3 Guys Before The Game

Tyrone Sally's career at West Virginia is perhaps one of the least told best stories in school history.

The Chesterfield, Virginia native was a sea of calm in the most chaotic chapter of WVU's basketball history. He played for four coaches in his first year on campus. There were numerous opportunities to look for a more stable environment but he refused.

The result was a magical time that produced highlights and memories that brought a collective smile to WVU fans everywhere.

The soft-spoken Sally takes Mountaineer fans on a wonderful detailed journey of his career with stories you've never heard before.

Like a door to door salesman hawking vacuum cleaners, Owen Schmitt showed up on the porch of Milan Puskar Stadium on a cold December day with a VHS tape and a bunch of dreams.

The tape did its job, and the pieces to one of the great underdog stories in Mountaineer football history began.

Schmitt became the face of everything Rich Rodriguez was preaching. Blue collar mentality molded with alarming physicality produced unparalleled success. Victories in the Sugar and Fiesta Bowl were the highlights but there is so much more.

On this episode, Schmitt shares his story of chasing his dream to play football at the highest level in college and in the NFL.

It's insightful, comical, and motivating. It's exactly what you would think. As they say, Schmitt Happens.

Mike Logan’s decision to attend West Virginia University was made more in spite than anything else.

That’s just one of the many revelations the WVU Sports Hall of Fame member and Super Bowl champion shares on this episode of Three Guys Before The Game.

From his days in Morgantown to his recent painful battle with COVID-19, Logan’s story is filled with educational and introspective thoughts on persistence and sharing.

Why was Don Nehlen successful? What happened in his on-field Super Bowl celebration that he’ll never forget? Those stories and more in a conversation with Mike Logan.

Steve Dunlap has experienced every aspect of West Virginia University football over the last five decades.

On this episode, the WVU Hall of Fame member details his amazing journey from an undersized player at Hurricane High School to one of college football’s elite defensive coordinators.

Dunlap’s insight provides a historical journey of how and why the Mountaineers blossomed into a perennial eastern power under Don Nehlen. From graduate assistant to one of the nation’s most respected defensive coordinators, Dunlap has seen it all.

Join the “Guys” for an informative and insightful trip into Steve Dunlap’s world of WVU football.

Do you know who Avon Cobourne is?

Sure, the easy answer is West Virginia University’s all-time leading football rusher. However, that’s just a tiny piece of a life story that’s both improbable and inspiring.

Cobourne provides the background and details about a career that could have easily ended before it ever began. You’ll learn how he overcame homelessness, major injury, coaching changes and challenges that would have made most people quit.

It’s a motivating and enlightening story that you'll likely share with others.

It’s been 13 years since John Beilein last walked the sideline as West Virginia University’s basketball coach. His last game ended with the Mountaineers hoisting the NIT championship trophy at midcourt of Madison Square Garden.

In retrospect, Beilein’s last game could not have happened in a more fitting place. It was on that same chunk of hardwood that WVU became media darlings just two years earlier. The Mountaineers improbable run to the Big East 2005 title game served as a catalyst for an NCAA fantasy ride that ended heartbreakingly close to the Final Four.

It was a special time in West Virginia’s basketball history. The coach that inherited the team with the most losses in school history had transformed them into must-see status.

For the first time since his departure, John Beilein takes a deep dive into his days in Morgantown. He reveals his approach, philosophy, and provides detail into some of the most memorable games in school history.

It’s an enjoyable look inside a very special era of West Virginia’s basketball history.

Brian King says the five years he spent in Morgantown are the greatest years of his life.

An under-recruited defensive back from Maryland, became a foundational piece of Rich Rodriguez’s rebuild of the WVU program and even met his future wife. You can understand why King’s love for WVU and the state of West Virginia still burns strong.

However, King hesitated upon receiving the interview request to joinThree Guys Before The Game. That’s because his biggest fan, his father, passed away just over a year ago. Steve King was the reason Brian became a Mountaineer and their memories together still trigger a myriad of emotions.

Join Brian, Brad Howe and Tony Caridi for an insightful and fun conversation.

Can one conversation change someone’s life?

Mike Baker says the answer is an emphatic “Yes”!

The former WVU wide receiver details how a chance conversation in a garden as a teenager sent him down a path of success both educationally and athletically.

As a member of West Virginia’s 1993 Sugar Bowl team that finished the regular season 11-0, Baker provides insight into the team’s success and explains how he went from freshman academic ineligibility to an honor student.

It’s an entertaining and revealing look into how Baker defied the odds to become an unforgettable member of Mountaineer football.

He played the position that normally draws the least attention on a football field, and yet 35 years after his final game in Morgantown, Brian Jozwiak is still among the most memorable and beloved Mountaineers ever.

Yes, he was talented, ending his career as a consensus All American and the seventh pick of the 1986 NFL draft. However, Jozwiak was able to pull off the rare feat of combining tremendous on-field talent with an equal amount of Hollywood showmanship that continues to this day.

In this episode, “Joz” takes Mountaineer fans for a walk down memory lane. He details his exploits both on and off the field, while giving insight into a hip injury that suddenly ended his career after just 28 games in the NFL.

Next month Jozwiak will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his annual celebrity golf tournament that raises funds for WVU Medicine Children’s hospital.

Join the “Guys” again next week for another episode of Three Guys Before The Game.

Darris Nichols may be the quietest most productive player in West Virginia basketball history.

Nichols’ unflappable on-court demeanor was the catalyst for Mountaineer teams that enjoyed NCAA tournament success under John Beilein and Bob Huggins. He was the silent assassin.

On this episode, the current University of Florida assistant coach explains how a one-on-one victory against his father changed his approach to the game. Nichols details his recruitment by WVU and how patience was the key to his success.

Nichols led the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio and was twice named a Big East Academic All-Star and recipient of the Sportsmanship Award.

It’s an entertaining and enjoyable conversation with the quiet but always friendly Mountaineer; Darris Nichols.