By: Clark Johnson | WV Sports Chat
Morgantown, WV – It’s not everyday you hire a coach that will change your program for the better. But that is exactly what West Virginia University did on December 7, 1979. After a disastrous four seasons under Frank Cignetti Sr., the Mountaineers turned to Don Nehlen to lead their football program into the future.
Nehlen, a native of Ohio, came to the Mountaineers after a three-season stint as the quarterbacks coach at the University of Michigan. He previously served as the head coach of Bowling Green, compiling a record of 53-35-4.
What was an under-the-radar hire at the time turned into 21 seasons, 149 wins, 4 bowl wins, 2 undefeated regular seasons, an appearance in the 1988 Fiesta Bowl, and a 1993 Big East Championship. Taking over the program in arguably its darkest days, Nehlen even helped in the creation of the Flying WV, one of the most recognizable logos in all of college sports.
Coach Don Nehlen not only developed the Mountaineers into a national force, but also laid the foundation for program success into the future. Everything the Mountaineer Football program is today, as well as what it will be in the future, is because of what the program became under Nehlen’s leadership.
Today, as you celebrate the beginning of 2026, take time to recognize the great Don Nehlen on his 90th birthday. It has been nearly three decades since he took the sidelines at Milan Puskar Stadium, but the legacy of his tenure will live on forever.
Happy Birthday to “The Man Who Built the Brand” – Don Nehlen!
(Photo by WVU Athletics)
