Hall of Fame
A true legend of the hilltop, Dr. Joseph Bartell served West Liberty as a record-setting coach, professor and administrator for parts of five decades from 1933 to 1971. A multi-sport (football/basketball) standout at West Virginia University during the late 1920s, Bartell came to West Liberty in 1933 after a successful stint as coach and athletic director at East Fairmont (W.Va.) High School.
In 21 seasons as head football coach - there was no football from 1943-45 due to World War II - Bartell compiled a sparkling 118-55-11 (.671) overall record while putting together a 79-31-7 (.705) mark in WVIAC play. He led the Hilltoppers to seven conference championships and coached three undefeated teams. He guided West Liberty to back-to-back bowl victories (1949-50) and set a conference record with a 25-game unbeaten streak that stretched over three seasons.
The highlight of Bartell's gridiron tenure was an incredible run of post-war success. From Week 3 of the 1946 season through the second week of 1951, his Hilltopper juggernaut notched a 43-1-3 record with 16- and 20-game winning streaks.
That surge was capped by back-to-back undefeated teams in 1949 and 1950. Those two years also saw West Liberty make its postseason debut as the 1949 team beat Western Carolina, 20-0, in the Smoky Mountain Bowl at Bristol, Tenn. and the 1950 squad knocked off Appalachian State, 28-26, in the Pythian Bowl at Salisbury, N.C.
Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that Bartell achieved these feats on the gridiron while also serving as athletic director, head basketball coach and head baseball coach. He was truly a man for all seasons. Bartell stepped down as football coach following the 1956 season - his 7th WVIAC championship squad - to accept the position of Dean of Students and continued in service to the institution until his retirement.
Bartell is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame, the W.Va. Sports Hall of Fame, the Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame and the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Hall of Fame.
