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Jared
Surbaugh Honored with 2004-05 Neal Baisi Award
released:
05/04/05 |
 |
 West
Virginia Wesleyan offensive tackle Jared Surbaugh from Ronceverte,
WV, was one of three West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic
(WVIAC) athletes honored with the 2004-05 Neal Baisi Award presented
by Beckley Newspapers. The award recognizes the most outstanding
state natives within West Virginia Conference football, women’s
basketball, and men’s basketball.
Surbaugh earned first team All-WVIAC and All-Northeast Region
football accolades during his senior season and was a key part
of Bobcat squads that claimed conference championships in 2002
and 2003.
The 6’2”, 290 pound tackle cleared the way as Wesleyan
ranked among the national leaders in scoring offense, total
offense, and passing offense. The former Greenbrier East Spartan
did not allow a sack in 2004 and graded out as Wesleyan’s
top lineman in six of ten contests. A durable player, Surbaugh
did not miss a snap in his final 32 contests as a Bobcat.
Surbaugh is the second straight Wesleyan football player to
win the award, following in the footsteps of teammate Luke Struble
in 2003.
The award is named for long-time West Virginia Tech athletic
director and men’s basketball coach Neal Baisi, who passed
away earlier this spring. He recorded a sterling 263-82 record
in a dozen seasons as the head coach of the Golden Bear basketball
program. Baisi’s teams revolutionized college basketball
with their high scoring ways. His 1954-55 Tech squad was the
first collegiate team to average 100 points per game as the
Golden Bears rang up an amazing 107.5 points per night. His
teams won 20 or more games on ten occasions and never failed
to win less than 18 contests during his final eleven seasons.
Baisi was part of WVIAC football championship squads at Potomac
State and West Virginia Tech. The Elkins native was a first
team all-conference pick at guard in leading Tech to an 8-0-1
mark in 1949.
His squads were comprised chiefly of Mountain State talent,
as all but six Golden Bears during Baisi’s tenure were
natives of West Virginia.
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