Today was the big alumni association event at Garduno?s Margarita Factory in Scottsdale. The alumni association put the event on as a way for Mountaineer fans to have a gathering place. As part of the festivities, the cheerleading squad came and performed some cheers, the WVU marching band made an appearance and even some of the football players showed up to rally the crowd and get them ready for the big game.

Fans from all over the country were at the event and all of them had stories to tell. Big Cat, who is a famous Mountaineer fan who has been going to the home games since, well, pretty much forever, was on hand helping to cheer on the Mountaineers.

Governor Joe Manchin and his wife Gail were also there, along with West Virginia University President Mike Garrison. Everyone was cheering and rallying around the team. Five minutes didn?t go by when someone would start a ?Let?s Go Mountaineers? chant that rang throughout the restaurant.

My favorite fan from the event by far was Cole Baumgarner. He is a six-year-old Mountaineer fan from Hurricane, West Virginia, and he has been to everyone home game, except one, since he was born. The Fiesta Bowl is his second bowl game that he has attended with his family, who takes the trip every year as a big vacation. His father John, who is a season ticket holder, said that he knows his son will go to WVU when he is older because he is the biggest Mountaineer fan there is.

Cole even went so far as to re-tell me the score of the Gator Bowl from 2007, and tell me that Steve Slaton was his favorite player.

At the event there were many alumni association members who were helping to keep the event running smoothly. At the entrance to the building, there were tables set up where people could get free posters, free pom-poms and WVU football pens. Stephanie Master, who is a 1986 alumnus of WVU, is part of the alumni association network out West. She is thrilled to have the Bowl game on the West Coast, but she was ?excited to see it in New Orleans. I wish we were having a national championship, but it?s not a big deal.?

She also thinks that even though Rich Rodriguez did a good job coaching before he left, ?if Michigan wants to pay the $4 million to take him away, well then they can take it.?

Two of the most interesting fans I met were not even fans at all. Jeff Heil and Greg Rooney are from Dayton, Ohio and are Buckeye fans, but flew down to Arizona to support one of their friend?s sons, Jeremy Kash, who is a holder for the Mountaineers. Heil has never been to a Buckeye bowl game, but imagined that the fan base would be bigger there. ?Its fun here, and we?re here to support a friend.?

Mickey Morgan, mother to Ashley Morgan, a junior at WVU and the captain of the WVU cheerleading squad, was on hand with two of her relatives, Karen Graham and Sandy Marinacci, to cheer on Ashley and the Mountaineers in their fight against the Sooners. This was Morgan?s first bowl game, and she couldn?t be more thrilled for her daughter. ?All of the fans and the enthusiasm is my favorite part so far,? she said. ?I wish there was more people here, but we support WVU and the team, especially after what happened to them recently,? Morgan said.

Marinacci had a few choice words to say about the loss of our coach, and how WVU can survive without him. ?It?s unfortunate that he left, but we?re WVU, we can rise above it. We always have to overcome things,? she said.

Newly instated WVU Student Body President Jason Parsons was at the event, along with fellow governor Whitney Rae Peters and Mountaineer Maniac president Jeremy Hatcher. Parsons was happy with the amount of students that were at the event. ?It?s important to have students here to support the team. We need them to know that we are in their corner.?

As for Parsons, he had no idea who the new head coach at WVU might be, and he had no real first choice. ?I trust the head of the athletic department and President Mike Garrison to make a good decision. We need someone who can continue to send us on our path to national greatness, and I trust them to make that decision.?

A mariachi band was playing in the restaurant, to authenticate the Mexican feel. The real musical entertainment showed up when the band arrived to play some music for the fans. The band performed some favorites, including the WVU fight song, and of course, Country Roads. The entire crowd of Mountaineer fans cheered and sang along with the band, whose short performance was the highlight of many people?s trip to Garduno?s.

The event was a ton of fun, and it was interesting to meet all of the different types of people who came out to celebrate. I?m sure that the largest pre-game party tomorrow, and all of the other WVU Mountaineer events before the game will be just as exciting, with just as many interesting people.

All photography by Kendal Montgomery