58 Ken Sandor

Hometown: Roebling, NJ

Career: 1999-2002

Record: 23-24, Bowl Record: 1-1

Imagine that, I picked another guy name Ken for this countdown! Ken Sandor was a steady force for the Mountaineer offensive line during a turbulent portion of Mountaineer football history. He came to West Virginia University to play in Coach Don Nehlen’s pro-style offense. By the time he became a starter, he was playing in Coach Rich Rodriguez’s spread rushing offense. Needless to say, it was quite the transition for him. Ken came to Morgantown in 1998 with fellow high school teammate Avon Cobourne. Following a redshirt 1998, Sandor began his career as a back-up, finally becoming a starter during the 2001 season. By the time Sandor had graduated, the Mountaineer had gone from a losing squad to one that was a winner and appeared to be on the rise. His play earned him 2^nd team All-Big East honors as a senior.

Memorable Game: Today’s game comes from the not so memorable 2001 campaign. The Mountaineers struggled mightily during Coach Rich Rodriguez’s first season in Morgantown. The team was learning all new systems on both defense and offense while not having the right type of athletes that Coach Rod needed to fit the new system. The Mountaineers had limped out to an unimpressive 2-5 record after sustaining embarrassing losses to Miami and Virginia Tech. The Mountaineers needed a win over a conference win to give the team hope for the future. Fortunately, Rutgers came to town that November. The Scarlet Knights were looking for their first win in Morgantown and hoped that they could take advantage of a reeling WVU squad. It was the Mountaineers who would take advantage of Rutgers, over, and over, and over again in this game. Sandor and the offensive line punished the Rutgers front seven, allowing the Mountaineers rushers to gain 446 yards on the ground. The Mountaineers would set a Mountaineer Field record with 11 touchdowns. The win gave Mountaineers everywhere hope for the future. WVU absolutely out-classed Rutgers that day, easily winning by a score of 80-7.

Competition: Really, the biggest competition for this selection was Bernardo Amerson. While he was a serviceable linebacker in the early 90s, I just felt that Sandor was the better pick here. He was a consistent performer and really was a key factor in WVU’s quick transition from losers to winners under Rich Rod.

Teaser: Well, I think I’m just going to give away this teaser right now. Tomorrow we feature a CURRENT PLAYER for the Mountaineers. If you can’t figure this one out, then you might be all brawn and no brain, much like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian.