2022 Best Collegiate Live Human Mascot Program Award Winner
2023 Greatest Community Impact Award Winner
The Mountaineer is the live human mascot of West Virginia University, a proud member of the NCAA’s Big 12 Conference. Dressed in heavy custom buckskins and a real coonskin cap, the Mountaineer has represented the spirit and heritage of the Mountain State since the early 20th century, making it one of the oldest and most revered mascot traditions in college athletics. The position is held for one year at a time, with a new individual selected annually. At WVU, as the saying goes, the mascot becomes the person, not the other way around. The Mountaineer earned the 2022 Best Collegiate Live Human Mascot Program Award and the 2023 Greatest Community Impact Award (Collegiate category) — two distinct honors across two consecutive years that reflect the remarkable consistency of this program.
Blood, Service, and 2,322 Lives Saved
What sets the Mountaineer apart isn’t just the pageantry — it’s the relentless commitment to giving back. The Mountaineer Mascot Blood Drive Program, launched in 2019 in partnership with the American Red Cross, has become one of the most measurable examples of a mascot program making a real difference. Three blood drives are hosted annually, with the Mountaineer personally promoting each one through social media, attending to thank donors, and donating blood himself.
To date, the program has held 20 blood drives, collected 774 pints of blood, and, by the Red Cross’s own calculations, helped save 2,322 lives. That’s not a mascot stat. That’s a public health achievement.
Beyond the blood drives, the Mountaineer attends 350–400 events per year outside of athletic functions — visiting schools in rural West Virginia, hospitals, civic organizations, golf tournaments raising scholarship funds, and alumni events across the state.
A Mascot Who Becomes a Person
For most programs, a student puts on a costume and becomes the character. At WVU, the opposite happens — the Mountaineer’s unique personality defines the role for that year, leaving a personal legacy that follows them long after graduation.
West Virginia University is a land-grant institution, chartered in 1867 — meaning its founding mission was explicitly tied to serving the people of the state through education and community outreach. The Mountaineer mascot program has been living up to that mission, one appearance at a time, for over a century.
