MORGANTOWN —
Carl “Chuck” Kinder of St. Albans had the distinction of doing something that no other West Virginia University football player ever did.
That was to wear No. 100 on his jersey in observance of the Mountain State’s 100th birthday in 1963. WVU apparently received NCAA permission for the freshman place-kicker to do that.
Kinder revealed recently that “there was a little bit of background to that.”
He explained, “I discovered that numbers were based on the positions individuals played. For example, linebackers and centers were numbers in the 50s.
“So I asked the coaches for a number from among zero, one, three or seven. I am a Christian, and Bible teachings preferred one of those.”
However, Kinder didn’t complain when they decided to commemorate the centennial year by having him wear No. 100. He did not object.
“I just didn’t realize it was the state’s birthday,” he continued. “And when they gave me 100, I was disappointed and surprised.
“It not only was to honor the centennial, but also score 100 points, which I did, for the Mountaineers.”
For his career, he made 61 of 69 extra-point attempts and 14 of 26 field-goal tries, with a long of 47 yards.
Kinder broke an ankle while making a tackle in the 1964 season’s opener in a game at Richmond. But he was medically redshirted and that enabled him to play in 1966 when Jim Carlen replaced Gentleman Gene Corum as WVU head coach.
The legendary Bobby Bowden coached him in 1966, because Bowden was the offensive coordinator. But Carlen’s staff made Kinder change his number to 10 “because they thought I was getting too much publicity wearing No. 100,” he remembers.
“That was fine with me, though. I was very thankful to get a full scholarship. When I left Morgantown, I had both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.”
He was a good student as well as an outstanding kicker.
Kinder served as general manager of the Charleston Civic Center for several years. That included overseeing construction of the $18 million Coliseum in the 1970s.
After leaving that employment in 1983, he returned to military service, after previously being enlisted during the Vietnam War. But he remained in the United State working in the Army.
Kinder retired in January 1995 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. In all, he served 24 years, including active and reserve duty.
He felt like it was his patriotic duty. He said, “I think it was good judgment for me to retire.”
Chuck and wife Rachel have been married 46 years. They have two sons. John works for Dominion Energy in Richmond, Va., and Dan works for a security firm in Charleston.
The Kinders also have five grandchildren.
Mickey Furfari
WVU kicker wore No. 100 proudly
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