GOING BOWLING — Steve Giglio, a 1991 Brooke grad, poses with the Liberty Bowl trophy in 2014, when West Virginia played Texas A&M. (Contributed)

ORLANDO, Fla. — Steve Giglio followed his passion and it has paid off with a career in the highly desirable field of sports administration. His jobs have taken him all around the country which, in turn, forced him to leave behind the teams he is most passionate about.

Giglio, a 1991 Brooke grad, will be able to reunite with his beloved West Virginia Mountaineers this week when WVU faces Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Giglio’s adopted home of Central Florida.

This is the second time in three years that Giglio has been able to see the WVU football team, not in Morgantown, but near his house. In 2014, he watched the Mountaineers and Texas A&M play in the Liberty Bowl. At that time, Giglio was living in Memphis, where the game was played.

“Each year I selfishly hoped for WVU to play in the Liberty Bowl,” Giglio said. “That week was incredible for me personally. Having a hospitality and sports management background, it was easy for me to assume a temporary role there and just help people coming to visit Memphis for the first time and highlight where to go and what to do.”

Giglio wound up in Memphis to work for the Memphis RiverKings of the Central Hockey League. His career started in the early 1990s with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He remains a fan of the Penguins, Steelers, Pirates and, of course, the Mountaineers.

It took awhile to develop the right senses for all the cities he has lived in over the years. But, in Memphis, it was easy to start with the senses of taste and smell.

“I was happy to lend my years of BBQ consumption experience to make sure WVU fans were well fed,” Giglio said. “It was all very easy to help WVU fans, share my Memphis knowledge and believe me, I had lots of questions coming from back home. Memphis was a new bowl location and people were not sure where to go or what to expect.

“I think everybody had a great time on Beale Street and checking out Memphis museums. I had a ton of great feedback on that bowl. Many WVU fans even stayed for New Years Eve. It was lots of fun and mind blowing to me to see the flying WV all around town. That was a special week for me that I’ll remember forever. It really was a wonderful experience and I was honored and proud to host WVU fans in Memphis.”

Within the past year, Giglio moved to Orlando with his wife of 13 years, Lauren, who is a veterinarian.

While this week will certainly be special for Giglio as he prepares to play host to thousands of West Virginia fans, again, it won’t be as unique as the Liberty Bowl of two years ago.

“This year will be a little easier on me,” he said. “People know their way around Orlando, it’s a designed tourist destination and easier to plan and get around. I’m just visiting with some friends that will be here and that’s it. I’m just grateful that WVU comes to me again. With our crazy schedule, having a game come to me again makes life real easy and I appreciate it greatly.

“I just hope somebody brings good pepperoni rolls again so I can crash a tailgate.”

Simple joys, like a pepperoni roll, are few and far between for Giglio. He doesn’t get back home to the Ohio Valley as often as he’d like, but he still cherishes his time with the Brooke Bruins. He was on the 1990 football team that went 13-0 and won the West Virginia state championship.

“Brooke was something special back in my era,” Giglio said. “I have many great memories and all the guys and our coaches had a lasting impact on me. Our 1990 team was one of underdogs that had a collective team goal that was forged in our early years and cemented when we walked off the field in Charleston a year earlier when we fell short. We knew we were going back to finish the job and we did. That’s what a mindset can do. Relentless determination to take a challenge on and get it done.”

Giglio hopes the Mountaineers can prevail just like that against the Hurricanes on Wednesday. His favorite West Virginia bowl game remains the 2006 Sugar Bowl when the Mountaineers beat Georgia, 38-35.

“That was amazing,” Giglio said. “I’m an old- school guy, so the Mountaineers of days gone by always stay in my heart. Hopefully we win this one. We fell a little short in Memphis, so I just want to go 1-0 this week, as the old Brooke county adage goes. I think the future is bright with this bunch.

“Hopefully they’ll make me travel to Miami or Tampa for a bigger prize soon.”