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ALL-TIME
How It All Began
University, In 1903 intercollegiate basketball got its start at West Virginia primarily through the efforts of one student, John Alden
Purinton, who had transferred to WVU from Denison College in Ohio, where he had played the sport. Purinton was the son of Dr. Daniel Boardman Purinton, who was WVU’s president and for whom the Purinton House of the Downtown Campus was named. Purinton talked it up among some of his interested fellow students and then served as manager/coach of West Virginia University’s first team. WVU had “class” basketball teams for several years prior to 1904 and thus a nucleus of players was available. Those teams played in the basement of the Old Commencement Hall, later called Reynolds Hall, located facing the main campus where the Mountainlair presently sits. The ceilings were low and a couple of posts supporting the upper story were in the middle of the playing floor, but this proved to be no real obstacle. The varsity team began playing in The Armory in 1904. The first team won four and lost three, fittingly enough, the initial victory coming by a score of 15-12 over a team from longtime rival Pitt, then officially known as the Western University of Pennsylvania. Those original four wins laid the foundation that has made WVU one of college basketball’s top 20 all-time winning teams. The mark stands at 1,811-1,120 over the 112 seasons of competition. -- Buck Martin
John A. PURINTON 15-12 32-12 21-20 5-28 11-34 50-9 6-16
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W.U.P. (Pitt) Informal East Liberty East Liberty Allegheny Butler YMCA Nonpariel AC All-Stars
3 SEASONS/1905-07 // RECORD: 15-21 D30 J7 J14 J25 J26
42-15 62-16 35- 5 16-17 10-39
W W W L L
Fairmont YMCA Big Eastern Five East Liberty Geneva Westminster
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K
5-44 8-36 17-27 80- 1 16-24 17-25 25-31 22-40 38- 8 40- 9
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Allegheny Grove City Hiram Waynesburg Steubenville AC Mount Union Buchtel (Akron) Hiram All-Stars W.U.P. (Pitt) Informal
1905-06 (5-4) // COACH ANTHONY CHEZ J13 J27 F9 F14 F15 F16 F17 F28 M6
43-13 44-13 45- 0 20-44 31-42 18-37 25-30 37-15 16-13
W W W L L L L W W
Waynesburg Wilmerding YMCA Independents Mount Union Allegheny Prep. School Wilmerding YMCA W.U.P. (Pitt) East Liberty Penn State
Meadville, Pa. New Wilmington, Pa. Morgantown Morgantown Steubenville, Ohio Alliance, Ohio Buchtel, Ohio Hiram, Ohio Morgantown Morgantown
Morgantown Morgantown Morgantown Alliance, Ohio Meadville, Pa. Wilmerding, Pa. Pittsburgh, Pa. Morgantown Morgantown
1906-07 (4-8) // COACH ANTHONY CHEZ J26 F2 F9 F14 F16 F17 F19 F20 F21 M2 M9 M22
21-46 L Westminster 20-16 W Bethany 60- 4 W Wilmerding YMCA 14-44 L W.U.P. (Pitt) 19-43 L Circleville 21-46 L Ohio Wesleyan 5-53 L Smith Skating Rink 9-20 L Ohio 27-40 L Marietta YMCA 26-20 W W.U.P. (Pitt) 27-13 W McKeesport 14-20 L Parkersburg YMCA
Morgantown Morgantown Morgantown Pittsburgh, Pa. Circleville, Ohio Delaware, Ohio Columbus, Ohio Athens, Ohio Marietta, Ohio Morgantown Morgantown Parkersburg
1 SEASON/1908 // RECORD: 3-7 Morgantown Morgantown Pittsburgh, Pa. Meadville, Pa. Butler, Pa. Morgantown Butler, Pa.
Anthony CHEZ
1904-05 (6-9) // COACH ANTHONY CHEZ
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James JENKINS
1 SEASON/1904 // RECORD: 4-3 F20 F26 M3 M4 M5 M12 M18
B
J27 J28 F1 F4 F7 F8 F9 F10 F24 M4
SCORES
1903-04 (4-3) // COACH JOHN A. PURINTON
D
1907-08 (3-7) // COACH JAMES H. JENKINS J15 J18 J30 F8 F14 F26 F27 F28 F29 M7
57- 8 20-58 40-25 27-17 18-27 32-50 11-48 20-22 24-28 19-20
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Davis & Elkins W.U.P. (Pitt) Marietta Westminster Allegheny Bethany Marietta Ohio Parkersburg YMCA W.U.P. (Pitt)
Morgantown Pittsburgh, Pa. Morgantown Morgantown Morgantown Bethany Marietta, Ohio Athens, Ohio Parkersburg Morgantown
George PYLE Morgantown Morgantown Morgantown Beaver Falls, Pa. Westminster, Pa.
3 SEASONS/1915-17 // RECORD: 29-25 1914-15 (10-10) // COACH GEORGE PYLE D19 J8 J16
WVU’S FIRST TEAM
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25-37 47-18 33-20
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Davis & Elkins Fairmont YMCA Fairmont YMCA
Elkins Fairmont Morgantown
