BECKLEY (WVDN) – West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) has announced Robert “Bob” Fletcher Arritt, Joseph Craffey and David Kidd as the 2023 class of inductees into the Golden Bear Athletic Hall of Fame.
WVU Tech’s homecoming is Feb. 6-11. Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at the Distinguished Alumni Reception and Awards at The Resort at Glade Springs on Friday, Feb. 10. The reception is being sponsored by the Tech Golden Bear Alumni Association. They will also be featured in the homecoming parade, beginning at 11 a.m., and during the basketball games at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the Raleigh County Convention Center on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Tickets and sponsorships are available by contacting Jen Wood at techalumni@mail.wvu.edu or by calling 304-929-1400. For more information, visit homecoming.wvutech.edu. Questions can be sent to Tech-Homecoming@mail.wvu.edu.
Robert “Bob” Fletcher Arritt is a Fayetteville native and had a stand-out football career at Fayetteville High School. He joined WVU Tech football in 1996, where he was a linebacker for the Golden Bears. He received many honors during his time at Tech, including 2nd Team WVIAC All-Conference Football (1997), All-WVIAC Honorable Mention (1999) and WVIAC Senior Scholar-Athlete Award (2000). He was a 1999 WVU Tech Football team co-captain. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and is a technical executive at the Electric Power Research Institute in Knoxville, Tennessee. He currently resides in Knoxville with his wife Rochelle and their three daughters, Elisabeth, Abigail and Anna Leigh.
Joseph Craffey is a native of Boomer. He was an all-state athlete in both football and baseball at the high school level before playing baseball for the Golden Bears. In 1996, Craffey won the WVIAC Hitting Crown, having the highest batting average in the WVIAC with an average of .444. He completed his college playing days at Tech with a career batting average of .364. He graduated from Tech in 1996 with an A.S. degree in printing technology and a B.S. degree in health services administration. After college, Craffey began his coaching career at Montgomery Middle School, coaching track and football. In 1999, he began coaching football and baseball at Valley High School and became the Head Baseball Coach in 2001. His teams at Valley amassed a record of 254-176-1 from 2001-2014. His teams won six Sectional Championships, three Regional Championships and three trips to the West Virginia State Baseball Tournament in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He was named Coalfield Conference Coach of the Year in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He coached 11 First Team All-State athletes at Valley and coached the 2009 West Virginia North-South Baseball Game with fellow Tech grad and teammate Steve Price. Craffey is currently a special education teacher, athletic director and assistant football coach at George Washington High School in Charleston. He lives in Charleston with his wife Christy and two children, Drew and Jaicee.
David Kidd is a Beckley native. Kidd was a stand-out basketball player at Woodrow Wilson High School and helped lead Woodrow Wilson to the West Virginia semi-final championship in 1988 before losing to Martinsburg High School. He became the first Woodrow Wilson basketball player to earn a Division 1 basketball scholarship in 22 years when he signed with Morehead State University. After playing one season at Morehead State University, Kidd returned home to finish his career at WVU Tech, where he was a 3-year starter. He helped lead Tech to the WVIAC Conference Championship during the 1989-90 basketball season when the Golden Bears finished with an overall record of 24-8 and a conference record of 16-3. After graduating from WVU Tech with a bachelor’s degree, Kidd had many opportunities to play basketball overseas and multiple tryouts in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), which is now the NBA G-League. He had a brief stint with the NBA G-League Grand Rapids Hoops and played for the Huntington Express and the Beckley Blazers in the USA Basketball League. Kidd is currently a national sales director for Integrity Staffing Solutions and resides in Atlanta, Georgia. He has three children: D.J. Sharp, Lexie Barrier and Mason Kidd.
