Bridgeport Native Anthony Webster, Wife Kelly, Help West Virginia with Generous Gift to WVU Athletics
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on January 20, 2026
West Virginia University alumni Anthony and Kelly Webster love to see the state and University shine.
“A lot of students from around the country and even around the world represent us and make us really recognizable,” Anthony said. “There is a pride and community to WVU and the state that I’m not sure I can fully explain, but I feel like it has a pretty magnificent brand.”
Like many proud and loyal Mountaineers, the Websters would happily welcome a brighter spotlight on their alma mater. That desire prompted their recent gift to WVU Athletics via the Athletic Director’s Opportunity Fund, which creates opportunities for more than 450 WVU student-athletes to succeed in the classroom, in competition, and in the community.
“When Mountaineer enthusiasts like the Websters prioritize athletics in their philanthropic planning, we become better positioned as stand-
out competitors in a demanding collegiate athletic environment,” John Patterson, senior associate athletic director and executive director of the Mountaineer Athletic Club, said. “Today’s gifts will have a profound impact on tomorrow’s success of our student-athletes and our teams. We are humbled by and appreciative of the support that enriches academic achievement and athletic potential.”
out competitors in a demanding collegiate athletic environment,” John Patterson, senior associate athletic director and executive director of the Mountaineer Athletic Club, said. “Today’s gifts will have a profound impact on tomorrow’s success of our student-athletes and our teams. We are humbled by and appreciative of the support that enriches academic achievement and athletic potential.”
Over the years, the Websters have made gifts to support men’s soccer, golf, tennis, football and baseball at WVU. Academically, they have supported human resource management students, the industrial relations program, and a leadership professorship at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics.
Anthony and Kelly Webster are regular supporters of athletics, engineering and other WVU programs.
A native of Bridgeport, Anthony earned an undergraduate degree in business administration and a graduate degree in what is now industrial relations and human resource leadership from the Chambers College. Kelly is from Morgantown and graduated with an undergraduate degree in sociology from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
“Being able to give back and participate in having our sports programs give the state more identity and get that brand out there is really important to us,” Anthony said.
The Websters said their degrees set them up for opportunities around the world, leading to 14 moves over their careers.
“Every place that we’ve lived including in Europe, when we wear WVU gear, someone will see us who has gone to the University or had a child attend WVU,” Anthony said.
The alumni couple has provided mountains of support from afar.
“We continued to be engaged with West Virgina from a distance,” Anthony said. “We watched our Final Four run in 2010 live at 2 a.m. in Paris.”
Their support grew when they returned to the United States. While living in New Jersey, they were able to purchase season tickets on a regular basis and stay more involved.
The couple moved to the Pittsburgh area a decade ago, placing them even closer to loved ones in Bridgeport and Morgantown and their beloved WVU.
“It made it a lot easier to be more personally involved with the University and be there more often,” Anthony said.
Anthony held progressive leadership roles in the water technology, pharmaceutical and mining industries before retiring in 2023. He has been a guest lecturer for the business school and most recently joined the WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors. He is also teaching as an adjunct professor for the Chambers College this spring.
“We have this saying ‘once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer,’” he said. “If you are a Mountaineer, you sort of know what that means. But I think there’s more we can do to put meat on that bone, so it translates into something that gives people the feeling they are part of something bigger.”
Anthony’s two brothers and the Websters’ eldest son, Anthony, graduated from WVU. Their son Bryan has also called Morgantown home and is a die-hard Mountaineer.
“Kelly and I both have a real passion for the University and the state,” Anthony said. “Anything we can do to help now that we are close enough to physically do it, we are always willing to contribute.”
To learn more about opportunities to support the WVU athletics, visit mountaineerathleticclub.com. All gifts are made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.
