Before the time of Folk Legend Owen Schmitt, there was Folk Legend John Pennington from Charleston West Virginia. The undersized receiver earned his spot by walking onto the WVU Mountaineers, then with hard work and numerous people doubting him, he did the unthinkable by making it onto the field and receiver rotation and that night in 2003 against Pitt was a night to remember for anyone who has a dream. So with the chance to talk to John about whats new and a trip down memory lane we jumped at that opportunity …

Couch Fire Sports: What are you up to now? Still playing semi pro? Where you coaching?
John Pennington: Right now I am the Offensive Line Coach and Special Teams Coordinator at West Virginia State University. I teach two classes at State, Fundamentals of Management and Origins, and one online class for WVU Tech. I am also the Offensive Coordinator for the West Virginia Lightning Semi Pro Football Team. This is my 3rd year with the Lightning, I played consistently the first 2 years, but this year I only played in one game. I want to be a head college football coach and there aren’t any Offensive Coordinators in college that call plays from the huddle, so I took my talents to the sideline.

CFS: Why did you choose to walk-on at WVU instead of going where you had some offers?
JP: I knew since I was a little kid that I was going to play a sport for WVU. I just wasn’t sure which one. I wanted to play baseball, but the coaching staff did not offer me a scholarship, so I chose to play football since neither sport was giving me a scholarship. On my official visit, the baseball coach actually told me that I would never step foot on Mountaineer field and that really motivated me to want to play football.

CFS: What went through your head your freshman year when you found out you made the team?
JP: When they told me I was going to be on the team, I broke down. I could not believe that I was going to be a Mountaineer. It was a dream come true.

CFS: How hard did you have to work to get what you wanted at WVU?
JP: I had to work extremely hard every single day I was up there. I had no room for lack of effort. Actually, effort was going to be my only chance to play and I recognized this very early in my career. When you are a walk-on, you get very few opportunities to prove yourself so you must be prepared at all times for any opportunity that crosses your path. I got extra work in after practice to refine my skills and I stayed in Morgantown every summer to show the staff that I would work hard year round to help our team. I was always the guy who hustled in high school, but I had to take it to a new level if I wanted to play for the Mountaineers.

CFS: One thing you would change during your Mountaineer career?
JP: I wouldn’t change a thing about my career. Everything that happened made me who I am today and I wouldn’t change one mistake that I made.

CFS: Favorite memory as a Mountaineer?
JP: My favorite memory as a mountaineer would have to be the feeling in the locker room after we beat Temple to win the Big East in 2003. It is a special feeling to win a Championship as a team after all the hard work we put in and all the adversity we had to overcome. The catch I made against Pitt in 2003 is a close second and something that I will never forget, but it is impossible to beat the feeling after winning a championship.

CFS: What is the biggest misconception of a student athlete?
JP: That is a hard question to answer. I think some fans forget to realize that these young men are not professional athletes. They are going to make mistakes, they are only 18-22 years old. They get held to a really high standard when we all know that when we were that age we made a lot of stupid decisions, hahaha. Hopefully, the young men can learn from their experiences and come out of the institution a better man.

CFS: How do you feel about the negative light Rich Rodriguez has brought upon WVU with the investigations?
JP: I know Bill Stewart will do a great job handling the situation and I hope we can turn it into a positive.

CFS: What was it like learning from Chris Henry and going against Adam Jones on a daily basis?
JP: Chris was an amazing football player and good friend. It was just a pleasure to be on the same field with such an incredible athlete. I was very sad to see that he passed away. It really seemed like he had grown up a lot and was starting to make the right decisions. Adam Jones made everybody better because he was extremely competitive. He went hard every practice and it made our whole receiving corps better Going up against the best corner in the country makes you better too because most defenders that you are going to play against will not be that good.

CFS: Favorite Place to eat in Morgantown?
JP: Kegler’s

CFS: What you got in the CD Player right now?
JP: Steeldrivers (Bluegrass), Montgomery Gentry, and an 80’s mix

CFS: So we both dodged a bullet one day, by not lending our cars to two former WVU athletes, who then went on to rob a grocery store. How did you feel about that when you found out what they went to do. Where you ready to bust heads like me?
JP: Yeah, that was actually Weaz (Nathan Forb) who was going to lend him his car and we were all just relieved that it wasn’t either of us. I had lent my car to TG before, but I quit doing that one time when he was gone for too long. I hate that TG made that decision because he was a very smart guy who could have gone far in life. I hope he is doing well because we were very good friends in college.

http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=1504 (Link to Story)

CFS: How did you catch such a beautiful wife? Must have been because you were a Frat Boy All American, right? Seriously Congratulations on the beautiful wife and great WV memories.
JP: That is a really good question because I definitely out kicked my coverage with Andrea. We were both Graduate Assistant coaches at West Virginia Wesleyan College and we were both very family-oriented. She was a heptathlete and a sprinter for Marshall, so once I got over the fact that she graduated from Marshall we were good. Just kidding. I am a Marshall fan except when they play WVU.