I couldn’t feel my feet,
Good thing we didn’t.
WVU safety Jahmile Addae took a Tyler Palko pass 40 yards the other way for a pick-6 — his final play on Mountaineer Field. Mobbed by his teammates on the way to the sideline, Addae topped off his home career on top, and then finished his playing career with WVU’s first BCS win in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia.
As a young fan, Addae was one of my first favorite players in all of sports, and he emerged as one of the key defensive players during WVU’s resurgence to national relevance in 2002.
Now, despite the circumstances for the change, Addae will have the opportunity to be in charge of half the Mountaineers’ defense. He was put in charge of the back end — cornerbacks and safeties — of the defense, Neal Brown announced Monday. While Addae wasn’t given the co-defensive coordinator distinction, along with Jordan Lesley, this is a promotion that should make Mountaineers fans feel good.
Addae was a four-year starter from 2001-05 — he missed most of the 2003 season following shoulder surgery, receiving a medical redshirt — and was known as a hard-hitter in the back end of the secondary. While he may not be remembered as well as Karl Joseph as one of the all-time great WVU safeties, Addae had his fair share of highlights in a WVU uniform.
- At Virginia Tech, Nov. 20, 2002 — While most remember Grant Wiley’s goal line stop and Brian King’s interception in the end zone in the upset of the Hokies in Blacksburg, but Addae totaled 13 tackles to lead the Mountaineers.
- At Pitt, Nov. 30, 2002 — The Panthers were marching down the field, trailing 24-17, while Addae made a critical deflection guarding Larry Fitzgerald — on his way to becoming a first-ballot Pro Football Hall-of-Famer — in the end zone on third down. The Mountaineers got another stop of fourth down to walk out of Heinz Field with the win.
- At Virginia Tech, Oct. 2, 2004 — While Addae may consider it one of the worst memories of his career, a hit against the Hokies symbolized his career. Addae crushed tight end Jared Mazzetta and was penalized for unnecessary roughness, and to this day, I will argue that play was clean. Well-timed, lowered his shoulder and delivered a powerful hit, exactly what Addae did for his entire career.
- Sugar Bowl vs. Georgia, Jan. 2, 2006 — Already leading 14-0, Addae put his helmet right on the ball as Georgia running back Danny Ware fumbled, recovered by WVU’s Dee McCann. The Mountaineers went on to score to make it 21-0, ultimately taking the win, 38-35.
Vic Koenning being let go comes at an inopportune time for the Mountaineers and is an unfortunate situation all around, but if one positive can be names, it’s Addae, a Mountaineer through and through, is continuing to climb the coaching ladder at his alma mater.
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