Being named the Mountaineer Mascot is a dream of many, but the reality of a few.
For Greenbrier East graduate Colson Glover, he got to experience that reality when he was named the 67th Mountaineer last March, 2020, on the day WVU defeated #5 Baylor in basketball last year in their regular-season finale.
The fun was officially supposed to start for Glover, but unfortunately, Covid-19 stormed the country and everything came to a screeching halt.
The virus has put Glover and his predecessor, Timmy Eades, in rare company like no other Mountaineer has experienced. Still though, Glover is cherishing every single minute he puts on the buckskin and has learned to take nothing for granted.
“The past nine months of being in the buckskins truly have changed my life. I’ve grown and learned so much in the process and I cannot be more thankful for this opportunity. With that being said, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is you have to be grateful for every moment life gives you. Your life can change in an instant, so you have to be ready and make the most of it when it does,” Glover said.
With the mascot duties at WVU so full of unique opportunities and fun activities, Glover was looking forward to experiencing those for himself. However, all that changed in March and he has had to go with the flow of an unpredictable pandemic.
“Little did I know at the time, all spring and summer sports would be canceled and I would be in the buckskins for the next WVU sporting event. Normally I would shadow the former Mountaineer over the spring to ‘learn the ropes,’ but unfortunately with COVID that just wasn’t possible. Running out onto the field against EKU for the first time with less than 1,000 people in the stands was my first true in-person appearance in the buckskins,” Glover said.
When it comes to the fan experience, Glover said that was the weirdest part to get used to. Normally the football field is packed with 60,000 fans and the basketball Coliseum puts 14,000 all the way to the rafters, but so far this year, that has not been the case.
“I’ve been attending games at Milan Puskar since before I can remember and I never thought I’d see it with as few fans as there were. Regardless of the number in attendance, I still soaked it in and made the most of it. Pandemic or not, I’m still living my dream and representing Mountaineer Nation to the fullest,” Glover said.
The fan experience typically is what gets teams pumped up for game days and certain situations within the game as fans can be loud and make a real difference in momentum. With this year being completely different, players sometimes seem to have trouble getting “up” for games. However, Glover sees it differently from his field-level view.
“I think the current mindset around the entire athletic department is you have to treat every game like it’s your last. There were times over the summer where we didn’t think a football or basketball season would be possible. I know the players are grateful for each game they get. At any given moment the virus situation can change, and knowing that I think our players are ready to go every time they step on the field or court,” Glover explained.
Glover is planning to let his mascot role continue to prepare him for what’s to come in his future as he has laid out big plans ahead for himself.
“Simply put, I love this state and the people in it. I want nothing more for my future than to become a practicing physician and help out sick West Virginians in their times of need. Over the next year and a half, I’ll continue my role as the 67th Mountaineer, finish my undergraduate degree and hopefully enroll in the WVU School of Medicine, Class of 2026,” Glover concluded.
Look for Glover on all the TV networks during WVU games.
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