West Virginia University has many outstanding traditions, with some of the most notable being the “Let’s Go Mountaineers” chant, The Pride of West Virginia, and the first down cheer. However, if you know anything about WVU, you would know that the biggest tradition isn’t a chant or a cheer. Nowhere else in the country does it like the Mountaineers when it comes to singing our beloved song “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
After a football game at Milan Puskar Stadium, the crowd does not always immediately rush for the exits. Instead, the players gather on the field, the band begins to play a familiar melody, and thousands of people start singing together. Arms go around shoulders as students, alumni, families and fans sway side to side, all singing the same words. “Almost heaven, West Virginia.” For many people, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is simply a famous song by John Denver. But at WVU, this song has a much bigger place in the hearts of its fans. It is a tradition, a celebration, and for many Mountaineers, one of the strongest connections they have to the university and the state of West Virginia.
Take Me Home, Country Roads was written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver. Danoff and Nivert had originally been working on the song before Denver became involved and the three eventually completed it together. The song quickly became a major success, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.Â
Interestingly enough, the song was not written as a WVU fight song or specifically for the university. But nevertheless, West Virginians quickly embraced it as their own and WVU became one of the places where that connection grew into something much larger. The Mountaineer Marching Band began performing “Country Roads” in 1972, only a year after the song was released, and it soon became a regular part of WVU football as well as all other sports on campus.
One of the most important moments of this song came in 1980 when John Denver returned to Morgantown singing the song in dedication of the new Mountaineer Field. On September 6, approximately 50,000 people gathered for the dedication, and Denver performed “Country Roads” for the crowd. This moment brought together the people who had written the song with the university and fans who had already made it part of their own tradition. The day became an important part of WVU history, not only because of the dedication of the new stadium but because of the connection between Denver, the song and the Mountaineer community. The Mountaineers defeated Cincinnati 41–27 in the first game at the new stadium.
While “Country Roads” had been associated with WVU football since the early 1970s, the postgame tradition that Mountaineer fans know today developed much later. According to WVU Athletics historian John Antonik, the tradition began taking shape in 2002 under head coach Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez wanted to create more interaction between the team and the fans after games, and as the Mountaineers began winning, players and fans started gathering together to sing “Country Roads.” Today, after a home football win, the final whistle does not always mean the experience is over. Instead, players and fans remain together as the song plays, creating a moment where the result of the game almost becomes secondary to the celebration happening in the stadium.
Although football is where the tradition is most recognizable, “Country Roads” has grown far beyond the football field. The song has become part of the larger WVU experience and can be heard at athletic events, university celebrations, student events and commencement. New students encounter the tradition early in their time at WVU, while graduating students have the opportunity to sing it as they prepare to leave the university. Over the course of four years, a student may hear the song at football games, basketball games, university events, parties and gatherings with friends.Â
Perhaps the biggest reason “Country Roads” fits WVU so naturally is the simple idea at the center of the song: home. The lyrics describe a desire to return to a familiar place, and that idea can mean something different to every Mountaineer. For some students, West Virginia was home long before they arrived at WVU. For others, Morgantown may have been their first real experience living in the state. Regardless of where someone came from, four years at WVU can make the university and Morgantown feel like home. The tradition always had a way of connecting people who otherwise may have very little in common. A freshman can sing alongside a senior, an athlete can sing alongside a student in the stands, and an alumnus can return to Morgantown years later and immediately know what to do when the song begins. Someone does not have to be a lifelong West Virginian to feel connected to it, either. Thousands of students come to WVU from outside the state, and many eventually develop their own relationship with West Virginia through their time at the university. For a few minutes, the differences between students, alumni, athletes and fans disappear, and everyone becomes part of the same Mountaineer tradition.
As the tradition grew, “Country Roads” reached far beyond WVU football. WVU Athletics describes how the tradition “bled over into other Mountaineer sports,” while the song’s popularity continued to spread beyond Morgantown and even overseas. The article points to “drunk soccer fans throughout Europe” singing the song at matches, showing how “Country Roads” had become recognizable well beyond West Virginia. What began as a football tradition had grown into a symbol of Mountaineer pride wherever WVU fans gathered.
There are plenty of universities with songs, chants and traditions that bring their communities together, but something about “Country Roads” is different. Singing the song shows just how proud we are to be Mountaineers.
Eventually, every Mountaineer learns the words. A student may hear them for the first time during their first week in Morgantown, sing them after their first WVU football victory, and eventually sing them again at graduation. Years later, they may be somewhere far away from West Virginia when those familiar opening notes begin playing. When that happens, the song can bring back memories of Morgantown, the people they met, and the years they spent at WVU. That is why “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is more than just a song at West Virginia University. It is a tradition that connects generations of Mountaineers and reminds them that, no matter where they eventually go, there will always be a place that feels like home.
Works Cited:
Antonik, J. (n.d.). One of College Football’s Great Traditions Got Its Start Here In 2002 – West Virginia University Athletics. WVU Athletics. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://wvusports.com/news/2025/4/8/one-of-college-footballs-great-traditions-got-its-start-here-in-2002
Traditions | Mountaineer Nation Day. (n.d.). Mountaineer Nation Day. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://mountaineernationday.wvu.edu/traditions/