One is a West Virginian by birth, the other by choice, but both Quincy Wilson and Owen Schmidt were among the packed house at J.P. Henry's Restaurant to take part in the Mountaineer Athletic Club's Coaches Caravan.
"It (the Caravan) allows players to put names to the faces of fans who supported us during our careers," explained Wilson. "It's always a great event and J.P. Henry's does a great job of hosting it."
Words echoed by Schmidt.
"The fans of West Virginia are the best," said Schmidt. "They have supported me throughout my career and continued to support me once I got into the NFL."
Wilson and Schmidt have forever etched their names into Mountaineer lore. Who can forget the jaw-dropping run Wilson, a former Weir High School standout, made against the Miami Hurricanes - prior to Miami leaving the Big East for the ACC.
And, the same could be said for Schmidt, whose helmet-to-head move is still among the watched replays in team history.
Both players received standing ovations when they were introduced to the crowd.
"I will always be a Mountaineer," continued Schmidt, who is in the process of purchasing a plot of land upon which to build a home. "I can't think of another state that I would rather live in."
A feeling shared by his fans wearing old gold and blue.
Wilson will be back in Morgantown this summer when he plays host to the second annual Chris Henry Football Camp. Open to boys and girls ages 5-to-14, the camp will take place June 15-16.
"I wanted to do something for Chris," said Wilson. "The camp will be held at Milan Park and we are hoping that a lot of kids from Wood County will come up this summer."
"Recruiting is a year-long thing," said Holgorsen. "It never ends. We were fortunate to sign 31 players last February.
"But, we have nine guys out there right now working as hard as they can to recruit the next wave of Mountaineers."
Former University of Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer as well as one of his top players, 1978 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims, took turns telling the overflow crowd about the positives of the 10-team league.
"It's a fun conference," said Sims. "It was the Big 8 when I played at Oklahoma, but it hasn't changed. It is still a very competitive conference. I've watched West Virginia play a couple of times and they have the talent to challenge in the Big 12."
Events like the one at J.P. Henry's last week will give WVU the money needed to stay competitive no matter what conference it calls home.
Contact Jim Butta at jbutta@newsandsentinel.com
