 The game was sponsored by the Friends of Coal, a coal industry trade group.Planned to be a seven-year series, the Friends of Coal Bowl was organized by the West Virginia Coal Association at the urging of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin.The first game of the most recent series was played in Morgantown, West Virginia at Mountaineer Field on September 2, 2006, a 42–10 victory for the Mountaineers.