Although he hadn’t said so publicly, new West Virginia University athletic director Dick Martin was preparing to lower the boom on coach Frank Cignetti.
Before the ’79 season, Martin indicated that Cignetti, who was battling cancer at the time, needed to have a winning record in order to get his yearly contract renewed.
Cignetti was hired in January, 1976, to replace Bobby Bowden following Bowden’s departure to Florida State. That came just days after the Mountaineers defeated NC State, 13-10, in the Peach Bowl to conclude a ‘75 season that featured a 9-3 record and a top 20 national ranking.