WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty University will be honoring one of its all-time greats this weekend as Saturday's home football game against No. 8-ranked Notre Dame (Ohio) has been designated as the "Coach Bob Roe Memorial Game."
    A special kickoff time of 2 p.m. has been set and many of the late coach's former players will be on hand to honor the memory of the man who transformed the Hilltoppers into a nationally-ranked gridiron power during the early 1970s.
    Already a legendary Ohio Valley high school coach before moving up to the collegiate ranks, Roe led the West Liberty football program to back-to-back NAIA national semifinal berths to highlight his stellar 9-year run at the Hilltopper helm from 1965-73.
    Roe's Hilltoppers exploded onto the national scene in 1970, going unbeaten in West Virginia Conference play to earn the school's first NAIA playoff bid. The Hilltoppers came within a touchdown of playing for a national title, battling Wofford (S.C.) to the wire in a 12-6 setback.
    Coach Roe had West Liberty right back in the national spotlight in 1971 with another unbeaten regular season. Not even a loss to eventual national champion West Alabama in the NAIA semifinal, hosted by the Hilltoppers at Steubenville's Harding Stadium, could dim the luster of that two-year run.
    Roe hung up the college clipboard following the 1973 season, leaving the hilltop with a sparkling 50-24-6 record – one of the highest winning percentages in nearly a century of Hilltopper football.
    A charter member of the West Liberty Hall of Fame in 1981, Roe is also enshrined in the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the OVAC Hall of Fame, the City of Wheeling Hall of Fame, the Upper Ohio Valley Dapper Dan Hall of Fame and the Bethany College Hall of Fame.
    "During his nine seasons at West Liberty, Coach Roe influenced, inspired and guided more than 300 players, assistant coaches, trainers and student managers," said former Hilltopper gridder Rod Reese, one of the driving forces behind the Coach Bob Roe Memorial Game. "In respect and gratitude for the incredible impact he had on our lives, we are proud to honor his memory."
    The WLU Foundation has been working closely with the Coach Bob Roe Football Committee in support of the weekend event honoring Coach Roe.
    Prior to the game, Coach Roe's football alumni will have a get-together in a tent erected in the lower parking lot adjacent to West Family Stadium. A moment of silence will be observed in memory of Coach Roe and his former players who have passed during pre-game announcements and the returning players will stand and be recognized during the game.
    The day concludes with a post-game celebration from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the West Sports Bar.
    The WLU Foundation and Coach Bob Roe Football Committee are also raising funds to commission a commemorative bronze plaque in honor of Coach Roe to be permanently installed at West Family Stadium along with creating an endowed scholarship.
    Tickets to the game and all festivities along with donations and additional information can be obtained through the West Liberty University Foundation at www.WLUFoundation.org/bobroe or by calling the Foundation at (304) 336-5635.