Hometown: Hollsople, PA
Career: 1982-1983
Record: 18-6, Bowl Record: 1-1
During his time in Morgantown, Coach Don Nehlen was very
adept at recruiting transfer players for the Mountaineers. One of those
transfers was quarterback Jeff Hostetler. The Hollsople, PA native originally
selected Penn State coming out of high school. Hostetler would start two games
for Coach Joe Paterno, before Joe-Pa decided to make Todd Blackledge the
starting quarterback. Down, but not out, Hostetler decided to transfer to a
school where he could show Joe-Pa the error he had made. Hostetler decided to
come to Morgantown in the spring of 1981. After sitting out the 1981 season due
to transfer rules, Hostetler was given the task of leading the Mountaineers in
a huge road game against Oklahoma. That game would show that Hostetler was the
real deal and launched his successful Mountaineers career. In his two seasons
in Morgantown, Hostetler would complete 51.6% his passes for 4,261 yards, 26
touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. Hostetler’s impressive statistics underscored
his importance to the Mountaineers program. He propelled the Mountaineers to
two bowl games and was key player in elevating the national perception of West
Virginia. His success in Morgantown led to a long pro career in the NFL,
playing for the Giants, Raiders, and Redskins. During his NFL career, Hostetler
would win two Super Bowls, starring in SB XXV in a nail-biter against the
Buffalo Bills. While he will never make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he did
make the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.
Memorable Game: Hostetler’s most impressive performance for
the Mountaineers was his first, in a road game against Oklahoma. The game in
Norman, OK was the 1982 season opener and came 4 years after the Mountaineers
were embarrassed their by a score of 52-10. Coach Nehlen’s squad was looking
for a monumental upset of the 9th ranked Sooners. Oklahoma, under
Coach Barry Switzer, was expected to be in the mix for the National
Championship while the Mountaineers were expected to be a middle of the road
team. The heat that day played a factor in West Virginia falling behind early,
14-0. Hostetler led the Mountaineers on late scoring drives in the first half
to take a 20-14 lead into halftime. Early in the second half, Oklahoma would
block a punt for a touchdown to knot the game at 27-27. The fourth quarter
would belong to the Hostetler. He would engineer two touchdown drives to help
the Mountaineers pull away from the Sooners. The Mountaineers defense would
clamp down on Oklahoma, preserving a 41-27 victory for WVU. The win is regarded
as one of the biggest upsets in West Virginia football history.
Competition: While Hostetler was the choice for this spot on
the countdown, there was one other stellar #15 available: James Jett. He was a
talented receiver that had the goods to play in the NFL. A couple other
notables to wear #15 include Charles Pugh and Sedrick King.
Teaser: Tomorrow we honor the career of another Mountaineer
legend. He made his career taking wins from big programs and gave the
Mountaineers many more wins. His exploits were like that of Robin Hood in
Sherwood Forest (if Robin Hood were a quarterback that is).
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