President Benson values role of athletics in West Virginia culture
West Virginia President Michael Benson hasn’t been in the post long, but already fully understands the impact that the athletic program has on the people of the state.
Benson sat down with Tony Caridi for a special conversation and said that West Virginia has always appealed to him due to the grit of the people within the state.
“It’s great to be in a state where we’re the big dog. People will hang their hopes and dreams and how they feel about things with how things go on a Saturday afternoon. So, I understand that, and I always want to make sure those fans feel connected to our teams and our university,” he said.
Benson was complimentary of the work that Athletic Director Wren Baker has done and how he is respected not only within the state but nationally.
“He’s doing a terrific job hiring coaches, revenue generation,” he said.
Benson also pointed out that shortly after he was hired, he got a hand-written note from every single coach at the school, which impressed him.
Given his background in athletics, Benson understands the importance of those programs succeeding and how that ties into the academic side of things.
He cited examples when he was working at Utah, and the Utes made the Final Four, which saw applications spike and the same can be said with Urban Meyer leading the football program during his time there. The same happened during his time at Coastal Carolina and their athletic successes.
“I saw it first hand,” he said.
Benson wants to support the programs and is excited to do that in any way that he can.
“We don’t have a pro team. West Virginia is it,” he said.
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