2024 Western Carolina Football - Digital 'Extra Points' Game Day Program vs. VMI (11/16/24)
A special welcome to POTM
,
Making his first collegiate start in the last home game, QB TARON DICKENS was honored by Stats Perform FCS on Nov. 4 as the NATIONAL FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK after amassing 480 yards of offense in the win over Chattanooga. Dickens was also named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week.
Padyk; Jason Hall of Valleytown Photo; additional photos from Phil Polito, Paul Setliff. Printing is by the WCU Print Shop.
Advertising sales for EXTRA POINTS are administered by Chad Gerrety and Ric Sisler. To advertise with or sponsor the Catamounts, call (828) 227-2767 or (828) 227-2038.
GAME TIMES:
E.J. WHITMIRE STADIUM POLICIES AND INFORMATION
All game times are subject to change. WCU will publicize any game time changes through its social media channels (TwitterX: @ Catamounts, @CatamountsFB; Facebook: FB.com/catamountsports) and website, CatamountSports.com. Tickets and game day parking refunds will NOT be made because of a change in kickoff times
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES:
Outside alcohol and alcoholic beverages ARE PROHIBITED in E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Also, containers and/or coolers are also prohibited inside the stadium. Alcoholic beverages are being sold within Whitmire Stadium with points of sale on either side of the stadium and a point of sale on Paws Porch and Catamount Corner Patrons must be 21 years of age and present valid ID at the time of purchase and may only purchase TWO (2) alcoholic beverages per valid ID with the ID holder present at the time of transaction. Sales will begin when gates open 90 minutes prior to kickoff and close at the end of the third quarter Please drink responsibly.
GATE INSPECTION / CLEAR BAG POLICY:
Western Carolina University abides by a "Clear Bag Policy" – ALL parcels, bags and alike are subject to inspection upon entry into E.J. Whitmire Stadium. All alcoholic beverages, outside food and beverages, and other items not permitted in the stadium must be discarded prior to entering the stadium. See Page 7 for more info.
UMBRELLAS:
Umbrellas ARE NOT PERMITTED in the seating area of Whitmire Stadium. No umbrellas will be allowed through the stadium gates. Patrons may either leave their umbrella at the gate or return it to their vehicle prior to entering the stadium.
STADIUM RE-ADMITTANCE:
There is a no re-admittance policy at E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Once you enter the stadium, you must purchase another ticket to re-enter.
ARTIFICIAL NOISEMAKERS:
Unapproved and unsanctioned artificial noisemakers (ie., air horns, cowbells, clappers, etc.) are not permitted in E.J. Whitmire Stadium as per Southern Conference rules. However, in accordance with SoCon regulations, sanctioned noisemakers such as "Thunder Sticks" or "Bam-Bams" are permissible only when part of a game day promotion. Fans are asked to be considerate and allow your neighbor to enjoy the game. Please keep portable radios at a low volume.
CONCESSION STANDS:
Concession stands by Catamount Dining are located on the main concourse on both the East and West sides of the stadium serving a variety of soft drinks from Pepsi including bottled water and Gatorade. Concession stands do accept credit cards, and there are also cash-only drink and snack lines available. Other concession options include the Bojangles chicken sandwiches and Famous Sweet Tea, Tubby's Popcorn and More, and Betty's Funnel Cakes.
FIELD REGULATIONS:
No one is allowed on the playing field before, during, or after the game without proper credentials (Zone 1 & 2; Pregame Recruit). Fans will also be ejected for throwing any objects in the stadium.
FIRST AID / EMERGENCY SERVICES:
First aid tents are located on the concourse level of both sides of Whitmire Stadium. Local physicians and emergency medical personnel are also in attendance at all WCU football games and can be paged through the public address system in the press box. An oxygen-equipped ambulance is in the stadium during the games. For games where forecasted temperatures are high, misting cooling stations for spectators will be made available on the concourse levels on either side of the stadium.
LOST AND FOUND:
If you find an item, please return it to a Rhino game day usher. To recover a lost item, please visit the check bag location near the main entrances of either side of the stadium to make a proper ID of the lost item.
MERCHANDISE:
Catamount apparel and game day merchandise from the WCU Bookstore can be found at stands on both sides of the stadium and online at www.bookstore.wcu.edu. Merchandise is also available anytime at CatamountSports.com through CatamountFanShop, or also at the WCU Bookstore located near the center of the WCU campus.
CHANCELLOR'S BOX, PRESS BOX & CAMERA DECKS:
No one is allowed in the Chancellor's Box, the working press box, camera decks, Paws Porch, Catamount Corner, or onto the field without proper credentials (Zone 1 & 2). Those not adhering to this policy will be escorted out of the stadium.
REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE:
Requests for assistance should be directed to stadium ushers, located at every ramp throughout the stadium.
PREGAME TAILGATING:
Tailgating is only allowed in permissible lots. There are no grills or tents allowed in the North Baseball Parking Deck. NO GLASS is permitted in on-campus tailgating on football game days. Also, policy states that there is NO POSTGAME TAILGATING ALLOWED
TICKETS FOR CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL:
Tickets sales for Western Carolina Catamount football games can be purchased at the WCU Athletics Ticket Office Monday thru Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm or by phone at (828) 227-2401. Tickets can be purchased on game day beginning at 9:00 am at the Northwest ticket booth near the main entrance – or Gate 1. Avoid the line and buy online anytime at CatamountSports.com.
THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE CODE OF SPECTATOR CONDUCT
Southern Conference teams shall be supported with enthusiasm and dedication, for strong spectator support is a vital part of the experience of college competition.
We expect good sportsmanship from players and coaches. They have a right to expect the same from spectators.
Therefore, we urge Southern Conference students, alumni and friends to cheer their teams to victory while upholding those ideals our colleges and universities have nurtured during the long history of the Southern Conference.
Our spectators should be courteous and judicious in choice of expression, and should exhibit good manners and kindness to all others.
The scoreboard will reflect the quality of the teams in competitions while the kind of support given by the spectators will reveal the character of Southern Conference fans.
SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA
u WESTERN CAROLINA looks to keep pace in a tight TOP FOUR race for the NCAA FCS postseason . . the Catamounts are tied for third with ETSU at 4-2 – though the Bucs have the tie-breaker after last week's head-to-head win Both trail the Mercer Bears (6-1) – this year's automatic postseason qualifier and at worst the league co-champion – and the Chattanooga Mocs at 5-2 the Catamounts simply look to win out and get back to SEVEN seasonal wins that would also represent a program-best SIX SoCon victories;
u CATAMOUNT CRYSTAL BALL: Western Carolina still has a glimmer of postseason hope – but will need to win its last two vs VMI and at Samford to even begin to get in the door for the conversation the Catamounts have TWO ranked wins – on the road at No 22 Elon and at home over No 18 Chattanooga WCU also has a win over a team receiving votes (vs Wofford, 21-17) and led nationally-ranked FBS opponent NC State into the fourth quarter A win in the finale at Samford would give WCU a victory over the only team to beat the SoCon's AQ;
u BYE, BYE, BYE: Over the last four seasons under head coach KERWIN BELL, WCU has posted a 13-6 overall record AFTER its bye week – WCU finished 2021 with a 4-1 mark after its open date and went unbeaten in three attempts (3-0) in 2022 Last season, WCU finished 2-3 after the bye with a pair of one-possession losses After a grueling four-game gauntlet to start 2024, WCU is currently 4-2 after its bye week this season;
u TROUBLE WITH NUMBERS: Dating back to last season, WCU has dropped its last FIVE games as a nationally-ranked NCAA FCS team WCU fell at VMI to conclude 2023 in a loss that effectively ended the squad's playoff hopes the Catamounts lost their first two games of 2024, falling at NC State in the opener BUT climbed in BOTH national polls And then the home-opening loss to Campbell dropped WCU into 'others receiving votes' the upset win over No 22 Elon moved WCU back into the media poll before the road loss at No 10/9 Montana Most recently, WCU regained a ranking after upsetting Chattanooga – but lost at ETSU last weekend;
u DOUBLE TROUBLE WITH THE LEAD: The Catamounts have held leads in each of their FIVE losses this season including double-digit advantages three times – 10-0 against Campbell (L, 2416), 17-0 at Montana (L, 46-35) 24-7 at Mercer (L, 44-34) AND 21-17 at ETSU (L, 24-21);
u WESTERN CAROLINA and VMI meet for the 31st time on the gridiron with the Catamounts leading the all-time series, 25-5, including a 14-1 series mark in Cullowhee the last FOUR meetings have been split evenly with a home win for both VMI earned its FIRST-EVER victory in Cullowhee back in the spring of 2021 – a 30-7 victory as the Keydets went on to win the SoCon the series was dormant for 12 years from 2003-13 when VMI left the SoCon for the Big South Conference;
u FIVE of the last NINE series meetings have been decided in one-score games – four victories for the Catamounts and one for VMI coming in last year's 27-24 triumph in Lexington;
u NEXT MAN UP – CATAMOUNT BACKUP QBS: Western Carolina QBs COLE GONZALES and TARON DICKENS passed for 620 and 431 yards, respectively, two weeks apart The previous FCS team to have two different passers with 400+ yards in a game in the same season…? Western Carolina in 2021 (Carlos Davis, 401 yards at The Citadel & Rogan Wells with 427 yards vs Gardner-Webb);
u Under KERWIN BELL, WCU has found success with its backup QBs – Carlos Davis subbed for Rogan Wells . . . Cole Gonzales was a sub for Carlos Davis and WCU has seen both Brody Palhegyi and Taron Dickens have had success in place of Gonzales the past two years;
u CATAMOUNT IMPACT PLAYER NOTES:
u QB TARON DICKENS has had giant shoes to fill since the injury to 2023 SoCon Offensive Player of the Year Cole Gonzales Dickens responded in his FIRST career start by earning the Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week AND SoCon Offensive Player of the Week after he amassed 480 yards of offense and guided the Catamounts to the come-frombehind upset victory over No 25/18 Chattanooga Dickens ran for two TDs at ETSU;
u DB SAMAURIE DUKES ranks second on the WCU squad with 50 tackles despite missing two games earlier this year He also has two interceptions from his safety position
WESTERN CAROLINA / VMI
INSIDE THE ALL-TIME SERIES
ALL-TIME SERIES . . . . . WCU LEADS, 25-5 In Cullowhee WCU leads, 14-1
In Lexington, Va WCU leads, 11-4
Current Streak WCU, L–1
Longest WCU Win Streak: 17 gms (1992-19) Largest Margin of Victory 38 pts (40-2, 1999)
Longest WCU Losing Skid: 8 gms, 2009-16
Total Series Points .............. WCU 945 / VMI 614 WCU Average Points 31 5 ppg VMI Average Points 20 5 ppg
LAST 10 SERIES MEETINGS
(8-2):
Nov 15, 2014 Cullowhee W, 42-27
Nov 21, 2015 Lexington, Va W, 24-20
Nov 5, 2016 Cullowhee W, 32-29
Oct 21, 2017 Lexington, Va W, 26-7
Sept 22, 2018 Cullowhee W, 52-50
Nov 2, 2019 Lexington, Va W, 43-35
March 6, 2021 Cullowhee L, 30-7
Nov 20, 2021 Lexington, Va W, 52-24
Oct 1, 2022 Cullowhee W, 38-17
Nov 18, 2023 Lexington, Va L, 27-24
R-FR. QUARTERBACK #8 TARON DICKENS
JUNIOR SAFETY #3 SAMAURIE DUKES
WCU HEAD COACH KERWIN BELL
WESTERN CAROLINA – Blue Ridge Border Battle at ETSU
Photos by: Mark Haskett and Ben Richards (ETSU)
A LOOK AT TODAY’S OPPONENT: VMI KEYDETS
u After dropping its first eight games of the 2024 season including two by just one-score, the VMI KEYDETS earned their first victory of the season by downing the defending Southern Conference Champion Furman Paladins 21-17 back on Nov 2 on post in Lexington, Va VMI scored 21 first half points and made it hold up over the final two quarters . . . Last week, despite slowing the SoCon's postseason automatic qualifier Mercer, the Keydets fell 34-0 at home;
u VMI finishes the year with THREE of its final FOUR games on post in Lexington, Va – home games against Furman and Mercer and includes next weekend's finale against ETSU;
u VMI's last victory over a nationally-ranked NCAA FCS team was last year's regular-season finale with the win over Western Carolina that effectively kept the Catamounts from making the NCAA postseason;
u Redshirt freshman QB CHANDLER WILSON has taken over in the backfield for VMI in place of true freshman BRADY HAMMONDS as the Keydets have a youth movement at signal caller Wilson threw for 135 yards and one of his two TD passes in the win over Furman while also having thrown three interceptions Hammonds had 134 passing yards against Chattanooga but has five interceptions against just two TD passes this year;
u VMI is making a name for itself on special teams the Keydets have blocked three punts – two against Wofford – and ranks third in the NCAA FCS in that category All told, the Keydets have blocked a combined five kicks this season;
u VMI defensive back SHAMUS JONES earned the SoCon's Defensive Player of the Week honor back on Nov 2 Jones finished with a career-high 13 tackles and a PBU, while also blocking a field goal on special teams He also capped off the win over Furman with a game-sealing interception;
u VMI did not get a lot of preseason respect in the poll despite finishing tied for fifth last year and returning 13 starters, voted to finish seventh by the league's head coaches;
u Among VMI's preseason All-SoCon selections were HUNTER RICE (RB), TYRIQ POINDEXTER (OL), and DORIEN STARNES (DL) on the first-team All-SoCon ERIC RANKIN (LB) and IVAN THORPE (LB) were named second-team preseason;
u VMI shifted to a primary 3–4 defense this season while retaining some of its air raid principles on defense, while entertaining more of a pass-run balance and using varying tempos;
u KEYDETS IMPACT PLAYER NOTES:
u RB HUNTER RICE – Enters the weekend ranked second in VMI history with 28 career rushing touchdowns He is just FIVE yards shy of hitting the 2,000 career rushing mark and boasts 2,206 career all-purpose yards In 2023, Rice was fourth in the nation with 14 rushing TDs –the fourth most all-time at VMI in a single-season;
u LB ERIC RANKIN – an outstanding defender, Rankin ranks 29th in the NCAA FCS with 8 6 tackles per game – THIRD in the SoCon His 5 5 sacks rank him tied for fifth in the conference Posted a career-day with 18 tackles, 2 5 TFLs including a pair of sacks against rival The Citadel this year Rankin had nine stops with one for loss including a half sack vs WCU in '23;
u ABOUT VMI HEAD COACH DANNY ROCCO: Entering his second season, Danny Rocco is veteran college football coach who inherited a team in 2023 that was just 1-10 in 2022 – a year removed from a Southern Conference championship in 2021 – and guided the Keydets to a 5-6, 4-4 SoCon record in 2023 It was the fourth time in 20 years that a VMI team had won five-or-more games in a season and had four conference victories Rocco is the 33rd head coach at VMI;
u Rocco has coached football at multiple NCAA FCS schools – Liberty (2006-11), Richmond, Delaware, and VMI He is one of just two active head coaches (Tom Masella at Wagner College) to have wins at four different NCAA FCS programs;
u Originally from Pittsburgh, Pa , Rocco played collegiate football at Penn State before transferring to Wake Forest, graduating in 1984 He has assistant coaching stops with the New York Jets, Maryland, Texas, and Wake Forest
LEXINGTON, VA – Behind back-up quarterback Brody Palhegyi, No. 18/14 Western Carolina erased all but three points of a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit as the final drive ended a couple of yards short on a long fourth-down play as VMI scored the upset win, 27-24, in Southern Conference action at Foster Stadium ... VMI's HUNTER RICE staked the home squad to a 17-point, 27-10, early in the fourth quarter on his fourth rushing touchdown of the game. But Palhegyi orchestrated a pair of scoring drives with a 21-yard TD pass to DE'ANDRE TAMAREZ and a four-yard scoring scamper to make it a one-possession game ... After the defense forced a missed field goal, WCU's offense started to move before a costly sack on third down. With the hopes hanging on one final play, Palhegyi again scampered for 13 yards but needed 15 as the Keydets took over from there to seal the win.
Western Carolina QB COLE GONZALES suffered a game-ending injury early in the regular-season finale at VMI, pressing backup BRODY PALHEGYI (12) into action. He finished 18-of-31 passing for a career-high 253 yards with a touchdown pass while adding a teambest 80 rushing yars and a score in nearly guiding the Catamounts back from a second-half deficit at VMI.
Former Catamount RB DESMOND REID (1) accounted for 141 yards of offense including a team-best 101 receiving yards on seven catches and 40 rushing yards with a seven-yard TD run. Reid was one of nine Catamounts to record catches in the road loss at VMI with AJ COLOMBO and CALVIN JONES both finishing with three receptions. Of note, Jones \had a careerhigh 10 catches for 195 yards at VMI back in 2021.
Western Carolina's defense was credited with four tackles for loss including a pair of sacks – one by ED JONES IV (7) and the other by HAYWARD McQUEEN JR. – in the road loss at VMI. McQueen added a forced fumble with former DB ROD GATTISON securing an interception with a 29-yard return that thwarted a would-be Keydet scoring drive.
Josh Knapp (1.0), Christian Dunn (0.5), Eric Rankin (0.5)
at #24/22 NC State
Thursday, Aug. 29 Raleigh, N.C. L, 38-21
CAMPBELL
Saturday, Sept. 7 CULLOWHEE L, 24-16
at #22 Elon
Saturday, Sept. 14 Elon, N.C. W, 24-17
at #10/9 Montana
Saturday, Sept. 21 Missoula, Mont. L, 46-35
RV/RV WOFFORD *
Saturday, Oct. 5 CULLOWHEE W, 21-17
THE CITADEL *
Saturday, Oct. 12 CULLOWHEE W, 30-16
at Furman *
Saturday, Oct. 19 Greenville, S.C. W, 52-20
at #17/14 Mercer *
Saturday, Oct. 26 Macon, Ga. L, 44-34
#25/18 CHATTANOOGA *
Saturday, Nov. 2 CULLOWHEE W, 38-34
at (RV) ETSU *
Saturday, Nov. 9
Johnson City, Tenn. L, 24-21
VMI *
Saturday, Nov. 16 CULLOWHEE 1:00 pm
at Samford *
Saturday, Nov. 23 Birmingham, Ala. 3 pm ET / 2 pm CT
RALEIGH, N.C. – No. 19/20 Western Carolina twice led by seven points and carried a 21-17 lead into the fourth quarter agianst NCAA FBS #24/22 NC State before the Wolfpack scored 21-unanswered points in the final frame to escape with the 38-21 season-opening win at Carter-Finley Stadium. Cole Gonzales tossed TD passes to TE Jake Young and WR AJ Colombo, while Branson Adams scored on a 17-yard run. NC State got three receiving scores from Kevin "KC" Concepcion and two rushing TDs by Jordan Waters to pick up the win.
CULLOWHEE – No. 17 Western Carolina was unable to overcome five turnovers including four interceptions and a lost fumble as visiting Campbell rallied from a 10-point second-quarter deficit to score the program's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since reinstating football in 2008. WCU was unable to capitalize on a pair of interceptions and two missed field goals. The Catamounts were held without an offensive touchdown while Campbell's Chad Mascoe Jr. accounted for three scores, two coming on TD passes to VJ Wilkins.
ELON, N.C. – Cole Gonzales scored on a six-yard leaping touchdown run to give Western Carolina the lead with just under four minutes left and Ken Moore Jr. later blocked a FG attempt that Jordy Lowery returned for a score as the Catamounts upset No. 22 Elon 24-17 at Rhodes Stadium. TJ Thomas scored a 60 yard TD run just barely a minute into the second half to give the Phoenix a 14-3 lead, but WCU rallied with three straight touchdowns. Gonzales went 23of-36 for 254 yards, Branson Adams rushed for 81 yards and a TD, and Calvin Jones caught six passes for 98 yards.
MISSOULA, MONT. – Western Carolina bolted out to a 17-0 lead in the first half of its longest FCS road trip, but could not overcome 24-straight points by Montana in the 46-35 loss at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. De'Andre Tamarez caught a career-high eight passes for a career-best 229 yards and one of two TD passes from QB Cole Gonzales who threw for a season-best 340 yards, and RB Branson Adams scored twice on the ground. However, the Catamounts could not slow the Griz ground game as QB Keali'i Ah Yat rushed for four scores and Eli Gillman ran for 177 and a TD.
CULLOWHEE – Jalynn Williams scored two short touchdown runs, CJ Williams broke up a fourth-down pass with 45 seconds remaining as Western Carolina held off Wofford 21-17 without spectators due to rescue and recovery efforts around WNC. WCU elected to attempt a 53-yard field goal on fourth-and-14 with 1:36 remaining but Paxton Robertson – who hit two field goals – narrowly missed to the right, setting up Wofford at its 36-yard line for a potential game-winning drive. Williams halted that drive by batting down a fourth down pass in the closing seconds.
CULLOWHEE – Cole Gonzales threw for 294 yards and a score, Jalynn Williams rushed for three touchdowns and Western Carolina welcomed back fans to E.J. Whitmire Stadium in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene with a 30-16 win over The Citadel. Gonzales’ opened scoring with an 18-yard TD pass to Zion Booker who finished with 102 yards receiving. Williams capped two long drives with second-quarter touchdowns and the Catamounts led 21-7 at halftime. C.J. Williams and Samaurie Dukes both intercepted Johnathan Bennett at the goal line to end two Bulldog drives.
GREENVILLE, SC – Cole Gonzales threw five touchdown passes and a Southern Conference-record 620 yards to lead Western Carolina to a 52-20 victory over Furman at Paladin Stadium. Gonzales completed 35 of 55 passes and connected with Isaiah Johnson, De’Andre Tamarez, Zion Booker and Branson Adams for scores. Johnson caught six passes for 117 yards with two touchdowns. Booker and Boyd each broke 100 yards receiving for the Catamounts. WCU's defense only surrendered two scores as Furman scored on a 96-yard kickoff return for a score.
MACON, GA – Dwayne Mcgee ran for 223 yards and two long touchdowns runs covering 64 and 59 yards to jumpstart a Bear comeback as Mercer earned a 44-34 win over Western Carolina. Trailing 24-7 with 4:32 left in the second quarter, Mercer scored 27 straight points to lead 34-24 to start the fourth quarter. Paxton Robertson hit a 44-yard field goal with 5:22 left in the game to get WCU within 37-34, but Mercer answered with a CJ Miller 31-yard run to set the final margin. Cole Gonzales was 25-of-47 passing for 395 yards and two TDs, adding a rushing score.
CULLOWHEE – Taron Dickens threw five touchdown passes, the last an 8-yard go-ahead strike to De’Andre Tamarez in the fourth as Western Carolina defeated Chattanooga 38-34 on Homecoming. Tamarez’ third TD catch of the game capped a seven-play 85-yard drive that gave the Catamounts a 38-34 lead with 7 minutes remaining. The Mocs ran only nine plays the rest of the game, their final possession ending with an interception in the final minute. In for the injured Cole Gonzales, Dickens was 34-of-48 passing for 431 yards. Tamarez had five catches for 59 yards.
JOHNSON CITY, TN – Gino English overcame tossing three of ETSU's four interceptions to pass for two TDs as the Buccaneers took advantage of a short field to get the winning score with six minutes to go to beat Western Carolina 24-21 in front of a stadium record crowd of 12,109. Devontae Houston scored the winning TD on a 14-yard run with 5:55 to play as the Bucs took advantage of a shortened field for a third time with the ball on the 28-yard line. Taron Dickens rushed for two scores and threw for a third, guiding WCU to a 21-17 lead into the fourth quarter.
Western Carolina hosts VMI on Senior Day and Hall of Fame Day in Cullowhee, looking to avenge last year’s road loss that in all likelihood denied the Catamounts a NCAA FCS playoff bid. WCU erased all but three points of a 17-point fourth quarter deficit behind back-up QB Brody Palhegyi after starter Cole Gonzales was injured in the first quarter. The Catamounts hold a commanding 25-5 lead in the all-time series including a 14-1 mark in games played in Cullowhee – but the Keydets have wins in two of the last four meetings – 30-7 in 2020 and 27-24 last year.
Western Carolina concludes the regular-season portion of its 2024 schedule by visiting the Samford Bulldogs in Birmingham, Ala., in late November. WCU snapped a five-game series winless drought with a convincing 30-7 win over the nationally-ranked Bulldogs in Cullowhee last season. The game endured a five-and-a-half-hour weather delay with WCU holding Samford scoreless over the final three quarters. The Catamounts are just 1-10 all-time on the road in the series and are mired in a 10 game losing skid with the program’s lone road win coming back in 1969.
Western Carolina looks to halt a 41-year drought of advancing to the NCAA postseason, looking to make a return to the NCAA D-I FCS playoffs for the first time since making a run to the national title game in 1983 – the FIRST SoCon team to play for the championship. The Southern Conference regular season champion garners the league’s automatic bid into the postseason field. The 2024 FCS Championship game will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
head coach >>>>>>>>>>>>
KERWIN BELL
An accomplished player who worked his way from walkon to All-American to the National Football League, and a 12-year veteran head coach who won a combined four conference championships and the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship, KERWIN BELL was named the 14th head football coach at Western Carolina University by Director of Athletics Alex Gary on April 27, 2021.
Bell enters 2024 with 110 career victories between his three coaching stops, eclipsing the 100-win benchmark in the 2022 season with a home win over VMI in Cullowhee.
Western Carolina rebounded from a six-game slide to start Bell's first season in Cullowhee in 2021 by winning four of its final five games to finish the Southern Conference slate at 4-4. After being picked ninth in the preseason, the Catamounts finished tied for fourth in the league SoCon standings, defeating both teams amongst the tie including a 43-42 win over Furman in Cullowhee and a 52-24 win over defending conference champion VMI to end the regular-season.
In his encore season in 2022, Bell guided WCU to its best regular-season finish since 2017, finishing 6-5 overall after closing the year with three consecutive victories – scoring home wins over Wofford and nationally-ranked Chattanooga and a road victory at ETSU to reclaim the traveling rivalry trophy. The win over UTC also halted an eight-game slide against nationally-ranked NCAA FCS teams.
The Catamounts closed 2022 with a 4-4 mark in the SoCon for the second-straight season marking the first consecutive .500-or-better league finishes since the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.
Over the past three seasons – 2021, 2022, 2023 –Western Carolina has eclipsed the program record for most total offense, establishing a benchmark with 5,545 total yards to edge the 2022 (5,339) and 1983 teams (5,333). WCU’s offensive has surpassed the 3,000 passing yard mark for just the fourth time in program history in 2023, throwing for 3,533 yards, second-most in a season ... WCU passed for a school-record 33 TDs in 2023. The Catamounts led the NCAA FCS in total offense, the only program to average over
500 yards per game at the season's end.
Bell came to Cullowhee having served as the offensive coordinator at the University of South Florida under head coach Charlie Strong in 2019. He most recently walked off the field as a head coach following the 2018 NCAA Division II national championship, leading the Valdosta State Blazers where he coached for three seasons, twice making playoff appearances.
Over a 12-year head coaching career, Bell led the football programs at Valdosta State (2016-18) and Jacksonville University (2007-15). He did this coming on the heels of a 13-year playing career in professional football that included several stops in the NFL and the Canadian Football League.
Bell served three seasons as the head coach at Valdosta State where he also guided the offense. He led the Blazers to a 27-7 record during his tenure including a school-record 15 straight victories, two Division II playoff appearances, and won both a conference and a national championship in 2018. He was named the 2018 Don Hansen NCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year and the Gulf South Conference CoCoach of the Year after leading VSU to a 14-0 record – the first unbeaten season in program history that included a
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
BORN: June 15, 1965
HOMETOWN: Mayo, Fla.
ALMA MATER: Florida, 1987
FAMILY: Wife, Cosette Odom; Three children; Kade, Kolton, and Kenzley
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, former walk-on, three-year starter at QB (1984-88); SEC Player of the Year (1984); First-Team All-SEC (1985) and Honorable mention AllAmerica (1985, 1986)
u Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame, 1996 inductee
u Univ. of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, 1997 inductee
TORONTO ARGONAUTS, offensive coordinator (2000-01)
TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH, head coach (2002-06)
JACKSONVILLE UNIV., head coach (2007-15)
u Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year (2008)
VALDOSTA STATE UNIV., head coach (2016-18)
u Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year (2018)
u Don Hansen NCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year (2018)
u NCAA Division II National Champion (2018)
UNIV. OF SOUTH FLORIDA, offensive coordinator (2019)
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIV., head coach (2021–)
thrilling 49-47 victory over Ferris State in the D-II National Championship game. Picked fifth in their conference in the preseason and the No. 3 seed entering the playoffs, the Blazers finished No. 1 nationally in the final AFCA D–II poll.
Bell’s 2018 offense led the nation in scoring (52.0 ppg), ranked second in first downs (341), and was fourth in total offense (523.9 ypg), red-zone offense (.901), and pass efficiency (167.37). The Blazers scored 728 points on the year, the most in NCAA Division II history, as they posted 7,334 yards (3,676 rushing/3,658 passing) and 7.9 yards per play on the year.
Within Bell’s system, VSU sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells finished as the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, presented to the Division II Player of the Year, and was named both the Region Two and Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Wells accounted for 50 touchdowns on the year (including one receiving), led the nation in points responsible for (300), was second in passing touchdowns (38) and points responsible for per game (21.4 ppg), 10th in passing yards (3,075), 12th in passing efficiency (160.6) and 25th in total
offense (271.9 ypg). He finished second on the team with 732 yards rushing and led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns.
Additionally, senior offensive linemen Jeremy King was the runner-up for the Gene Upshaw Award presented to the most outstanding Division II lineman.
Bell led VSU to runner-up conference finishes in his first two years guiding the program and went 8-3 with a playoff appearance in his first season at the helm in 2016 as the Blazers led the nation with 27 interceptions on defense.
Prior to Valdosta, Bell led Jacksonville University for nine seasons, guiding the NCAA FCS program to a 66-35 record and three Pioneer Football League (PFL) championships. Serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach as well as head coach, Bell was named the 2008 PFL Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award after leading the Dolphins to a 9-4 seasonal record and conference title.
He also led Jacksonville to a school-best 10-1 record and conference championship in 2010 as the Dolphins led the nation in total (486 ypg) and scoring (42.2 ppg) offense. JU also posted a 9-2 overall mark and won a conference title in 2014.
Before taking over the Jacksonville program, Bell led Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla., for six seasons (2001-06), earning a Florida 2B state title in 2005 and runner-up finish in 2006. His coaching career began in earnest at the end of his professional playing career as he served as the offensive coordinator for two seasons while still a player for the Toronto Argonauts (2000-01).
Originally from Mayo, Fla., Bell was a quarterback at the University of Florida from 1983-87 where he completed over 57 percent of his 953 pass attempts for 7,585 yards and 56 touchdowns. A former walk-on, Bell concluded his collegiate career as the SEC Player of the Year in 1984 after leading Florida to a 9-1-1 record and a conference championship, and both a first-team All-SEC selection and All-America honorable mention in 1985, a season that saw the Gators earn the programs first-ever No. 1 national ranking in the Associated Press poll.
Garnering a second honorable mention All-America honor in 1986, Bell was a 1987 team captain and earned the program’s Fergie Ferguson Award.
Bell was ranked the No. 26 Greatest Gator of all-time from the first 100 years of football at Florida in 2006 by The Gainesville Sun. Bell later served as a graduate assistant for the 1990 season under Steve Spurrier at Florida after earning a degree in psychology in 1987.
He was selected in the seventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, beginning his 13-year professional career that saw stops with the NFL teams in Miami, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Indianapolis as well as stops in the Canadian Football League, where he passed for 19,538 yards and 101 touchdowns in nine seasons, and the World League of American Football (WLAF).
Married in 1986 while both students at Florida, Bell and his wife, Cosette, have three children: sons Kade and Kolton, and a daughter, Kenzley.
DANIEL HOOKER JEFF BRYSON
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – 2024 FOOTBALL COACHES & STAFF
Friends. Family. Community.
charles.w.wolfe.bwll@statefarm.com
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – 2024 FOOTBALL SUPPORT STAFF
TJ Earle (Head Student Manager), Jackson Barnes, Jackson Gore, Charlie Hardy, Eli Lautzenheiser, Matilda Leonard, & Nathan Moore
FOOTBALL STAFF STUDENT ASSISTANTS
Adam Bobo, Emmit Baldwin, Austin Belcher, Garrett Bell, Braxton Griffin, & James Mayer
VIDEO OPERATIONS STUDENT ASSISTANTS
Carter Honeycutt (FB Video Coord.) Bradley Krpejs, Lane Stroup, & Nate Wallace
Julia Daniel Assistant Athletic Trainer
Steven Honbarger Director of Sports Medicine
Anthony Rocha Assistant Athletic Trainer
Sharon Wilson Associate Athletic Trainer Noah Johnson Assistant Athletic Trainer Elissa Weeks Assistant Athletic Trainer
Lauren Fox Athletic Training Intern
Libby Lacca Assistant Athletic Trainer
ALEX GARY
WESTERN CAROLINA DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
Alex Gary, a former student-athlete on the Western Carolina University baseball team was dubbed the next director of the Catamount athletics program in late February 2020. Gary had most recently served as senior associate athletics director for development at Oregon State University.
WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown announced the selection of Gary on Friday, Feb. 28 to serve as director of athletics following approval of his contract by the university’s Board of Trustees during a special conference call meeting earlier in the day. The appointment, which is effective May 1, follows a national search conducted by a 15-member committee working with the assistance of the North Carolina-based executive search consulting firm Collegiate Sports Associates.
During his first couple of years as the Athletics Director at WCU, Gary successfully navigated the department through the COVID-19 pandemic while also overseeing high-profile head coach hires in men's and women's basketball, football, and baseball.
Gary was appointed to the 2022-23 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee, officially beginning his appointment on Sept. 1, 2022 with a term running through Aug. 31, 2027. He was also appointed to the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee. His four-year term on that committee also began Sept. 1, 2022, and continues through Aug. 31, 2026.
Prior to coming to Cullowhee, Gary served as senior associate director of athletics and the department’s chief development officer at Oregon State beginning in September 2017. He previously served as associate athletics director for development and external relations at the University of Maryland from 2014 until 2017. He also has held development positions at the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Gary’s professional experience in major collegiate athletics conferences, such as the Pac-12 and Big Ten, combined with his personal familiarity with WCU as a
former student-athlete make him a perfect fit to take over the helm of the Catamount athletics program, Brown said.
“I asked the search committee to identify an extraordinary leader to guide the Catamount athletics program into the next era and who will provide our coaches and professional staff with the resources necessary to help our student-athletes enjoy the same level of success on the fields and courts of competition that they have had in the classroom in recent years,” she said.
“The committee has found exactly that in Alex Gary,” Brown said. “To borrow some terminology from the sport that Alex once played while representing the Catamounts, this hire is a grand slam homerun and one that touches all of the bases.”
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, who grew up in Charlotte, Gary was an outfielder on the WCU baseball team from 2001 until 2004, earning Southern Conference Player of the Week honors in March 2004. During his junior year of 2003, he was a member of WCU’s regular season and Southern Conference Tournament
championship baseball team and participated in the NCAA regionals held in Wilson.
“I have a strong affinity and love for WCU. Three groomsmen in my wedding came from my time in Cullowhee as a three-year student athlete. WCU had an immeasurable impact on my life, and I welcome the opportunity to come back in a leadership capacity,” Gary said.
“My personal experience as a former student-athlete at WCU deepens my understanding of this institution and what is needed to advance Catamount Athletics. I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to help develop student-athletes during a critically important time in their lives, especially at a place where I spent those same significant years,” he said.
At Oregon State, he has been a member of the executive leadership team responsible for the athletics department’s $85 million budget, 150 employees and more than 500 student-athletes. He oversees the 16-member athletics development team, which raised nearly $26 million in 2019, a record for the Beavers’ athletics program. That fundraising effort included a $3.5 million sports performance center renovation, $2.3 million women’s locker room renovation, and $2.6 million baseball stadium expansion.
During his stint at the University of Maryland, Gary chaired a committee focused on the financial sustainability of the athletics department, and he led annual giving growth in the Terrapin Club by 22 percent in 2015 and 13 percent in 2016. As a member of the development team at the University of Michigan from 2010 until 2014, he worked closely with the university’s athletics department, raising $12.8 million to support the Wolverines’ athletics program’s capital and endowment needs. He began his career in 2009 as assistant director of annual giving at UNC Charlotte.
“Western Carolina University’s growth and development over the past decade have been impressive. WCU athletics has the ability to assist in that growth by raising the competitive bar across the 16 sports,” Gary said. “Research has proven that high-level athletics performance is symbiotic with university success, allowing the university to increase its visibility and further its mission. I am confident in my ability to lead what may not be the most important room in the house, but potentially the most visible.”
He earned a degree in business administration in 2005 from Virginia Commonwealth University and his master’s degree in business administration at UNC Charlotte in 2009.
Gary was selected from a slate of more than 40 qualified candidates for the position after an initial narrowing of a larger list of possibilities, said Ivy Gibson, WCU associate general counsel and chair of the athletics director search committee. Six candidates were interviewed by the search committee off-site in Charlotte.
“We had a very strong pool of candidates with a vast array of professional and personal experiences in the profession of athletics administration,” Gibson said. “I think that Alex Gary’s track record in athletics fundraising in particular will be a tremendous asset as the university begins to work toward implementation of some of the construction and renovation projects proposed in the recent athletics facilities master planning process.”
Brown appointed the search committee on Dec. 18 and set an ambitious and accelerated timetable to find a permanent successor for Randy Eaton, who served as WCU’s athletics director from Dec. 14, 2011, until Dec. 10, 2019. Mike Byers, WCU vice chancellor of administration and finance, managed the athletics department until Gary officially took over the helm in May 2020.
Gary and the former Katie Mavis of Saint Joseph, Mich., were married in a mountain-top ceremony in Oregon on Aug. 28, 2020. The couple has two children, daughter Gianna and son, Myles.
Cogdill
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – COACHING STAFF
Alan Beck
Korte
Stocum
Mortenson
Tim Craft
Andre
Jackson
Chase Ridenour
Connor Stark Men's Basketball Graduate Assistant
Taylor Svehla
Ava Vlkovic
Corbin Huntley
Conner
Jeralynn Wells
Green
WESTERN CAROLINA – 2024 SENIOR DAY
2024-25 Catamount Cheerleader Seniors:
Grace Slabaugh, Scottie Branning, Daunya Rhymer, Kasi Jones, Savannah Jones, Kamdyn Anderson, Emma Shue, and Lindsey Mendoza
2024-25 "PRIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS" Marching Band Seniors:
Kaitlyn Aghajanian, Theron Armstrong, Breana Avalos-Beltran, Jason Barrera, Andrew Bay, Caleb Branaugh, Shaun Brown, Jay Bull, Chris Burch, Will Caldwell, Alexandra Cisney, Mason Clarke, Emily Cobb, Adam Crumpler, Becca Daye, Jake Dutton, Konrad Feher, Tommy Freeman, Virgie Fultz, Cierra Gillum, Tyler Hasty, Cameron Hawks, Druw Jenkins, Eric Johnson, Kelly Jorgenson, Lindsey Kepler, Gillian King, Megan Kinstler, Shane Kirby, Catie Lazaro, Bryson Lewis, Drew Marx, Luke Norton, Nicole Petersohn, Connor Raebel, David Sedlacek, Camille Shaffer, Katie Smith, Ryan Smith, Cody Walker, Megan Young, Ace Zhao
2024-25 WCU Dance Team
Alyssa Malgrat
2024-25 WCU Dance Team
Ashley Avant
2024-25 WCU Dance Team
Michelle Davis 2024-25 WCU Dance Team
Bailey Burk
2024-25 WCU Dance Team
Lainey Stinson
WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL – 2024 SENIOR DAY
#72 BLAKE WHITMORE Raleigh, N C
#73 XAVIER GRAHAM Niceville, Fla
#74 JORDAN DANIELS Charlotte, N C
#76 NATE LINKOUS Cramerton, N C
#40 CORY HENNINGS Matthews, N .C .
#46 PAXTON ROBERTSON Knoxville, Tenn .
#48 COLBY CROSS Mooresville, N C
#62 PEYTON DAVIS Mooresville, N C
#66 DEREK SIMMONS Jacksonville, Fla
#12 AMARIAN ROBINSON Akron, Ohio
#13 QUEZ ROYAL Fayetteville, N .C
#15 ANTOINE WILLIAMS Birmingham, Ala
#19 CHRIS MORGAN Maiden, N C
#20 WESLEY SCOTT Jupiter, Fla
#32 WALTER GIBSON Apex, N .C .
#1 MATEO SUDIPO Pompano Beach, Fla
#4 CJ WILLIAMS Gallion, Ala
#5 JALYNN WILLIAMS St Petersburg, Fla
#6 CURTIS FANN JR. Stillmore, Ga
#8 JAQUARIUS GUINN Clover, S C
Jaquarius Guinn
Micah Nelson
Murphy, N.C.
Hayward McQueen Jr.
DEFENDING CATAMOUNTS
Adrian
Ca'Lique Cunningham
THE 2024 WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS FOOTBALL TEAM
Western Carolina University – ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
MATT COOK
MEN’S GOLF (2004-08)
Matt Cook (2004-08) helped change the trajectory of Catamount men's golf during his four-year career, becoming one of the first faces of the WCU golf program and helping put Cullowhee on the golfing world map. In short, Cook was the first Catamount men's golfer to compete in an NCAA regional, totaling three postseason appearances in his career – twice as an individual in 2006 and 2007, and with the team's at-large berth in 2008.
A Western North Carolina product out of Murphy, Cook posted 27 Top 10 finishes during his Catamount career including 19 times finishing inside the Top Five in tournament play. Among those 19 Top Fives were 15 podium – or top three – finishes and he claimed individual medalist honors nine times, twice winning the Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship in 2006 at The Links at Stono Ferry in Hollywood, S.C., and in 2008 at the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence.
During his four-year career, Cook earned an unprecedented – and league record – nine SoCon Men's Golfer of the Month plaudits. He was WCU's first, four-time All-Southern Conference honoree and became only the second Catamount men's golfer to garner SoCon Player of the Year accolades in 2006. That same year, Cook became the first of just two Catamount men's golfers all-time to reach GolfStat's No. 1 ranking. Additionally, Cook was also WCU's first golfer all-time to earn a Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-America selection in 2008 as an honorable mention, coupling the national recognition with a PING All-Region selection from the same organization.
Cook closed his Catamount career with the top three single-season scoring averages in program history and continues to hold three of the Top 10 seasonal stroke averages in program history. He established a school record in 2006-07 by averaging 71.81 over 26 rounds including a then school-record low individual 18-hole score of 65 at the Frank Landrey Invitational on his way to the program-low 36-hole score of 132 (65-67) that stands today. Cook just missed his record season-low average the following year, posting a season-scoring average of 72.00 across 34 rounds including NCAA regional play in 2007-08.
All told, Cook finished his time in Cullowhee atop the career scoring average charts with an average of 72.11 over 107 combined rounds in his four years for the Purple & Gold. His mark currently ranks third in the school ledgers – but remains second among golfers with over 100 career rounds, trailing only JT Poston (71.73). He is also just one of eight on record to eclipse the century mark with career rounds played for WCU.
Cook joins former Catamount men's golfers Brett D. Miller and former coach Johnny Wike as the third representative from the golf program in the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame.
JENNIFER GARDNER
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (2001-05)
A game-changing post player, Jennifer Gardner (2001-05) was at the center of transforming the Western Carolina women's basketball program and keying some of the most successful seasons for the Catamounts in the early 2000s. Gardner helped WCU to a No. 2 seed in the 2002-03 conference tournament, spurred the squad to the program's first-ever SoCon finals appearance and a runner-up showing in 2004, and led WCU to the program's first-ever conference tournament championship and NCAA tournament berth in 2005.
The 2003-04 Catamounts entered the SoCon tournament as the No. 6 seed and played four games in four days to advance into the title match with perennial power, Chattanooga. Along the way, WCU shut down 11th-seeded Wofford, 60-38, before upsetting both third-seeded Davidson (66-58) and regular-season runner-up Furman, 75-66. WCU ran into the league's regular-season champion and conference player of the year as the Cinderella story came up short in the finals, 86-68.
Gardner scored in double figures three times in the '04 tournament run, twice ranking among WCU's leaders in scoring with a pair of double-doubles. She tied Tiffany Hamm for the team-best 20 points with 15 rebounds and three steals against the Paladins in the semis before pacing the Catamounts with 16 points and 12 boards in the finals against the Lady Mocs. All told, Gardner scored 58 points in the tournament run, averaging 14.5 points per game in landing on the SoCon All-Tournament Team.
Spurred by the near-miss in the 2004 tournament, Gardner led the Catamounts and first-year head coach Kellie Harper to the program's first championship the following season in 2004-05. WCU started the season with an in-season tournament championship at the North Star Invitational in Fairbanks, Alaska, with Gardner landing on the five-member all-tournament team.
With WCU again seeded sixth entering the 2005 SoCon postseason tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn., Gardner would not let the Catamounts be denied for a second straight season. Playing each game with a red lipstick kiss on her cheek planted there during pregame by her mother, Gardner scored double figures in all four games with a pair of double-doubles. She set a total of six SoCon tournament records along the way, scoring 106 combined points on 33 field goals and 37 made free throws. She also battled through a gutsy 45-point, 13-rebound performance in the double-overtime victory over Georgia Southern, scoring the game-winning bucket with 16 seconds remaining in the second extra session that landed WCU in the NCAA postseason and her atop the podium as the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer, her second All-SoCon Tournament team honor.
With Harper at the helm, the Catamounts earned a date with Tennessee in Knoxville in the program's first postseason trip.
Gardner finished her four seasons in Cullowhee with 117 games played and 91 starts. She ranked seventh overall in scoring with 1,362 career points at the time of her graduation, a mark that continues to rank her eighth all-time at present. She is also one of just 11 Catamounts all-time to rank in WCU's 1,000 Point / 500 Rebound club, ranking fourth in the program's ledgers with 890 career rebounds. She averaged 11.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while wearing the Purple & Gold.
Western Carolina University – ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
MANTEO MITCHELL
MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
(2005-09)
Among Western Carolina University's rich history and tradition of track & field, one name seemingly rises to the top of any conversation – and this year, that conversation includes induction into the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame. One of WCU's most widely and best-known former track student-athletes, Manteo Mitchell (2005-09) will forever be enshrined with this year's class.
Mitchell rose to fame as a track & field star at WCU where he was an astonishing 32-time All-Southern Conference selection scattered between multiple on the track between both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Part of five SoCon Championship teams, Mitchell was also a four-time SoCon Most Valuable Performer. Carrying the Purple & Gold colors, Mitchell advanced to seven NCAA championship competitions and was a seven-time All-Region selection.
During his collegiate career, Mitchell also garnered seven SoCon Track Athlete of the Week honors including three during the indoor season and four times outdoors. He was also thrice dubbed the SoCon's Track Athlete of the Month, earning recognition during the January 2009 indoor season and twice in the outdoor portion of the schedule in March and April of 2009.
A product of Mooresboro, N.C., Mitchell continues to hold the school records in both the men's indoor (21.23, 2007) and outdoor (20.73, 2009) 200-meter dash, as well as the outdoor 400-meter dash (46.00, 2009). He was also on the benchmark-setting 4x100-meter relay team in 2008 at the NCAA Outdoor East Preliminaries (39.59). He remains part of the top three best 4x100-meter relay times in program history.
Well-known around the state, conference, and region for his exploits on the track, Mitchell burst onto the national scene in 2012. He won a gold medal in the men's 4x400-meter relay at the IAAF World Indoor Championships before later becoming WCU's first United States Olympian by finishing fifth in the 400-meter dash (44.96) at the Olympic trials.
He furthered his national lore in the 2012 Olympic games in London where he was a part of the silver-medal winning 4x400-meter relay team. In the preliminary round, Mitchell suffered a broken bone in his left leg – but fought through to complete his leg of the relay race, helping Team USA to the fastest time ever run in the prelims, tying for first in their heat and advancing to the next round of competition. Mitchell's courageous story was later listed as one of the favorites of President Barack Obama to come out of the 2012 games as the Olympians visited the White House.
Continuing to train in Cullowhee through 2016, Mitchell remains a part of Team USA with his focus shifting from the track to the icy runs of the bobsled as he vies to become a two-time Olympian in different events. Back in December 2022, Mitchell helped his four-man bobsleigh team win gold at the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Foundation (IBSF) World Push Championships near Lake Placid, N.Y. Not only did Mitchell and his teammates strike gold, but they also set the Ice House facility record of 4.84 in the push, which counts the start through the first 50 meters of the run rather than sliding down the full course.
A two-time graduate of WCU – undergraduate in 2009 and Master's degree in 2012 – Mitchell eyes becoming just the 12th United States Olympian to compete in both the summer and winter games with just seven previously medaling at both. He would also be the first African American male to accomplish this tremendous feat.
Mitchell and his wife Christina have two children, a son Khi, and a daughter Melody. He also credits his mother, Ms. Dianna Ellis, his grandparents Betty and Ray Mitchell, and his brother Chazstein for much of his continued success.
SCHRADER, Dr. Charles (1998) 1968-93 Men’s Soccer Coach
NAME (INDUCTED) YEARS AT WCU
SCOTT, George “Ronnie” (2013) 1964-66 Football
SEAL, Gaston (2010) 1959-63
Men’s Basketball
SELZER, Tommy “Bromo” (1995) 1948-52 Football, Baseball
SETZER, Bobby (1992) 1951-92 Football, Coach & Administrator
SIMMONS, Clyde (2002) 1982-85 Football
SPRADLING, Steve (2009) 1967-70 Football
STANKUNAS, Frank (1992) 1960-63 Football
STANLEY, Bill (2012) 1964-69 Football
STROUD, Judy (1999) 1973-76
Women’s Basketball TIESZEN Kamarainen, Laura (2012) 2002-05
Women’s Track & Field WESTMORELAND Suhre, Betty (1990) 1965-79 Coach
THARPE, Danny (1991) 1960-64
Men’s Basketball, Baseball, Football & Tennis
TOLLESON, Wayne (1990) 1974-78 Football & Baseball
WALKER, Harvey (2021) 1969-70, 1975-76 Football
WATERS, Bob (1993) 1969-88 Football Coach & Athletic Director
WIKE, Johnny (2009) 1964-2004
Football, Men’s & Women’s Golf Coach
WILLIAMS, Denny (2004) 1955-60 Football
WILLIAMS, Jim (1992) 1964-66 Football
WILLIAMS, Steve (1996) 1968-71 Football
WILLIAMS, Willie (2006) 1990-92 Football
WILLIAMSON, Danny (2023) 1987-2016 Track & Field / Cross Country
WILSON, Thomas “Bubba” (2002) 1975-78
Men’s Basketball
WITTMAN, Greg (1996) 1966-69
Men’s Basketball
WHITE, Steve (1999) 1970-98 Administrator
YATES, Steve (2009) 1971-74 Football
YOUNG, Tom (1990) 1946-68 Athletic Director & Coach
1983 FOOTBALL TEAM (2003)
1963 MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM (2003) 1969 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM (2003)
1949 FOOTBALL TEAM (2007)
2003 WOMEN’S GOLF TEAM (2014)
1969 FOOTBALL TEAM (2018) 1996 MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM (2022)
2024 "PRIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS" – MARCHING BAND
The students and staff of the 2024 "Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band are proud to present our 2024 production entitled, “Higher Ground.” The directors, staff, student leadership team, and membership have worked incredibly hard to provide audiences with another unforgettable performance experience. The "Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band is poised to set new performance standards in 2024, while continuing to push boundaries of design innovation and entertainment at the collegiate level.
B.H. Graning Landscapes Inc., is again making possible the opportunity for the "Pride of the Mountains" to be a member of the Marching Health team. Marching Health is a nationwide physical conditioning initiative that serves as a training program for students in the marching arts. Through our involvement, students are receiving instruction on preemptive techniques that will reduce injury and build a stronger body.
We look forward to a long relationship with Dr. Elliot Cleveland, founder of Marching Health and are confident that this program will build longevity to our students’ physical health while teaching best practices for lifelong wellness.
This fall promises to again be one of the busiest on record regarding recruitment performances. The "Pride of the Mountains" was scheduled to perform in front over 3,000 spectators in exhibition at the 50th annual Enka High School “Land of the Sky” Marching Band competition which showcases 30 of the top high school bands in the area – but it was postponed by Hurricane Helene.
On Oct. 7, the band travels to Cobb County, Ga., to share their love of the pageantry arts with some of the best bands in the Southeast at the annual Cobb County Exhibition. The 23rd annual Western Carolina University Tournament of Champions is Saturday, Oct. 19, when WCU welcomes 25 high school bands from around the Southeast to our campus as well as our worldclass evaluation panel assimilated from across the United States. The "Pride of the Mountains" performs twice during this event for over 10,000 attendees.
We are also very pleased to announce that the "Pride of the Mountains" has also been asked to perform in exhibition at the Bands of America Super Regional in St. Louis, Mo. on Oct. 26, 2024. This is an event filled with elite high school bands, and we feel honored to be invited to share our talents at such an esteemed venue.
And now, about our 2024 production . . . “HIGHER GROUND”
Featuring the music of: Fitz and the Tantrums ... Miley Cyrus ... Jackie Wilson ... Marvin Gaye ... Tammi Terrell Fleetwood Mack ... Oleta Adams ... The Beatles ... Stevie Wonder ... Creed
Leaning into our nickname, “The Pride of the Mountains,” the WCU Marching Band's production, titled "Higher Ground," intricately weaves the metaphor of climbing a mountain with the challenges and triumphs of life.
In part one, "The First Step," the band captures the excitement and optimism of embarking on a new journey, just like taking the first step on a mountain ascent or pursuing a dream. This section symbolizes the initial enthusiasm and hope that comes with starting something new.
Part two, "Lost and Alone," portrays the inevitable setbacks and moments of feeling adrift that parallel getting lost on a mountain. It emphasizes the importance of staying focused and persevering through difficult times to find the right path again, reflecting how in life, we may stumble but must keep moving forward. But we can always find our way with a little help from our friends.
"The Edge," as part three, represents the most perilous and daunting phase of the climb, where the challenge seems insurmountable. This section serves as a metaphor for facing our greatest fears and obstacles, highlighting the need to push through despite the difficulty, and the fear of failure.
Lastly, "The Summit," in part four, embodies the ultimate triumph and success after overcoming all hurdles to reach the peak of the mountain. This segment symbolizes achieving one's goals and realizing that with determination and perseverance, even the highest summits can be conquered.
The over arching theme of “HIGHER GROUND”showcases that in life, like climbing a mountain, individuals can achieve their dreams and conquer any obstacle by staying resilient, focused, and never giving up. The show serves as a powerful reminder of the journey we all undertake, with its ups and downs, but ultimately rewarding those who persist and climb to their own personal "summit."
We are excited to embark on this journey with our members and our audience. No challenge is insurmountable. Just as a mountain looms tall and seemingly unconquerable, adopting a mindset of a determined climber, one can approach adversities with resilience.
We will persevere. We will not waver. We will overcome. We will reach our personal highest. We will be victorious. We are, the “Pride of the Mountains”!!!
"Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band
Instructional Staff and Design Team
Matt Henley Interim Director of Athletic Bands
Percussion Arranger
Dillon Ingle Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Tim Wise Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Doug Thrower Wind Music Arranger
Mike Bishop Front Ensemble, Rhythm Section and Sound Design/Arranger
Sergeant First Class (ret), K.C. ARMSTRONG joined the "Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band during the pregame National Anthem vs. VMI on Nov. 16. Armstrong has sung on national and international concert stages as a former member of The U.S. Army Chorus and former member of The U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants. In 2019 he retired from The U.S. Army with over 20 years of collective service.
Armstrong is also a highly sought-after soloist for choral works/oratorios. During his time at Western Carolina University (1994-1998), he studied voice with Dr. Robert Holquist and was a member of "Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band and The Cathouse Band where he played trumpet all four years. His daughter Adaline is a freshman piccolo player with the POTM.
WESTERN CAROLINA FIGHT SONG
Fight on! You Catamounts, Fight for purple and gold. Fight on to victory, True warriors bold. Wave the royal banner high, And let it fill the Western sky. So, fight on! you Catamounts, Fight to vic–to–ry!
Western, Western, Go–Western!
Go—Cats!
Fight on! You Catamounts, Fight for purple and gold. Fight on to victory, True warriors bold. Wave the royal banner high, And let it fill the Western sky. So, fight on! you Catamounts, Fight to vic–to–ry!
Adopted in 1981, Western Carolina’s fight song was composed by members of the University faculty including Mr. Dick Trevarthen Western Carolina and Catamount Athletics was saddened to learn of his passing in August 2022
WESTERN CAROLINA ALMA MATER
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater; Faithful, kind, and true; Every son and every daughter Offers praise to you.
– CHORUS –
Hail to the dearest spot of all; Hail to WCU! Light and life and fond devotion, All to thee are due.
Purple robes and colors golden, Streaming everywhere, Swell our hearts with pride for olden Days and friendships dear.
– CHORUS –
Under shade trees’ friendly bowers, Voices, ever gay, Mingles with breath of flowers And the song birds’ lay.
– CHORUS –
Shout aloud with one loud chorus, Voices clear and true, Lifted high in praise and honor, All for WCU!
– CHORUS –
DR. KELLI BROWN
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY CHANCELLOR
Kelli R. Brown, Ph.D., is the 12th Chancellor of Western Carolina University, a regional comprehensive university that serves nearly 12,000 students with a wide range of bachelor’s degrees across the spectrum of arts and sciences disciplines and professional programs in business, education, health care, and engineering; more than 30 master’s degree and certificate programs; and five professional doctoral programs. She became the University’s first permanent woman chancellor when she took office in July 2019.
Since her arrival, Chancellor Brown has highlighted several priorities: an institutional emphasis on quality and excellence; a commitment to access, affordability, inclusive excellence and student success; and a focus on the University’s role as an engine of economic development for its communities. Under Chancellor Brown’s leadership, WCU has continued to capitalize on the opportunity to be a thought leader regarding how regionally engaged universities can be student focused, with a high level of teaching innovation and a large connection with the surrounding region. Business North Carolina magazine has
seen the impact Chancellor Brown has on the university and region and has included her on their Power List of the state’s most influential leaders four separate times.
Throughout her time at Western, Chancellor Brown has spearheaded several major capital projects on campus. In 2021, the state-of-the art, Apodaca Science Building, was completed to replace the university’s 1970-era Natural Science Building. The following year in 2022, “The Rocks”, a collection of three freshman residence halls were opened with an emphasis on building student community. Later that year, WCU completed its new energy production facility, replacing the campus’ century-old steam plant. Additionally, she has overseen the implementation of the highly successful NC Promise tuition reduction program and the innovative Catamount Commitment financial aid program. Each program has had a tangible impact on the reduction of student debt.
Chancellor Brown serves on numerous regional boards including Harris Regional Hospital/Swain Community Hospital, NC Arboretum, Givens Estates, Asheville Chamber of Commerce, and is Chair of North Carolina Campus Compact — a collaborative network of colleges and universities committed to educating students for civic and social responsibility, partnering with communities for positive change, and strengthening democracy. Nationally,
Western Carolina University is led by the Chancellor, the university’s chief administrative officer, with guidance and policy oversight from the Board of Trustees. As one of the 16 universities in the University of North Carolina system, WCU also falls under the administration of the UNC system president and the Board of Governors, advised by the UNC Faculty Assembly.
As Provost, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs serves as the top administrator for academics and as the senior member of the Chancellor’s Executive Council:
WESTERN CAROLINA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Dr. Kelli R. Brown, Chancellor
Dr. Richard Starnes, Provost / Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Mr. Michael T. Byers, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance
Mr. Alex Gary, Director of Athletics
Mr. Chris Williams, Chief Information Officer
Mrs. Jamie T. Raynor, Vice Chancellor for Advancement
Dr. H. Samuel Miller Jr., Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Mr. Shea Browning, General Counsel
Dr. Melissa Wargo, Chief of Staff
Ms. Jessica Woods, Assistant to the Chancellor
she is a member of ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge President’s Council (nonpartisan mission is student registration and turnout) and a member of ACE Women’s Network Executive Council.
Before coming to WCU, Chancellor Brown served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Georgia College & State University. In July 2016, she was appointed interim president of Valdosta State University, a regional comprehensive university in southern Georgia. She served in that capacity until a permanent president took office in January 2017. In addition to her leadership at Georgia College, she has taught undergraduate and graduate students and has served in academic leadership roles at the University of Florida, University of South Florida, Illinois State University, and Western Illinois University.
Chancellor Brown earned her doctorate in education from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; a master’s and baccalaureate degree in public health from the University of Toledo; and an associate in applied sciences degree in dental hygiene from Michael J. Owens Technical College in Toledo, Ohio.
Chancellor Brown is originally from the Midwest, and she and her husband of 35 years, Dennis, live in Cullowhee.
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – 2024 CATAMOUNT CHEERLEADERS
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – 2024-25 WCU DANCE TEAM
WESTERN CAROLINA’S POSTSEASON TEAMS
• 1949 • North State Conference Champions
Western Carolina had struggled through its first 15 seasons of football with only two winning seasons in two decades, but all that frustration was forgotten in 1949 when Coach Tom Young completed a four-year, post-World War II building program with an 8-2 regular season and the school’s first North State Conference championship and first postseason appearance.
The Cats, led by a stingy defense, won its first five games and allowed only two touchdowns in those victories. The only blemishes on the season were non-conference losses to Maryville (20-13) and Emory & Henry (27-26) as Western finished unbeaten in conference play.
The team was rewarded by a bid to play in the Smoky Mountain Bowl in Bristol, Va., where the Cats lost to West Liberty State.
Art Byrd, a 165-pound guard, was named to the Associated Press Little All-America Team, Western’s first AllAmerica selection. Linemen Buffalo Humphries and Hugh Constance along with backs Hugh “Pee Wee” Hamilton and Ralph McConnell joined Byrd on the All-North State Conference Team.
• 1974 •
NCAA Division II Playoffs
Coach Bob Waters, who saw a perfect season and a trip to the NAIA playoffs denied by a loss in the final game of the 1969 season, led WCU to its first NCAA postseason appearance the hard way five years later.
The 1974 Catamounts, playing in a sparkling new stadium, lost their season and stadium opener to visiting Murray State and struggled the next two weeks before establishing themselves as one of the nation’s top NCAA Division II teams.
After the season-opening loss, The Cats continued to struggle offensively for the next two weeks but did manage wins over Tennessee Tech (9-7) and Appalachian State (21-14) with outstanding defense. The offense, behind the running of freshman Darrell Lipford and passing of quarterback Jeff Walker to Jerry Gaines and Eagle Moss, found the right gear and the defense continued its great play. In the process, the Catamounts won nine in a row—including victories over top 10 teams Indiana State and Western Kentucky—and won a bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs where they lost a heartbreaker to No. 1 ranked Louisiana Tech, 10-7.
The 1974 Catamounts finished the season ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press College Division poll and their defense established team records that still stand to this day. Most significant was allowing a mere NINE total touchdowns on the season (eight rushing and one passing) and only three over the last six games. WCU held four opponents out of the endzone and intercepted a combined 21 passes. JERRY GAINES and linebacker STEVE YATES were first team All-America selections.
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS IN THE 2024 SEASON
• 1983 • NCAA Division I-AA National Finalist
Like the 1974 team, the 1983 Catamounts got off to a slow start by losing its first two games to Clemson and Wake Forest. After the two setbacks, WCU would go through the next 12 Saturdays unbeaten en route to the NCAA Division I-AA championship game – the first by a Southern Conference school.
The winning streak started in the third week of the season when WCU rallied from a 10-point deficit in the closing two minutes to defeat East Tennessee State, 17-16, and ended with a loss to Southern Illinois in the national championship game in Charleston, S.C.
Despite the strong comeback in regular season play that produced an 8-2-1 record and No. 9 national ranking, Waters’ Cats barely made it into the I-AA playoffs. They proved their worthiness the next three weeks with comefrom-behind, heart-stopping wins over Colgate (24-23), Holy Cross (28-21) and Furman (14-7). The win over Furman was particularly pleasing as the teams had tied, 17-17, in the regular season, and allowed the Paladins to win the SoCon title as they had played and won one more league game due to a scheduling quirk. Over 5,000 WCU fans traveled to Greenville, S.C., for the rematch which was aired by CBS-TV.
On the 1983 team, WCU had EIGHT players named AllSoCon with head coach Bob Waters named Coach of the Year. Wide receiver ERIC RASHEED and defensive back TIGER GREENE selected All-America. Seven members of the ‘83 squad went on to play in the NFL and the team set an NCAA record for the most games played (15) in a season.
ART BYRD, a 165-pound two-way guard for the 1949 North State Conference championship team, was Western Carolina’s first All-America selection.
Linebacker STEVE YATES was leader and first team All-American on the 1974 team, which was WCU’s first to reach the NCAA playoffs, doing so at the NCAA Division II level.
The 1983 Catamounts advanced to the NCAA I-AA championship game after its 14-7 upset at Furman. WCU was the first Southern Conference team to play for the national title.
is a proud sponsor of Western Carolina University
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
The Southern Conference, which celebrates its 103rd year in 2024, is a national leader in emphasizing the development of the studentathlete and in helping to build lifelong leaders and role models.
The Southern Conference has been on the forefront of innovation and originality in developing creative solutions to address issues facing intercollegiate athletics. From establishing the first postseason college basketball tournament (1921), to tackling the issue of freshman eligibility (1922), to developing women’s championships (1984), to becoming the first conference to install the 3-point shot in basketball (1980), the Southern Conference has been a pioneer.
The Southern Conference is the nation’s fifth-oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association. Only the Big Ten (1896), the Missouri Valley (1907), the Pac-12 (1915) and the Southwestern Athletic (1920) conferences are older in terms of origination.
Academic excellence has been a major part of the Southern Conference’s tradition. Hundreds of Southern Conference studentathletes have been recognized on CoSIDA Academic All-America and all-district teams. A total of 20 Rhodes Scholarship winners have been selected from conference institutions, most recently in 2012-13, when former Wofford volleyball player Rachel Woodlee earned the prestigious award.
The conference currently consists of 10 members in six states throughout the Southeast and sponsors 21 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships.
The Southern Conference offices are located in the historic Beaumont Mill in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A textile mill that was in operation from 1880 until 1999, Beaumont Mill was renovated in 2004 and today offers the league first-class meeting areas and offices as well as a spacious library for storage of the conference’s historical documents.
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE – MEMBERSHIP HISTORY
On Feb. 25, 1921, representatives from 14 of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s (SIAA) 30 members met at Atlanta’s Piedmont Hotel to establish the Southern Intercollegiate Conference. On hand at the inaugural meeting were officials from Alabama, Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn), Clemson, Georgia, Georgia School of Technology (Georgia Tech), Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi A&M (Mississippi State), North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) and Washington & Lee.
Dr. S.V. Sanford of Georgia was chosen as acting chairman and N.W. Dougherty of Tennessee was named secretary. The decision to form a new athletic conference was motivated by the desire to have a workable number of conference games for each league member. With 30 schools in the SIAA by the early 1920s, it was
impossible to play every school at least once during the regular season and many schools went several years between playing some conference members. In addition, in 1920, the SIAA voted down proposed rules that an athlete must be in a college a year before playing on its teams and refused to abolish a rule permitting athletes to play summer baseball for money.
Play began in the fall of 1921, and a year later, six more schools joined the fledgling league, including Tulane (which had attended the inaugural meeting but had elected not to join), Florida, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. VMI joined in 1923 and Duke was added in 1929.
By the 1930s, membership in the Southern Conference had reached 23 schools. C.P. “Sally” Miles of Virginia Tech, president of the Southern Conference, called the annual league meeting to order on Dec. 9, 1932, at the Farragut Hotel in Knoxville, Tenn. There, it announced that 13 institutions west and south of the Appalachian Mountains were reorganizing as the Southeastern Conference. Members of the new league included Alabama, Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Florida, Georgia, Georgia School of Technology, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Mississippi A&M, University of the South, Tennessee, Tulane and Vanderbilt.
According to the minutes of the meeting, Georgia’s Dr. Sanford stated that the division was made along geographical lines. Florida’s Dr. J.J. Tigert, acting as spokesman for the withdrawing group, regretted the move but believed it was necessary as the Southern Conference had grown too large. The resignations were accepted and the withdrawing schools formed the new league, which began play in 1933.
The SoCon continued with membership of 10 institutions, including Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Virginia, VMI, Virginia Tech and Washington & Lee.
The second major shift occurred some 20 years later. By 1952, the Southern Conference included 17 colleges and universities. Another split occurred when seven schools – Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest – departed to form the Atlantic Coast Conference, which began play in 1953. The revamped Southern Conference included members The Citadel, Davidson, Furman, George Washington, Richmond, VMI, Virginia Tech, Washington & Lee, West Virginia and William & Mary.
A third major shift occurred in 2012-13, when five members announced their departures and three schools were added. College of Charleston announced its decision to leave for the Colonial Athletic Association following the 2012-13 season, while Appalachian State (Sun Belt), Davidson (Atlantic 10), Elon (Colonial) and Georgia Southern (Sun Belt) announced they would depart following the 2013-14 campaign. At the Southern Conference’s 2013 spring meetings in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the league officially extended invitations to former members ETSU and VMI, as well as Mercer, to join the league for the 2014-15 academic year.
Today, the league continues to thrive with a membership that includes 10 institutions and a footprint that spans six states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Current league members are The Citadel, ETSU, Furman, Mercer, UNCG, Samford, Chattanooga, VMI, Western Carolina and Wofford.
at Appalachian State Aug. 31 – L, 38-10
UVA-WISE Sept. 7 – W, 61-0
#2 NORTH DAKOTA ST Sept. 14 – L, 38-35
at (RV) Elon Sept. 21 – W, W, 34-14
at The Citadel * Sept. 28 – W, 34-17 (RV) CHATTANOOGA * Oct. 5 – L, 17-10
SAMFORD * Oct. 12 – W, 31-28
at Wofford * Oct. 26 – W, 24-7
at #12 Mercer * Nov. 2 – L, 37-31
#22 WESTERN CAROLINA * Nov. 9 – W, 24-21
FURMAN * Nov. 16– Noon at VMI * Nov. 23 – Noon
at #6 Ole Miss Aug. 31 – L, 76-0
CHARLESTON SOU. Sept. 7 – L, 24-20
STETSON Sept. 14 – W, 48-7
at #12/13 William & Mary Sept. 21 – L, 34-24
SAMFORD * Sept. 28 – PPD
at The Citadel * Oct. 5 – W, 17-16
#23 CHATTANOOGA * Oct. 12 – L, 41-10
WESTERN CAROLINA * Oct. 19 – L, 52-20 at VMI *
Nov. 2 – L, 21-17
WOFFORD * Nov. 9 – L, 19-13
at ETSU * Nov. 16 – Noon at Mercer * Nov. 23 – 3 pm
PRESBYTERIAN Aug. 29 – W, 63-10 at Bethune-Cookman Sept. 7 – W, 31-2
at #14 Chattanooga * Sept. 14 – W, 10-3
THE CITADEL * Sept. 21 – W, 38-21 at #23 Wofford * Sept. 28 – W, 22-3
65TH NFF ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER PRESENTED BY LAS VEGASHeld on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at the ARIA Resort & Casino is “THE place to connect for the college community.” Hosts the induction of the College Football Hall of Fame Class, the recognition of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments, and the announcement of the William V. Campbell Trophy® recipient.
NFF COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME - Inducting the greatest players and coaches in the history of college football.
NFF WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® AND NATIONAL SCHOLARATHLETE AWARDS - Awarding the William V. Campbell Trophy® to college football’s top scholar-athlete. Honoring the NFF National ScholarAthlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments. Bestowing postgraduate scholarships. Recognizing Faculty Athletics Representatives.
NFF FUTURE FOR FOOTBALL - Celebrating the positive impact the game has made on millions of players, coaches, administrators, volunteers and fans nationwide.
NFF CHAPTER NETWORK - Distributing $1 million in scholarships annually and holding local events to promote amateur football through 120 chapters in 47 states.
NFF NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS AND HATCHELL CUP - Recognizing the nation’s top high school football programs for their efforts in the classroom, on the field and in the community via the National High School Academic Excellence Awards, presented by Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, and the Hatchell Cup, presented by “The Original” Bob’s Steak & Chop House, which is awarded to the best team in the nation.
BOB WATERS FIELD AT E.J. WHITMIRE STADIUM
Construction of E.J. Whitmire Stadium was completed in 1974 at an initial cost of $1.66 million that was granted by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1971. The new facility, located on the southern-most expanse of Western Carolina University's Cullowhee campus, replaced Memorial Stadium and included the construction of the Jordan-Phillips Field House.
Dedicated on October 5, 1974, the Catamounts defeated Morehead State, 31-12, in their second game at the new facility. Murray State won the first-ever game played on the artificial surface at Whitmire Stadium on Sept. 14, 1974. That 1974 team went on to win nine-straight games and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs, boasting one of the program's greatest defenses.
Over the years, Western Carolina has posted highlight victories at the facility including wins over nationally-ranked squads such as No. 2 Marshall in 1992; sixth-ranked Appalachian State in 1998 to regain the Old Mountain Jug; and thanks to five interceptions, a win over No. 2 Furman, 41-21, in 2005.
Goal posts have also been removed from the premises on several occasions. Brad Hoover set a stadium and school-record with 49 rushing attempts in 1998 as WCU upset Appalachian State, ending a 13-year losing skid its archrival. In 2004, Western Carolina again reclaimed the Jug, posting a dramatic, 30-27, comefrom-behind win over the Apps, and the goalposts fell once again in what was the program’s 100th victory at Whitmire Stadium.
In 2006, Western Carolina’s defense recorded five interceptions and Darius Fudge rushed for 133 yards on offense to lead the Catamounts to a 41-21 victory over second-ranked Furman, setting the stage for another goalpost celebration.
The stadium has also hosted numerous television games over the years. One of the earliest came in 1978 as ABC showcased the Catamounts and Mountaineers from Cullowhee. Other broadcasts include ESPNU, SportSouth, Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS-TV) and most recently, the combined efforts of WLOS-TV and WMYA-TV in Asheville, as well as through the Nexstar Network / SoCon Games of the Week airing on The CW62 locally.
Currently with 13,790 seats, the football facility is located on the south end of the WCU campus and is bordered by the picturesque Cullowhee Creek on the west side; Jordan-Phillips Field House and WCU Weight Room on its north end; and the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center, which in addition to serving as the home venue for men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball also features the Dale and Diane Hollifield Football Locker Room, WCU Football Offices and Team Room as well as the athletic training / sports medicine facilities.
Construction Completed: June, 1974
West Side Stands Completed: August, 2003
Current Seating Capacity: 13,790
Playing Field: Bob Waters Field, Artificial Turf (IRONTURF)
First game: Sept. 14, 1974 vs. Murray State (WCU lost 10-3)
Dedicated: Oct. 5, 1974 vs. Morehead State (WCU won 31-12)
Largest Attendance: 15,247 on Nov. 12, 1994 vs. Appalachian State
BOB WATERS FIELD PLAYING SURFACE / FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS:
Western Carolina first installed AstroTurf on the playing surface in 1974. A similar product material was used in replacing the artificial surface several times. Following the facilities’ silver anniversary in 1999, a newer version of synthetic grass called AstroPlay was installed in 2000 for a cost of $1.2 million and was the surface that adorned Waters Field for the next eight years.
Amidst the 2008 season, the artificial surface was replaced by the Carolina Green Corporation which installed the Desso Challenge Pro 2 turf, a product of the overseas Desso Sports Systems. That surface remained until the summer of 2020 when Waters Field received a new surface. Designed by Woolpert, Inc., of Charlotte and executed by GeoSurfaces Southeast Inc., out of Mooresville, N.C., the group handled the removal and demolition of the old synthetic surface and replacing it with a new turf called “IronTurf” over a shock pad. The 2020 project also included resurfacing the perimeter immediately around the field and the addition of a new synthetic turf sled and practice area referred to as the “Hog Pit.”
In 2002, the creation of a $93,000 Team Room complete with meeting and office space, as well as storage, was completed on the second floor of the Ramsey Center.
Prior to the 2003 season, more facility improvements and upgrades to the stadium were completed. A $3.1 million addition featured a 4,000-seat West Side grandstand seating area that included concessions and restroom facilities as well as new, updated lighting. The weight room in the Jordan-Phillips Field House was expanded, nearly doubling its previous capacity which also added a hospitality patio that overlooks the stadium on the north end zone. It also includes additional team meeting space, computer lab and visiting team locker room. The field house and East Side stands were also bricked to match the brickwork of the Ramsey Center and of the new West Side stands.
Also, on Sept., 16, 2006, the Dale & Diane Hollifield Football Locker Room facility located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center was dedicated. At a cost of $225,000, the 100-plus locker facility was expanded with beautiful, wooden lockers located throughout.
During the off-season prior to the 2010 campaign, a new Daktronics scoreboard with HD video screen were installed in the south end zone – Ramsey Center end – of the facility. It marked the first true video board at the stadium, though the scoreboard
when it was in the northwest corner of the endzone had a digital message board. Nicknamed "PurpleVision" at its inception, the video screen measures 17-feet tall by 32-feet wide and includes a scoreboard with a matching score and time board adhered to the facade of the Jordan-Phillips Field House and controlled through wireless communication.
STADIUM BENEFACTORS AND NAMESAKES:
Western Carolina’s football facilities are named after two prominent figures in Catamount Athletics. The late E.J. WHITMIRE, for whom the stadium is named, spent most of his adult life involved with the University. An educator, contractor, agriculturalist and public servant, Whitmire – from nearby Franklin, N.C. – served WCU for more than a quarter century with the attitude, leadership and “get it done” ability that made him successful in every walk of life.
Whitmire was on the WCU Board of Trustees from 1949-72 and was the driving force behind the University’s unparalleled period of growth. His tireless work served as the cornerstone of the structure that now bears his name. His construction company prepared most of the stadium site gratis. He was granted the Patron Award in the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.
In 1988, the playing surface where ROBERT LEE "BOB" WATERS made a name for himself in the coaching and administrative ranks while also putting WCU football in the national spotlight was dedicated in his honor and memory.
Bob Waters served as the University’s head football coach for 20 years and worked in a dual capacity as its athletics director for 15 years. During his tenure, he became the school’s winningest football coach with 116 victories, 13 winning seasons and top 10 national finishes at three different levels – NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I-AA, now FCS). He also had the privilege of coaching 13 national All-Americans and 36 All-Southern Conference players.
As athletics director, Waters directed the school’s rise from NAIA to NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I competition and move into the Southern Conference in 1976. He was also instrumental in the planning and constructing of Whitmire Stadium, Childress Field (baseball) and the Ramsey Center.
Waters died on May 29, 1989 following a six-year battle with amyotrophic lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He was posthumously inducted into the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.
E.J. WHITMIRE BOB WATERS
WESTERN CAROLINA – HONORED FOOTBALL NUMBERS
#14 • KIRK ROACH – (1984-87)
Kirk Roach was Western Carolina’s – and the Southern Conference’s – first, three-time All-America Selection (1984, 1986 and 1987) ... He additionally was the first player in league history to be a fourtime, first team All-SoCon selection (1984-87), an accomplishment which has since been duplicated just three other times ... Continues to rank as Western Carolina’s all-time scoring leader with 302 points ... He connected on 71-of-101 (70.3-percent) field goals in his career and only missed one extra point, making 89-of-90 (98.9-percent) .... Roach also still holds the distinction of being the highest Catamount taken in the NFL draft, selected in the fifth round overall by the Buffalo Bills in 1987 ... Was listed on the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame divisional ballot. Inducted into the WCU Hall of Fame in 1996; his jersey was honored at WCU in 2006 and he was inducted into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame in 2021.
#41 • BRAD HOOVER (1996-99)
Brad Hoover starred at tailback for the Catamounts from 1996 through 1999 before playing 10 seasons for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League. Affectionally known as "Hoov," Hoover ranks third in Western Carolina football history with 3,616 career rushing yards, trailing just secondplace Detrez Newsome (3,728 yards from 2014-17) and all-time leader Darrell Lipford, (4,089 yards from 1974-77). His career tally includes a WCU single-season record of 1,663 rushing yards in 1998 which came on a single-season best 331 carries. Hoover's 708 career rushes additionally rank him third in program history, finishing fourth with a 5.10 career rushing average and tied for eighth with 23 scores on the ground. During his recordsetting 1998 season, Hoover keyed an upset of archrival Appalachian State by rushing for 195 yards on a school single-game record 49 carries. WCU upended the second-ranked Mountaineers 23-6 in Cullowhee, returning the "Old Mountain Jug" to Cullowhee. Hoover was a 2008 inductee into Western Carolina's Athletics Hall of Fame and a two-time All-SoCon selection at running back.
#23 • JERRY GAINES (1970-75)
Jerry Gaines was an Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association All-America selection in 1974 ... Also earned All-America honors in baseball and track & field while at WCU ... Set WCU records with 3,449 career receiving yards, a 20.6 average yards per reception for his career and 15 games with over 100 receiving yards ... Only the second WCU football player to have his jersey retired.
Inducted into the Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.
#54 • ART BYRD (1946-49)
Art Byrd was the first football All-America selection at Western Carolina, playing guard on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball ... Helped the Catamounts to an 8-2 regular-season mark in 1949 and their first North State Conference title ... That team additionally holds the distinction of being WCU’s first team to earn a postseason bid, playing in the Smoky Mountain Bowl (Bristol, Va.) ... Byrd was the first Western Carolina student-athlete to have a jersey and number retired. Inducted into the Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.
54 41 14 23
HISTORY OF THE VICTORY BELL
Western Carolina continues a tradition resumed in 2009, returning the “Victory Bell” – a mounted, transportable bell that rings the football team’s arrival for pre-game and also accompanies the “Pride of the Mountains” Marching Band and the Catamount Cheerleaders in their pregame parades to E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
Whereas the bell is a relatively new tradition, it is actually the re-birth of an old tradition on the WCU campus as is noted on the plaque which adorns the Alumni Bell Tower, the centerpiece in the quad. The tower houses the original “Victory Bell,” which hung in the old Madison Hall from 1904 until 1938 and was run to signal class periods. After the building was torn down, the bell was mounted on a stone base between the Moore and former Joyner Building – which was destroyed by fire – and was rung in celebration of Catamount athletic victories.
The bell was later moved closer to the Old Student Union building before making its last active move in the late 1960s to the lawn of the Hinds University Center.
The bell and its traveling apparatus were designed and constructed by Mr. Ron Bumgarner, an assistant professor of engineering technology at Western Carolina, and several students in his class.
