There was a song John Pennington liked playing a lot in his car in those years he spent commuting from Charleston to Concord University. He spent four seasons with the Mountain Lions as an assistant coach, racking up the hours and miles between Charleston and Athens. When he turned his car north, he'd give the song a listen.
"A lot of Motley Crue, 'Home Sweet Home,' " he said.
Pennington had two goals. He wanted to raise his family in his hometown of Charleston. He wanted to be a head football coach.
Music matched reality Friday. Pennington - whose football career began to blossom at George Washington High School - was introduced as West Virginia State's new head football coach.
"This is my home," he said. "This is where I want to be and I want to have a positive impact in this community."
That began as a star athlete at George Washington. He picked off seven passes as a senior football player and then was named Kanawha County Baseball Player of the Year. He was an invited walk-on to West Virginia's football team who earned a scholarship after three seasons. He earned three letters at wide receiver in his career and etched his name into Mountaineer lore with his 28-yard touchdown catch on fourth down in a 2003 win over Pittsburgh.
Through everything, Pennington wanted to come home. It was something he and his wife, Andrea, always wanted for their future.
"We talked about it almost daily," Pennington said. "It was always in our goals. We were always on the same page and we knew we wanted me to be a head coach in the Charleston area."
After bouncing around as a graduate assistant at West Virginia Wesleyan and an assistant coach at WVSU, WVU Tech, the semi-pro West Virginia Lightning and Concord, he moved closer to that dream as State's offensive coordinator the last two seasons under Jon Anderson. He moved closer still when Anderson left for the University of Sioux Falls and State named Pennington interim head coach.
Then came a decision. Pennington could have moved his family elsewhere, taken another assistant job and the security that came with it. Or he could take his shot at the permanent head coaching spot, with no guarantee he would have a job in Institute if the university picked someone else. The two discussed it one night in their bedroom.
"She said, 'This is your dream job. This is what you were meant to do. Let's dig our heels in and let's fight for it,' " Pennington said.
As the energy radiated off Pennington during Friday's press conference, the few times he did pause was when he mentioned Andrea - tearing up in talking about how much he treasured her as a wife, friend and mother to 5-year-old Nolan, 2-year-old Levi and newborn Ava. As much as he wanted this job for himself, to fulfill his goal of overseeing a college football team, he wanted it for his family just as much. He wanted them to have the opportunity to live and grow up in his hometown, to have family around them as they embarked on this new journey.
That journey led him right back to the fields where he participated in football camps as a child. Now his children have the chance to do the same thing, and Pennington would want it any other way.
"I grew up here," he said. "This is where I played ball. This is where I wanted to be. To come back here two years ago was awesome and for this to happen is just a blessing.
"I'm not relieved," Pennington continued. "I'm ready to get started. I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work."
The commutes aren't nearly as long anymore for Pennington. If Motley Crue is blaring through his car speakers, it doesn't have to be "Home Sweet Home."
He's already there.
Contact Derek Redd at 304-348-1712 or derek.redd@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @derekredd.