Bob and June Huggins have donated $100,000 to West Virginia University’s College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. These funds will be used to create an endowment for undergraduate athletic coaching education students and to provide support for CPASS’ new building, which is currently under construction.
The Bob and June Huggins Academic Endowment for Athletic Coaching Education will provide scholarships for qualified undergraduate students in the College’s department of coaching and teaching studies. The funds will be used to support scholarship awards for two undergraduate students each academic year majoring in athletic coaching education.
“We are most appreciative of Bob and June’s leadership efforts. Their gift will have a long-lasting impact within the College. As an alumnus, Bob Huggins has chosen to make an investment in our College to support athletic coaching education scholarships and the new CPASS building. I hope Bob and June’s decision to support the College will encourage others from within the University to give,” says Dean Dana Brooks.
Huggins, a native of Morgantown, is a two-time Academic All-American and graduated from the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, magna cum laude, in 1977. He received his master’s in health administration from WVU in 1978. Huggins was a three-year letterman for the Mountaineers from 1975-77 and was named MVP, helping the basketball team to an 18-11 record, the team’s highest win total in nine seasons.
“West Virginia University is a special place to me, because of the opportunities it has provided me. I’ve always wanted to be at WVU since I was a little kid. Morgantown, the entire state and this University have always meant so much to me and my family, and June and I are happy to give back,” Huggins says. “I’m grateful for what the program gave me, and I want to assist current and future students in their learning and encourage them to take full advantage of the exceptional educational opportunity that is available to them.
Huggins was introduced as WVU’s 21st men’s basketball coach in April of 2007. In his first season at WVU, Huggins took the Mountaineers to the NCAA Sweet 16, becoming the first Mountaineer coach to take a team that far in NCAA tournament play in his first season. With 26 victories, he won more games in his first year than any other coach in WVU history. After finishing the season with a No. 17 ranking, Huggins was named state coach of the year by the West Virginia State Sportswriters Association.
“We are grateful to Bob and June Huggins for their support of the undergraduate athletic coaching education major. The scholarships will allow us to recruit and retain students who aspire to follow a pathway similar to Coach Huggins,” says Valerie Wayda, associate professor and chair, Coaching and Teaching Studies department, CPASS.
In 2009-10, Huggins guided West Virginia to one of the most memorable seasons in school history. The Mountaineers reached the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 1959 and won their first BIG EAST championship. WVU recorded a school record 31 victories and also posted a school-best 13 BIG EAST victories, finishing the season ranked No.3 in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll. For the third year in a row, Huggins was named state coach of the year by the West Virginia State Sports Writers Association.
A proven success as a program builder, recruiter and game strategist who has won 723 games as a collegiate head coach, Huggins has directed his alma mater to 133 victories, the 2010 NCAA Final Four, the 2010 Big East Championship and five NCAA tournament appearances during his first six seasons in Morgantown.
Huggins and his wife, June, have two daughters, Jenna Leigh and Jacqueline.
The gift was made to the WVU Foundation as part of A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University, a $750 million fundraising effort the Foundation is conducting on behalf of the University.
