For me, as a child of the southern coalfields of West Virginia, Memorial Day weekend is a time to remember a childhood hero who went to war but did not come home.

As I watched the amazing story of Marshall winning the NCAA men’s soccer championship, I could not help but flash back to a hilarious story about the program’s humble beginnings.

Most college sports fans in our area don’t pay much attention to soccer.

What is the greatest win in WVU basketball history? It might depend on how old you are.

How well do you know sports trivia about the Kanawha Valley and the state of West Virginia?

It’s the time of year when coaching changes are being made in college basketball.

Fifty years ago, in the spring of 1971, it was an incredibly exciting time for baseball fans in Charleston.

I grew up in the 1960s during the heyday of the WVIAC tournament in Charleston. It was a great time to be a young sports fan in Charleston.

Most of you are familiar with the popular puzzle/game “Where’s Waldo”? Right now the popular game in college basketball is “Where’s John Beilein?”

It is not easy being a college coach. Gone are the days when a coach can stay in one place for a long period of time. Unless you are Nick Saban of Alabama football and win seven national championships, your fans get tired of hearing your voice.

Some of the Kanawha Valley’s best high school football teams were the Charleston High teams of 1968, ‘69 and ‘70, which won three consecutive Class AAA state titles. Frank Vincent was the head coach and among his assistants were Keith Pritt, Lou Romano and Jim Jarrett.

The deaths this week of former WVU basketball player Chris Brooks and former Temple coaching legend John Chaney brought back memories of the Mountaineers’ days in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

How well do you know college basketball history? I am guessing that even the most avid college hoops fans did not remember that Jan. 20 was the 53rd anniversary of the game that forever changed college basketball on television.

Over the years, I have had a chance to talk with and spend time with many coaching personalities from our region. This is not an attempt to list them all, but here are some individuals who might trigger some memories today:

This week, I came across a newspaper clipping of a Charleston newspaper’s preseason All-Kanawha basketball team for 1972-73. The team members were Dennis Harris, Mike Jones and Charles “Dickie” Russell from Charleston High, Joey Holland and Billy Williams from George Washington, Joey Caruthe…

I realize that I am old, and that makes me “old school.” Having admitted that, I have the following observations:

My sports childhood was spent in the 1960s. During that time, it seemed that many fans in the Kanawha Valley cheered for both WVU and Marshall. Local fans followed players such as Rod Thorn, Fritz Williams, Dave Reaser, George Stone, Jim Davidson and Dan D’Antoni.

Our state lost a sports legend this week with passing of former Ceredo-Kenova football coach Carl Ward, who died at the age of 91.

When you think of basketball at the old East Bank High School, it’s natural to think first of Jerry West.

There are certain historical milestones in life where you remember exactly where you were when you heard the news.

Many area sports fans may not have noticed the recent passing of longtime Kanawha County football coach Larry Mullins, but his former students and players were greatly saddened.

In case you hadn’t noticed, these are challenging times for coaches. Today’s climate is different. As a result, coaches don’t always stay in one place for very long.

It felt like old times when Sissonville played Riverside in football last week. I remember when Sissonville was a Class AAA school and played a Class AAA Kanawha Valley Conference schedule.