Jeff Hostetler is being inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Any WVU Mountaineer fan from the early ’80s knows the story of Jeff Hostetler. Starting his career at rival Penn State and then transferring to WVU, his impact on the football program here was immediate. In his first start in the Old Gold and Blue, he led his team into Norman, Oklahoma, and defeated the highly favored Oklahoma Sooners 41–27. On that epic debut, he threw for 321 yards and four touchdowns to earn National Player of the Week honors. And the legend began.
Hostetler quarterbacked the Mountaineers for the 1982 and 1983 seasons. He had an 18–6 record as a two-year starter for Coach Don Nehlen and captained the 1983 team. He ranks among WVU’s single-season leaders in total offense, passing yards, pass completions, pass attempts, touchdown passes and passing efficiency.
In 1983 he helped guide the Mountaineers to a ranking as high as No. 4 in the country and later that season would defeat Kentucky 20–16 in the Hall of Fame Game classic. He also played in the 1984 Hula and Japan Bowls. Hostetler is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in WVU history.
In the 1984 NFL draft, Hostetler was chosen by the New York Giants in the third round. In 1990, he took over the starting quarterback duties from an injured Phil Simms and led the Giants to a Super Bowl victory over the Buffalo Bills. The 20–19 victory was the closest in Super Bowl history. His 15-year NFL career included stints with the Oakland Raiders and the Washington Redskins. In 1994, Hostetler was selected for the NFL Pro Bowl as a Raider. He finished his pro career with more than 16,000 yards passing and 94 touchdowns.
Hostetler and former WVU women’s basketball coach Mike Carey will be honored on May 7, when they are inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in Charleston by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
He and his wife, Vicky Hostetler, continue to make an impact on the Morgantown community through their Hoss Foundation, which helps meet the needs of children and families facing hardships due to traumatic injury, illness, or financial crisis.
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