Monongah Volunteer Fire Chief Harless McCombs will attend his 200^th consecutive Mountaineer Field game November 23 when Oklahoma State visits West Virginia’s Mountaineers.

Harless said:

"I've been to every game at the new stadium except for the 1988 game (against Boston College).” The Evansdale stadium opened in 1980.

Harless has been to eight bowl games and many away games, bringing his WVU total to more than 300 games.

You can credit Harless’ mother.

"To be honest with you, it was kind of like I born with it. My Mom took me to games and she took me to old Mountaineer Field.

"I remember one of the very first games I went to (when) I was 7 years old and I ran into a very tall, slender gentleman who stopped and talked to me who happened to be Jack Fleming. I was like, 'Wow. This is a guy that I hear on the radio and now I'm actually getting to meet him. ' . . . From that time on, I had to be there."

I’ve missed only two Mountaineer Field games in 30 years but Harless makes me look like a lukewarm fan by comparison. A snowstorm that iced down I-79 and caused dozens of pileups was one, after my sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, phoned and told me to turn around (we were halfway there). The other was after my surgery this year.

Harless and wife Lisa Myers McCombs, Class of 1977, made their wedding a tailgate with then-Mountaineer linebacker Reed Williams among the guests.

Lisa is a Monongah Middle School language arts teacher and children’s books author. Lisa’s mother, Pat Myers, taught at Monongah Elementary and her father, John Myers, was the Golf Pro at Green Hills Golf Club for many years.

Because his dad also was named Harless, Lisa’s husband goes by “Mutt.” Mutt’s mom is Loretta June Fox McCombs.

Mutt’s brother, Bill McCombs, Class of 1969, has been assistant fire chief and also Monongah’s water expert and currently serves on the Monongah Town Council. Bill’s wife is Fairmont East graduate Patty Steele McCombs, Monongah Town Recorder.  

To read the Fairmont Times article, click on https://www.wvnews.com/fairmontnews/news/monongah-wv-s-harless-mccombs-to-attend-th-consecutive-wvu/article_94944149-f666-5e84-9d15-9d7c0852806f.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR00qZv4qEcbzlO1eQxR_M9ocCIUcQ5GlSFNuboAFx_S4aASg5FEg4Nry7E