Post by cviller on Aug 20, 2007 10:02:10 GMT -5
by Elaine McMillion
Daily Mail staff
Mountain State natives and childhood friends Roger Riggle and P.J. Musilli created the Mountaineer Magic towels that thousands of football fans now wave during West Virginia University games. Growing up in Moundsville, Roger Riggle and P.J. Musilli camped, hunted, fished, and played football like the rest of the boys.
But Riggle and Musilli also had an entrepreneurial streak.
"We were always doing stuff the average kid wasn't doing, always thinking ahead," Riggle said.
Musilli said they shoveled snow off neighbors' driveways and formed a grade school club with monthly dues.
"We also would make paper airplanes," Riggle said. "We loaded them up in my red Radio Flyer wagon and went around PJ's block, door to door, trying to sell them. I think we only sold one."
Now Riggle, 33, and Musilli, 32, have teamed up on another business venture.
They're responsible for the "Mountaineer Magic Towels" seen waving in the hands of fans at Milan Puskar Stadium during WVU football games.
Myron Cope, legendary sports writer and color man on Pittsburgh Steeler radio broadcasts, came up with "Terrible Towels" in 1975 as a gimmick for the crowd to motivate the team at Three Rivers Stadium. They've been displayed by tens of thousands at Steeler games since.
Over the years, many college teams have picked up on Cope's concept.
Riggle says it occurred to him to produce a WVU towel three years ago.
He immediately called Musilli.
"I knew he (Musilli) would know where I was coming from and would help make it happen," Riggle said.
Turns out Riggle was right.
"I thought it was a great idea and could envision a sea of gold towels at the stadium," Musilli said. "That is still my dream -- 50,000 plus towels at a game."
After five months of research the two West Virginia natives formed their business, RP3 LLC. Since they, they have sold more than 20,000 towels.
Riggle said they worked with WVU to supply 10,000 towels for Mountaineer fans at the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl in Atlanta.
"To see my towel in 10,000 hands was an awesome experience," Riggle said.
But the childhood buddies aren't just selling the towels for revenue, he said.
They do it out of a lifelong passion for Mountaineer football.
"I'm a diehard fan, and everybody that knows me knows that," Riggle said.
Musilli and Riggle both attended their first WVU football game at age 8 and dreamed of playing for the Mountaineers.
When they were 12, Riggle's family moved to Pendleton County.
But despite being on opposite ends of the state, the boys kept in touch and visited each other in the summertime.
"We're like brothers," Riggle said. "We have been since day one."
Riggle played defensive end and tight end at Franklin High School. A teammate was Rod Smith, who's now the quarterback coach for WVU.
In 1994, after graduation, Riggle joined the Army for 10 years where he and played for the Mannheim Redskins in Germany.
Three years ago, Riggle moved to Chester, Va., with wife Mandisa and sons Dawson, 4, and Dante, 8. He now works for the Department of Defense and serves as a youth football coach in his spare time.
Musilli graduated from John Marshall High in 1993. He was a state champion hurdler and captain of the Monarch football team.
Musilli ran track at West Virginia Wesleyan before transferring to Abilene Christian University, where he played one year of football.
Musilli now owns a personal training studio franchise, Fitness Together, in Colorado Springs where he resides with his wife, Julie.
Riggle attends all the home games. Musilli makes it back east to one or two games a year.
RP3 LLC plans to raise $1,000 by next summer to provide several scholarships for teenagers to attend events, such as Rich Rodriguez's football camp.
"We like to provide opportunity to others who may not have the money to go," Riggle said.
The business also offers students and fans the opportunity to be a walking vendor during the WVU home games. Riggle says most participants make $100 in an hour by receiving a $1 profit from each towel they sell.
The suggested retail price of the towel is $5. Locally the towel is sold at Sport Mart in Charleston and at the Book Exchange stores in Morgantown.
