Greg Jones Wins Hardman Award

West Virginia’s Greg Jones Wins Hardman Award
Tim Goodenow/West Virginia Sports Information

WHEELING, W.Va. – West Virginia University’s national champion wrestler Greg Jones has been voted winner of the Hardman Award as the 2004 state Amateur Athlete of the Year.

The Mountaineer senior will be recognized May 1 by the W. Va. Sports Writers Association at the 59th annual Victory Awards Dinner in Fairmont. Jones is the only two-time NCAA national champion in WVU history and will be seeking his third title in March.

Jones became the first Mountaineer wrestler to finish with an unbeaten season record (26-0) in 2004 while winning the 184-pound NCAA title. In 2002, he became only the 10th freshman to win a national crown when he captured the 174-pound title.

“Based on his accomplishments, “27-year WVU coach Craig Turnbull says, “Greg would have to be on the short list among the greatest athletes in school history.”

Jones won the award in balloting with four other finalists including runnerup Pat Carter of Huntington, the 2000 honoree who extended his W.Va. Amateur Golf Tournament title run to a national record 10 in a row.

Other finalists were WVU football quarterback Rasheed Marshall, the Big East Conference offensive player of the year; Mountain State’s Zach Moss, the NAIA national basketball player of the year; and Marshall U. football lineman Johnathan Goddard, the Mid-America Conference defensive player of the year and All-America honoree.

Jones, who enters this weekend with a career record of 112-4 including one default, is “one of the greatest wrestlers in the U.S., not only WVU, “Turnbull says. “He has competed with, and fared very well, in USA Wrestling competition against the best in the land. Greg has been to the Olympic and World training camps and has his sights set on the 2008 Olympic Games.”

Jones, a Hodge Trophy candidate awarded to the nation’s top collegiate wrestler, was a finalist for the 2004 honor. In the 2004 NCAA national tournament, Jones didn’t allow an offensive point while winning all five matches. His record in three NCAA nationals is 12-2 entering this season.

The two-time Mountaineer team captain is seeking his third Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Year honor and team MVP awards. He also won the 2004 Red Brown Cup given to WVU’s most outstanding all-around student-athlete. He has a 3.5 grade point average and majors in sports behavior.

The native of Slickville, Pa., and former state champion at Greensburg-Salem High School comes from a ‘wrestling family’ including older brother Vertus Jones, a three-time WVU All-American.

The honoree is the 29th Mountaineer athlete to win the award. Last year’s honoree was WVU All-America football linebacker Grant Wiley. Jones is the first wrestler to win the state’s oldest annual award which was originated in 1934 and is named for the late Charleston Gazette sports editor A. L.(Shorty) Hardman, a co-founder of the Victory Awards Dinner.

Hardman Award/Amateur Athlete of Year Winners
2004–Greg Jones, West Virginia U., wrestling
2003–Grant Wiley, West Virginia U., football
2002–Byron Leftwich, Marshall U., football
2001–Byron Leftwich, Marshall U., football
2000–Pat Carter, Huntington, golf
1999–Chad Pennington, Marshall U., football
1998–J. R. House, Nitro High, football
1997–Randy Moss, Marshall U., football
1996–Randy Barnes, South Charleston, track
1995–Chris Parker, Marshall U., football
1994–Chris George, Glenville State, football
1993–Jed Drenning, Glenville State, football
1992–Michael Payton, Marshall U., football
1991–Michael Payton, Marshall U., football
1990–John Taft, Marshall U., basketball
1989–Major Harris, West Virginia U., football
1988–Major Harris, West Virginia U., football
1987–Tony Petersen, Marshall U., football
1986–Thomas McLean, W. Va. Wesleyan, soccer
1985–Carl Fodor, Marshall U., football
1984–Mary Lou Retton, Fairmont, gymnastics
1983–Jeff Hostetler, West Virginia U., football
1982–Darryl Talley, West Virginia U., football
1981–Oliver Luck, West Virginia U., football
1980–Lowes Moore, West Virginia U., basketball
1979–Mary Ostrowski, Parkersburg Catholic,
basketball
1978–Curt Warner, Pineville High, all sports
1977–Tom Pridemore, West Virginia U., football
1976–John Filliez, Marshall U., football
1975–Jack Deloplaine, Salem College, football
1974–Jay Feltz, Monongah High, all sports
1973–Danny Buggs, West Virginia U., football
1972–Russell Lee, Marshall U., basketball
1971–Dave Cooper, Fairmont State, basketball
1970–Jim Braxton, West Virginia U., football
1969–Carl Crennell, West Virginia U., football
1968–Mike Barrett, W. Va. Tech., basketball
1967–Larry Blackstone, Fairmont State, football
1966–Garrett Ford, West Virginia U., football
1965–Dick Leftridge, West Virginia U., football
1964–Bill Campbell, Huntington, golf
1963–Rod Thorn, West Virginia U., basketball
1962–Dave Tork, Fairmont, track
1961–tie; Lee Patrone, West Virginia U., basketball;
and Bruce Meredith, West Virginia U., rifle
1960–Jerry West, West Virginia U., basketball
1959–Jerry West, West Virginia U., basketball
1958–Ed Tutwiler, Charleston, golf
1957–Chuck Howley, West Virginia, all sports
1956–Rod Hundley, West Virginia U., basketball
1955–Bill Campbell, Huntington, golf
1954–Dwayne Wingler, Woodrow Wilson High, all sports
1953–Bob Orders, West Virginia U., football
1952–Paul Bischoff, West Virginia U., football
1951–Mark Workman, West Virginia U., basketball
1950–George King, Morris Harvey, basketball
1949–George King, Morris Harvey, basketball
1948–Mark Workman, Charleston High, basketball
1947–Leland Byrd, West Virginia U., basketball
1946–Bill Leskovar, Fairmont Senior High, all sports
1945–Harold Daugherty, Weir High, all sports
1944–Jimmy Walthall, West Virginia U., all sports
1943–Jimmy Walthall, West Virginia U., all sports
1942–John Abramovic, Salem College, basketball
1941–Kenny Griffith, Alderson-Broaddus, basketball
1940–Anna Lou Ballew, Mannington, rifle
1939–Delos Parsons, Huntington, tennis
1938–Delos Parsons, Huntington, tennis
1937–Ed Blickle, Huntington, tennis
1936–Tom Brand, Kingwood, golf
1935–Joe Stydahar, West Virginia U., all sports
1934–Fritzie Stifel Quarrier, Wheeling, golf