On Sept. 6, 1980, John Denver welcomed fans to the new Mountaineer Field by performing his 1971 hit “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
This would also be legendary head coach Don Nehlen’s first game at the helm of West Virginia. The Mountaineers defeated Cincinnati 41-27, cementing the first win in the new stadium and the first win under Nehlen.
In 2003, it was named Milan Puskar Stadium after the major patron of WVU, Milan Puskar, the playing turf retained the name of Mountaineer Field. The stadium has seen its fair share of upgrades over the years, including, most recently, an upgrade of the lighting system, which is set to debut in West Virginia’s game against UAlbany on Saturday.
Nehlen coached the Mountaineers for 21 years, finishing with two undefeated seasons (1988 & 1983) and being the all-time winningest coach in program history with 149 victories. In addition to being inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, Nehlen was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
