Long-Time WVU Fan Shows Football Team Love Before Road Games

MORGANTOWN, W.VA. – Before the Oklahoma game last month, long-time WVU football fan Aaron Maloney noticed a police escort, while at work.

Maloney questioned what was going on.

The Summersville, W.Va. native made the connection that it was the Mountaineer football team on its way to Bridgeport’s North Central West Virginia Airport.

With his father, Maloney has been attending West Virginia home games since 1988, when he was five years old. Maloney most notably has attended the Miami game in 1993, the Pitt game in 2007, and the Sugar Bowl against Georgia in 2006. Maloney has only missed 12 home games in his 34 seasons as a fan.

On Oct. 8, when the football team was traveling to fly to Waco, Texas to play Baylor, Maloney showed his love to the busses full of players and coaches.

Maloney put on his Steve Slaton jersey and his beat-up 1989 Hutch helmet, that only has one flying WV remaining, and took off down the road holding a giant flag.

@WVUfootball @NealBrown_WVU Sending the team off the only way I know how! In a 1989 Hutch helmet, with a Extra Schmedium @Steve23Slaton jersey. 😂 #HailWV #BeatBaylor #TrustTheClimb pic.twitter.com/Zk6pxkBmuT

— Aaron Maloney (@maloney_aaron) October 8, 2021

Maloney didn’t think anything would come of it… but then the likes started flowing in on Twitter.

“I was watching a game and I saw Neal Brown liked it. Then I saw WVU football liked it,” he told WV Sports Now. “The next morning I looked and I was like, ‘Geez.'”

The long-time fan did it once again on Friday, as the team traveled to Fort Worth, Texas to take on TCU.

This time, in a Pat White jersey, Maloney sprinted 100 yards to catch the team drive past him.

@WVUfootball From the other side. Let’s Gooo! #TrustTheClimb #HailWV pic.twitter.com/FYKxCOqH1M

— Aaron Maloney (@maloney_aaron) October 22, 2021

Maloney texted White the video, and the all-time great WVU quarterback told him:

“The further we remove ourselves from childhood, the closer we get! Love and live life to the fullest.”

~Pat White

As West Virginia heads to TCU, looking to turn the season around with a record of 2-4, Maloney just wants the team to know that the true fans are still behind them.

“I’m a very glass half-full, optimistic fan,” Maloney said. “I mean, I get mad but it’s hard for me to blame a coach. I’m not at practice. I get so mad [with some fans] because it’s like they think that the other teams aren’t making plays.”

Maloney is a great example of what a ride-or-die West Virginia football fan is like. Despite the struggling season, Maloney will continue to support his Mountaineers every day.

I’m sure we’ll see more from Maloney on Nov. 12, when WVU travels to Kansas State.