(A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Friday at Trenholm Road United Methodist Church, in Colombia, S.C. A visitation will immediately follow at the church gymnasium.)

Here’s a statement from WVU Athletic Director Oliver Luck on the passing of Jim Carlen. I didn’t get it in my story, but I do think it’s worth sharing:

“The entire Mountaineer family is saddened to learn of the passing of former football coach Jim Carlen. I met him for the first time in April, 2011 when he came back to campus and participated in our former coaches’ roundtable. What a special day it was to have him along with Bobby Bowden, Frank Cignetti and Don Nehlen all on campus at one time, and it certainly was a day that I will never forget. Jim was very instrumental in the overall growth of our football program, and even after he left, he still remained interested in the Mountaineers. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Carlen family and friends.”

I added the bold print to emphasize a point. When I was writing my book and then when I was talking about Carlen yesterday with people who knew him so well, it seemed clear to me, and to us, that Carlen got the WVU football program pointed toward where you find it today.

“He really set the tone for where things are today,” said former WVU running back Garrett Ford. “He started offseason programs that we never had and that were totally new to us. His recruiting was different from what we were used to. He placed an emphasis on special teams that we never experienced.

“He was a very good person who I think came to Morgantown at a time in America where there was a transition taking place racially throughout the country.”

Not sure what it means, or that it ought to mean anything, but Carlen was the fella who helped WVU out of the Southern Conference so that it might play as an independent and schedule tougher opponents, recruit better players, draw bigger crowds, get into shinier bowl games and make more money. This sounds familiar, right?

Today is the first day of the Big 12’s two-day media extravaganza. It feels like there’s a certain symmetry there.