Goodness, I can’t believe you even bring up “The Express” thing when acknowledging there’s not a shred of evidence it ever happened. In fact, ithe supposed racist events have been proven FALSE/IMPOSSIBLE — it’s not that there’s no evidence. The game between Syracuse and West Virginia where racial slurs were supposedly flying was played in SYRACUSE, not in WV. The director of that movie acknowledged it was fictitious.

In short, your report is flat out pathetic when you take that lie along with all the hearsay you’re reporting as truth (why do you think there’s no reports of any injuries to Auburn fans if WVU fans were really that dangerous/violent? Because it didn’t happen, IDIOT.). Thanks for making shit up though to defame an entire fan base — very classy, and I guarantee it will get you far in life. Good luck with your “journalism” career — it’s never too late to change while you still can.

there are a a few bad apples in every barrel. I grew up in west virginia and have lived in many places since. I have been to many football games in morgantown as well as other places in the country. No doubt it gets rowdy there, but no worse than anywhere else I’ve been. The single worst action I’ve ever seen at a football game was after wvu played georgia in atlanta a few years back. This drunk georgia fan was just running full speed down a crowded side sidewalk trying to punch people in the face as he passed. Horrible! but not indicative of georgia fans as a group. my point is you’re stereotyping and as always, that’s not fair. the people mentioned on the bus where terrified b/c the bus driver planted the seed before they even got off the bus. no one was just going to get attacked regardless of the direction they chose to walk around the staduim…heckled, yes…attacked…no

I do hope everything goes smoothly this weekend, including a wvu victory but please…relax…and for god sakes, keep an open mind, wvu fans are no different than anyone else

be fooled by the gross exaggerations in this article. There are some unruly WV fans just like there are everywhere, but I’ve never seen anything like what is being described there in 20+ years of following the mountaineers. I’ve seen nothing but nice Auburn fans, so far, but I recall a story that Jessie Palmer told on ESPN about coming into Auburn and he said little kids and grandmothers were saying things you can’t say on TV and throwning things at them.

And if any of those things did go on in Morgantown last year, let me sincerely apologize. The vast majority of WV fans aren’t like that.

Typical stereotypes thrown out by someone FROM THE SOUTH!! lol. You do realize Deliverance was set in Georgia right? The incredible inaccuracies in this post completely discredits pretty much anything else written. And it’s laughable when someone says something like, ‘It was awful. I was there. I saw it with my own eyes.’ Well guess what. I was there too and I saw nothing that has been described in this article or from the fans who claimed they were there. Just another attempt to make ‘yourself’ feel better by insulting others. Nothing more, nothing less.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that “Deliverance” insult from a southerner. Gets funnier every time.

I guess getting thrashed 34-17 WAS a bad experience after going up 17-3, dsdowdy. I think I see where some of this is coming from.

I think subconsciously the author cited The Express – with its completely fictional segment painting West Virginia fans as Selma, Alabama-level racists – because his post runs in that same vein. That is to say, it’s a remarkably slanted, ungracious, condescending and unsupported piece, underlined not with facts but with weasel words and phrases such as numerous, almost certainly, and many. Then there’s the "quote" from "one" anonymous "fan" citing a "bus driver".

The agenda here is clear. The big loss last year at the hands of a 2-time BCS bowl winner that "really never made a blip on the college football map" (and really, no one makes blips on maps) still stings, and the author longs to see the "little man" put back in his rightful place.

I’m quite sure some Auburn fans encountered some unruly West Virginia fans, as happens at sporting events worldwide. I guess when that happens in West Virginia’s case, some folks’ prejudices automatically kick in and override their good sense. Especially when those folks get their information about West Virginians from Hollywood distortions and Jay Leno’s throwaway “jokes”.

And of course he broke out the obligatory – and wildly misplaced – Deliverance reference. But others have covered that ground above, I see.

Yep, thanks for showing so much of that Southern hospitality you’re urging on everyone else.

Comments say something about the fan base, too. So congratulations on having at least one fan who apparently would think nothing of walking around a college campus and randomly slashing strangers’ tires. Might there be some bad apples at Auburn, too? Inconceivable!

The above unpleasantness aside, the good Mountaineer fans wish the good Tiger fans the best. Off the field of play, anyway.

Isn’t Alabama the state where one fan shot another fan last season? Oh yeah, that was an Alabama/LSU family feud. Auburn fans must be entirely different, right?

Fan Violence: The European Soccer Hooligan’s Guide to SEC Football

Since 2004, three UF/UGA students have died while attending "The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,"and the festivities surrounding it, the most disturbing of these being the 2005 death of 23-year-old UF student Tom Brown. "He beat my son literally to death, spit in his face, and left him…gurgling his own blood," said Brown’s mother, Kathryn Norwood Brown, "as he ran away laughing with his friends."

The rivalry between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers, some would say, is on the same level as the current "rivalry" between Israel and Hamas. No shortages of fisticuffs take place at the yearly contest known as "The Iron Bowl". These two programs feel nothing but pure blood lust for one another, but things got really ugly the day before the game in 2005, and it would get even uglier before it was all said and done.

In the dark hours of the morning before the showdown on the gridiron, a 25 year old Alabama fan, a semi-pro mixed martial artist by the name of Joey Barrett Jr., stood outside a Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house party in Auburn screaming the phrase "Roll Tide!" Shortly afterward, things got physical. Barrett stabbed a fraternity member at the scene. He then fled and was pursued by some of the other party goers. Another melee ensued, and Barrett stabbed four more victims, all of which eventually recovered from their wounds. Barrett was later arrested and charged with multiple counts, including aggravated assault.

The most recent act of shocking SEC violence happened in November of 2008, when the double homicide of two LSU fans rocked the small town of Evergreen, Alabama, playing out like a bloody scene from a Quentin Tarantino film.
Allegedly, two LSU fans; a couple named Dennis and Donna Smith, called the perpetrator; Alabama fan Michael Williams, via cell phone after the Tigers loss. After which, a bout of alcohol induced insults and taunting took place.
The couple, soon afterward, arrived at Williams’ home where he and Mr. Smith engaged in a fistfight in the front yard. The LSU fan Smith then went to his truck and produced a pistol and made threatening statements. Williams then retrieved a shotgun from his home and fired two fatal blasts into Smith and his wife.

No, fans of SEC football have not yet degenerated into the US equivalent of European soccer hooligans, although if you are considering attending a game down here I would recommend throwing a can of mace or a pair of brass knuckles in with your standard tailgating supplies. Don’t make any sudden movements, and try not to look them in the eye.

Barrett stabbed a fraternity member at the scene. He then fled and was pursued by some of the other party goers. Another melee ensued, and Barrett stabbed four more victims, all of which eventually recovered from their wounds. Barrett was later arrested and charged with multiple counts, including aggravated assault.

You guys must not have any confidence in Auburn. We only burn couches when we win.

Deliverance was shot in the Tallulah Gorge south of Clayton, Georgia and on the Chattooga River, dividing the states of Georgia and South Carolina. Additional scenes were shot as well in Salem, South Carolina and Sylva, North Carolina. A scene was also shot at the Mount Carmel Baptist Church cemetery, which now lies 300 feet under the surface of Lake Jocassee, South Carolina. PLOT: Four Atlanta businessmen – Lewis (Reynolds), Ed (Voight), Bobby (Beatty), and Drew (Cox) – decide to canoe down the fictional Cahulawassee River in the remote Georgia wilderness, expecting to have fun and see the glory of nature before the river valley is flooded over by the upcoming construction of a dam and lake.

And an archive of one of the best post I ever saw disputing a KC article on The Express:

In death, Ernie Davis was ‘teaching people how to live’

By BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star

Jim Brown, Floyd Little and other Syracuse gridiron heroes made their way back to campus this weekend to celebrate the premiere of "The Express," the movie depicting the too-short life of the Orangemen’s gifted running back Ernie Davis.

AN EXCERPT:

The movie, which opens nationally on Oct. 10, uses football to tell a story of a proud individual whose profile grew along with the civil-rights movement. Syracuse trips to West Virginia and the Cotton Bowl in Dallas provide the racially charged backdrop.

A COMMENT:

I didn’t miss a WVU home game between 1959 and 1975. I don’t remember any scenes of overt racism in Morgantown. In fact, WVU fans back in those days were probably a lot more genteel than they are today. Also, Ernie Davis was raised in Uniontown — 20 miles from Morgantown — where he lived with his grandparents. When Syracuse went to Morgantown, he in effect was going home.

I obviously haven’t seen this movie, but this one sentence makes me wonder if the screenwriters relied more on ugly stereotypes and a venomous prejudice against rural white Americans than on historical facts or even common sense.

I caught a clip a few months ago of the scene where Cuse plays WVU, and it struck me as being a bit ridiculous. Another case of stereotyping WVians by hollywood. A shame as I really enjoy the Ernie Davis story.

It’s a damn shame

The truth is a great story. Why in the hell would the screenwriters feel a need to embellish it?

Also, Coach Schwarzwalder was a WVU graduate
This movie doesn’t pass the smell test on any level. Ben Schwarzwalder and Ernie Davis were coming home when they played in Morgantown. They were the opponents, yes, but they were known here and widely admired. Coach Schwarzwalder was always treated as a returning hero.

In that era, you might get 25,000 fans at a WVU game (and many fewer in 1960 when the Mountaineers went winless). Kickoffs were always at 1:30 on Saturday afternoons. The stadium was on campus with no tailgating. This was the era when freshmen wore beanies and threw them away when WVU scored its first points at home.

It was a different era. Football was a diversion not an obsession. There wasn’t much rowdiness, and I don’t remember and can’t imagine any overt displays of racism. Had it really happened, it’s inconceivable that Coach Schwarzwalder would have ignored it.

Ernie Davis grew up in Uniontown, Pa., about 20 miles from Morgantown, W.Va. I wonder if the screenwriters are basing “the racially charged backdrop” on historical fact or on stereotypes and a venomous prejudice against rural whites? I attended WVU football games in that era and remember relatively small, genteel crowds gathering on campus for a few hours on Saturday afternoons. There were no displays of rabid emotions or racism. It was a different era in more ways than one. Football was a diversion not an obsession.

So much for internet legends and rumors.

BTW: I doubt the previous poster is the guys I encountered by I met 3 young guys last year and walked with them from the Towers to the field. We walked by the notorious PIT and received only jeering. Had a wonderful discussion of our teams and lo and behold when they got to the stadium they found they had lost one of their ticket in a local pizza establishment. I had a spare and offered it to them for free. They refused it free so I said OK then pay face value – $45. I guess I could have gouged them for the scalper price which seemed to be going for over $100 but I really wasn’t concerned with the $$$ just wanted to insure my new friends didn’t drive for a disappointment.

Sorry some may have encountered tanked up nastyes but unfortunately there is always that 10% wherever you go.

Is a lady friend of your’s from S. Fl. and some dude from Auburn everybody?

You might want to introduce your self to it.

Friends of Auburn,

Us Mountaineers take a lot of pride in our state and Football program. When we hear somoene totally smearing us as fans, we’re going to step in and say something about it. I’ve been to several games and have seen some very nice Mountaineer fans. They have been good hosts to the visitors. Don’t believe everything you read.

Son, WVU has won two BCS bowl games in the last three years: the Sugar and Fiesta. How many has Auburn won? We also made enough of a blip to beat your sorry asses last year and have been a Top 10 program while your team has floundered. WVU has been the superior program for AT LEAST 5 years. Going back to a title game in ’89 to make a point? Talk about a pathetic SEC homer.

I used to go to WVU games a lot and roamed around various areas, not just student section. Definitely a lot of drinking going on, so I don’t doubt a lot of idiocy ensues. But worst in the nation? It did not seem that nasty to me. As for making general conclusions based on eyewitness stories, consider they not only may be not representative, they might be downright wrong. One guy above said the following:
“Say what you want about the South…
I used to think that our every-other-year trips to Arkansas were taking us out of civilization. That is, until my brother and I took the trip to morgantown last year. That place is on the back side of nowhere. All the buildings in town look run down, and you just got the feeling that you were in BFE. You just don’t get that feeling anywhere in the SEC, not even Starkville or Fayetteville.”

I KNOW that is not true. Morgantown has been gentrifying for years and has suffered if anything from too much growth, not decay. I’ve lived a lot of places and Morgantown is one of my favorite large towns/small cities. Don’t believe me? See what the Wall Street Journal has to say, and NBC news:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123783142333116161.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#29744203

So if this guy’s bias clouds his judgment on describing Morgantown’s bricks and mortar and general appearance, I don’t think I’ll put too much stock in his opinions on WVU fans.

“This comes from a group of fans whose team has really never made a blip on the college football map.”

“Outside of being Notre Dame’s bowl victim during the Irish’s run to the 1989 national championship, West Virginia has accomplished little on the field.”

Oh really? West Virginia has never made a blip on the college football map? Two BCS wins in the last four seasons against Oklahoma and your SEC brethren, Georgia. Regardless, WVU could never compare to mighty Auburn, after all the Tigers are the 13th winningest program in college football history. Oh wait, what’s that? West Virginia is 15th on that same list.
I understand you’re a blogger and you like to stir it up and then see how many people you can get commenting on your article but at least do a minimal amount of research beforehand.

Auburn’s pre and post game Lynch Parties? Mountaineer fans watch you step in Tiger country, this is the deep south!

That is something you won’t hear on our campus. But it seems to be the official slogan in Morgantown. See they even have t-shirts with their friendly and welcoming motto.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Welcome-to-West-Virginia-mutha-F-K-T-Shirt-dub-vee-3XL_W0QQitemZ280383539611QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_CSA_MC_Shirts?hash=item414829499b&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

We don’t “heckle” opposing fans here. We welcome them, hope they have a good time before the game, and hopefully send them home safe and sound with a loss.

So enjoy some real southern hospitality and take your tail whipping with some class.

‘“We took a bus to the stadium,” said one fan. "When we arrived, the driver told us to walk this way, pointing his finger around the stadium. You don’t want to go that way, they’ll fight you," the driver continued. “And whatever you do, don’t walk alone.”’

Amazing in 20 years of attending WVU games, I’ve never seen a single fan assaulted, nor assaulted one myself. Sounds like the bus driver wanted to make sure these people went home believing they’d had an adventure. Silly.

“If you suddenly conjure up thoughts of Deliverance, you are not alone.”

In reality, Deliverance took place closer to you than us. Dumb thing to say.

“Outside of being Notre Dame’s bowl victim during the Irish’s run to the 1989 national championship, West Virginia has accomplished little on the field. Yet a sizable portion of its fans feel the need to make up for it in the stands – something of a little man syndrome.”

Except making the SEC its whipping boy for the past decade or so. Oh yeah, and playing in two BCS bowls in the past five years. Look it up.

“In the movie about 1961 Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, the Mountaineer fans are depicted as hardcore racists who scream and throw bottles at the Syracuse great. Unfortunately for the school, there’s no shred of evidence it ever happened. It was all the work of Hollywood, trying to supposedly capture the essence of what fans felt during that time. It’s a reputation they may never live down and that’s unfortunate.”

So, you just provided an example of how people lie about Mountaineer fans as proof you are telling the truth? Do you realize how idiotic that sounds?

“Rather than retaliate, let’s show them some Southern hospitality – apparently they need it.”

I’ve lived in WV all my life and there aren’t nicer people anywhere in the world. A couple fans’ experiences at games, rehashed and blown out of proportion over the years, don’t justify your bashing. Grow up.

I can’t honestly say the best team won, but Auburn played almost mistake free ball and made WV pay for their turnovers. That’s a pretty good formula for success.