Brown’s WVU Tenure Bears Similarities to A number of Others – West Virginia College Athletics

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – You’d be onerous pressed to seek out anybody related to West Virginia College who wasn’t rooting for Neal Brown, together with WVU vp and director of athletics Wren Baker.
 
It was a somber day within the Athletics Division on Monday, after the information got here out on Sunday afternoon {that a} management change was being made throughout the Mountaineer soccer program.
 
Within the chilly, onerous enterprise of school soccer, profitable issues, and Brown’s 37-35 general report put him squarely in purgatory. 
 
“It was a tough couple of days,” is how Baker opened his Tuesday afternoon press convention with media on the Milan Puskar Middle. “Coach Brown is an amazing colleague and in lots of, some ways, what you need from a pacesetter.
 
“He did an excellent job serving to construct the infrastructure of this program, and only a super job ensuring we’re enriching the lives of younger individuals,” Baker famous. “I’ve received super respect for the category and integrity that he has proven. If I used to be to script out how you’d need a few onerous days to go, I could not script it to be any higher or classier than he is been.” 
 
Brown’s finest victory right here was most likely the 38-31, come-from-behind upset over 22^nd-ranked Iowa State on Oct. 10, 2021. That was the sport when Bryce Ford-Wheaton made his spectacular, back-of-the-end zone reception to tie the sport at 24, after which WVU rallied with two fourth-quarter scores to derail the Cyclones.
 
He additionally had a few memorable wins towards Kansas State, one coming throughout his first yr in 2019 at Snyder Household Stadium in Manhattan when WVU rallied from a 20-14, third-quarter deficit to win 24-20. Ford-Wheaton as soon as once more delivered the deciding rating with a 50-yard landing reception with 11:27 left within the recreation.
 
Brown’s different excellent victory towards 16^th-ranked Kansas State got here through the COVID yr in 2020. The Mountaineer protection restricted star operating again Deuce Vaughn to solely 22 yards and Will Howard, now quarterbacking the Ohio State Buckeyes, barely accomplished half of his 38 go makes an attempt with three interceptions in WVU’s runaway 37-10 victory.
 
A two-overtime win over Baylor earlier within the yr was additionally noteworthy, as have been rivalry recreation triumphs towards Virginia Tech in 2021 and 2022, to not point out a Yard Brawl win over Pitt at sold-out Milan Puskar Stadium in 2023.
 
Lastly ending Oklahoma’s Huge 12 dominance within the collection in Morgantown in 2022 was additionally satisfying, as have been wins towards Oklahoma State that yr and towards Texas in 2021.
 
Brown’s finest marketing campaign got here final yr when his staff posted 9 wins – 4 in a row early towards Duquesne, Pitt, Texas Tech and TCU, after which a three-game profitable streak on the finish that included a come-from-behind win at Baylor and a mayonnaise-drenching overcome North Carolina within the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte. 
 
The coaches ranked his West Virginia squad 25^th of their last ballot of the season.
 
A come-from-behind victory over Military within the 2020 Liberty Bowl and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl win make Brown considered one of simply 5 coaches in class historical past with a number of bowl victories, the others being Don Nehlen, Wealthy Rodriguez, Invoice Stewart and Dana Holgorsen.
 
Brown additionally revitalized in-state recruiting by getting Spring Valley Excessive’s Doug Nester out of the switch portal and including prime in-state offensive line prospects Zach Frazier and Wyatt Milum. Frazier at present is a rookie beginning middle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Nester on its observe squad, whereas Milum is anticipated to be a prime NFL draft decide subsequent spring.
 
“It has been an excellent honor to function West Virginia’s head soccer coach,” Brown mentioned in a ready assertion launched on his social media accounts earlier at present. “I’m extraordinarily proud to be related to all of the unbelievable younger males who have been a part of our program over the previous six years.
 
“This staff, like these earlier than them, confirmed up day-after-day, resilient, united, and decided. I really like this group and know they may navigate this transition with class and integrity. Our household was proud to name West Virginia house.”
 
Every step Brown’s Mountaineer program took ahead, nevertheless, additionally included steps backward, akin to his staff’s head-scratching Hail-Mary-pass loss at Houston towards Holgorsen and a 39-point blowout defeat at 17^th-ranked Oklahoma final yr. 
 
Earlier this season, West Virginia’s puzzling fourth-quarter collapse at Pitt was a loss that was extraordinarily tough for die-hard Mountaineer followers to soak up.
 
West Virginia’s current struggles in season-opening video games towards Maryland in 2021, Pitt in 2022 and Penn State in 2023 and 2024 have been deflating, as was Brown’s incapability to win homecoming contests.
 
WVU’s difficulties towards nationally ranked and above-.500 groups are well-documented, and this yr’s 6-6 mark is principally a microcosm of Brown’s six-season tenure at West Virginia. 
 
All six wins got here towards groups that completed their seasons with dropping data, whereas the six losses have been to groups with profitable marks which are both taking part in in bowl video games or are nonetheless in rivalry for the School Soccer Playoffs.
 
Thus, Brown’s two-wins-over-.500 report most likely places him consistent with the likes of WVU coaches Marshall “Little Sleepy” Glenn within the late Thirties, Invoice Kern within the Forties, or maybe extra just lately, Gene Corum within the early-to-mid-Sixties.
 
Glenn solely coached three seasons at West Virginia earlier than pursuing a medical profession within the state’s Japanese Panhandle. His first staff, in 1937, included a 7-6 win over Texas Tech within the Solar Bowl.
 
Kern received 5 seasons at WVU, separated by three years of navy service throughout World Conflict II. His Mountaineer teaching report was 24-23-1, though he left on a excessive observe by upsetting Pitt 17-2 in 1947 in one of many largest wins of that period.
 
Afterward, Kern by no means coached one other faculty soccer recreation in any capability.
 
Gene Corum, recognized round city as “Gentleman Gene,” spent six years at WVU after following the legendary Artwork “Pappy” Lewis.
 
A disenchanted Lewis stop proper earlier than spring soccer observe in 1960, which enabled him to guard his teaching employees when West Virginia had no different selection however to advertise Corum to move coach. Corum was well-liked on campus and civic-oriented locally, very like Brown.
 
Nonetheless, Corum’s teaching tenure started ominously in 1960 with the one winless marketing campaign in class historical past, though his groups progressively improved till profitable eight video games in 1962, together with the first-ever victory at Syracuse’s Archbold Stadium.
 
And like Brown, Corum confronted some difficult schedules that included annual video games towards nationally ranked Syracuse and Penn State, arch-rival Pitt and nonconference matchups towards Illinois, Vanderbilt, Oregon, Oregon State, Indiana, Navy and Kentucky.
 
Corum had three profitable seasons and three dropping ones, and his last recreation at Mountaineer Subject towards George Washington in 1965 noticed simply 16,000 spectators within the stands. 
 
His groups had finally grown stale with the Mountaineer fan base.
 
Corum, like Glenn and Kern, by no means coached once more in any capability and spent the rest of his skilled profession working as an teacher within the Faculty of Bodily Training. He did briefly function the college’s interim athletics director between Dick Martin and Fred Schaus.
 
But in contrast to these different coaches, Neal Brown is just not completed with faculty soccer, and might be teaching some other place, even perhaps as quickly as 2025. 
 
“Mountaineer Nation is a devoted and passionate fan base,” Brown mentioned. “With Wren’s management, and the muse we labored so onerous to create, I do know this system is poised to embrace the challenges of at present’s ever-changing soccer local weather and make the investments essential to advance.”
 
Brown’s assertion concluded, “To our staff, keep targeted and go win our bowl recreation! Let’s GO!”
 
At 44, Brown remains to be younger sufficient to make his mark within the recreation, very like School Soccer Corridor of Famer Frank Cignetti did following his unfulfilling, four-year tenure at West Virginia that resulted in 1979. 
 
The late Cignetti was one other good man everybody round right here rooted for to succeed.
 
Sadly, it would not all the time occur, and that is generally a part of the unforgiving, chilly, onerous enterprise of school soccer.