For Stan Gould, cheering on West Virginia University athletics isn’t a hobby, it’s a way of life.
“We need to be proud of who we are, show support of our team and our state,” he said. “These members of Mountaineer teams are young people who work very hard to represent us, and we owe our support and loyalty to them as they endeavor to do that.”
That passion obviously translated to Mountaineer Nation, who voted Gould as the Ultimate Mountaineer fan after an online competition, where WVU fans from across the world could vote for their favorite finalist.
The other finalists were: Betsy Copen, Patrick Daley, Josh Eppinger, Jeremy Hatcher, James Layton, Miguel Sanchez and Dillon Tucker.
Gould, who has suffered from cerebral palsy from birth, wasn’t able to attend college due to his disability. But, not attending WVU for school didn’t hamper his passion to the Mountaineers.
He currently resides at the Elkins Rehabilitation & Care Center, where he dons Mountaineer gear 95 percent of the time. Each season, he adds a few new pieces of WVU apparel to his wardrobe, and during games grabs a slice of pizza and heads to his special game-watching spot at the care center. He even sports eye black.
“I root so passionately for the Mountaineers, because they are our state team, and all residents of the Mountain State are Mountaineers and are part of the Mountaineer Nation,” he said. “I’m so fiercely proud of my state, am proud to call it home and want to bring some of that to other people.”
His favorite WVU moment dates back to 1988 when legendary quarterback Major Harris executed “the run” versus Penn State.
He has one moment that stands out over any football or basketball game, though. He attended and participated in a fantasy football camp at WVU and was named the most valuable player.
“I was able to play on the new turf, come through the tunnel and hear ‘Country Roads’ played for us in the stadium,” he said. “That was indeed, better than my sweetest dreams, and the memories of it, cause tears of joy to well in my eyes still.”
Gould won two Hail WV or Game Day passes, plus two suite tickets in the alumni box and a parking pass for the Kansas game, courtesy of the WVU Alumni Association. Included with the tickets is a WVU prize pack consisting of a Commemorative WVU Orange Bowl helmet and football, plus the 2012 Official WVU Fan Shirt and other great officially licensed WVU products.
The Ultimate Mountaineer Fan competition was just a small part of Mountaineer Nation Day, which is a day for Mountaineer fans to show their pride and passion for WVU for the West Virginia football team’s first Big 12 road game vs. Texas. To learn more about Mountaineer Nation Day and to register a watch party for the game, go to http://mountaineernationday.wvu.edu/.
On Saturday prior to and during the Texas game, make sure to follow Twitter to enter yourself to win prizes. Follow @WestVirginiaU for more information and use the hashtag #MountaineerNation throughout the day.
-WVU-
td/10/05/12
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