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Kinder wasnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t always supposed to be a football player.

His father had other plans for the St. Albans native growing up.

òòò½ÊÓƵœMy dad very much wanted me to be a professional baseball player, particularly the Cincinnati Reds,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœHe guided my childhood to make me the best possible ballplayer. I ended up as a catcher, pitcher and hitter. That was my dadòòò½ÊÓƵ™s dream. He wanted to protect me.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Kinder eventually put on a helmet and shoulder pads for the St. Albans Red Dragons football team.

He served as the punter and placekicker. Kinderòòò½ÊÓƵ™s father saw how little his son was getting hit in that role by the opposition.

Kinder played football in the fall, then transitioned to baseball in the spring.

The Red Dragonsòòò½ÊÓƵ™ play on the diamond caught the eye of òòò½ÊÓƵUòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Steve Harrick.

òòò½ÊÓƵœCoach Harrick had offered me a scholarship to play baseball in Morgantown,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWhat I learned later is there was, at that time, no such thing as a freshman baseball scholarship. To take him up on his offer, I had to go to Morgantown on my own dime. I just absolutely couldnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t do that. So, I said, òòò½ÊÓƵ˜Thanks, but no thanks. I cannot come unless I can get a scholarship.òòò½ÊÓƵ™òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Harrick was relentless in trying to land Kinder out of high school.

The baseball coach went to Gene Corum, the Mountaineersòòò½ÊÓƵ™ football coach, and his staff with an idea to benefit both teams.

òòò½ÊÓƵœHe went to the football office and told the football coaches, in this case coach Corum, that I also kicked,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœI was a lousy kicker. My punting average in high school was 34.9 yards per kick, which was terrible by any reasonable standard. So, Gene Corum and Jimmy Walthall came to my house in St. Albans and offered me a football scholarship.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWhen they explained to me the advantage of a football scholarship, by daylight the next morning, I was a different person.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

òòò½ÊÓƵ˜A completely different wayòòò½ÊÓƵ™

Kinder didnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t have a lot of help when it came to the kicking mechanics of football.

He had to teach himself to be a better kicker.

òòò½ÊÓƵœThere were no kicking camps or YouTube videos,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœI went out and experimented with all kinds of things. For example, back then, it was illegal to put lead in a baseball bat, but it isnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t illegal to have lead spikes on your football shoe, which gave me more weight.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Kinderòòò½ÊÓƵ™s kicking got better and better. But there was one bad kick that caused a traffic incident on MacCorkle Avenue as he was practicing at Crawford Field.

òòò½ÊÓƵœI was out there all by myself kicking footballs,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœI meant to kick it one way and it went a completely different way, which will happen often in football. The ball went out into Route 60 and a car stopped. I then ran and got my ball. A second car stopped, then a third car crashed into the second. A fourth car stopped behind a wreck, then a fifth car came in like a bowling ball.

òòò½ÊÓƵœI was scared to death. The police officer arrived and told me this is a recognized play area, and I was not responsible.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

òòò½ÊÓƵ˜Didnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t know piddly squatòòò½ÊÓƵ™

Kinder arrived in Morgantown in August 1962.

Kinder was a long way from home with little experience kicking.

òòò½ÊÓƵœI still remember how scared I was going to Jacksons Mill [for preseason camp],òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœIt was so hot. It was so lonely. I didnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t know piddly squat about football. It was almost like they were speaking a different language, until it came time to kick. That was my thing, and I loved it.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Kinder redshirted his freshman season in òòò½ÊÓƵ™62 before stepping onto the field in 1963 òòò½ÊÓƵ” the year of West Virginiaòòò½ÊÓƵ™s centennial.

Gov. Wally Barron asked each state agency to commemorate the Mountain Stateòòò½ÊÓƵ™s 100th birthday.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWhat òòò½ÊÓƵU football did was ask the NCAA for special permission for a player to wear No. 100,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœSo, consequently, they chose me to wear No. 100. The No. 100 was so unique. At the end of the 1963 season, nobody took it away from me. So, I had it in the òòò½ÊÓƵ™64 and òòò½ÊÓƵ™65 season.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Kinder didnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t quite understand the significance of the number. He thought it was simply a goal to reach as a kicker.

òòò½ÊÓƵœI didnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t understand the uniqueness of No. 100,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœI asked for numbers 0, 1, 3 or 7 because each had scriptural significance for me. Bottom line is that I wanted a nonposition number. I was disappointed when they handed it to me. I also thought it was a scoring goal. I thought they wanted me to score 100 points for the Mountaineers. So, I proceeded to set that as a goal.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Kinder did so. He tallied 103 points in 30 games in his four-year career.

Kinder eventually had the No. 100 taken away from him following the 1966 season when Jim Carlen became the coach.

òòò½ÊÓƵœJim Carlen and Bobby Bowden, when they came to Morgantown, determined that I was getting so much publicity as a result of this unique number that it was not good for team morale,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœThis was so unique that sportswriters would flock to it. So, I ended up getting a lot of publicity. I tried to use it to honor the state and university.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

òòò½ÊÓƵ˜It was hard for meòòò½ÊÓƵ™

Kinder, while playing football, spent his springs playing baseball for the Mountaineers.

He played on the diamond from 1963-65 for Harrick.

òòò½ÊÓƵœIt was really hard,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœCoach Harrick felt like his coaching style was that you played best when you were angry. He had techniques to make you angry. It hurt my feelings. So, I dreaded to be around him because of the way he talked to me and so forth. Thatòòò½ÊÓƵ™s what coaches do. It was hard for me because I felt so much pressure to perform in both cases.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

While Kinder was in college, the Vietnam War was at the midway point of its 20 years from 1955-75. The U.S. government was looking for young men to send overseas to fight in the war, and active college students could receive deferments from the draft.

òòò½ÊÓƵœI also had the [former Navy quarterback] Roger Staubach problem of when I graduated being called to active duty when Vietnam was hot,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœThe government was looking for people to send to Vietnam. What I did, on purpose, was start my masteròòò½ÊÓƵ™s degree before I finished my undergraduate degree.

òòò½ÊÓƵœSo, I wrote a letter to the Armyòòò½ÊÓƵ™s division personnel and said that I was studying for a masteròòò½ÊÓƵ™s degree and respectfully requested a delay to active duty. They agreed with me.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Once Kinder finished college, he was assigned to the federal building in Newark, New Jersey, to be a psychologist in the Army.

His service eventually led to him being an instructor in the Armyòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Command and General Staff college, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Kinder has been retired from the Army for nearly 30 years.

òòò½ÊÓƵœI am so thankful that I am physically, mentally and spiritually healthy,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said.

òòò½ÊÓƵ˜She cared for her peopleòòò½ÊÓƵ™

Another role Kinder assumed during his adult life was the general manager of the Charleston Civic Center from 1977-83.

Dolly Parton was one of many performers who came to the Civic Center during that time.

òòò½ÊÓƵœDolly Parton grew up incredibly poor,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Kinder said. òòò½ÊÓƵœThese acts would come into the building and do a sound check, generally around 4-4:30 p.m. The stage people built the set. I had a badge on that said òòò½ÊÓƵ˜general manager.òòò½ÊÓƵ™ Dollyòòò½ÊÓƵ™s people found me and said that Dolly wanted to talk to me. She said she wanted me to gather up the people who were going to be working during the show.

òòò½ÊÓƵœShe did a mini concert for those people. She did three or four songs just for them. She then came down and greeted each one personally. That was a classy move. She also went to the worst seat in the house. She wanted to hear what it sounded like in the cheap seats. She cared for her people.òòò½ÊÓƵ�