FAIRMONT — Fairmont State’s Athletic Association honored some of the university’s best athletes Saturday evening at the annual Athletic Scholarship Banquet at the Falcon Center.

Former Fairmont State football player and current West Virginia University head football coach Bill Stewart served as the keynote speaker for the 46th annual event and was also surprised by being presented with this year’s Letterwinner of Distinction Award.

This accolade honors FSU alumni who, in their personal careers of 25 or more years following graduation, have distinguished themselves in their community and profession, bringing honor to both themselves and Fairmont State.

Stewart, a 1975 graduate of Fairmont State, was a three-year letterman for the Falcons in football and served as a team captain as a senior. He helped lead FSU to a league title as a senior in the fall of 1974. The New Martinsville native got his college coaching start at Fairmont as a student assistant under Bill Kerr.

Stewart was named interim coach of WVU this past December after Rich Rodriguez left to take the head coaching job at the University of Michigan. Stewart guided the Mountaineers to a 48-28 victory over Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2. The next day, he was officially named WVU’s 32nd head coach.

“I’m forever grateful and forever blessed because of the coaches and people here at Fairmont State,” said Stewart.

“The great legacy of Fairmont State was forged long before this young man was lucky enough and fortunate enough to come to this campus in this great city. It was an honor and a privilege for me to play here for the coaches and with some of the men in this audience tonight. It wasn’t my right. I had no right to play here. It was a privilege and I’ve never forgotten that.

“It’s tough nowadays to be a student-athlete. Classes are tougher. Requirements to get into institutions are tougher. Competition is tougher and teams are better. It’s takes year-round training now to succeed and I congratulate you student-athletes here tonight and those of you being honored here this evening.

“It’s a tough time to be a student- athlete, but if you develop a plan and trust your coaches and don’t let any bump in the road slow you down, you can achieve great things.

“Nothing gets accomplished, lads and lassies, without hard work. That’s the Fairmont way. It always has been. If you want to make the game-winning free throw, stay in the gym and make 100 in a row before you leave. That’s the kind of dedication it takes. A life for a lifetime. That’s what I owe this institution and the great people of Fairmont.”

Stewart also talked briefly about WVU’s Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma, which was a marquee victory for the Mountaineers’ program.

“I would’ve given my life that night to win that football game,” said Stewart. “My life because that’s how much we needed it.

“We had 125 guys and we spent eight days and seven nights in the desert. With all of the temptations, trials and tribulations that were there we only had one curfew busted. Just one and I hated to send him home, but I had to because that’s the way I do things. The Fairmont way. The way I was taught here. I’ll forever be a Falcon, but I invite you to come see us right down the road in Morgantown once in a while.”

FSU seniors Geri Angelova (women’s swimming) and Will Gautreau (men’s golf) were presented with the Easton K. Feaster Award. This award goes to the male and female student athletes who have maintained the highest overall academic average among letter winners.

Angelova, who is from Velingrad, Bulgaria and has a 3.97 grade-point average in business and accounting, says she appreciates the influence and constant support of her family and teachers. She also paid tribute to FSU swim coach Pat Snively for helping her to achieve two of her biggest goals.

“I owe my being here tonight to my coach Pat Snively,” she said. “He helped me achieve two of the most important goals in my life — receiving an education in the United States and also having an athletic career after high school. Where I come from, we don’t really have college athletics so thank you very much to coach Pat for helping me attain those goals.”

Gautreau, who is from Niagara, Ontario, Canada, has a 3.61 grade-point average in business management. He too paid tribute to his coaches, teammates and teachers.

“I’ve got a lot of people to thank who have helped me here,” said Gautreau. “First, coach Mike Walker who has helped me both on and off the golf course as both a coach and a friend. My teammates for all of their support even though they tease me for being from Canada. Coach Doug Comer, our women’s golf coach and the pro at the Field Club, for working with me and letting our team practice there a lot. Rusty Elliott for being a great athletic director and all of my teachers.

“I’d also be remiss if I didn’t thank all of the guys involved with the Marco’s Can-Am Golf Tournament and in particular Charlie Anderson and Jamie Colanero. They’re the primary reason I’m here at Fairmont State.”

Alyssa Childers (softball) and Vince Black (football) were presented with the annual Jasper H. Colebank Award which goes to the senior female and male athletes, who in the course of his or her college career, has done the most to promote the best interest of athletics at Fairmont State.

Childers, who is from Johnstown, Ohio, virtually re-wrote the FSU softball record book as a pitcher. She too paid tribute to her family, teammates and coaches.

“I’m very honored to stand before you as this year’s female recipient of the Jasper H. Colebank Memorial Award,” said Childers. “When I came to Fairmont four years ago, I wanted nothing more than to play four more years of softball while working toward my bachelor of science degree in biology. I feel very fortunate that I got that opportunity.

“I’ve been able to achieve more things here than I ever thought were possible and I want to thank all of the people here who have influenced me, supported me and helped make my experience at Fairmont State a very rewarding one. I’d especially like to thank my family, my coaches and my teammates. My teammates were like a second family to me and I would’ve never have been able to achieve the things that I did without them. I owe all of my success to them.”

Black, a native of Marietta, Ohio, also paid tribute to a number of individuals including God, his family, his coaches and his teammates.

“One thing I’d like to mention in closing is that during the last five years our program here has faced a lot of adversity whether it was not knowing where we were going to practice to not knowing if buses were going to show up to take us to games or if they were going to break down on the way to those games,” said Black.

“But with coach (Rusty) Elliott as the AD here now and the coaching staff we have here under Mike Lopez, I honestly feel we’re headed in the right direction now. I put all of my faith in these guys and all I can see in the future for Fairmont football under these guys is success.

“No matter where I am in the future, I’ll always be looking at the school’s Web site to see how Fairmont is doing and I’ll always be a Falcon for the rest of my life.”

Fairmont resident Gary Cox was honored with the L.O. Bickel Service Award. This award recognizes the sacrifice, service, leadership and loyalty of longtime members of and advocates for the Fairmont State Athletic Association.

For years Cox has helped lead one of the most popular events hosted by the FSAA, one that had generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for scholarship support. He’s been in charge of the annual Spring Golf Tournament, which this year will be held May 16 and is being sponsored by R&E; Electric.

“In over 16 years we’ve raised a lot of money and often I’ve been told that I’m a good fund raiser and often I’ve responded to that with I just make the calls,” said Cox. “When you believe in something as much as I do Fairmont State, it’s very easy to make those calls.

“The names that should be on this award along with mine is the people who have supported the programs over the years. They deserve the credit. I also have a core group of volunteers who have helped me for 16 years and they deserve a lot of credit as well.”

FSU’s West Virginia Conference championship golf team and WVC tournament championship women’s basketball team were also recognized at Saturday night’s event.