Late ’80s Mountaineer QB Major Harris gave fans extra—and WVU’s 1988 domination of Pitt was part of that.
Mountaineer history is full of great and exciting football players—Pat White, Darryl Talley, Sam Huff, Jeff Hostetler, and Pac Man Jones, just to name a few. But no player was as much fun to watch as Major Harris.
Growing up in the shadow of the University of Pittsburgh, it seemed unlikely that Harris would end up in Morgantown. But playing for Brashear High School, Harris desperately wanted to play quarterback at the next level, and he felt his skills would be underutilized at Pitt.
Harris’s decision to commit to the Mountaineers began a legendary three-year career, 1987–1989, during which he was twice named a Heisman Trophy finalist. Harris ended his collegiate career throwing for 5,173 yards and 41 touchdowns in addition to rushing for 2,161 yards and 18 touchdowns. He saw his No. 9 jersey retired in 2021.
Harris led the Mountaineers to an undefeated regular season in 1988, beating Pitt 31–10. WVU lost to #1 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, and the Irish won the national championship. In 1988, Harris became nationally known for “The Play” against Penn State.
In 1989, it looked like WVU might be heading for their second-straight undefeated season when they faced Pitt. The Mountaineers jumped out to an impressive early lead. Pitt would eventually kick a last-second field goal, and the game would end in a 31–31 tie. You could hear a pin drop in Mountaineer Field. WVU never recovered from the disappointing tie, finishing the season 8–3–1.
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