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To my many readers over the years,

Growing up, Weber State University was the absolute last place that I wanted to attend college. Having lived in Davis County my entire life, Weber was the boring option for those who did not get into any other schools.

I wanted to attend Brigham Young University; however, because of my average high school performance, I had to accept that my dream school did not admit me.

After serving part of a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I completed a semester online at Brigham Young University-Idaho before deciding to transfer to Weber. I finished one more semester online to end out my freshman year, and told myself that if I were going to Weber State, I would make the most of it.

I spent my sophomore year getting involved by attending every football and men’s basketball game. Because of this, I was fortunate enough to be named vice president of the student section, “The Destruction,” in my junior year. Also during this time, Collyn Cowles, the sports editor for The Signpost, asked me to join his desk as a reporter. Having loved reading sports articles my entire life, I happily accepted.

Being a part of The Signpost has been one of the greatest experiences in my life. I traveled to Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona, to watch Weber State football play the University of Washington and the University of Arizona, respectively. I traveled to Greeley, Colorado, to watch the Big Sky Conference Volleyball Tournament, and to Boise, Idaho, twice to watch the Big Sky Basketball Tournament.

The Signpost is not the only thing that I did during my time at Weber State. In February 2024, Weber State sprinter Bryson Cortes, one of my good friends in junior high and high school, asked me if Weber State had a “Barstool Sports” Instagram account. There and then, I decided that I would be the one to make it.

The Barstool page has become one of the major joys of my life, and I have loved running it for the last two years. While the page never became an official Barstool page, I was fortunate enough to see the page grow to nearly 2,000 followers while running it. I didn’t do a very good job of keeping my admin status secret, and I became known by many, primarily the men’s golf team, simply as “Barstool”.

Many of my fondest college moments came from watching games with my fellow students in “The Destruction” as the vice president, then a semester later as the president. Even though the football and men’s basketball teams did not do as well as I would have liked, I can say that I never missed a home football game. While I missed two home men’s basketball games, I have never missed a home game in Big Sky play. However, since I became so busy as the new sports editor, I decided to step down as president before this school year.

While as president of “The Destruction,” Barstool page admin and later as sports editor for The Signpost, I have tried to highlight the sports that may not get as much attention as they deserve. From our fantastic women’s sports to lesser-watched men’s sports like golf and tennis, to our amazing club sports.

I was also fortunate enough to serve on the Weber State University Student Association Supreme Court, where I had the privilege to preside over an impeachment trial at the end of the Fall 2024 semester.

After reading a Substack article from “BYU Sports, Man” about the history of BYU quarterbacks, around the time I started writing for The Signpost, I decided to create my own Substack called the “Wildcat Chronicle.” There, I wrote comprehensive histories about the football, men’s basketball, softball, women’s soccer and volleyball teams, along with other historical topics.

From these articles, I learned more about the histories of different Weber State sports than I ever thought I could. I had many former players, coaches and fans reach out to tell me how much they enjoyed my writing.

I have made so many friends during my time at Weber, from fellow students, faculty, staff and alumni, many of whom I would never have become friends with if I hadn’t branched out in my sophomore year. I have made countless memories over the years and wouldn’t trade my time here for anything.

I love Weber State, and I wish more students took pride in the school, but I’m glad that I was able to do my part at least.

I am a fourth-generation Weber State student and a third-generation Weber State graduate. My great-grandpa attended Weber for a year in the 1940s, my grandma graduated in 1993 and my dad went back to school and graduated in 2014.

As I finish up my bachelor’s degree in political science and prepare to attend law school in the fall, I want my legacy as both a student, a student leader, sports reporter and editor and Weber State sports superfan to be that there was not another student on this campus with me who loved Weber State as much as I did.

To finish, I would like to quote Weber State’s alma mater song: “Oh, I’ll be true to thee. Oh, Purple and White. And I will stand by thee in any fight. For truth and right will always be. Close by thee, oh flag. All thy children honor thee. Honor thine forever be. Thou art mine forever. Purple and White.”

Go Wildcats.

Sincerely,

Gavin D. Nelson, Sports Editor