Morgantown, West Virginia is named after its founder Colonel Zackquill Morgan. In 1901 it was established as a city. Here is where you’ll find West Virginia University, the biggest institution of higher education in the state. WVU has more than twenty-five thousand students enrolled annually.

Morgantown is one of the prime growth areas in the state of West Virginia. Many famous people also came from Morgantown. Here are some of its hometown legends:

Jeff W. Hostetler

Jeff Hostetler, also known as “Hoss” is a former NFL quarterback, who played for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins, and New York Giants. He kicked off his football career at Penn State, where he started two games for the 1980 season. However Todd Blackledge took his position, and Hostetler went to West Virginia. He sat out the 1981 season, because of the NCAA transfer rules, while the famous Mountaineer’s quarterback Oliver Luck led the team to an upset win against the University of Florida during the Peach Bowl. His first game as a Mountaineer was an outstanding 41-27 win over the #9 Oklahoma Sooners when he threw four touchdowns and three hundred twenty-one yards.

Jeff Hostetler was an excellent student too. He joined the 1984 GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America team and won the National Football Foundation postgraduate scholarship that same year. Jeff was also named to the WVU all-time roster. Eventually, he was inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

Milan Puskar

In 1961, Milan co-founded Mylan Pharmaceuticals and developed this company to become a leading manufacturer of high-quality, affordable medicine founded on his philosophy of “Do it right or don’t do it at all”.

He was an avid supporter of local businesses and had a sincere commitment to the betterment of the residents of Morgantown, West Virginia.

Mr. Puskar was a firm believer of philanthropic deeds. Mylan Park, Health Right Clinic, and West Virginia University’s Football Stadium, all bear his name along with various private and public causes, that he has supported over the last 50 years. He also loved sports, especially WVU SPorts, along with boxing, basketball, and pro football.

Milan has many honorary degrees and prominent awards under his belt.

Don Knotts

Known best as Barney of the Andy Griffith Show, Don Knotts is one of Morgantown’s favorite sons. With a statue of Don Knotts on Morgantown’s High Street, he almost looks like the “High Sheriff” he always aspired to be on the show. Don Knotts Boulevard is a constant reminder that one of America’s favorite comedians was a Morgantown native, born and raised in our primary schools and West Virginia University.

Hoda Kotb

Hoda was born on Aug 9, 1964, in Norman, Oklahoma. She is the middle child of Egyptian immigrants who left Cairo to study at the University of Oklahoma. Hoda was raised in an English-speaking home, describing her parents as people who “wanted us to be red, white, and blue.” It was in Alexandria and Morgantown, West Virginia where she spent most of her childhood. But, she also went on family vacations in Egypt and spent a year in Nigeria.

After finishing high school at Fort Hunt High School, she went to attend Virginia Tech University and graduated with a broadcast journalism degree in 1986. Honda started her broadcasting career as a news assistant in 1986. In 1998, she became a correspondent on Dateline NBC. It is where she carved out a solid reputation for her journalistic work and eventually earned a fan base for her upbeat demeanor as co-host of Today’s 10 a.m. time slot. After Matt Lauer was fired in Nov 2017, Hoda was formally named co-host of Today’s opening hours, with Savannah Guthrie, last Jan 2018. Together they made a splash by being the first two female hosts paired together in Today’s history.

Morgantown, West Virginia has more to offer aside from its historical and cultural attractions. It is also home to many famous personalities from various fields. Morgantown is truly a place where you’ll find something extraordinary.