The Backyard Brawl is an American college football rivalry between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers. The term "Backyard Brawl" has also been used to refer to college basketball games played annually or semi-annually and may also be used to refer to other athletic competitions between the two schools. It is a registered trademark for both universities, and refers to the close proximity of the two universities, separated by 75 miles (105 km) along Interstate 79.
Donald Eugene Nehlen is a former American football player and coach. He was head football coach at Bowling Green State University (1968–1976) and at West Virginia University (1980–2000). Nehlen retired from coaching college football in 2001 with a career record of 202–128–8 and as the 17th winningest coach in college football history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and has served as a president of the American Football Coaches Association.
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. The Mountaineers have been a member of the Big 12 Conference since 2012. At that time, the Mountaineers joined the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member for men's soccer. The men's soccer team now competes in the Sun Belt Conference.
Patrick Christian White is an American football offensive assistant for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL), and former West Virginia University quarterback. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. West Virginia plays its home games at Milan Puskar Stadium on the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers have won or shared a total of 15 conference championships, including eight Southern Conference titles and seven Big East Conference titles. The Mountaineers compete in the Big 12 Conference and are led by head coach Neal Brown.
The 2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the season with an 11–1 record. The Mountaineers won their third consecutive Big East title with a conference record of 7–0. They ended the season with a 38–35 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.
The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. WVU has won 13 conference tournament championships, and has 31 appearances in the NCAA tournament, including two Final Fours, most recently in 2010. The Mountaineers have also appeared in 16 National Invitation Tournaments (NIT), and have won the tournament twice, in 1942 and 2007. The 1942 NIT Championship is claimed by West Virginia as a National Championship.
The 2010 West Virginia Mountaineer football team represented West Virginia University in the college football season of 2010. The Mountaineers were led by head coach Bill Stewart and played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. They were members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 9–4, 5–2 in Big East play to share the conference title with Connecticut and Pittsburgh. They were invited to the Champ Sports Bowl where they were defeated by North Carolina State 7–23.
The 2011 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the Big East Conference. The Mountaineers were led by Dana Holgorsen, who was in his first season as head coach. West Virginia played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season 10–3, 5–2 in Big East play to earn a share of the Big East Conference championship with Cincinnati and Louisville. The Mountaineers, in their final season in the Big East before moving to the Big 12 the following season, earned the league's automatic berth in the BCS due to being the highest ranked of the Big East champions in the final BCS rankings. They were invited to the Orange Bowl for the first time ever where they defeated Clemson 70–33. This was the third victory for West Virginia in three BCS games played in the BCS era, while the 70 points in the Orange Bowl set a record for most points scored in a bowl game.
The 2012 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season marked the Mountaineers' first season as members of the Big 12 Conference. In addition, the 2012 season was the first for the team since 1942 without a Backyard Brawl matchup against their top rival Pittsburgh due to their exit from the Big East Conference after the 2011 season. The Mountaineers were led by Dana Holgorsen in his second season as head coach. Joe DeForest and Keith Patterson served as co-defensive coordinators in their first season at WVU, while Shannon Dawson was elevated to offensive coordinator after serving as the team's receivers coach in the 2011 season. West Virginia played its home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The 1998 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 106th overall and 8th season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his 19th year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and four losses and with a loss against Missouri in the Insight.com Bowl.
The 1997 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 105th overall and 7th season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his 18th year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of seven wins and five losses and with a loss in the Carquest Bowl against Georgia Tech.
The 1996 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 104th overall and 6th season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his 17th year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and four losses and with a loss in the Gator Bowl against North Carolina.
The 1995 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 103rd overall and 5th season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his 16th year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses.
The 1994 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 102nd overall and 4th season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his 15th year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of seven wins and six losses and with a loss in the Carquest Bowl against South Carolina.
The 1992 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 100th overall and 2nd season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his 13th year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of five wins, four losses and two ties.
The 1991 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 99th overall and 1st season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his 12th year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of six wins and five losses.
The 1980 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 88th overall season and they competed as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his first year, and played their home games at their new stadium, Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of six wins and six losses.
The 1997–98 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University as a member of the Big East Conference during the 1997-98 season. The team played their home games at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. Led by 20th-year head coach Gale Catlett, the Mountaineers received an at-large bid to the 1998 NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West region. West Virginia advanced to the Sweet Sixteen and finished with an overall record of 24–9.
