Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 1.86
Cebe Ross Field 59 College Ave Buckhannon, WV 26201
Capacity: 3,000
West Virginia’s Wesleyan
West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) began playing football in 1898 – their orange-and-black colors are taken from Princeton University, a team the WVWC Bobcats first football team captain happened to admire. The Bobcats play at Cebe Ross Field, named after the football coach at WVWC in the 1920s thru 1950s.
Food & Beverage 2
There are only a few items sold at Cebe Ross Field – pizza, chips, and soda – but the prices are ridiculously cheap; for $5 you can get 2 slices plus a bag of chips and a drink, a savings of $2 over buying the same items individually.
One plus is that you can bring your own food and drinks (but not alcohol) into the stadium, as there are no ticket takers given there is no cost to attend football games here – I saw a few fans, for example, trucking in Burger King bags.
Atmosphere 1
The team does have a mascot who sits in the stands during games, and therefore isn’t active on the field very much in terms of entertaining fans. The team also has a small band; however, the band doesn’t actually play that much except before the game and during halftime, relying instead on the PA system to play music during breaks in the action, while the band members mostly just sit quietly in the stands, but for a few catcalls to the ref.
Cebe Ross Field also lacks a video board, and instead just has a static scoreboard behind one end zone.
Neighborhood 2
Cebe Ross Field is located near Buckhannon River a little south of Highway 48, about 20 to 30 minutes from I-79. There are a few restaurants near the field, but not much in the way of hotels unless you go back to I-79. The stadium is located on WVWC’s campus, located in rural West Virginia about an hour and a half south of the Pennsylvania state line.
Fans 2
There are not a ton of fans at WVWC Bobcats games, but they are loyal – most stayed until the end during my most recent visit despite a very lopsided score in favor of the visiting team. A few fans watch from along the fence line instead of sitting in the stands.
Access 3
Getting to Cebe Ross Field may take some time depending on where you are coming from, since WVWC is at least an hour from the nearest large town (either Beckley or Morgantown, both in West Virginia). However, once you get here moving around the small stadium is easy – there is free parking right next to the field in the campus parking lots (which are open for visitors on weekends).
The concessions are located right next to the main entrance, and there are two grandstands (one on each side).
Return on Investment 2
I am not sure I would recommend taking in a game here unless your team happens to be visiting Buckhannon that day – there is not much going on at Cebe Ross Field in terms of fan entertainment, and the Bobcats have only won ONE game in the past four years, and that was a 1-point victory against a team that ended the season 0-11. The Bobcats have not had a winning season since 2011.
That said, you can’t find a lower-cost football experience anywhere, so if you really want to watch a game on the cheap, this is the ticket – admission and parking is free, so the only thing you might have to pay for is food.
Extras 1
The WVWC gymnasium is attached to Cebe Ross Field (just go up the stairs next to the main stands) – inside you will find the basketball arena as well as the Bobcats sports Hall of Fame, so you can take a look at the trophies and accomplishments from all their sports teams. This also lets you use the real bathrooms inside, as opposed to the port-a-johns out by the football field itself.
