Retiring jersey numbers? Just make sure you splash those names

I smiled when I read the football numbers of Darryl Talley and Major Harris would be retired by WVU.

I had classes with Talley and watched his greatness. (In a one-on-one phone call back then, former Pitt coach Foge Fazio compared Talley to Panthers great Hugh Green. I’ll never forget it. And, indeed, both went on to become great NFL players.)

Of course, Harris led the Mountaineers to a national championship game. Easy call there. Major’s No. 9 joins Sam Huff’s No. 75, Ira “Rat” Rodgers’ No. 21, Bruce Bosley’s No. 77 and Talley’s No. 90 as the five all-time retired numbers.

Meaningful, certainly, although I have to admit I’ve never understood the concept of retiring numbers anywhere. If a great basketball player wants to sign with WVU and wear No. 44 like Jerry West you say no? Why? I’m sure Jerry would be flattered and fine with it if it helps his Mountaineers win. If a great football player wants to sign with WVU but also keep his high school number of 9, why turn him off and turn him down?

I always liked the idea of throwing the spotlight on the numbers like Syracuse used to do with No. 44, which was worn by Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little. Use the numbers like honey to entice recruits. Want to wear the same number at WVU as Tavon Austin? Here ya go.

Honestly, I think the best route is to honor players with a splashy stadium ring of honor visible on TV. It’s a great way to sell recruits on programs.

Sure, sure have your athletic program’s Sports Hall of Fame. At WVU, before you get a number retired, there’s even a “Legends Society.”

And I know WVU has its “Legends Park” outside the north entrance of Milan Puskar Stadium. I get that some of the “legends” are featured on column wraps around the stadium concourse.

But why not feature them around the bottom inside rim of the stadium? For TV. For recruiting.

And keep it fresh. Sure, you’d have the aforementioned five. But don’t worry about “Pappy” Lewis and that era. Honor Don Nehlen, Pat White, Steve Slaton, Austin, Geno Smith, Karl Joseph, Kevin White, Marc Bulger etc.

Feature Jeff Hostetler, Amos Zereoue, Anthony Becht, Rich Braham, James Jett, Owen Schmitt, Aaron Beasley, Noel Devine, Brian Jozwiak, Oliver Luck – heck, Pat McAfee!

Use the stadium and your most recognizable names to your advantage. I promise TV cameras will pan the ring. I promise announcers will talk about it.

Splash your stars, my friends. Don’t stash them.

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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.