Jerry West — and what he meant to West ‘By God’ Virginia

When I read the news of Jerry West’s passing, I had no words for a time.
Yes, he was 86. But it was a shock.
As a child, he was my idol. A West Virginian. A West Virginian who connected me to the outside world through his play with the Los Angeles Lakers and the book “Mr. Clutch: The Jerry West Story” by Bill Libby.
I was nine when I read the book. West grew larger and larger than life by each page I turned.
I vividly remember in Game 3 of the NBA Finals 54 years ago when he knocked down the shot from halfcourt to send the game to overtime. It’s engrained in my mind.
And today, while the rest of the sports world deservedly talks about his contributions to the professional game of basketball, I feel moved to write about what he means to West Virginia.
For we are mourning today.
We are hurting today.
This loss means more than the passing of a great basketball player – which he was – or the passing of a great NBA executive – which he was.
Jerry West was West Virginia’s pride and joy.
Perhaps never has the term “favorite son” fit a man more perfectly. He was the favorite son we bragged about. He was the favorite son we pointed to with our children and said, “See? You really can accomplish anything in this life.”
His passing hurts our hearts. He was loved in West Virginia by all within our craggy state lines. He was loved throughout his life, from his high school days at East Bank to his amazing career at WVU to his NBA career.
He never brought us anything but pride. He brought us joy.
And that pride, that joy, that pride permeated throughout – even early, even from within the WVU locker room.
One of West’s Mountaineer teammates during the run to the 1959 national championship game was Ronnie Retton, a Fairview native and longtime Fairmont resident. You may also know his daughter, former Olympic star Mary Lou.
Ronnie Retton admired West so much that when I posted on Facebook about the passing, Jerry Retton, Ronnie’s son, posted that indeed he was named after our guy.
As a former sports editor, columnist and writer that covered WVU, I ran into Jerry West from time to time. I remember he ran off his security when he saw me at the Mountaineer game at UCLA and was kind.
Yet one of my life’s proudest moments was when he asked me to introduce him and Sen. Joe Manchin at the Charleston Civic Center for the release of his 2012 book “West By West: My Charmed, Tormented Life.”
If you read the book, you’ll understand why he used the word “tormented” in the title. It’s brutally tough to read.
Yet I remember Joni and I being backstage, hanging out with Jerry and his wife Karen. I remember how easy it was to talk to both, yet how surreal it was to be in the same room, the same conversation with my idol. From “Mr. Clutch” as a kid to “West By West” as an adult.
I imagine that’s how most West Virginians have been – in awe of the man, in awe that he’s The Logo, in awe of his accomplishments.
He made us proud. And he continued to make us proud. He did so until the very end.
He displayed character, integrity and honesty. Even to the end he was a beacon of light for us, even in these divisive times.
So, yes, he’s in the Halls of Fame for four different reasons: college basketball career; NBA playing career; NBA executive career; 1960 USA Olympics.
That life, that legacy is, and should be, celebrated worldwide.
But In little ol’ West Virginia, well, this is more personal.
We’re going to miss our guy like crazy. He never forgot his roots. He’d come back to see us. He’d come back to see his friends.
He remained one of us.
“I’ve often thought, ‘What would I like for people to think about me?’” West once said. “That he was a good guy and he cared. That would be it. Nothing more.’”
Well, Jerry West, you were a good guy. You did care. But you were so much more to the world, but, especially, to your home state of West Virginia.
We’ll never forget you. And we’ll miss you like hell.
Rest in peace my man, my idol. Rest in peace. And thank you for all you did for us.
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.