Pittsnogle

Pittsnogle

MORGANTOWN — Eight outstanding contributors to Mountaineer athletics make up the 27th class of honorees in the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame, announced by Director of Athletics Shane Lyons.

The 2017 class includes Chrissie Abbott (women’s soccer), Eddie Becker (men’s basketball), Willie Drewrey (football), John Havlik (men’s swimming & diving), Charles Hickman (baseball), Dan Mozes (football), Kevin Pittsnogle (men’s basketball) and John Spiker (administration/athletic training).

Induction ceremonies will take place Sept. 16, prior to the West Virginia-Delaware State football game. This class brings the total number of inductees to 177.

• Chrissie Abbott (Bolan) was the first WVU women’s soccer player to earn first team All-America honors from the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz in 2002.

Playing at WVU from 2000-03, Abbott scored 20 goals in 2002 and dished out seven assists for a program-best 47 points while leading her team to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win.

Abbott completed her record-setting career at West Virginia by leading the Mountaineers to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2003 with a team-high 13 goals and eight assists. She became women’s soccer’s most decorated alumna, earning five career records during her tenure. Abbott graduated as WVU’s career goals (53), points (125), shots (472), matches played (87) and matches started (87) leader.

Abbott was the first Mountaineer to be named a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy (college soccer’s version of the Heisman Trophy) nominee in 2003 and finished as a semifinalist in the voting process.

She was the 2002 Big East Offensive Player of the Year, marking the third consecutive season that the award was earned by a Mountaineer.

Abbott, a second team Soccer Buzz and NSCAA All-American in 2003, was the co-winner of the 2004 Red Brown Cup, given to WVU’s most all-around outstanding student-athlete.

Abbott and her husband, Scott Bolan, have two children, Miles (3) and Jay (1). Since graduation, she has taught mathematics at New Albany High in New Albany, Ohio.

• Eddie Becker played basketball at WVU from 1952-54 and left WVU as its second-highest leading scorer.

A native of Wheeling, Becker played in 76 career games, starting 58 of them. He finished his career with 1,127 points and 346 rebounds. Those 1,127 career points were second all-time at the time behind All-American Mark Workman’s (1950), 1,553 points scored.

Becker was named to the Southern Conference All-Tournament First Team in 1952 and to the Southern Conference All-Tournament Second Team in 1953. At the time he graduated, he was one of 19 players listed on the WVU All-Time Team.

Becker currently lives in Wellington, Florida.

• Willie Drewrey was an exciting receiver and kick returner who played on four bowl teams for coach Don Nehlen from 1981-84.

A four-year letterwinner whose teams posted a 35-13 record during his career, Drewrey tallied a then-school record 1,542 all-purpose yards in 1984 (594 receiving, 385 punt return yardage and 563 in kickoff return yardage). He averaged 27.3 yards per kickoff return in 1984, ranking third in the nation.

Drewrey recorded 3,508 career all-purpose yards, which ranked third at the time in school history and now ranks 10th. He still holds the school record with 1,109 career punt return yards on 108 attempts. Drewrey is the only player in school history with 1,000 punt return yards and only one of 14 in NCAA history to do so.

Drewrey left WVU as the school record-holder in career kickoff return yards with 1,329 on 54 attempts and now ranks fourth all-time. His 24.4 career kickoff return average ranks fourth in school history.

Drewrey was named a Sporting News First Team All-American in 1984. Tabbed as the WVU team MVP, Drewrey is a member of the 1980-89 WVU All-Time Team.

Drewrey was an 11th-round pick of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. He played in the NFL for nine seasons with the Houston Oilers (1985-88, 93) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1989-92).

• John Havlik, who swam at WVU from 1977-80, became WVU’s first United States Olympic Swimming Trials qualifier in 1980 and three-time NCAA swimming qualifier from 1978-80.

In 1980, Havlik was tri-captain and led the Mountaineers to a 9-0 mark, the school’s first-ever undefeated, untied season.

A four-year letterwinner and three-time team MVP, Havlik was an eight-time school record holder during his four years.

Havlik was selected as the Most Outstanding Swimmer for the 1979 and 1980 Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Championships — the first swimmer in WVU history, male or female, ever selected for that award. He was a six-time Eastern Intercollegiate swimming champion.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1982 and was assigned as an assistant swimming coach and physical education instructor at the United States Naval Academy from 1982-84.

In 2014, Havlik retired from the Navy with a rank of Captain after 31 years of distinguished service. For 29 of those years, he was an officer in the SEALs — the Navy’s elite special operations forces. He served on various SEAL teams throughout his career, including the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, considered the SEAL’s most elite unit.

• Charles Hickman played baseball in 1896, then coached the Mountaineers for four seasons after his 15-year professional baseball career.

Following his playing days as a pitcher at West Virginia, Hickman played for many professional baseball teams

Known for his power, he hit .369 in 1902 (third in the American League) and batted .330 in 1909. Six times during his career, he ranked among baseball’s top 10 in slugging percentage and home runs, hitting 12 in 1903 (second in the American League). Hickman led the American League in hits in 1902 with 193 and total bases with 288.

For his 12-year career, he hit .295 with 59 home runs and 614 RBI, playing every position but catcher. Hickman remains the most prominent player with WVU ties to have played in the major leagues.

From 1913 and 1915-17, he coached the WVU baseball team and posted a record of 56-25-1.

Hickman entered politics and was mayor of Morgantown during the last part of World War I.

Hickman died while in office as sheriff of Monongalia County on April 19, 1934, at the age of 57.

• Dan Mozes, a four-year starter from 2003-06, was one of the best offensive linemen ever at WVU and helped lead the Mountaineers to one of the greatest periods in WVU football history.

As a senior in 2006, Mozes won the Rimington Trophy, signifying the nation’s best center, and became the first player in school history to win a national player of the year honor. He earned consensus All-America honors, one of 11 Mountaineers in school history to do so. Mozes earned All-America first team honors from the AFCA, FWAA, Walter Camp, Sporting News, AP, ESPN, Rivals and Scout. He was one of 12 Lombardi Award semifinalists and an Outland Trophy finalist.

In 2005, he earned Associated Press All-America Second Team honors, All-Big East First Team honors and was a Rimington Trophy finalist.

Mozes was a CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American, a three-time All-Big East First Team selection, a three-time All-ECAC selection, Big East All-Freshman selection, a second team freshman All-American from The Sporting News and a Sporting News Big East All-Freshman selection.

Mozes played in the Senior Bowl and signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2007. He sustained a season-ending knee injury in August and missed the entire 2007 season. Mozes returned for training camp in Minnesota in 2008 before retiring from the game in 2008.

• Kevin Pittsnogle played basketball at WVU from 2003-06 and became WVU’s first basketball All-American since 1972.

A 6-foot-11 center from Martinsburg, Pittsnogle averaged 19.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 2006 to help the Mountaineers to a 22-11 record and the school’s second straight NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance. Pittsnogle became WVU’s first basketball All-American since Wil Robinson in 1972 when he was named to the 10-member John Wooden All-America Team and was a third-team selection by the NABC and honorable-mention selection by the Associated Press.

In 2005, Pittsnogle helped the Mountaineers to a 24-11 record, a Big East Tournament runner-up finish and an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight. At the time, it was WVU’s best finish in the NCAA Tournament since a runner-up finish in 1959.

As a senior in 2006, Pittsnogle shot 47.6 percent from the floor and finished his career with 1,708 points to rank sixth at the time among all scorers. He shot 41.1 percent from 3-point range for his career, ranking second all-time in school history. At the time, Pittsnogle was WVU’s all-timer leader in 3-point field goals made with 253 and now ranks second.

He was selected to the All-Big East First Team in 2006. He scored a career-high 34 points against Canisius and tallied 20 or more points 18 times in 2006. He averaged 17.0 points in three NCAA Tournament games as senior. Pittsnogle made 91 3-point field goals as a senior, then the second most in a season in WVU history.

He started 105 career games, which ranked as the ninth most at the time. At the end of his career, he was sixth in career free throw percentage (81.6 percent), was sixth all-time with 84 10-point games, was ninth all-time with 28 20-point games and ranked first in career games played with 128.

Pittsnogle graduated in three and a half years with a bachelor’s degree in athletic coaching education.

He signed a free agent contract with the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2006. Pittsnogle earned a master of arts degree in education and human services of multicategorical special education from WVU in May 2017.

Pittsnogle is a special education teacher at Martinsburg High in the Berkeley County School District. He has six children.

• John Spiker cared for West Virginia University student-athletes from 1975-2015.

His duties involved overseeing the athletic training services for all sports and supervising the rehabilitation for injured student-athletes.