Distinguished Friend Award

Ernest Hinkle

Inducted into the Honorary Alumni Hall of Fame is Ernest Hinkle, recipient of the Distinguished Friend Award for his loyal volunteer service to Mountain State University.

If you’ve ever been to an MSU basketball game, you’ve heard the voice of Ernie Hinkle. “Who let the paperboy into the game!” or “Hey 23, how come one of your socks won’t stay up!” are just a couple of the colorful “Hinkleisms” you might hear on a typical game night.

Ernest Hinkle has been MSU’s basketball super fan since the mid 60s. That’s when a former team member, Butch Smith, invited him to a Beckley College Bluehawks game. He said the year he started watching the games, there weren’t enough players to make a whole team, so the two water boys ended up playing.

Ernie has hardly ever missed a game since, and has even attended many away games over the years. He was recognized as the Number One Bluehawk Fan and awarded the white team jersey at Beckley College’s final game in 1977. Seventeen years later, he was back in action, cheering on the new College of West Virginia Cougars as the institution reentered collegiate basketball. He eventually earned the title “Heckling Hinkle” for his outspoken, offbeat remarks designed to distract the opposing team. When the institution became Mountain State University, Coach Bob Bolen awarded him the white CWV uniform. You might have seen Ernie sporting one of his “retro jerseys” at the games last year.

A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Mr. Hinkle is a retired Master Electrician of 40 years. He is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Loyal Order of Moose, and has served as president, secretary, and board member for the Beckley Bowling Association. As a volunteer firefighter, he is president of the Mabscott Fire Department. He also finds time to serve as a part time volunteer with the MSU women’s softball and volleyball teams.

Ernie lives in Beckley with his wife, Virginia. The Hinkles have a daughter, Sherry Hinkle Gregg, a graduate of MSU, and a son, Robert, also an electrician. He has two grandsons, Jason, a senior at MSU majoring in forensic investigation, and Adam, a student at Woodrow Wilson High School.

Ernie’s love for MSU continues as begins his third year of volunteer service as the manager for the national champion Cougars. His duties are many. Whether it’s attending practices, managing equipment and uniforms, finding places to eat when the Cougars are on the road, he sees to each team member’s needs before, during, and after the games. But Ernie says that over the years of being around the teams and coaches, he feels like he’s gained a lot more than he’s given. He’s been featured in the news and has been the recipient of numerous recognitions for his support. He’s also received two NAIA championship rings—one for runner-up in 2002 and one for the Cougars’ victory over Concordia in the championship last year.

Ernie will probably admit that managing the team takes a lot of hard work. But the sacrifice of his time and talents is truly a labor of love. His sense of humor, unbridled enthusiasm, and unselfish service have been invaluable to the Cougars. According to Coach Bolen, “Ernie’s dedication to MSU through the years has been an unbelievable asset to us. The players enjoy him, and they know that no matter what the circumstances are, Ernie is a true and blue MSU Cougar.”