Notable Athletes and Coaches from West Virginia
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Questions and Answers

Who was named the top defensive end of the NFL's first 50 years?

Gino Marchetti

Which left-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates was born in Tyler County?

Wilbur Cooper

Who became a quarterback for the New York Jets in 2013?

Gene Smith

Which former rifle coach at WVU won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics?

<p>Ed Etzel</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who played Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox from 1908 to 1918?

<p>Richard Carlson &quot;Dick&quot; Hoblitzell</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who played professional football for the Akron Pros during its league-winning 1920 season?

<p>Russell Brooks Bailey</p> Signup and view all the answers

What West Virginia native won the gold medal in shot put during the 1996 Olympic Games?

<p>Randy Barnes</p> Signup and view all the answers

What Burnsville High School basketball player scored 135 points in a single game on January 26, 1960?

<p>Danny Heater</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which golf legend served as the golf professional at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs?

<p>Sam Snead</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who won a gold medal in the 1992 Olympic Games and plays wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders?

<p>James Jett</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is known as the 'Coal Miner's Daughter' and became a well-known female boxer?

<p>Christy Martin</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Marshall University basketball star holds the NCAA record for the highest rebounding average in a season?

<p>Charlie Slack</p> Signup and view all the answers

The Marshall football team won the 2011 Beef 'O' Brady Bowl.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was boxer Muhammad Ali's first professional opponent?

<p>Tunney Hunsaker</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which heavyweight boxing champion was known as the 'Manasseh Mauler'?

<p>Jack Dempsey</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was the head football coach at Clemson University from 1999 to 2008?

<p>Tommy Bowden</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which coach led the Northfork High School basketball team to eight straight state championships?

<p>Jennings Boyd</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was named the men's basketball coach at WVU on March 28, 1978?

<p>Gale Catlett</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame coached the Philadelphia Eagles to NFL championships in 1948 and 1949?

<p>Earle Nelson</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was born in Charleston and served as a baseball analyst for ESPN?

<p>John Kruk</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who became the head basketball coach at WVU in 2007?

<p>Bob Huggins</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former Dupont High School star is now an All-Pro receiver with the Oakland Raiders?

<p>Randy Moss</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was named Most Valuable Player for his performance in Super Bowl V?

<p>Chuck Howley</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former Marshall University coach is credited with pioneering basketball's zone defense?

<p>Cam Henderson</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was the first high school football player to win the Stydahar and Huff awards in the same season?

<p>Reese Donahue</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former Marshall University football star was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003?

<p>Byron Leftwich</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who set a record for consecutive games played in Major League Baseball?

<p>Cal Ripken</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former Kopperston resident holds the Major League Baseball record for most doubles in a season?

<p>Earl Webb</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is a native of Grant Town and was a former head football coach for WVU?

<p>Rich Rodriguez</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former head basketball coach at Wake Forest began his coaching career at Linsly Institute?

<p>Skip Prosser</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who won three Silver Slugger Awards during his professional baseball career?

<p>Donnie Robinson</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which WV Native was named the 2004 NBA Executive of the Year?

<p>Jerry West</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was a pitcher for the Rockford Peaches from 1945 to 1954?

<p>Rose Gacioch</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was the head football coach at Syracuse University from 1949 to 1973?

<p>Ben Schwartzwalder</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former head football coach at West Virginia State University was a three-time Pro Bowl player?

<p>Carl Lee</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was named head basketball coach at Charleston High School in December 1958 as the first African-American head coach?

<p>James Jarrett</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Hall of Famer was born on January 2, 1927, in Smithers?

<p>Gino Marchetti</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is the first television play-by-play announcer of the Florida Marlins?

<p>Jay Randolph</p> Signup and view all the answers

What team won the national black college basketball championship on March 13, 1948?

<p>West Virginia State College</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who set numerous national high school football records as a former Nitro quarterback?

<p>J.R. House</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former Pineville High School football star holds rushing and scoring records for the Seattle Seahawks?

<p>Curt Warner</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who won the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship in 1964?

<p>Bill Campbell</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Weirton native was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants in 1977?

<p>Gary Michael Jeter</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who scored 39 points to lead East Bank to the state high school basketball championship on March 24, 1956?

<p>Jerry West</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who replaced Frank Cignetti as head football coach at WVU in 1980?

<p>Don Nehlen</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Wheeling native was the first West Virginian inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

<p>Jesse Burkett</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which West Virginia native gave up Babe Ruth's first two major league home runs?

<p>Jack Warhop</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was the first woman athlete to appear on the front of a box of Wheaties?

<p>Mary Lou Retton</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was named the 2006 college football Coach of the Year by the Associated Press?

<p>Jim Grobe</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was named West Virginia's boys basketball player of the year for 2007?

<p>O.J. Mayo</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who coached Beckley's Woodrow Wilson High School basketball to six state championships?

<p>Jerome Van Meter</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Princeton native was named NBA Executive of the Year in 2002?

<p>Rod Thorn</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was a charter member of the NFL Hall of Fame and was born in Grafton?

<p>George Preston Marshall</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former professional tennis star from Charleston is known for her Wimbledon white bodysuit?

<p>Anne White</p> Signup and view all the answers

What West Virginian won a gold medal in gymnastics during the 1984 Olympics?

<p>Mary Lou Retton</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who became the head basketball coach at the University of Memphis in 2009?

<p>John Vincent Calipari</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former WVU star led all NFL rookie running backs in rushing in 2008?

<p>Steve Slaton</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Beckley native was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year in 1998?

<p>Bob Pruett</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was named WV high school basketball player of the year in 1994 and 1995?

<p>Randy Moss</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Warwood native was named Most Valuable Player for Super Bowl V?

<p>Chuck Howley</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former WV State player became the first African American to play in an NBA game?

<p>Earl Lloyd</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Charleston native played college basketball for the Lady Vols before being drafted by the WNBA's Detroit Shock?

<p>Alexis Hornbuckle</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who lives in Huntington and is a former New England Patriots wide receiver?

<p>Troy Brown</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Morris Harvey College basketball player became the first player to average more than 30 points a game in a season?

<p>George King</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who became the head football coach at WVU in 2011?

<p>Dana Holgerson</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which baseball Hall of Famer was born in Glen Dale, WV?

<p>George Brett</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Ripley native played for the Chicago Bears from 1933 to 1938?

<p>Bill Karr</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which Logan native competed in the sport of Skeleton at the 2004 Olympics?

<p>Lea Ann Parsley</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was born in Wheeling in 1859 and led the National League in hits in 1889 and 1890?

<p>John Wesley &quot;Pebbly Jack&quot; Glasscock</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which former Seattle Seahawks running back won the 1978 Kennedy Award?

<p>Curt Warner</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame coached the Philadelphia Eagles to NFL Championships in 1948 and 1949?

<p>Earle Neale</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which WVU freshman was named Most Valuable Player in the 2006 Sugar Bowl?

<p>Steve Slaton</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Notable Athletes from West Virginia

  • Gino Marchetti: Hall of Fame defensive end, recognized as the top in NFL's first 50 years; born in Smithers.
  • Wilbur Cooper: Left-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1912-1924, co-National League wins champion in 1921; born in Tyler County.
  • Randy Barnes: Gold medalist in shot put at the 1996 Olympics; born in West Virginia.
  • Danny Heater: Set a high school basketball record by scoring 135 points in a single game on January 26, 1960.
  • Sam Snead: Legendary golfer and golf professional at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs.
  • James Jett: Wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders, won a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics; from Jefferson County.
  • Christy Martin: Notable female boxer from Bluefield, known as the "Coal Miner's Daughter."

Significant Coaches and Innovators

  • Ed Etzel: Olympic gold medal-winning rifle coach from West Virginia University, achieved in 1984.
  • Jennings Boyd: Coach who led Northfork High School basketball to eight consecutive state championships, a national record.
  • Gale Catlett: Appointed men's basketball coach at WVU on March 28, 1978.
  • Don Nehlen: Became head football coach at WVU in 1980.
  • Dana Holgerson: Named head football coach at WVU in 2011.

Historical Achievements

  • Marshall University: Won the 2011 Beef 'O' Brady Bowl.
  • West Virginia State College: National black college basketball championship team on March 13, 1948.
  • James Jarrett: First African-American head coach at a previously all-white public school in West Virginia (1958).
  • Earl Lloyd: First African-American to play in the NBA on October 31, 1950.

Major League Figures

  • Cal Ripken: MLB star known for setting a record for consecutive games played; began career with the Bluefield Orioles.
  • Bill Mazeroski: Gained fame for his game-winning home run in the 1960 World Series, born in Wheeling.
  • Chuck Howley: Warwood native and MVP of Super Bowl V, the only player from a losing team to earn that honor.

Personal Milestones

  • Mary Lou Retton: First woman on Wheaties box and gold medalist in gymnastics in 1984 Olympics.
  • Jerry West: NBA Hall of Famer, known as "Zeke from Cabin Creek," and 2004 NBA Executive of the Year.
  • O.J. Mayo: Named West Virginia's boys basketball player of the year in 2007.

Other Noteworthy Athletes

  • Randy Moss: Achieved All-Pro status as a receiver for the Oakland Raiders, also recognized as a high school basketball player of the year.
  • Curt Warner: Seattle Seahawks running back, holder of numerous rushing records.
  • Glenn Davis: Olympic gold medalist in 400-meter hurdles in 1956 and 1960; born in Wellsburg.

Miscellaneous

  • Bill Stewart: Head football coach at WVU in January 2008.
  • George Preston Marshall: Former owner of the Washington Redskins, charter member of the NFL Hall of Fame; from Grafton.
  • Alexis Hornbuckle: Lady Vols player drafted by WNBA's Detroit Shock; from Charleston.
  • Earle Neale: Coached the Eagles to back-to-back NFL Championships in 1948 and 1949, born in Parkersburg.

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Test your knowledge about the remarkable athletes and coaches hailing from West Virginia. This quiz covers significant figures like Gino Marchetti, Wilbur Cooper, and Olympic gold medalists. Discover the impact of these sports icons on their respective fields.

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