I was one of 10 first-time attendees at the ninth biennial Salem College Football and Cheerleader Alumni Reunion last weekend at picturesque Oglebay Park.

Shame on me for not ‘officially’ making one of the first eight! I vowed I will never miss another.

Memories are something that are made and then relived some time down the road. That’s exactly what happened Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Wilson Lodge when nearly 150 individuals made their way to the sun-filled northern panhandle in Ohio County.

The stories were flowing freely and often as players, coaches, managers and cheerleaders from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s all had at least one to share with the others.

Sadly, everyone always came back to the story that ended Salem College football on June 1, 1989.

However, by the attendance at the three-day event, the spirit of the Salem College football lives on. In fact, the pulse is beating at an even faster rate because of a statement made by new president of Salem International Dan Nelant that he would like to revive the sport.

More on that later in the week.

There were so many dignitaries on hand as the tiny (NAIA), private school sent 21 football players to NFL training camps. Of those, four were drafted and 11 others signed free-agent contracts. The other half-a-dozen had tryouts.

Monty Hunter, from Dover and one of my best friends, is the highest player from Salem College ever drafted by an NFL team. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1982 draft by Dallas, making him the 109th player taken overall. He played two seasons, one with the Cowboys and the next with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Hunter was also one of the first-timers on hand, as well as former all-Ohio running back Gene Jones, from Zanesville, Ironton’s Rick Howard and Jim Weaver, of Uniontown, Pa., to just name a few.

One of the attendees was Ed Pastilong. The Moundsville native coached football at Salem College before leading West Virginia University as its athletic director for 32 years. Pastilong was succeeded at Salem College by Bridgeport, Ohio, native Joe Ault, who was also in attendance.

“The people of Salem College, the community and the college itself will be something I’ll always remember,” Pastilong said Saturday night. “The fact that everyone knew everyone created a togetherness.

“The eight years that my wife, Mona, and I spent at Salem College were some of the best,” he added. “We often reflect back on those days and say to ourselves that they were some of the most rewarding times.

“It was a unique experience. I’ll never forget those days.”

Pastilong won’t have long to recover from his weekend of reminiscing as he is the honoree for the 20th annual BMAC Mountaineer Golf Classic that got under way today at the Moundsville Country Club. The day-long event started at 10 a.m. with a shotgun start and concludes with a post-tournament dinner catered by Froehlich’s of Steubenville. The dinner is being opened up to the public. The cost is $20 per person.

Pastilong’s guidance was instrumental in establishing BMAC and he is a long-time supporter and advocate of BMAC.

“That’s pretty neat. Being from Moundsville and the Ohio Valley, your always from the valley no matter where you move,” Pastilong explained. “The people from the valley love their sports and they don’t forget their former athletes, coaches and high school experiences.

“My wife and I am are gratified and humbled with this honor,” he added. “It’ll be fun to spend time with some friends from a long time ago.”

All proceeds from the event fund BMAC’s Upper Ohio Valley Endowed Athletic Scholarship. This year’s recipient is Steubenville’s Shaq Petteway. Previous recipients have been Alyssa DeSantis (Steubenville); Zach Cooper (Weirton); Liz Repella (Steubenville) and Dominic Prezzia (St. Clairsville).

Look for stories related to the reunion on Terry Bowden, Jack Deloplaine and the possible revival of football throughout the week.

North can be reached at knorth@timesleaderonline.com