ANN ARBOR - The Mountaineer, long-time mascot of West Virginia University, has accepted an offer to become the mascot of the University of Michigan. University of Michigan officials are expected to announce the hiring at an afternoon press conference today. This comes only days after West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez was introduced as the new head coach of the Michigan football team.Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources inside the West Virginia athletic department said friction between the Mountaineer and WVU athletic director Ed Pastilong was a primary reason for the Mountaineer’s departure.
“At Ann Arbor, the Mountaineer is getting a brand new musket, a new weather-resistant buckskin suit, and indoor plumbing at his on-campus shack.” The issue of indoor plumbing was an apparent sticking point between the Mountaineer and WVU officials.
Reaction from West Virginia alumni and fans was, as expected, outrage. “I’ve never seen anything as mishandled as this," said Bob Reynolds, former chief operating office of Fidelity Investments. Sources say he has informed university officials he plans to withdraw twelve million dollars in donations he has pledged to the school. The Mountaineer has been with West Virginia since replacing his predecessor, The Bootlegger, who succumbed to cirrhosis of the liver in 1973.
