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Recruited by Head Coach Gene Corum and assistant Ed Shockey in 1962, Hinton, WV native Dick Leftridge and Wintersville, Ohio
product Roger Alford became the first African-Americans to earn scholarships and play football for West Virginia University.
While both were 2-way players during their first year of varsity play in 1963, Leftridge excelled as a fullback and Alford as an offensive guard during their junior and senior seasons. So powerful a runner was Leftridge that he was chosen as the first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1966 NFL draft (3rd selection overall), though personal and physical problems limited his time in the NFL to just four games. He died in February of 2004. A member of the WVU Sports Hall of Fame, Roger Alford earned four degrees and became a doctor in the practice of dentistry. He served on the board of directors of the WVU Alumni Association and the visiting committee of the WVU School of Physical Education. Dr. Roger Alford passed away in 1996.The WVU Foundation administers the Dr. Roger Alford Alumni Scholarship in his honor.
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