By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN — Aside from the thrills that come with the actual playing of an event, perhaps the greatest contribution athletics make to the human race is giving them something to argue. One thing the American sports fan never runs out of is an opinion.
And so it is that as the 2009-10 school year runs down with West Virginia University’s graduation this weekend, we look in the rearview mirror of what was a spectacular year and offer our opinion on the 10 Most Memorable Moments of the school year.
The truth is, we would not run out of moments if we included 20, but we might run out of space, so we are limiting it to the Top 10.
Perhaps your list differs and, if it does, we would love to hear from you via e-mail or Facebook. And even if you don’t differ, we’d love to get your opinion on those that are offered and just where this year fits with most others.
So here is our list of the 10 Most Memorable Moments of 2009-10:
1. Tyler Bitancurt FG beats Pitt
The image remains strong, placekicker Tyler Bitancurt on his teammates’ shoulder, holding one finger aloft, his fourth field goal of the game being true from 43 yards out, lifting WVU to a 19-16 over Pitt and finally exorcising the demon that was the upset of the century in Rich Rodriguez’s last game as Mountaineer coach.
Bill Stewart had wanted to beat Pitt, which was ranked No. 8 in the nation, with touchdowns but settled for a big night from a freshman placekicker who etched his name into the history of the Backyard Brawl with this clutch kick into the wind.
Bitancurt had to share the spotlight with running back Noel Devine, whose 88-yard touchdown run broke a 6-6 tie.
2. Da’Sean Butler’s career ends with injury
This is not a highlight. It is something that any Mountaineer fan would want to erase from his mind, but the imagery is startling, the moment one of the most emotional of any year.
Da’Sean Butler had grown into one of the greatest basketball players ever to play at West Virginia, joining Jerry West and Hot Rod Hundley at the top of the list. What’s more, he was every bit the person he was the player, someone you had to root for.
Then, in the national semifinal, he found his team being bounced around by Duke, tried to make a baseline move only to have his knee give out on him. He lay on the floor, kicking in pain, his coach Bob Huggins kneeling over him.
Butler laid there, not thinking of himself, but apologizing to Huggins for not having played as well as he could have in this devastating defeat that was punctuated by his torn ACL, putting even an NBA career in doubt.
3. WVU beats Kentucky to reach Final Four
West Virginia had not reached the Final Four since Jerry West led them there in 1959 and to get them this year all they had to do was beat what many considered to be the nation’s best team … Kentucky.
It was a matchup between Huggins and John Calipari, two long-time rivals in Conference USA, Huggins almost always winding up a winner. But Calipari had the NBA-style talent, Huggins simply a team that refused to lose.
Joe Mazzulla, who has been as clutch a player at moments like this as the school has ever seen, nearly had a career-high 17 points in willing the Mountaineers to a 73-66 victory.
“The first day I was here, I told them I came back to win a national championship,” Huggins said. “I came back to win it for the university, having played there, and for the great people of our state.”
4. Devine’s run beat UConn
It was probably the most emotional game ever played at Mountaineer Field.
Connecticut was playing its first game since the death of its defensive back Jasper Howard. They came on the field carrying his jersey and helmet, dedicated the game to him and played with a purpose.
The game was an emotional roller-coaster, WVU seemingly clinching it on cornerback Kent Richardson’s interception, only to have him fumble the ball back to the Huskies, who took it down the field and scored.
Just 3:50 remained.
It was enough for WVU. Almost too much.
Running back Noel Devine broke loose on a 56-yard TD run to give the Mountaineers the lead, but UConn had a long kickoff return to give them one final shot that ended it an interception.
After the game, the two teams had a long, emotional meeting at midfield to honor Howard.
5. Hot Rod Hundley scores again
He was the clown prince of basketball, an All-American at West Virginia even before there was Jerry West.
Now Hot Rod Hundley was back in town to have his number 33 jersey retired.
It was a warm, emotional scene for Hundley, who played in the NBA and became a legendary broadcaster from the Utah Jazz.
The day ended as only it could for Hundley, with him burying a hook shot from the edge of key … one final moment for the most flamboyant player ever to wear a WVU uniform.
6. WVU wins the Big East Tournament
They finally played “Country Roads” in Madison Square Garden.
West Virginia’s first Big East game in 1995 was against Georgetown, so it was fitting that they should beat Georgetown for their first Big East championship in the finals at the world’s most famous arena.
What’s more, the Mountaineers did it the way they won all year, with Da’Sean Butler scoring with 4.2 seconds left. It came just two days after he had hit a buzzer beater to top Cincinnati to avoid an early elimination in the tournament.
“We wanted to win this for our state first because the people there love us so much and support us so much,” Butler said. “I definitely know it means the world to them. ... That was our main concern, not letting the state down.”
7. Major Harris makes Hall of Fame
A few years after his coach, Don Nehlen, was so honored, WVU quarterback Major Harris was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Known for his electrifying 26-yard scramble against Penn State when he ran the wrong way on a play and made eight different players miss, Harris was the 11th WVU player or coach inducted.
“He was ahead of his time,” Nehlen said. “We ran a lot of option football but in the spread offenses today he would be sensational because he is so strong.”
8. WVU is Bobby Bowden’s final opponent
The results were better but the game could not have been more fitting.
The Gator Bowl, in its last game with the Big East playing, matched WVU against Bobby Bowden in the coaching legend’s final game.
Bowden had gotten his major college start at WVU and now, the second winningest coach of all time to Joe Paterno, Bowden added one last victory as he beat the Mountaineers to go out on a high note.
9. WVU women’s track cracks Top 10
West Virginia University’s women’s track and field team continued its climb up the national lists finishing 10th at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Chelsea Carrier led the way with her first All-American honor, finishing fourth in the pentathlon.
“Chelsea had to do something that she has never done before in the pentathlon. She had to break 2.20 for the first time ever in the 800-meter run to climb from eighth place to fourth in the overall standings,” Coach Sean Cleary said. “Clutch is the best word that I can use to describe Chelsea’s day.”
Carrier had a second All-American honor and WVU landed 10 A-A awards from seven individuals.
10. Grant Buckner hits 3 HR, drives in 10
It was a cool, windy day when WVU baseball player Grant Buckner became the first man ever to drive in 10 runs in a game for the Mountaineers, doing it with three homers in the opening game of a doubleheader against Notre Dame at Hawley Field.
E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.
