Following a recent spring practice, west Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez was visibly moved as “Country roads” played. Surrounded by his players, a clearly emotional Rodriguez fully embraced the feeling of being back in west Virginia and the significance of the song to the Mountain State.

Rodriguez, a Grant Town native who both grew up in West Virginia and played for the Mountaineers under coach Don Nehlen, before two stints as the programme’s head coach, understands the tradition intimately. “I told the players afterwards. This is personal to me. this whole thing is. You know, played here, coached here a couple times,” he said. “And I think our guys understand that.”

the tradition of playing “Country Roads” has become synonymous with victories in Morgantown across all major sports. Rodriguez himself introduced the practice to the school in 2002 during his first tenure as head coach.”Playing Country Roads, you know when that started, right?” he said.

The John Denver ballad has evolved into the program’s unofficial anthem and one of college football’s most cherished traditions.It unites people, irrespective of whether they are from West Virginia, have lived there, or have simply worked there.The song is played after every win and has become an integral part of the gameday atmosphere in Morgantown.

Rodriguez Aims to revitalize Winning Tradition

“We only play it after a win, right? Yeah, so when you hear that song, it’s good memories.”

After various coaching stops, Rodriguez is once again at the helm of the West Virginia football program. His players, from diverse backgrounds, can now share in the pride of singing the song. “Nothing better than a winning locker room, and nothing better than a winning field playing Country roads,” he said.

The team’s current objective is to hear the song played frequently.