Pittsburgh Panthers football is the
intercollegiateCollege athletics refers primarily to sports and athletic competition organized and funded by institutions of tertiary education . In the United States, college athletics is a two-tiered system. The first tier includes the sports that are sanctioned by one of the collegiate sport governing bodies...
footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team of the
University of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, often referred to as "
Pitt", located in Pittsburgh,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American
college footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
competition. Pitt has competed as a member of the
Big East ConferenceThe Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
since 1991, but has accepted an invitation to join the
Atlantic Coast ConferenceThe Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
.
Pitt has claimed nine
National ChampionshipsA college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
, and is among the top 20 college football programs in terms of all-time wins. Its teams have featured many coaches and players notable throughout the history of college football, including, among all schools, the eleventh most
College Football Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
inductees, the eighth most consensus All-Americans, and the seventh most
Pro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
inductees. The Panthers are currently coached by
Todd GrahamTodd Graham is the head football coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was previously the head coach at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.-Playing career:...
. Pitt plays home games at Heinz Field which they share with the National Football League Pittsburgh Steelers and utilize the
University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterThe University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is an $9 billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 54,000 employees, 20 hospitals, 4,200 licensed beds, 400 outpatient sites and doctors’ offices, a 1.5 million-member health insurance division, as well as commercial and...
Sports Performance ComplexThe UPMC Sports Performance Complex is a multipurpose, multisport training, sports science, and sports medical complex of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center...
as their practice facility.
The early years (1889–1902)
Football at the University of Pittsburgh began in the fall of 1889 when the school was still known as the
Western University of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is an independent, state-related, doctoral/research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
, often referred to as WUP, and was located in what was then known as Allegheny City and is today the city of Pittsburgh's North Side. A 130 pound WUP student,
Bert SmyersBertrand "Bert" Hunter Smyers was an attorney and, along with fellow student John Scott, founder of the University of Pittsburgh's football program...
, along with senior student John Scott, assembled a football team that year composed of only three players who had previously witnessed the sport. The team played in one informal game, a loss against
Shady Side AcademyShady Side Academy is a private, secular coeducational PK-12 preparatory school located on three campuses in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, established in 1883.- Campuses :Shady Side Academy has three campuses in Pittsburgh....
, in which Smyers made himself quarterback and Scott played center. In preparation for the following year, the first season of football officially recognized by the university, Smyers and his teammates took up a collection and purchased a football for practices and games; players were responsible for their own uniforms. In Smyers' case, his uniform was pieced together by his mother and sister. The first official game for the university was played on October 11, 1890, when the
Allegheny Athletic AssociationThe Allegheny Athletic Association was an athletic club that fielded the first ever professional American football player and later the first fully professional football team. The organization was founded in 1890 as a regional athletic club in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which is today the North...
's opponent, Shadyside Academy, failed to appear for its game at
Exposition ParkExposition Park was a baseball park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1890 to circa 1915. It was located on the north side of the Allegheny River across from Pittsburgh's downtown area. Prior to the construction of this version of Exposition Park, two previous ballparks of the same name were...
. Allegheny A.A. called Smyers who brought the WUP team as a replacement. In an inglorious start to Pitt football history, WUP was defeated 38-0. Smyers' team next faced
Washington and Jefferson CollegeThe Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team represents Washington & Jefferson College in collegiate level football. The team competes in NCAA Division III and is affiliated with the Presidents' Athletic Conference...
, losing 32-0, but closed out its inaugural three game season with the university's first win, a 10-4 victory over
Geneva CollegeGeneva College is a Christian liberal arts college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional undergraduates in...
.
The following season saw the university collect more losses en route to a 2-5 record. Smyers suffered a broken nose in a 40-6 loss to Washington and Jefferson, a school that would become one of WUP's fiercest early rivals. The WUP team did record the school's first shutout with a 6-0 win over Geneva, as well as the school's first blowout in a 54-0 win over
Western Pennsylvania Medical CollegeThe University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The School of Medicine is also known as Pitt Med, and is ranked as a “top medical school” by U.S. News & World Report in the publication's categories of research and primary care...
who, interestingly, became affiliated with WUP in 1892 and later became the university's medical school when they merged in 1908. Perhaps the most important development for the second season of football was Smyers recruitment of
Joseph TreesJoseph Clifton Trees was a college football player at the University of Pittsburgh, the first athlete to receive an athletic subsidization at the school, and, possibly, an early professional football player. He later made millions of dollars in the oil industry and became a trustee and significant...
from
Normal University of PennsylvaniaIndiana University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA. The university is northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is the commonwealth's fifth largest university...
. The 210 pound Trees became WUP's first subsidized athlete and, later in life, made millions in the oil industry and became an important benefactor for the university and athletic department. Today,
Trees HallJoseph C. Trees Hall is a multipurpose student, staff, faculty recreational facility on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed by the architectural firm of Deeter & Ritchey, Trees Hall first opened in 1962, and a second phase of...
, an athletic facility on the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the
OaklandOakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...
section of Pittsburgh, bears his name.
The first winning record for the university came in the third season of competition in 1892, when the team posted a 4-2 record. The following season in 1893, the team had its first official coach, Anson F. Harrold, who led the team to an unremarkable 1-4 record. However, during that season the first contest was played in what would become a 96-game series versus
Penn StateThe Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
, thus originating one of the longest and fiercest rivalries for both schools. In 1895, the school suffered a 1-6 season under coach J.P. Linn. The 1895 season was notable for the first edition of the
Backyard BrawlThe Backyard Brawl is an annual football game between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers. The term "Backyard Brawl" has also been used to refer to college basketball games played annually or semi-iannually and may also be used to refer to other...
on October 26, 1895, with WUP losing to
West VirginiaThe West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
0-8 in Wheeling, WV.
The university did not see another winning season until Fred Robinson led WUP to a 5-2-1 record in 1898. In 1899, Robinson continued his success with a 3-1-1 record, giving the school its first back-to-back winning seasons. This was followed by two more consecutive winning seasons, including a record seven-win season in 1901 under coach
Wilbur HockensmithWilbur Darwin Hockensmith, Sr. was the head coach of the football team at the Western University of Pennsylvania, today known as the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, in 1901. On October 5, 1901, Hockensmith led the school to a victory over West Virginia University, a 12-0 shutout in Morgantown...
. That season, Hockensmith led the school to its first victory over West Virginia, a 12-0 shutout in Morgantown on October 5, 1901.
Rise to power (1903–1914)
In the early years of the 20th century, interest in college football grew both in Pittsburgh and throughout the nation. In 1903,
Arthur St. Leger "Texas" MosseArthur St. Leger "Texas" Mosse was the 9th head football coach of the Pittsburgh Panthers and the 13th head football coachfor the University of Kansas Jayhawks. While at Pittsburgh, he coached the university to its first undefeated season in 1904...
was hired away from the
University of KansasThe University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
, and brought several of his players with him. Other players were recruited from surrounding Western Pennsylvania colleges, including star
half backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Joseph H. ThompsonJoseph "Colonel Joe" Henry Thompson was a highly decorated World War I veteran, recipient of the Medal of Honor, lawyer, Pennsylvania state legislator, head football coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, and College Football Hall of Fame inductee....
. The 1903 season, the first under Mosse, was the university's first winless season at 0-9-1. In perhaps one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history, Mosse led WUP to an
undefeated 10-0 season, the school's first, in 1904. The 1904 team surrendered only one touchdown on the way to collectively outscoring opponents 406-5. That season also saw the school's first victory over Penn State, a 22-5 rout, as well as a 53-0 shutout of West Virginia.
The success of this period can be partially attributed to actions taken by the university's administration, led by newly installed chancellor
Samuel McCormickSamuel Black McCormick was the ninth Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.His administration is best known for changing the name of the university and moving and expanding it from Allegheny City to its current location in Oakland...
who took special interest in athletics at the university. Encouraged by university trustee
George Hubberd ClappGeorge Hubbard Clapp Hall is a contributing property to the Schenley Farms National Historic District on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, the administration more actively engaged in supporting the athletic program during this period in order to promote the university. A football association was formed, the school's first booster organization, whose largest initial contributor was
Andrew W. MellonAndrew William Mellon was an American banker, industrialist, philanthropist, art collector and Secretary of the Treasury from March 4, 1921 until February 12, 1932.-Early life:...
. The university also obtained a lease of
Exposition ParkExposition Park was a baseball park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1890 to circa 1915. It was located on the north side of the Allegheny River across from Pittsburgh's downtown area. Prior to the construction of this version of Exposition Park, two previous ballparks of the same name were...
to give the football team a more stable and permanent home, and its first full season at the park began with the 1904 undefeated team. This undefeated 1904 season was followed by a 10-2 record under Mosse in 1905, as well as six additional winning seasons.
These Mosse coached squads featured team captain Joe Thompson, who was recruited from Geneva College to play for WUP from 1904 to 1906. During Thompson's playing years, the team compiled a 26-6 record. Thompson graduated from the university in 1905 and continued on with post-graduate work in the
School of LawThe University of Pittsburgh School of Law was founded in 1895, and became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1900...
completing his law degree. However, Thompson had long desired the head coaching position and finally obtained the job in 1909, after successful coach
John A. MooreheadJohn Alston Moorehead was a college football head coach for Western University of Pennsylvania during the 1907 and 1908 seasons. He applied for the coaching job after being cut off by his father for eloping with his mother's French maid...
, who helped facilitate the first known use of numbers on the uniforms of football players in 1908, left coaching to pursue his family's business interests. That same year, the university changed its name from Western University of Pennsylvania to the
University of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, and it soon became known as "Pitt" among fans and students. The following year, in 1909, the school officially adopted the
PantherA panther is the animal that serves as the official mascot of the University of Pittsburgh and used as a nickname for both athletic teams as well as other organizations and affiliates of the university. The mascot is generally referred to as the Pittsburgh Panther or Pitt Panther, while the...
as a mascot. Also in 1909, the school moved to the
OaklandOakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...
section of Pittsburgh where it remains to this day, and the football team began playing games at
Forbes FieldForbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...
, starting with the third game of the season against
BucknellBucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
on October 16, 1909.
Thompson coached at Pitt until 1912, the longest tenure of any coach to that point, and led the football team to a 22-11-2 record. The highlight of his coaching tenure was the 1910 season in which Pitt, led by star
fullbackA fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Tex RichardsRobert "Tex" William Richards, Jr. was a football player on the University of Pittsburgh Panthers team from 1907 to 1910. He was the captain and fullback of the only undefeated and unscored-upon team in the history of the University of Pittsburgh. That team, coached by Joseph H...
, went undefeated for the second time in school history. Of even greater significance, the 1910 team was unscored upon, collectively outscoring its 9 opponents 282-0, and is considered by many to be that season's
national championA college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
. Following his coaching stint, Thompson went on to become a highly decorated hero of
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Winning continued under coach
Joseph DuffJoseph Duff was an All-American football player and coach who was killed in action during World War I. Duff graduated from Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before enrolling at Princeton University. He played guard for Princeton and was selected for Walter Camp's All-American eleven...
, including an 8-1 record in 1914 in which opponents were collectively outscored 207-38, and the university was well on the way to establishing itself as a regional, if not yet national, power.
Pop Warner years (1915–1923)
In 1914, Pitt athletic booster Joseph Trees and athletic director A. R. Hamilton hired
Glenn Scobey "Pop" WarnerGlenn Scobey Warner , most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American football player and coach...
as Pitt's head coach. Warner, who had previously led
CarlisleThe Carlisle Indians football team represented the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in intercollegiate football competition. The program was active from 1893 until 1917, when it was discontinued. During the program's 25 years, the Indians compiled a 167–88–13 record and 0.647 winning percentage,...
,
CornellThe Cornell Big Red football team represents Cornell University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Ivy League. It is one of the oldest and most storied football programs in the nation...
, and
GeorgiaThe Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
, had been successful at his previous stops, mentoring the likes of
Jim ThorpeJacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
, and was known as an innovator of the game who originated the screen pass, single- and double-wing formations, and use of shoulder and thigh pads. His arrival at Pitt gave the program instant national credibility, lifting the perception of the program from a regional power to that of a national one.
Warner's impact was immediate. Led by center
Robert PeckBob Peck was an American football player who most famously played center for the Pittsburgh Panthers, where he was a three-time All-American. In 1917 he played in the Ohio League, the direct predecessor to the modern National Football League for the Youngstown Patricians and the Massillon Tigers....
, Pitt's first First Team
All-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n, and All-American end
James Pat HerronJames P. "Pat" Herron was an American football player and coach. He played at end for the University of Pittsburgh's football team. A member of the Panthers' undefeated national championship teams coached by "Pop" Warner in 1915 and 1916, Herron earned first team All-American honors in 1916...
, Warner's first Pitt team in 1915 went 8-0, shutting out five opponents, and was trumpeted by football historian
Parke H. DavisParke Hill Davis was an American football player, coach and historian who retroactively named the national championship teams in American college football from the 1869 through the 1932 seasons. He also named co-national champions at the conclusion of the 1933 season...
as that season's national champion. His second season duplicated that success, repeating an 8-0 record while collectively outscoring opponents 255-25, and garnering what is widely regarded as a consensus national championship. The lone scare of the 1916 season occurred at
NavyThe Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
when, following a delay of the team's train heading to
AnnapolisAnnapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
that caused a late arrival, the team overcame several fumbles and eked out a 20-19 victory. The 1916 team was led again by Herron and Peck, now in his last season, as well as All-Americans
fullbackA fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Andy HastingsCharles Elliott "Andy" Hastings , also known as "Sandy Hastings" in professional football records, was an American football player...
and guard
"Tiny" Thornhill-References:...
. Also on that team were
Jock SutherlandDr. John Bain "Jock" Sutherland, D.D.S., was an American football coach. He coached college football at Lafayette College and the University of Pittsburgh and professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers...
and
H.C. "Doc" CarlsonHenry Clifford "Doc" Carlson is a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee as the men's college basketball coach of his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, from 1922 to 1953...
, who both would garner First Team All-American selections while members of the undefeated 1917 team, and go on to become perhaps Pitt's most legendary coaches in football and
basketballPittsburgh Panthers men's basketball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's basketball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in...
, respectively. The 1917 team, nicknamed "The Fighting Dentists" because over half the roster became doctors or dentists, finished 10-0 with five shutouts despite losing several players to military service at the outbreak of
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, which took the life of former Pitt star Tex Richards, saw the implementation of quarantines that eliminated much of that year's college football season, including five of Pitt's originally scheduled contests. All of Pitt's games that year were played in November, including a high profile game played as a War Charities benefit against undefeated, unscored upon, and defending national champion
Georgia TechThe Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, coached by the legendary
John HeismanJohn William Heisman was an American player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College , Buchtel College, now known as the University of Akron , Auburn University , Clemson University , Georgia Tech , the...
. Pitt swept through its first three games and then dismantled Georgia Tech 32-0 in front of many of the nation's top sports writers including
Walter CampWalter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
. The final game of the season at Cleveland Naval Reserve resulted in Warner's first loss at Pitt and is one of the most controversial in school history. Warner, along with some reporters covering the game, insisted Pitt was robbed by the officials who, claiming the official timekeeper's watch was broken, arbitrarily ended the first half before Pitt was able to score and then allowed the Reserves extra time in the fourth quarter to pull ahead 10-9 before calling an end to the game. Despite the loss, the 4-1 Panthers of 1918 were named national champions by several selectors and are widely regarded as consensus national champions for that season.
In 1919, several players suffered season-ending injuries, and Pitt stumbled to a 6-2-1 record that included another victory over Georgia Tech. The Panthers returned to undefeated status during 1920, albeit with ties against
SyracuseThe Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
and undefeated Penn State. The Penn State game ended in a scoreless tie after Pitt star
Tommy DaviesThomas J. Davies was an American football player and coach. He played as a halfback at the University of Pittsburgh and was a consensus All-American in 1918 and 1920...
, who was injured early in the game, returned later to miss a possible game-winning field goal. For the 1921 season, the team's record dipped to 5-3-1, but Pitt made college football history on October 8, 1921. Harold W. Arlin announced the first live radio broadcast of a college football game in the United States from Forbes Field on KDKA radio as the Pitt Panthers defeated West Virginia 21-13 in the annual Backyard Brawl.
Prior to the 1922 season, Warner announced he was leaving Pitt to take the head coaching position at
StanfordThe Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
, but he honored his contract and remained at Pitt through 1923. 1922 resulted in an 8-2 record, and the season ended on a high note when the Panthers took their first cross-country trip, by train, to defeat Stanford, coached by two Pitt assistants sent ahead by Warner, 16-7 in Palo Alto. Warner's final season was his worst at Pitt as the Panthers stumbled to a 5-4 record in 1923. However, the Warner era at Pitt closed on a high note with a 20-3 victory over Penn State on November 29.
In all, Warner coached his Pitt teams to 33 straight wins and three national championships (1915, 1916 and 1918). He coached Pittsburgh from 1915 to 1923 to a combined 60-12-4 record. Importantly, Warner helped raise the interest in Pitt football to the point where the university sought to build an on-campus stadium with increased seating capacity that would be dedicated to the football team, and the school began taking steps to secure the necessary land and funds to build
Pitt StadiumPitt Stadium was a stadium located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1999. It served primarily as the home of the University of Pittsburgh's football team, the Pittsburgh Panthers...
.
Jock Sutherland years (1924–1938)
A natural replacement for Warner was
Dr. John Bain "Jock" SutherlandDr. John Bain "Jock" Sutherland, D.D.S., was an American football coach. He coached college football at Lafayette College and the University of Pittsburgh and professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers...
, Warner's former All-American guard on the 1915 and 1916 national championship teams and 1917 undefeated team. A native of
Coupar AngusCoupar Angus is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, situated eight kilometres south of Blairgowrie.The name Coupar Angus serves to differentiate the town from Cupar, Fife...
in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Sutherland had graduated from the
University of Pittsburgh's School of DentistryThe University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, located in Pittsburgh, PA, is one of Pitt’s six schools of the health sciences and is closely affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center....
, where he later served as faculty. Sutherland had served a tour in the
ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and later achieved success as the head coach of
Lafayette CollegeThe Lafayette Leopards football program represents Lafayette College in college football. One of the oldest college football programs in the United States, Lafayette currently plays in the Patriot League at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level...
from 1919 to 1923, leading the Leopards to the 1921 Eastern Collegiate Championship and shutting out Warner's Pitt teams in 1921 and 1922. So it was in 1924 that Sutherland returned to his alma mater to assume the head coaching duties with the goal of constructing dominant teams built on power and speed.
After a 5-3-1 record in his first season, Sutherland's second season kicked off the Panthers' first in the newly constructed Pitt Stadium and saw the team achieve an 8-1 record and win the 1925 Eastern Championship. The following year, the Panthers featured
Gibby WelchGilbert Laverne "Gibby" Welch was an American football player who played college football for the University of Pittsburgh. He broke Red Grange's single season yardage record in 1926 and was an All-American in 1927...
, who led the nation in rushing in 1926 and helped Pitt to the Eastern Championship and its first bowl game, the
Rose BowlThe Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
, in 1927. Pitt, ironically, lost the Rose Bowl 7-6 to a Stanford team headed by the Panthers' former coach, "Pop" Warner. In 1929, Pitt went undefeated in the regular season, the first of four undefeated regular seasons under Sutherland, and won the Eastern Championship, but lost its second appearance in the Rose Bowl to USC. Bowls at the time were still considered by many to be exhibition games, and the loss did not prevent football historian Parke Davis from naming Pitt as that season's national champion.
The 1930 season, at 6-2-1, was a rebuilding one for Sutherland, and was marked by a loss to
Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
that would be the only meeting between Sutherland and
Knute RockneKnute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
due to his death in a 1931 plane crash. The Irish also spoiled Pitt's perfect season in a 1931 game at South Bend, although the Panthers finished 8-1 with six shutouts, including a 40-0 dismantling of
NebraskaThe Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
. That season also saw Pitt defeat Penn State in State College, using only one first-string player, by a score of 41-6 en route to winning the Eastern Championship. These accomplishments would prompt Parke Davis to again name the Panthers national champions. Pitt would exact revenge at home the following season by shutting out Notre Dame 12-0, and would also upend undefeated
PennThe Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 27 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing.-Men's crew:-Football:...
in Philadelphia, as well as shut out Stanford at home on their way to the 1932 Eastern Championship. However, the season ended when the Panthers, in their third Rose Bowl, were again defeated by USC. The 1933 season was spoiled only by a 7-3 loss at
MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
in which the Panthers fumbled twice inside their own 5-yard line. Minnesota would best Pitt again in 1934, when the Panthers squandered a third quarter lead to lose 13-7 to the undefeated Gophers. However, in 1934 Pitt also won at Nebraska 25-6, shut out Notre Dame 19-0, its third victory in a row over the Irish, and got revenge for the previous Rose Bowl losses to USC by defeating the Trojans 20-6 at Pitt Stadium. With these victories Pitt was named Eastern Champions as well as being awarded a share of the national championship by Parke Davis. Pitt underwent rebuilding in 1935, going 7-1-2. Of historic note, in 1935, Pitt battled then football powerhouse Fordham, who featured the
Seven Blocks of GraniteThe Seven Blocks of Granite was a nickname given to the Fordham University football team's offensive line under head coach "Sleepy" Jim Crowley and line coach Frank Leahy. The most famous Seven Blocks of Granite were: Leo Paquin, Johnny Druze, Alex Wojciechowicz, Ed Franco, Al Babartsky, Natty...
which included guard
Vince LombardiVincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
, to the first of what would be three consecutive scoreless ties at New York City's
Polo GroundsThe Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
. Pitt ended the season with a 12-7 win at USC.
One of the greatest back-to-back stretches in Pitt football history occurred during the
1936The 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1936 college football season. The Panthers won the Rose Bowl and received a share of the National Championship...
and
1937The 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1937 college football season. The Panthers were crowned National Champions. Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East...
seasons which featured
Heisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
candidate and
Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
running back
Marshall GoldbergMarshall Goldberg was an American football halfback with the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League.- Football career :Goldberg was born in Elkins, West Virginia...
. In 1936, Pitt shut out five of its opponents, including a 34-0 win over West Virginia, a 6-0 victory at
Ohio StateThe Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
, and a 26-0 win over Notre Dame in which the Irish did not achieve a first down until late in the third quarter. The Panthers also won at Nebraska 19-6 and defeated Penn State 24-7. Only the second of three consecutive scoreless ties at the Polo Grounds against Fordham, and a mid-October 7-0 upset loss against crosstown rival Duquesne, marred the record. The Panthers finished the regular season winning the
Lambert-Meadowlands TrophyThe Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy is an annual award given to the best team in the Northeast in Division I FBS college football.The Lambert Trophy was established by brothers Victor and Henry Lambert in memory of their father, August. The Lamberts were the principals in a distinguished Madison Avenue...
as Eastern Champions and ranked third in the
Associate Press PollThe Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
, the inaugural year of the poll, whose rankings were finalized before the bowl season. Pitt accepted a bid to the Rose Bowl to face
WashingtonCollege football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
, and this time Sutherland was determined not to lose again out west. To avoid subpar play following the cross country train trip, Sutherland took his team out two weeks early to allow for adequate preparation. These moves paid off with a 21-0 rout of Washington which led many selectors to name Pitt as the 1936 national champions. However, it was during this time that the seeds of a rift between Sutherland and the university's administration were being sown, partly initiated by the refusal of the university to supply pocket money for players during the Rose Bowl trip, which Sutherland then decided to supply out of his own pocket.
Pitt followed up the Rose Bowl winning 1936 season with a 9-0-1 record in 1937 that included five shutouts, including those over West Virginia, Wisconsin, and at Duke as well as additional victories against Penn State, Nebraska, and at Notre Dame. The only blemish on the record was the third consecutive tie at Fordham, which resulted when an apparent winning touchdown by Pitt's Marshall Goldberg was called back on a holding penalty. Pitt finished the 1937 regular season as repeat Eastern Champions and was ranked number one in the AP's final poll. Partly due to the developing rift with the university administration, and also due to the time and expense of the travel, Pitt became the first team to publicly decline a Rose Bowl invitation following a vote of the players. Despite its decision to sit out the postseason, the 1937 Pitt team was widely regarded as consensus national champions.
During this period, Pitt regularly dominated opposing teams, even inducing Notre Dame to drop Pitt from its schedule. However, it was also during this era that the university, led by chancellor
John Gabbert BowmanJohn Gabbert Bowman was the tenth Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh and the ninth President of the University of Iowa....
, began introducing policies designed to de-emphasize the athletic programs. This was manifested when a plan was instituted in the spring of 1937 by Athletic Director James "Whitey" Hagan, who had actually played for Sutherland, to eliminate university subsidies for athletes. Hagan's plan was then absorbed into a 1938 athletics code of conduct, referred to as "Code Bowman", which discouraged alumni help, restricted practices to two hours a day, and eliminated both athletic recruiting and all direct subsidization of athletics. While the implementation of these policies was the beginning of the end for that era of Pitt football prominence, the Panthers still impressed during the 1938 season behind an assembly of talent at running back labeled the "Dream Backfield." With Goldberg at
fullbackA fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
, Dick Cassiano and Harold Stebbins at
halfbackA halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
, and John Chickerneo at quarterback, Pitt won at Wisconsin, shut out West Virginia and Penn State at home and Nebraska on the road, and routed
Southern MethodistThe SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA...
. Notably, the deadlock against Fordham was finally broken as Pitt defeated the Rams 24-13 at Pitt Stadium. However, Pitt was tripped up against neighboring rival
Carnegie TechCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
and at undefeated Duke. Following the season, the split between the administration and Sutherland became complete, and Sutherland resigned in March saying "The present system of athletic administration has resulted in conditions which, for me, are intolerable." The resignation caused a firestorm in the press and among the program's supporters, and resulted in student outrage and protests. However, the athletic code was firmly implemented and Sutherland's resignation stood.
Sutherland, who was described as "a national hero" in a
Saturday Evening Post article, was perhaps the most highly admired and influential coach in the history of the university. Following his years at Pitt he never coached again in college and moved on to a career in the
NFLThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
including a head coaching stint with the
Pittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
before his untimely death in 1948 of a brain tumor. During his 15 year tenure at the university, the longest of any football coach at Pitt, he compiled a record of 111-20-12 which included 79 shutouts. Sutherland never lost to rival Penn State and lost only once to West Virginia, and his teams were named Eastern football champions seven times: 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, and 1937. During this time, Pitt appeared in four Rose Bowl games (1928, 1930, 1933, and 1937) and turned down a bid for the 1938 Rose Bowl. Sutherland's teams were named "National Champions" by various selectors for nine different seasons including 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, and 1938. Of these, the University of Pittsburgh officially recognizes five of those years as national championship seasons: 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, and 1937.
Failed policy (1939–1954)
The policy of deemphasis resulted in a dramatic downturn for Pitt's football fortunes, including a succession of coaches with short stints. Charlie Bowser, a former player at Pitt under "Pop" Warner, took over in 1939, but the lack of athletic subsidies had eroded the talent base and the on-field results likewise steadily deteriorated. Bowser started 3-0 in 1939 and Pitt was ranked number one in the AP poll, but won only two more games and finished 5-4. Eight consecutive losing seasons followed. Pitt's stars during this period were running back Edgar "Special Delivery" Jones and guard Ralph Fife, who led Pitt to an upset win over undefeated Fordham in 1941. Bowser was replaced by
Clark ShaughnessyClark Daniel Shaughnessy was an American football coach and innovator. He is sometimes called the "father of the T formation", although that system had previously been used as early as the 1880s. Shaughnessy did, however, modernize the obsolescent T formation to make it once again relevant in the...
in 1943 and in 1945; with new university chancellor
Rufus FitzgeraldRufus Henry Fitzgerald was the eleventh Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1919...
at the helm, athletic scholarships and recruiting were reinstated. However, substantial damage had already been done to the football program. Shaughnessy was replaced in 1946 by
Wes FeslerWesley Eugene "Wes" Fesler was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach of football and basketball. He was three-sport athlete at Ohio State University and a consensus first-team selection to the College Football All-America Team three straight years...
, who left after his only season at Pitt to coach his alma mater Ohio State. Walter "Mike" Milligan took over head coaching duties in 1947 and scored one of the most satisfying wins in Pitt history when the Panthers defeated the Fesler-coached Ohio State team 12-0 for their only win of the season. During this era Pitt's first African-American player, Jimmy Joe Robinson, led the team in receiving and rushing, and also excelled at returning punts and kickoffs. Milligan brought Pitt back to winning records in 1948 and 1949, achieving consecutive 6–3 seasons that included appearances in the national rankings and back-to-back shutouts of Penn State. However, Milligan resigned after the 1949 season, never to return to head coaching, due to a perceived snub by the university offering him only a one-year contract. During this same period, Pitt sought entry into the
Big Ten ConferenceThe Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
as the replacement for the
University of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, which had withdrawn from the conference. Pitt had placed its athletic programs under the Big Ten's supervision in 1939, which newspapers of the time characterized as a probationary admission likely to result in eventual full membership. Pitt's application for membership was never approved, partly due to opposition by Ohio State, out of their concern that conference membership for Pittsburgh would diminish a possible recruiting advantage such membership gave to the Buckeyes in talent-rich Pennsylvania. Instead, Michigan State, rather than Pitt, was eventually selected for Big Ten membership in May 1949.
Len CasanovaLeonard Joseph "Len" Casanova was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator...
took the job in 1950 but a disastrous campaign was followed by his departure following spring practice in 1951. This led to athletic director
Tom HamiltonThomas James "Tom" Hamilton was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and naval aviator who rose to the rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy...
taking the
reinReins are items of horse tack, used to direct a horse or other animal used for riding or driving. Reins can be made of leather, nylon, metal, or other materials, and attach to a bridle via either its bit or its noseband.-Use for riding:...
s of the team on an interim basis for the 1951 season. In 1952
Red DawsonLowell Potter "Red" Dawson was an American football coach for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the Tulane Green Wave at the collegiate level and the AAFC's Buffalo Bills at the professional level. He learned the craft of football coaching at the University of Minnesota under Bernie Bierman...
took over, and the Panthers, led by future
Hall of FamerThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Joe SchmidtJoseph Paul Schmidt is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. His 13-year career with the National Football League's Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.-Collegiate career:Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh,...
, scored a huge upset at Notre Dame, then coached by
Frank LeahyFrancis William Leahy was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive...
, en route to a 6–3 record. However, a losing record followed in 1953, and after three losses to start the 1954 season, and due to poor health, Dawson stepped down. For the remainder of the season Hamilton again took over the team, guiding Pitt to an upset of number nine
NavyThe Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
and handing West Virginia its only loss of the season.
John Michelosen years (1955–1965)
In 1955 Pitt sought a return to the roots of its previous success by turning to
John MichelosenJohn Michelosen was a highly successful American football coach with both college and professional teams, and an inductee into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
, a quarterback on Jock Sutherland's 1936 and 1937 championship teams who later served as a Sutherland assistant and as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Michelosen immediately brought Pitt football back to respectability in his first season with the 1955 Eastern Championship that was capped by an appearance in the
1956 Sugar BowlThe 1956 Sugar Bowl featured the 7th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the 11th ranked Pitt Panthers. The game was played on January 2, since New Year's Day was a Sunday. Much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl...
. Pitt's invitation to the Sugar Bowl was surrounded by controversy because Pitt, an
integratedRacial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
team, was the first to bring an African-American, Bobby Grier, to play in a
southeasternThe Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
bowl game in the
segregatedRacial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
Deep SouthThe Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
. Grier's play in the Sugar Bowl cemented the university's place in civil rights history as the first team to break the color barrier for southeastern bowls. However, the game was marred by protests in the South leading up to the game, which Pitt lost 7-0 when a controversial interference penalty was called on Grier that set up the winning touchdown for Georgia Tech. The following season, Michelosen guided Pitt to another bowl berth, the
Gator BowlThe Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
, which resulted in another seven point loss to Georgia Tech.
Four additional winning seasons followed against formidable national schedules that were highlighted by victories over Notre Dame, USC,
MiamiThe Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
,
UCLAThe UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
, Penn State,
OregonThe Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...
, Syracuse, Nebraska, and West Virginia. A three win season in 1961 that included wins at Miami and over Navy and USC, along with three close losses by 6 points or less to
BaylorThe Baylor Bears football team represents Baylor University in Division I FBS college football. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas.-History:...
, Washington, and Notre Dame, was followed by a 5-5 record in 1962 and then perhaps the best team of the Micheloson era in 1963. The 1963 team, led by All-American
Paul MarthaPaul Martha is a former American football safety who played seven seasons in the NFL. He played his college football and basketball at Pitt. Some of his former teammates at Pitt included future NFL head coaches Mike Ditka and Marty Schottenheimer...
, swept through a schedule that included wins at Notre Dame, UCLA, West Virginia, and Miami and home victories against Washington,
CalThe California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
, Syracuse, and Penn State. The only loss of the season was in late October at Navy, which was led by
Roger StaubachRoger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
and would finish the season ranked second in the nation. The Panthers, at 7-1 and ranked fourth in the nation, headed into their rivalry against Penn State with a chance to play for a national championship. However, national tragedy struck on November 22 when
President John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was
assassinatedJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
which resulted in postponing Pitt's next-to-last game against Penn State from November 23 to December 7. The Panthers defeated the Miami Hurricanes on November 30, improving their record to 8-1. The bowls, which feared inviting Pitt before their season finale against Penn State the following week, signed other teams, leaving Pitt without a bowl invitation despite defeating the Nittany Lions, 22-21, and ending the season with a 9-1 record. Perceived as perhaps the best team of the modern football era not to appear in a bowl, the 1963 team finished with its number three ranking intact, but infamously received the label of the "No Bowl Team".
The bad luck of 1963 seemed to jinx the program for the rest of Michelosen tenure, and despite wins over
OklahomaThe Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, Miami, West Virginia, and Penn State, two three-win seasons followed. The losses prompted the removal of Michelosen as coach, a move that sent the football program into a tailspin.
In eleven seasons at Pitt, the second longest coaching tenure at the school after Sutherland's, Michelosen achieved a 56-49-7 record with only 4 losing campaigns. Pitt finished ranked among the top twenty programs in four seasons with Michelosen at the helm. Michelosen was a major coaching influence on such modern day NFL coaching greats as
Mike DitkaMichael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
and
Marty SchottenheimerMartin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach...
, both of whom played at Pitt under Michelosen.
A turn for the worse (1966–1972)
The years that followed Michelosen's tenure were among the most downtrodden years of Pitt football as the Panthers compiled a sickly 16-56 record over the next six seasons. David Hart, who replaced Michelosen, produced three straight one-win seasons where many games produced embarrassing scores. Hart was replaced in 1969 by
Carl DePasquaCarl A. DePasqua is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Waynesburg University from 1966 to 1967 and at the University of Pittsburgh from 1969 to 1972, compiling a career college football record of 32–30...
, who had previously won a Division II national title as Waynesburg's coach and had been currently serving as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. DePasqua brought a handful of wins, including upsets over Syracuse, West Virginia, and at
UCLAThe UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
, but could not achieve a winning record and was relieved following a disastrous single win campaign in 1972.
A major change (1973–1981)
University Chancellor
Wesley PosvarWesley Wentz Posvar was the fifteenth Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.-Biography:Posvar was born September 14, 1925 in Topeka, Kansas. He attended West Point, graduated first in his class in 1946, and after graduation he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air...
took action to revive the football program and hired
Johnny MajorsJohnny Majors is a former American football player and coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player award, in 1955 and 1956. He finished second to Paul Hornung in voting for...
from Iowa State to resurrect the program in 1973. Majors immediately upgraded the recruiting, most notably bringing in future Heisman Trophy winner
Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
. Majors' impact was immediate: in Pitt's first game with Majors as coach, the Panthers travelled to the University of Georgia where they tied
Vince DooleyVincent Joseph Dooley was the head football coach and athletic director at the University of Georgia. During his 25 year coaching career at UGA, Dooley compiled a 201–77–10 record. His teams won six Southeastern Conference titles and the 1980 national championship...
's Bulldogs 7-7. The excitement in the city was palpable as the Panthers improved from one win in 1972 to a 6-5-1 record in
1973The 1973 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1973 college football season. The Panthers competed in the Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :- Team Players drafted into in the NFL :...
. Their success earned the Panthers their first bowl bid since 1956 when they were invited to play
Arizona StateThe Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
in the 1973
Fiesta BowlThe Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
, where they lost 28-7. The next season saw further improvement with wins at
Florida StateThe Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
and Georgia Tech to finish 7-4. In
1975The 1975 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1975 college football season. The Panthers won the Sun Bowl.- Schedule :- Team Players drafted into in the NFL :...
, a
Sun BowlThe Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
victory over Kansas capped an 8-4 record highlighted by wins at Georgia and Notre Dame. The stage was thus set for the
1976 edition of the PanthersThe 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 college football season and is recognized as that season's consensus National Champions...
to make a run for the National Championship.
The 1976 season began with the Panthers ranked ninth in the AP preseason poll. The first game was at Notre Dame, where the Irish grew the grass long on the playing field in a failed attempt to slow down Dorsett, who had burned them for 303 rushing yards the year before. Their efforts were in vain as Dorsett ran for a 61-yard touchdown on Pitt's first play from scrimmage on the way to a 31-10 win. The season continued with a 42-14 win at Georgia Tech and a 36-19 win over Miami. On October 23, the Panthers travelled to Annapolis to face Navy during which Dorsett broke the NCAA career rushing record on a 32-yard touchdown run in Pitt's 45-0 victory. Dorsett's achievement prompted a mid-game celebration in which even Navy saluted the feat with a cannon blast. Pitt next defeated eastern rival Syracuse 23-13, and on November 6, number two ranked Pitt easily handled Army while number one ranked
MichiganThe Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
lost to
PurdueThe Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
. For the first time since 1939, the Pitt Panthers were the number one ranked team in the country. The following week, they successfully defended their top rating in a close Backyard Brawl against rival West Virginia. With a record of 10-0, the Panthers headed into their regular season finale with only heated instate rival Penn State standing in the way of Pitt's national title aspirations. At a packed
Three Rivers StadiumThree Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...
on the day after Thanksgiving, the Nittany Lions held Dorsett to 51 yards in the first half and had the game tied 7-7. Majors adjusted for the second half by shifting Dorsett from tailback to fullback, enabling him to explode for an additional 173 yards as Pitt rolled to a 24-7 victory that capped an undefeated regular season. In December, Dorsett became the first Pitt Panther to win the Heisman Trophy as the nation's best college football player. Dorsett also won the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and was named UPI Player of the Year. The 11-0 Panthers accepted an invitation to the 1977 Sugar Bowl to face second ranked Georgia. Pitt defeated the Bulldogs 27-3 and was voted number one in both the final Associated Press and Coaches polls, claiming their ninth national championship. This was Pitt's first undefeated national championship since 1937. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) named Majors the 1976 Coach of the Year. Following this historic season, Majors returned to his alma mater, the
University of TennesseeThe Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
, to take the head coaching job.
Jackie SherrillJackie Sherrill is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Washington State University , the University of Pittsburgh , Texas A&M University , and Mississippi State University , compiling a career college football record of 180–120–4...
, an assistant under Majors at Pitt and the head coach at
Washington StateThe Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
, succeeded Majors as head coach at Pitt. Under Sherrill, the winning continued with a 9-2-1 record and Gator Bowl win in 1977. An 8-4 record and
Tangerine BowlThe Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl...
appearance followed in 1978. Sherrill stockpiled future NFL talent including Pittsburgh's own quarterback
Dan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
, Hall of Fame inductee
Russ GrimmRussell Scott Grimm is a former American football guard for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. As a collegian, he was an All-American center at the University of Pittsburgh. As a professional, Grimm had multi-selections to both the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams, and was...
, and
Outland TrophyThe Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
winner
Mark MayMark Eric May is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.-Football career:...
. Sherrill also molded a devastating defense that was anchored at the
defensive endDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
position manned by Hall of Fame inductee
Rickey JacksonRickey Anderson Jackson is a former American football linebacker in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers . In 1997, Jackson was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Jackson won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX one year before retiring...
and Heisman Trophy runner-up Hugh Green, who had the highest finish in the Heisman voting by a defensive player until 1997, when
Michigan'sThe Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
cornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Charles WoodsonCharles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship...
, who also played
receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, won the trophy.
1979The 1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1979 college football season. The Panthers competed in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. Pitt was awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East.- Schedule :...
began a string of three straight seasons with 11-1 records. However, an early loss at North Carolina in 1979, a midseason loss during a driving rainstorm at Florida State in
1980The 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980 college football season. Despite losing one game, the Panthers were named National Champions by several selectors of national championships including the College Football Researchers Association, the New...
, and a devastating season-ending defeat at the hands of rival Penn State in
1981The 1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1981 college football season. Despite having one loss, the Panthers were selected as National Champions by the National Championship Foundation and Montgomery Full Season Championship, although a national...
prevented those teams from clinching an AP or Coaches poll national championship. The 1981 loss to Penn State at Pitt Stadium was especially devastating, as the number one ranked Panthers had opened up a 14-0 first-quarter lead only to see an apparent Dan Marino touchdown pass intercepted in the endzone and returned for a touchdown. The Nittany Lions scored 48 unanswered points to end the Panthers' dream of a second national championship in five years. In each of these three seasons, Pitt rebounded to win a bowl game: the Fiesta, Gator, and Sugar Bowls respectively. The 1981 Sugar Bowl was highlighted by one of the most dramatic plays in Pitt history as Dan Marino hit a streaking John Brown on fourth down in the last seconds of the game for the go-ahead score against a Georgia team that featured
Herschel WalkerHerschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
. Sherrill's teams at Pitt are considered by some to be among the most talented in Pitt and college football history. The 1980 Pitt team alone featured seven first round draft picks, 23 players who went on to start in the NFL, seven others who played in the NFL, and one player each who played in the
CFLThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
and the
USFLThe United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
.
Bobby BowdenRobert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
, legendary coach of Florida State, is quoted as saying, "I've said it many times, in all my years of coaching, that Pitt team was the best college football team I have ever seen." Sherrill left Pitt in early 1982 for
Texas A&MThe Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
, signing a then record contract worth over $1.7 million. In five seasons, Sherrill's Panthers won fifty games, lost nine, and tied one (50-9-1), which places his 0.842 winning percentage at the top of the list for all Pitt coaches, just ahead of Jock Sutherland.
Drop in stature (1982–1991)
Defensive coordinator and Pitt alumnus
Foge FazioSerafino Dante "Foge" Fazio was an American former National Football League defensive assistant and college football head coach....
took the reins of the preseason number one team for
1982The 1982 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1982 college football season.-Schedule:-Backyard Brawl:...
. Expectations were high—dreams of a national championship seemed realistic. The loaded Panthers, in Marino's senior season, stormed out to a 7-0 record and number one ranking before losing to Notre Dame at Pitt Stadium. A season-ending loss at Penn State and a Cotton Bowl Classic loss to Southern Methodist left Pitt fans disappointed. National championship aspirations again failed to materialize in 1983 when Pitt fell to 8-3-1, including a loss to Ohio State in the
Fiesta BowlThe 1984 Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 1984, was the 13th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game featured the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Pittsburgh Panthers....
, despite inspired play from All-American offensive tackle
Bill FralicWilliam P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
. A disastrous three-win season in
1984The 1984 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1984 college football season. The Panthers offense scored 178 points while the defense allowed 247 points. At season’s end, the Panthers were not ranked in the National Polls. The Panthers had their first...
was somewhat redeemed by a season-ending demolition of Penn State. However, a five-win season in 1985 prompted the school to relieve Fazio of his duties and replace him for the 1986 season with Kansas head coach
Mike Gottfried
. Gottfried recruited well, defeated rival Penn State twice, and led Pitt to the
BluebonnetThe Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was...
and
John Hancock SunThe Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
bowls. During his tenure the university's administration implemented a policy of heightened entry requirements for athletes, above those of its peer institutions and the NCAA. Gottfried fought these policy changes which caused him to fall out of favor with the school's administration, including Chancellor Posvar, and led ultimately to his dismissal despite a 27-16-2 overall record. He was replaced by his offensive coordinator, Paul Hackett, just prior to the 1989
Sun BowlThe Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
in which Pitt defeated Texas A&M. In 1991 Pitt joined the new
Big EastThe Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
Football Conference, thus ending its history as a football independent. Pitt had been a member of the Big East in most other sports, including basketball, since 1982.
Another downturn (1991–1996)
With new academic policies in place, the football program underwent a steep decline. Hackett only posted one winning season and was fired before the last game of the 1992 season. Assistant coach and Pitt alumnus
Sal Sunseri- External links :* at Rivals.com* at panthers.com...
took over as interim head coach for the final contest at
Hawai'iThe Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
. Hackett's teams at Pitt recorded 13 wins, 20 losses, and 1 tie. The university again looked to its past to reverse its fortunes and brought back Johnny Majors, who had recently resigned from Tennessee after a successful 16-year tenure there. However, recruiting had fallen off significantly under Hackett, and the quality of Pitt's football facilities had fallen behind those of its competition. Over the next four years, Majors tried to recreate the magic of the 1976 season but achieved little success. His final campaign in 1996 resulted in a 4-7 record which included several humiliating defeats. A new chancellor,
Mark NordenbergMark A. Nordenberg , also known as "Nordy" to many students, is a lawyer and the seventeenth Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.In 1977, he joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law...
, brought in athletic director
Steve PedersonSteve Pederson is the athletic director at the University of Pittsburgh. He held the same post there from 1996 to 2002 and at the University of Nebraska from 2002 to 2007.-First Pittsburgh tenure:...
in 1996 to resurrect the program. The move facilitated Majors' retirement from coaching following the 1996 season, although he continued to serve the university in the position of Special Assistant to the Athletic Director and Chancellor until the summer of 2007.
Wide receiver U. (1997–2004)
The Pitt football program saw many changes instituted in 1997. New athletic director Steve Pederson moved to revamp the athletic department after the preceding years had wounded the program's image. A controversial emphasis on the use of the full name "Pittsburgh", at the expense of the university's abbreviated moniker "Pitt", along with new logos designed to invoke the heritage of the steel industry in the region, were instituted in an attempt to tie the school more closely to the image of the city. New shades of blue and gold were introduced and the athletic booster club was overhauled.
Walt HarrisWalt Harris is a former American football player and coach in the United States. Harris served as the head football coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California from 1989 to 1991, the University of Pittsburgh from 1997 to 2004, and at Stanford University from 2005 to 2006,...
, who had built a reputation as a quarterback guru with a background in the
West Coast OffenseIn American football, "West Coast Offense" refers to two similar but distinct offensive-strategic-systems of play: the "Air Coryell" system; or more commonly the pass play system popularized by Bill Walsh...
, was brought in to replace Majors in 1997 and undertook the task of rebuilding a program that won only fifteen games in the previous five seasons. Results were almost immediate as Harris took Pitt to the
Liberty BowlThe Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
in his first season, finishing with a 6-6 record. Over the next two seasons, the Panthers posted a losing record as Harris worked on enhancing the talent in Pitt's program. At the same time, the university administration decided to bring the football program's deteriorating facilities in line with those of Pitt's peers. A state-of-the art practice facility, the
UPMC Sports Performance ComplexThe UPMC Sports Performance Complex is a multipurpose, multisport training, sports science, and sports medical complex of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center...
, was constructed on the city's
South SideSouth Side is an area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, located along the Monongahela River across from Downtown Pittsburgh. The South Side is officially divided into two neighborhoods, South Side Flats and South Side Slopes. Both the Flats and the Slopes are represented on Pittsburgh City...
in collaboration with the
University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterThe University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is an $9 billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 54,000 employees, 20 hospitals, 4,200 licensed beds, 400 outpatient sites and doctors’ offices, a 1.5 million-member health insurance division, as well as commercial and...
. In lieu of much-needed but cost-prohibitive renovations to modernize Pitt Stadium, the administration made a controversial decision to move home games to the newly proposed North Shore stadium, later named
Heinz FieldHeinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...
, and to demolish Pitt Stadium in order to build a long awaited convocation center on its footprint. 1999 was the final season for the Panthers in Pitt Stadium, which had served Pitt for 75 seasons. On November 13, 1999, the Panthers upset Notre Dame 37-27 in the last game played at the stadium. Although the Panthers showed improvement during the 1999 season, their loss in the season finale at West Virginia left them with a 5-6 record and without a bowl.
Pitt played its home games in 2000 at Three Rivers Stadium. Behind an increasing number of talented players, led by
Bilentnikoff AwardThe Fred Biletnikoff Award has been presented since 1994 to America's top college football receiver by the TQC Foundation, Inc. , an independent not-for-profit organization which created the award in 1994 and has sponsored it since...
winner
Antonio BryantAntonio Bryant is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, Pitt was back to a winning record in 2000 and played Iowa State in the Insight.com Bowl. In the second game of the 2000 season, Pitt defeated rival Penn State 12-0 in what has become the final game in the series which is currently on hiatus until 2016. In 2001, Pitt began playing its home games at Heinz Field. Additional bowl games and national rankings followed over the next four seasons. Overall Harris led the Panthers to a
bowl gameIn North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
in six of his eight seasons, including five consecutive bowl games from 2000 through 2004, with bowl victories in the
Tangerine BowlThe Champs Sports Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that is played in Orlando, Florida, at the Citrus Bowl. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group which also organizes the Capital One Bowl and Florida Classic...
over
North Carolina StateThe NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
in 2001 and, led by Bilentnikoff and
Walter Camp AwardThe Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football Player of the Year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
winner
Larry FitzgeraldLarry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
, over
Oregon StateThe Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
in the
2002 Insight BowlThe 2002 Insight Bowl was the 14th edition to the Insight Bowl, formerly known as the Copper Bowl and the Insight.com Bowl. It featured the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh and the of Oregon State University....
. Harris also led Pittsburgh to a share of the
Big East ConferenceThe Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
championship in 2004 and Pitt received the conference's automatic Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl bid, playing
UtahThe Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
in the
Fiesta BowlThe Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
. Harris was named the Big East Conference Coach of the Year in 1997 and 2004, and he was the
AFCAThe American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
Region I Coach of the Year in 2002. Over his eight years at Pitt, from 1997–2004, Harris compiled an overall record of 52–44. However, alumni and fans were growing restless with perceived recruiting deficiencies and an inability to return the program to the highest level. When disparaging remarks about the program were made by his agent, Harris' contract negotiations with the school stalled. This led to an announcement prior to the Fiesta Bowl in 2004 that Harris was leaving Pitt to become head coach at Stanford.
A Pitt Man (2005–2010)
Dave WannstedtDave Wannstedt is current Assistant Head Coach/Inside Linebackers Coach for the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League. He was most recently head coach of the University of Pittsburgh football team, a position he held for six seasons. Wannstedt is also the former head coach of the Miami...
, a Pittsburgh area native and former Pitt player, graduate, and graduate assistant coach (1975–78), who had recently resigned as head coach of the NFL's
Miami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, succeeded Harris as Pitt's head coach on December 23, 2004. Wannstedt's return to his alma mater was marked by a return to the use of the wordmark "Pitt" as a logo, including its display on the football helmets.
Known for his prowess in college recruiting when an assistant to
Jimmy JohnsonJimmy Johnson or Jim Johnson or Jimmie Johnson may refer to:In sports:* Jim Johnson , NFL assistant coach most notably with the Philadelphia Eagles...
, Wannstedt reeled in classes that were nationally ranked throughout his tenure at Pitt. However, little improvement was seen at first in the record column as Pitt struggled with a 5-6 and 6-6 record in his first two season. The 2007 season featured several close losses, but the team showed signs of improvement on the way to a 4-6 record prior to the last game of the season at number two ranked West Virginia. The game in
MorgantownMorgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
on December 1, 2007, was the
100th edition of the Backyard BrawlThe 2007 Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia football game was a college football game held in Morgantown, West Virginia that marked the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl rivalry...
, and would prove to be one of the greatest of the series. The four touchdown favorite Mountaineers needed only a win over archrival Pitt to earn a spot in the
BCS National Championship GameThe BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
. However, Wannstedt earned his signature victory and marked a turning point for the program with perhaps the biggest upset in both schools' histories when Pitt defeated West Virginia 13-9 and thus prevented the Mountaineers from playing for the national championship.
The
following seasonThe 2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2008 college football season. The season was the fourth under head coach Dave Wannstedt, who was looking to achieve his first winning season with the Panthers...
, Pitt recorded key victories against
IowaThe Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, tenth ranked
South FloridaThe South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus...
, West Virginia, and a 36-33 four-overtime thriller at Notre Dame, the longest game ever for both Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. A close defeat in the
River City RivalryThe River City Rivalry is an annual game played between Big East rivals University of Pittsburgh and University of Cincinnati. The rivalry itself is relatively new, played regularly only since 2005, during which season the rivalry trophy was introduced. Before the rivalry was titled, the two teams...
against
CincinnatiThe Cincinnati Bearcats football program represents the University of Cincinnati in a college football. They compete at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level as members of the Big East Conference. The Bearcat football program is one of the nation's oldest, having fielded a team as...
cost Pitt a conference championship, but the Panthers played in the
Sun BowlThe Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
, its first bowl bid under Wannstedt, and finished with a 9-3 record. In
2009The 2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season was the fifth under head coach Dave Wannstedt. The 2009 season marked the team's ninth at Heinz Field and the University's 120th season overall. The 2009...
, Pitt shot off to a 9-1 start, its best start since 1982, with impressive wins over Navy, Notre Dame, and Rutgers, and had climbed to ninth in the AP and BCS polls. However, Pitt lost its final two regular season games, including a last second loss by a field goal at West Virginia and a one-point loss at home for the Big East championship to undefeated Cincinnati. The Panthers rebounded by winning the
Meineke Car Care BowlThe 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl was the eighth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game started at 4:30 PM US EST on Saturday, December 26, 2009 and was telecasted on ESPN and ESPN360...
over North Carolina, 19-17, to finish ranked 15th and achieve its first ten-win season since 1981. In addition, Pitt players garnered many post-season accolades, including Big East Offensive Player and Rookie of the Year in
Dion LewisDion John Lewis is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft...
, and Big East Co-Defensive Players of the Year in Mick Williams and
Greg RomeusGreg Romeus is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He played as a defensive end for the Pittsburgh Panthers at the University of Pittsburgh. Romeus played football for just one year before entering college...
.
Prior to the
2010 season-Rankings:The Panthers debuted at #15 in the preseason Coaches' Poll. and in the preseason Associated Press Poll.Sports Illustrated ranked Pitt #16 in the annual College Football Preview issue on August 16, 2010....
, Pitt was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Big East and was ranked fifteenth in the preseason polls. However, Pitt stumbled out of the gate with an overtime loss at Utah and dropped out of the polls for the remainder of the season. Although they claimed a share of the Big East championship (along with Connecticut and West Virginia), Pitt ended the regular season with a disappointing 7-5 record and an invitation to the BBVA Compass Bowl. This prompted Dave Wannstedt's resignation as head coach on December 7, 2010, with defensive coordinator Phil Bennett taking over for the bowl game. On December 16,
Michael Haywood-External links:* *...
was introduced as Wannstedt's replacement for the upcoming season. However, his arrest on domestic violence charges on December 31 prompted Pitt to sever ties with him the following day. Despite the turmoil, Bennett led the Panthers to a 27-10 bowl victory over
KentuckyThe Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...
on January 8th.
High octane (2011-present)
On January 10, 2011, Pitt announced
TulsaThe University of Tulsa's Golden Hurricane football team represents Tulsa in Conference USA. Tulsa is currently coached by first-year head coach Bill Blankenship. The football team was coached by Todd Graham until he accepted the head coaching job at Pittsburgh....
head coach
Todd GrahamTodd Graham is the head football coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was previously the head coach at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.-Playing career:...
as the new head coach of the Panthers for the
2011 seasonThe 2011 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represents the University of Pittsburgh in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Panthers will be led by first year head coach Todd Graham and will play eight home games at Heinz Field...
. Graham instituted a sweeping change of offensive and defensive philosophies that incorporate a
hurry up, no-huddleThe hurry-up offense is an American football offensive style which has two different but related forms in which the offensive team avoids delays between plays. The no-huddle offense refers to avoiding or shortening the huddle to limit or disrupt defensive strategies and flexibility...
offense and attacking, 3–4 defense which he termed "high octane" and "nitro", respectively.
Facilities
The team first played at
Recreation ParkRecreation Park, originally known as Union Park, was a stadium located in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, before its 1907 annexation into the city of Pittsburgh, in the latter 19th century to the early 20th century. It was the first official home to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League...
. Beginning in 1900, the Panthers played their games at
Exposition ParkExposition Park was a baseball park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1890 to circa 1915. It was located on the north side of the Allegheny River across from Pittsburgh's downtown area. Prior to the construction of this version of Exposition Park, two previous ballparks of the same name were...
on the
North ShoreThe North Shore is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has a zip code of 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by both the council members for District 1 and 6...
of Pittsburgh, sharing the stadium with the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
.
In 1909 the Panthers, along with the Pirates, moved to
Forbes FieldForbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...
, located on campus, where they played until 1924. In 1925,
Pitt StadiumPitt Stadium was a stadium located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1999. It served primarily as the home of the University of Pittsburgh's football team, the Pittsburgh Panthers...
was completed on the opposite end of the campus, giving the Panthers their first and only private stadium. Pitt Stadium was home for the Panthers although the
SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
also used it for home games in the mid-1960s. Following the demolition of Pitt Stadium in 1999, the Panthers moved to
Three Rivers StadiumThree Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...
, again on the North Shore, where the Pirates and
SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
had played since 1970. A handful of nationally televised Pitt Panther football games from the late 1970s to 1999 were played as home games not at Pitt Stadium but at Three Rivers with its more modern facilities.
Heinz FieldHeinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...
opened in 2001, where the Panthers currently play as a co-tenant with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Panthers' practice facility is the
University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterThe University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is an $9 billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 54,000 employees, 20 hospitals, 4,200 licensed beds, 400 outpatient sites and doctors’ offices, a 1.5 million-member health insurance division, as well as commercial and...
Sports Performance ComplexThe UPMC Sports Performance Complex is a multipurpose, multisport training, sports science, and sports medical complex of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center...
which is also shared with the Steelers.
Current coaching staff
| Name | Position |
| Todd Graham Todd Graham is the head football coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was previously the head coach at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.-Playing career:...
|
Head Coach |
| Michael Norvell |
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach |
| Calvin Magee Calvin Magee is a former professional American football player who played tight end for four seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1985 to 1988...
|
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Coach |
| Keith Patterson |
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach |
| Paul Randolph |
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach |
| Randall McCray |
Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties Coach |
| Tony Gibson |
Recruiting Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach |
| Spencer Leftwich |
Offensive Line Coach |
| Tony Dews |
Tight Ends Coach |
| Todd Dodge Todd Dodge is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the quarterbacks coach at the University of Pittsburgh, a position he has held since January 2011. Dodge was the head football coach at the University of North Texas from 2007 to 2010...
|
Quarterbacks Coach |
Firsts
Pitt football has been involved in several notable first-time occurrences in the history of college football, including:
- First known use of numbers on the uniforms of football players was instituted by Pitt in 1908 during the coaching tenure of John Moorehead
John K. Moorehead, Jr. was an American football player for Yale. He played alongside Walter Camp, the inventor of the modern game, during the late 1870s. He was also a member, and club president, of the Allegheny Athletic Association, an amateur football club which fielded the first recognized...
.
- First live radio broadcast of a college football game in the United States when Harold W. Arlin announced the 21-13 Pitt victory in the Backyard Brawl
The Backyard Brawl is an annual football game between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers. The term "Backyard Brawl" has also been used to refer to college basketball games played annually or semi-iannually and may also be used to refer to other...
over West Virginia at Forbes FieldForbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...
in Pittsburgh on KDKA on October 8, 1921.
- First African-American player, Bobby Grier, to break the bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
color barrier in the segregatedRacial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
, southeasternThe Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
Deep SouthThe Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
during the 1956 Sugar BowlThe 1956 Sugar Bowl featured the 7th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the 11th ranked Pitt Panthers. The game was played on January 2, since New Year's Day was a Sunday. Much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl...
.
- First college football player, Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
, at any level to rush for over 6,000 yards in a career.
- First defensive player, Hugh Green, to win the Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football Player of the Year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
(1980).
- First sophomore, Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
, to win the Walter Camp Award (2003).
Traditions
The Panther
(Felis concolor) was adopted by the University as its official athletic mascot by a group of students and alumni in 1909. The suggestion to adopt the Panther as mascot was made by George M. P. Baird, Class of 1909. Over 20 representations of panthers can be found in and around the university's campus and athletic facilities, including outside Heinz Field. Students, alumni, and fans rub the nose of one Panther statue in particular, the Millennium Panther located outside the
William Pitt UnionThe William Pitt Union is the student union building of the University of Pittsburgh main campus and is a Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark...
, in order to bring good luck to the football team prior to games. This tradition was featured in a national television advertisement for the 2012
Hyundai TucsonThe Hyundai Tucson , or ix35 in Europe, or Hyundai JM in Japan, is a compact crossover SUV built and marketed by the Hyundai Motor Corporation. In Hyundai's lineup, the Tucson fits below the Santa Fe and Veracruz....
automobile. In addition, a costumed mascot, named "Roc", performs with the Pitt Cheerleaders at various athletic and non-athletic university events.
Among the oldest traditions is the Official University Yell, dating to 1890, that has survived as lyrics within the fight song "
Hail to Pitt"Hail to Pitt" is the most traditional fight song of the University of Pittsburgh, which is commonly referred to as Pitt. The saying "Hail to Pitt!" is also the most traditional and commonly used slogan of the University of Pittsburgh and its athletics teams. The slogan is frequently used in...
". This song, along with the
Pitt Victory SongThe Pitt Victory Song, one of the most popular and widely used fight songs of the University of Pittsburgh, is often played in conjunction with Hail to Pitt and the Panther Song. Few people know the rarely heard first portion of the song, before the chorus. Lyrics were by G. Norman Reis and...
, and The Panther Song, are the most common of Pitt fight songs performed on game days by the Pitt Band. The Pitt Band also participates in the "Panthers Prowl" which begins two hours before kickoff and allows fans to meet the team as they make their way into Heinz Field outside Gate A. Originally, this tradition began as players made their way into
Pitt StadiumPitt Stadium was a stadium located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1999. It served primarily as the home of the University of Pittsburgh's football team, the Pittsburgh Panthers...
. One hour prior to kick off, the Pitt Band also engages in the "March to Victory" from
Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
Drive down General Robinson Street and ending at the stage on
Art RooneyArthur Joseph "Art" Rooney, Sr. , often referred to as "The Chief", was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football franchise in the National Football League.-Family history:...
Avenue. This tradition dates back to before the move to Heinz Field when the Pitt Band would march throughout the streets of
OaklandOakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...
campus before arriving at Pitt Stadium. In addition, at halftime, the band typically will play in at least one formation spelling out "PITT". Other football traditions include:
- A giant inflatable football helmet is set up on the lawn of the William Pitt Union
The William Pitt Union is the student union building of the University of Pittsburgh main campus and is a Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark...
during the week prior to football home games. Typically, information or other freebees are distributed around the helmet prior to the day of the game.
- A 50-yard long Hail to Pitt Flag is carried by 100 students, selected for each home football game, onto the field during pre-game ceremonies.
- Student organizations, carrying standards
In heraldry and vexillology, an heraldic flag is any of several types of flags, containing coats of arms, heraldic badges, or other devices, used for personal identification....
, form a tunnel for the football players to run through as they enter the football field from the locker room. Originally, this long standing tradition involved only Pitt fraternities and sororitiesFraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. The tradition was briefly lost following the 1999 season when Pitt's football program transitioned from playing in Pitt StadiumPitt Stadium was a stadium located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1999. It served primarily as the home of the University of Pittsburgh's football team, the Pittsburgh Panthers...
to Three Rivers StadiumThree Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...
in 2000 followed by Heinz FieldHeinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...
in 2001. The tradition was resurrected beginning with the 2008 football season.
- Following touchdowns, the horns of the Gateway Clipper riverboat fleet, which cruises just outside Heinz Field, sound.
- When the Pitt offense moves into the 20 yard line, two large, motorized Heinz
Heinz may refer to:People with the surname Heinz:*Drue Heinz, American arts patron*H. John Heinz III , U.S. senator from Pennsylvania*H. John Heinz IV , eldest son of Senator John Heinz...
ketchupKetchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
bottles flanking either side of the scoreboard tilt over and beginning to pour out their electronic contents onto the JumboTron'sA JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
screen signifying the team's move into the "red zone".
- The upper section of the Cathedral of Learning
The Cathedral of Learning, a Pittsburgh landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
is illuminated "gold" after a football team victory, as opposed to the everyday white spotlights.
- The jumbotron leads the crowd in a "Let's Go Pitt!" version of "Sweet Caroline
"Sweet Caroline" is a pop song written and performed by Neil Diamond and officially released on September 16, 1969, as a single. It was later released on December 9, 1972 as a part of Diamond's Hot August Night album. There are three distinct mixes of this song...
" between the 3rd and 4th quarter.
- Following home wins, the team gathers in front of the Pitt student section to celebrate with fans and the Pitt Band. After road wins, the team will also congregate near the Pitt visiting section to celebrate.
Student section
During the late 1990s, athletic director Steve Pederson instituted a rebranding of the
Pitt StadiumPitt Stadium was a stadium located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1999. It served primarily as the home of the University of Pittsburgh's football team, the Pittsburgh Panthers...
student section in an attempt to bolster enthusiasm and unity by emphasizing the
12th manThe phrase 12th Man or Twelfth Man can refer to:* The Twelfth Man, Billy Birmingham, in satirical cricket commentator parodies* The 12th Man , an album by rap duo High and Mighty* 12th man , the fans at a football game...
concept. The stadium was repainted with the student section changed to section "12" and a large inflatable jersey bearing number 12 was placed near the section. Upon the move to
Heinz FieldHeinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...
, the athletic department, in collaboration with their sideline apparel outfitter at the time
AéropostaleAéropostale, Inc. is a mall-based, specialty retailer of casual apparel and accessories, principally targeting 14-to-17-year-old young women and men through its Aéropostale stores and 7-to-12-year-old kids through its P.S. from Aéropostale stores...
, created the Aero-Zone. The Aero-Zone served as an exclusive on-field seating section for Pitt students where the first 200 students who lined up for the section before the game with student were admitted if they possessed tickets and proper identification. The Aero-Zone failed to catch sustained interest and was eventually discontinued.
The current official Pitt football student fan club and cheering section, the Panther Pitt, was founded in 2003 by Pitt students Robin Frank and Julie Brennan to attempt to organize an
Oakland ZooThe Oakland Zoo is the student cheering section for the University of Pittsburgh men's and women's basketball teams. The Zoo cheers on the Panthers from the bottom tier of the stands at the Petersen Events Center, primarily across from the teams' benches and on the baselines under the baskets...
-like atmosphere at
Heinz FieldHeinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...
for football games. The Panther Pitt helped in coordinating student ticking policies with the athletic department and the Oakland Zoo. In 2006, the Panther Pitt and the Pitt Student Government Board originated the concept of "Code Blue" in which students wear blue t-shirts to the game to match the home blue uniforms of the Pitt football team. Commonly worn by students attending football games, the back of "Code-Blue" t-shirts typically include the line "Alle-genee-genac-genac" from the Official University Yell. Other groups are also attempting to create a more unified student section for football.
Rivalries
Pitt's fiercest and primary rivalry is the
Backyard BrawlThe Backyard Brawl is an annual football game between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers. The term "Backyard Brawl" has also been used to refer to college basketball games played annually or semi-iannually and may also be used to refer to other...
which is played annually against fellow
Big East ConferenceThe Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
member, the
West Virginia MountaineersThe West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference. On July 1, 2012 the Mountaineers will switch conferences, moving from the Big East to the Big 12, becoming...
. The Brawl, first played in 1895, is one of the oldest and most played rivalries in college football. Of historic note, the 1921 Backyard Brawl was the first live radio broadcast of a college football game in the United States. On November 10, 1979, the Backyard Brawl was the last college football game played at old Mountaineer Field in
Morgantown, West VirginiaMorgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
, with the Panthers prevailing 24-17. Through the 2011 season, Pitt and West Virginia have met on the gridiron a total of 104 times with Pitt holding a 61-40-3 edge in the series.
For years, Pitt's most heated and longest standing rival had been instate foe Penn State. The first Pitt-Penn State game was played in 1893. The game has been played 96 times, with Penn State holding a 50-42-4 edge in the series. This rivalry has been on hiatus since a 12-0 Pitt victory on September 16, 2000. Efforts to renew the rivalry are mired in difficulties due to Pitt's membership in the Big East Conference, Penn State's membership in the Big Ten Conference, and a longstanding feud between the two schools' athletic administrations. However, a two game series has been scheduled for 2016 and 2017.
Other longstanding rivals include
Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
and
SyracuseThe Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
; both schools are tied as the third most played rivalry for Pitt. The series with Notre Dame began in 1909, and since that time no more than two consecutive seasons have passed without the teams meeting each other with the exception of the periods from 1913–1929, 1938–1942, and 1979–1981. Notre Dame currently leads the series 45-20-1, with Pitt winning two of the last three. Future games between Pitt and the Irish are scheduled to be played annually through 2015. The rivalry with fellow Big East Conference member Syracuse began in 1916, and has been played annually since 1955, with the Panthers leading the series 33-30-3.
Pitt and
NavyThe Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
recently renewed their rivalry, which began in 1912, and was played 26 times in 29 years between 1961 and 1989. Played consecutively between 2007 and 2009, the series now stands with Pitt leading 22-13-3, and is scheduled to resume in 2013. Of historic interest, it was during the Pitt-Navy game on October 23, 1976, at Annapolis that Pitt running back Tony Dorsett broke the NCAA career rushing record.
More recently, the
River City RivalryThe River City Rivalry is an annual game played between Big East rivals University of Pittsburgh and University of Cincinnati. The rivalry itself is relatively new, played regularly only since 2005, during which season the rivalry trophy was introduced. Before the rivalry was titled, the two teams...
was established when the
Cincinnati BearcatsThe Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference....
entered the Big East with the annual winner of the game being awarded the Paddlewheel Trophy. Pitt leads the series 8-2.
Older rivalries against cross-town schools Duquesne and Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), as well as Washington & Jefferson, ended following the deemphasis of the football programs at those institutions.
National Championships
NCAA records book
see also: Year-by-year list of "Major" National Championship Selections
According to the
Official NCAA Division 1 Football Records Book, Pitt has been named a national champion by a "Major Selector" in 11 separate seasons. The seasons listed in the NCAA Records Book include:
1910 • 1915 • 1916 • 1918 • 1929 • 1931 •
1936The 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1936 college football season. The Panthers won the Rose Bowl and received a share of the National Championship...
•
1937The 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1937 college football season. The Panthers were crowned National Champions. Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East...
•
1976The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 college football season and is recognized as that season's consensus National Champions...
•
1980The 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980 college football season. Despite losing one game, the Panthers were named National Champions by several selectors of national championships including the College Football Researchers Association, the New...
•
1981The 1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1981 college football season. Despite having one loss, the Panthers were selected as National Champions by the National Championship Foundation and Montgomery Full Season Championship, although a national...
CFBDW
College Football Data Warehouse lists nine recognized national championship seasons in which the University of Pittsburgh was named a National Champion. CFBDW lists the
Joe ThompsonJoseph "Colonel Joe" Henry Thompson was a highly decorated World War I veteran, recipient of the Medal of Honor, lawyer, Pennsylvania state legislator, head football coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, and College Football Hall of Fame inductee....
coached 1910 undefeated and unscored upon team as a recognized National Champion, whereas the university does not claim this championship. However, CFBDW does not list the 1934 season, claimed by Pitt, as a recognized championship season. The following nine seasons are the years Pitt is listed as a Recognized National Champion in College Football Data Warehouse:
1910 • 1915 • 1916 • 1918 • 1929 • 1931 •
1936The 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1936 college football season. The Panthers won the Rose Bowl and received a share of the National Championship...
•
1937The 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1937 college football season. The Panthers were crowned National Champions. Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East...
•
1976The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 college football season and is recognized as that season's consensus National Champions...
According to
research conducted by College Football Data Warehouse, in 10 additional seasons to the ones listed above, at least one selector of national championships has declared Pitt as its National Champion for a total of 16 selections. The 16 seasons that Pitt was selected as a National Champion by at least one selector according to CFBDW research include:
1910 • 1915 • 1916 • 1917 • 1918 • 1925 • 1927 • 1929 • 1931 • 1933 •
1936The 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1936 college football season. The Panthers won the Rose Bowl and received a share of the National Championship...
•
1937The 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1937 college football season. The Panthers were crowned National Champions. Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East...
• 1938 •
1976The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 college football season and is recognized as that season's consensus National Champions...
•
1980The 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980 college football season. Despite losing one game, the Panthers were named National Champions by several selectors of national championships including the College Football Researchers Association, the New...
•
1981The 1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1981 college football season. Despite having one loss, the Panthers were selected as National Champions by the National Championship Foundation and Montgomery Full Season Championship, although a national...
National Poll-era (1936–present)
Since the advent of the
AP PollThe Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
in 1936, Pitt has been selected as its National Champion twice, in
1937The 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1937 college football season. The Panthers were crowned National Champions. Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East...
and
1976The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 college football season and is recognized as that season's consensus National Champions...
. It should be noted that until the 1968 college football season, the final AP poll of the season was released following the end of the regular season, with the exception of the 1965 season, and did not consider the results of bowl games. The other major national poll, the Coaches' Poll, began in 1950 and has selected Pitt as its National Champion once, in
1976The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 college football season and is recognized as that season's consensus National Champions...
.
Summary
The following table summarizes the source and totals for Pitt's national championship seasons.
| Source |
Championships |
Years |
APThe Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
/Coaches' Poll (1936–present) |
Two |
1937, 1976 |
| Sports Illustrated (1970 study) |
Eight |
1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937 |
| CFBDW (recognized) |
Nine |
1910, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1936, 1937, 1976 |
| NCAA ("major" selectors) |
Eleven |
1910, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1936, 1937, 1976, 1980, 1981 |
| CFBDW (all) |
Sixteen |
1910, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1976, 1980, 1981 |
| Total unique seasons |
Seventeen |
1910, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1936The 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1936 college football season. The Panthers won the Rose Bowl and received a share of the National Championship...
, 1937The 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1937 college football season. The Panthers were crowned National Champions. Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East...
, 1938, 1976The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 college football season and is recognized as that season's consensus National Champions...
, 1980The 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980 college football season. Despite losing one game, the Panthers were named National Champions by several selectors of national championships including the College Football Researchers Association, the New...
, 1981The 1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1981 college football season. Despite having one loss, the Panthers were selected as National Champions by the National Championship Foundation and Montgomery Full Season Championship, although a national...
|
| Claimed by Pitt |
Nine |
1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936The 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1936 college football season. The Panthers won the Rose Bowl and received a share of the National Championship...
, 1937The 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1937 college football season. The Panthers were crowned National Champions. Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East...
, 1976The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 college football season and is recognized as that season's consensus National Champions...
|
Undefeated seasons
Pitt has had eight
undefeated seasons. Six of the eight seasons are perfect seasons with no ties. Of the eight undefeated seasons, four are not claimed as national championship seasons by Pitt. Pitt football finished the season undefeated in:
1904 (10–0) • 1910 (9–0) • 1915 (8–0) • 1916 (8–0) • 1917 (10–0) • 1920 (6–0–2) • 1937 (9–0–1) • 1976 (12–0)
One-loss seasons
Pitt also has had 17 one-loss seasons:
1894 • 1899 • 1914 • 1918 • 1925 • 1927 • 1929 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1963 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981
Eastern & Conference Titles
For much of its history, Pitt played as an independent, as did the majority of what are now labeled as Division I FBS football-playing schools located in the Northeast and
Mid-AtlanticThe Mid-Atlantic states, also called middle Atlantic states or simply the mid Atlantic, form a region of the United States generally located between New England and the South...
. During this time, Eastern Championships were named by independent third party selectors and awarded of various trophies, such as the early Jolly Trophy awarded by the Philadelphia-based Veteran Athletic Organization which presented it to the team with the best record in the East. The process of picking an Eastern Champion eventually came to be symbolized by the
Lambert-Meadowlands TrophyThe Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy is an annual award given to the best team in the Northeast in Division I FBS college football.The Lambert Trophy was established by brothers Victor and Henry Lambert in memory of their father, August. The Lamberts were the principals in a distinguished Madison Avenue...
awarded by the
New Jersey Sports and Exposition AuthorityThe New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority is an independent authority established by the State of New Jersey in 1971 to oversee the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Originally consisting of Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack in 1976, Brendan Byrne Arena was added to the complex in...
beginning in 1936. The Lambert-Meadowlands trophy, which is still awarded, is presented to the team deemed to be the best that located in the East or plays half its schedule against eligible Lambert teams. In total, Pitt has won 12 Eastern Championships.
In addition, in 1991, the majority of football independents in the East aligned themselves together in the
Big East Football ConferenceThe Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
.
Round-robinRound-robin is one of the simplest scheduling algorithms for processes in an operating system. As the term is generally used, time slices are assigned to each process in equal portions and in circular order, handling all processes without priority . Round-robin scheduling is simple, easy to...
play began in the Big East beginning in 1993, although a championship was awarded during its first two years.
| cellpadding="1" border="0" cellspacing="0" width="80%">
|
| Eastern and Conference Championships |
| Year |
Title |
Trophy |
Coach |
Record* |
| 1925 |
Eastern Champion |
unknown |
Jock SutherlandDr. John Bain "Jock" Sutherland, D.D.S., was an American football coach. He coached college football at Lafayette College and the University of Pittsburgh and professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers...
|
8-1 |
| 1927 |
Eastern Champion |
Jolly Trophy |
Jock Sutherland |
8-1-1 |
| 1929 |
Eastern Champion |
unknown |
Jock Sutherland |
9-1 |
| 1931 |
Eastern Champion |
unknown |
Jock Sutherland |
8-1 |
| 1932 |
Eastern Champion |
unknown |
Jock Sutherland |
8-1-2 |
| 1934 |
Eastern Champion |
unknown |
Jock Sutherland |
8-1 |
1936The 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1936 college football season. The Panthers won the Rose Bowl and received a share of the National Championship...
|
Eastern Champion |
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy The Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy is an annual award given to the best team in the Northeast in Division I FBS college football.The Lambert Trophy was established by brothers Victor and Henry Lambert in memory of their father, August. The Lamberts were the principals in a distinguished Madison Avenue...
|
Jock Sutherland |
8-1-1 |
1937The 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1937 college football season. The Panthers were crowned National Champions. Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East...
|
Eastern Champion |
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy |
Jock Sutherland |
9-0-1 |
| 1955 |
Eastern Champion |
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy |
John Michelosen John Michelosen was a highly successful American football coach with both college and professional teams, and an inductee into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
|
7-4 |
1976The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 college football season and is recognized as that season's consensus National Champions...
|
Eastern Champion |
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy |
Johnny Majors Johnny Majors is a former American football player and coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player award, in 1955 and 1956. He finished second to Paul Hornung in voting for...
|
12-0 |
1979The 1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1979 college football season. The Panthers competed in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. Pitt was awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East.- Schedule :...
|
Eastern Champion |
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy |
Jackie Sherrill Jackie Sherrill is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Washington State University , the University of Pittsburgh , Texas A&M University , and Mississippi State University , compiling a career college football record of 180–120–4...
|
11-1 |
1980The 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980 college football season. Despite losing one game, the Panthers were named National Champions by several selectors of national championships including the College Football Researchers Association, the New...
|
Eastern Champion |
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy |
Jackie Sherrill |
11-1 |
2004The 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2004 college football season in which they won a share of The Big East Conference Championship and were awarded with a BCS berth to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :...
|
Big East co-Champion |
Big East Championship Trophy |
Walt Harris Walt Harris is a former American football player and coach in the United States. Harris served as the head football coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California from 1989 to 1991, the University of Pittsburgh from 1997 to 2004, and at Stanford University from 2005 to 2006,...
|
8-4 |
| 2010 -Rankings:The Panthers debuted at #15 in the preseason Coaches' Poll. and in the preseason Associated Press Poll.Sports Illustrated ranked Pitt #16 in the annual College Football Preview issue on August 16, 2010....
|
Big East co-Champion |
Big East Championship Trophy |
Dave Wannstedt Dave Wannstedt is current Assistant Head Coach/Inside Linebackers Coach for the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League. He was most recently head coach of the University of Pittsburgh football team, a position he held for six seasons. Wannstedt is also the former head coach of the Miami...
|
8-5 |
| *including Bowl games except for 2010 (bowl result pending) |
Bowl games
Pitt has been to 27
bowl gameIn North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s throughout its history, winning 12 and losing 15.
| Pitt Bowl History |
| Season |
Bowl |
Opponent |
Pitt
Score |
Opp.
Score |
Outcome |
| 1927 |
Rose Bowl The 1928 Rose Bowl Game was a match between the Stanford Indians and the Pittsburgh Panthers . Usually, the Rose Bowl was played on January 1, but in 1928, that fell on a Sunday, so the game was played on January 2, 1928. At this time, the Rose Bowl was the top and only bowl game, an...
|
StanfordThe Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
|
6 |
7 |
Loss |
| 1929 |
Rose Bowl |
Southern California |
14 |
47 |
Loss |
| 1932 |
Rose Bowl |
Southern California |
0 |
35 |
Loss |
1936The 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1936 college football season. The Panthers won the Rose Bowl and received a share of the National Championship...
|
Rose Bowl |
WashingtonCollege football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
|
21 |
0 |
Win |
| 1955 |
Sugar Bowl The 1956 Sugar Bowl featured the 7th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the 11th ranked Pitt Panthers. The game was played on January 2, since New Year's Day was a Sunday. Much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl...
|
Georgia TechThe Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
|
0 |
7 |
Loss |
| 1956 |
Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
|
Georgia Tech |
14 |
21 |
Loss |
1973The 1973 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1973 college football season. The Panthers competed in the Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :- Team Players drafted into in the NFL :...
|
Fiesta BowlThe Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
|
Arizona State The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
|
7 |
28 |
Loss |
1975The 1975 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1975 college football season. The Panthers won the Sun Bowl.- Schedule :- Team Players drafted into in the NFL :...
|
Sun BowlThe Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
|
KansasThe Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
|
33 |
19 |
Win |
1976The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 college football season and is recognized as that season's consensus National Champions...
|
Sugar Bowl |
GeorgiaThe Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
|
27 |
3 |
Win |
| 1977 |
Gator Bowl |
ClemsonThe Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
|
34 |
3 |
Win |
| 1978 |
Tangerine Bowl The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl...
|
N.C. StateThe NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
|
17 |
30 |
Loss |
1979The 1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1979 college football season. The Panthers competed in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. Pitt was awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East.- Schedule :...
|
Fiesta Bowl |
ArizonaThe Arizona Wildcats football team is the football team of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.-Early years:...
|
16 |
10 |
Win |
1980The 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980 college football season. Despite losing one game, the Panthers were named National Champions by several selectors of national championships including the College Football Researchers Association, the New...
|
Gator Bowl |
South CarolinaThe South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...
|
37 |
9 |
Win |
1981The 1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1981 college football season. Despite having one loss, the Panthers were selected as National Champions by the National Championship Foundation and Montgomery Full Season Championship, although a national...
|
Sugar Bowl |
Georgia |
24 |
20 |
Win |
1982The 1982 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1982 college football season.-Schedule:-Backyard Brawl:...
|
Cotton Bowl Classic |
Southern MethodistThe SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA...
|
3 |
7 |
Loss |
| 1983 |
Fiesta Bowl |
Ohio StateThe Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
|
23 |
28 |
Loss |
1987The 1987 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1987 college football season.-Schedule:-Team Players drafted into in the NFL:...
|
Bluebonnet Bowl The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was...
|
TexasThe Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
|
27 |
32 |
Loss |
| 1989 |
Sun Bowl |
Texas A&MThe Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
|
31 |
28 |
Win |
| 1997 |
Liberty BowlThe Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
|
Southern Miss The Southern Miss Golden Eagles represent The University of Southern Mississippi in Division I athletics. The teams compete in Conference USA....
|
7 |
41 |
Loss |
| 2000 |
Insight.com Bowl The 2000 edition to the Insight.com bowl was the 12th edition of the bowl game. It featured the Iowa State Cyclones and the Pittsburgh Panthers.Pitt scored first on a 72 yard touchdown pass from John Turman to Antonio Bryant, taking an early 7-0 lead...
|
Iowa StateThe Iowa State Cyclones football team represents Iowa State University in college football. The Cyclones compete in the Big 12 Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. ISU started playing football in 1892, however, it did not become an official sport until 1894...
|
29 |
37 |
Loss |
| 2001 |
Tangerine Bowl The 2001 Visit Florida Tangerine Bowl was the 12th edition to the college football bowl game, successing the MicronPC.com bowl. It featured the NC State Wolfpack and the Pittsburgh Panthers...
|
N.C. State |
34 |
19 |
Win |
| 2002 |
Insight Bowl The 2002 Insight Bowl was the 14th edition to the Insight Bowl, formerly known as the Copper Bowl and the Insight.com Bowl. It featured the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh and the of Oregon State University....
|
Oregon StateThe Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
|
38 |
13 |
Win |
| 2003 |
Continental Tire Bowl The 2003 edition to the Continental Tire Bowl featured the Pittsburgh Panthers, and the Virginia Cavaliers. The game was the second edition to this bowl game. The game was played on Saturday, December 27, 2003 at 11:00 AM EST...
|
VirginiaVirginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
|
16 |
23 |
Loss |
2004The 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2004 college football season in which they won a share of The Big East Conference Championship and were awarded with a BCS berth to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :...
|
Fiesta BowlThe 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a non-BCS conference, and the only BCS bowl to feature a...
|
UtahThe Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
|
7 |
35 |
Loss |
2008The 2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2008 college football season. The season was the fourth under head coach Dave Wannstedt, who was looking to achieve his first winning season with the Panthers...
|
Sun Bowl The 2008 Brut Sun Bowl, part of the 2008–09 NCAA Division I FBS bowl season, was played on December 31, 2008 at the stadium of the same name on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso in El Paso, Texas. The 75th annual contest pitted the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Oregon State Beavers....
|
Oregon State |
0 |
3 |
Loss |
2009The 2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season was the fifth under head coach Dave Wannstedt. The 2009 season marked the team's ninth at Heinz Field and the University's 120th season overall. The 2009...
|
Meineke Car Care Bowl The 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl was the eighth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game started at 4:30 PM US EST on Saturday, December 26, 2009 and was telecasted on ESPN and ESPN360...
|
North CarolinaThe North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...
|
19 |
17 |
Win |
| 2010 -Rankings:The Panthers debuted at #15 in the preseason Coaches' Poll. and in the preseason Associated Press Poll.Sports Illustrated ranked Pitt #16 in the annual College Football Preview issue on August 16, 2010....
|
BBVA Compass Bowl |
KentuckyThe Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...
|
27 |
10 |
Win |
|
Number 1 ranking
Pitt has achieved the number one ranking in the major national polls (
APThe Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
since 1936 and Coaches' since 1950) on the following occasions:
1982 (September 7, October 26, November 2)
1981 (November 3, 10, 17, 24)
1976 (November 9, 16, 23, 30, January 5, 1977
#)
1939 (October 17)
1938 (October 18, 25, November 1)
1937 (November 9, 16, 23, 30
#)
#National Champion
Individual awards
Retired jerseys
Pitt has retired 8 jerseys of former outstanding football players
- #13 Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
, QuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, 1979–1982
- #33 Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
, Running BackA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, 1973–1976
- #42 Marshall Goldberg
Marshall Goldberg was an American football halfback with the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League.- Football career :Goldberg was born in Elkins, West Virginia...
, Running Back, 1936–1938
- #65 Joe Schmidt
Joseph Paul Schmidt is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. His 13-year career with the National Football League's Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.-Collegiate career:Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh,...
, LinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
, 1950–1952
- #73 Mark May
Mark Eric May is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.-Football career:...
, Offensive Tackle, 1977–1980
- #79 Bill Fralic
William P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
, Offensive Tackle, 1981–1984
- #89 Mike Ditka
Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
, End, 1958–1960
- #99 Hugh Green, Defensive End
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, 1977–1980
Major award winners
- Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
- Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
(1976)
- Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
- Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
(1976)
- Hugh Green (1980)
- Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football Player of the Year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
- Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
(1976)
- Hugh Green (1980)
- Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
(2003)
- Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
- Hugh Green (1980)
- Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
- Mark May
Mark Eric May is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.-Football career:...
(1980)
- Antonio Bryant
Antonio Bryant is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
(2000)
- Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
(2003)
- Walter Camp Coach of the Year
The Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football head coach adjudged by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football...
- Johnny Majors
Johnny Majors is a former American football player and coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player award, in 1955 and 1956. He finished second to Paul Hornung in voting for...
(1973)
- Jackie Sherrill
Jackie Sherrill is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Washington State University , the University of Pittsburgh , Texas A&M University , and Mississippi State University , compiling a career college football record of 180–120–4...
(1981)
- AFCA Coach of the Year
The AFCA Coach of the Year award is given annually to a college football coach by the American Football Coaches Association . The award has had several different sponors over the years, including Eastman Kodak Corporation, and thus also been named the Kodak Coach of the Year Award.-Football Bowl...
- Johnny Majors
Johnny Majors is a former American football player and coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player award, in 1955 and 1956. He finished second to Paul Hornung in voting for...
(1977)
- Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
The Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award is given annually to a college football coach by the Football Writers Association of America. The award honors Eddie Robinson, former coach at Grambling State who holds the second best record for most Division I wins with 408 behind only Joe...
- Johnny Majors
Johnny Majors is a former American football player and coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player award, in 1955 and 1956. He finished second to Paul Hornung in voting for...
(1973)
- Johnny Majors
Johnny Majors is a former American football player and coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player award, in 1955 and 1956. He finished second to Paul Hornung in voting for...
(1976)
Heisman finalists
Pitt players were among the finalists for the
Heisman Trophy AwardThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
in 14 different seasons.
| Year |
Name |
Position |
Finish |
| 1937 |
Marshall GoldbergMarshall Goldberg was an American football halfback with the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League.- Football career :Goldberg was born in Elkins, West Virginia...
|
RB |
3rd |
| 1938 |
Marshall GoldbergMarshall Goldberg was an American football halfback with the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League.- Football career :Goldberg was born in Elkins, West Virginia...
|
RB |
2nd |
| 1941 |
Edgar Jones Edgar Francis "Special Delivery" Jones was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League and the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference. Jones played college football at the University of Pittsburgh where he finished 7th in the...
|
RB |
7th |
| 1960 |
Mike DitkaMichael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
|
E |
6th |
| 1975 |
Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
|
RB |
4th |
| 1976 |
Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
|
RB |
1st |
| 1977 |
Matt Cavanaugh Matthew Andrew Cavanaugh is a former American football quarterback in the NFL who played from 1978 to 1991. In the course of his career as a professional football player, he earned two Super Bowl rings...
|
QB |
7th |
| 1980 |
Hugh Green |
DE |
2nd |
| 1981 |
Dan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
|
QB |
4th |
| 1982 |
Dan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
|
QB |
9th |
| 1983 |
Bill Fralic William P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
|
T |
8th |
| 1984 |
Bill Fralic William P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
|
T |
6th |
| 1987 |
Craig Heyward Craig William "Ironhead" Heyward was an American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, St...
|
RB |
5th |
| 2003 |
Larry FitzgeraldLarry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
|
WR |
2nd |
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
24 total former players or coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Players
The
College Football Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
has inducted 18 former Panthers inducted as players.
- Jimbo Covert (1979–1982)
- Averell Daniell
Averell Daniell was an American football defensive tackle. He played high school football for Mt. Lebanon High School and college football for the University of Pittsburgh as a walk-on. He played professionally for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League...
(1934–1936)
- Tom Davies
Thomas J. Davies was an American football player and coach. He played as a halfback at the University of Pittsburgh and was a consensus All-American in 1918 and 1920...
(1918–1921)
- Mike Ditka
Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
(1958–1960)
- Joseph Donchess
Joe Donchess was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979....
(1927–1929)
- Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
(1973–1976)
- Bill Fralic
William P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
(1981–1984)
- Marshall Goldberg
Marshall Goldberg was an American football halfback with the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League.- Football career :Goldberg was born in Elkins, West Virginia...
(1936–1938)
- Hugh Green (1977–1980)
- Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
(1979–1982)
- Mark May
Mark Eric May is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.-Football career:...
(1977–1980)
- George McLaren (1915–1918)
- Robert Peck
Bob Peck was an American football player who most famously played center for the Pittsburgh Panthers, where he was a three-time All-American. In 1917 he played in the Ohio League, the direct predecessor to the modern National Football League for the Youngstown Patricians and the Massillon Tigers....
(1913–1916)
- Joe Schmidt
Joseph Paul Schmidt is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. His 13-year career with the National Football League's Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.-Collegiate career:Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh,...
(1950–1952)
- Joe Skladany
Joe Skladany was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1975....
(1931–1933)
- Herb Stein
Herb Stein was an American football player. After high school, Stein attended the University of Pittsburgh and served as the team's center from 1918 until 1921. He was a consensus All-American for Pitt in both his junior and senior years and served as the team captain in 1920...
(1918–1921)
- Joe Thompson
Joseph "Colonel Joe" Henry Thompson was a highly decorated World War I veteran, recipient of the Medal of Honor, lawyer, Pennsylvania state legislator, head football coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, and College Football Hall of Fame inductee....
(player 1904–1906, coach 1909–1912)
- Hube Wagner
Dr J Huber "Hube" Wagner was an American football player who played college football at the University of Pittsburgh from 1910 until 1913. Prior to arriving at Pitt, Wagner had been hailed by the media for being one of Pennsylvania's most versatile football players while performing at Monaca High...
(1910–1913)
In addition,
Herb McCrackenG. Herbert McCracken was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Allegheny College from 1921 to 1923 and at Lafayette College from 1924 to 1935, compiling a career college football record of 75–48–7. His 1926 Lafayette Leopards team was recognized as a...
, who played at Pitt from 1918–1920, was inducted as a coach of Allegheny and Lafayette.
Coaches
The College Football Hall of Fame has inducted four former Panther coaches.
- Jock Sutherland
Dr. John Bain "Jock" Sutherland, D.D.S., was an American football coach. He coached college football at Lafayette College and the University of Pittsburgh and professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers...
(Pitt player from 1914–1917, and Pitt coach from 1924–1938)
- Glenn "Pop" Warner (Pitt coach from 1915–1923)
- Clark Shaughnessy
Clark Daniel Shaughnessy was an American football coach and innovator. He is sometimes called the "father of the T formation", although that system had previously been used as early as the 1880s. Shaughnessy did, however, modernize the obsolescent T formation to make it once again relevant in the...
(Pitt coach from 1943–1945)
- Len Casanova
Leonard Joseph "Len" Casanova was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator...
(Pitt coach in 1950)
The following two Pitt coaches have been inducted into the Hall of Fame as players at their respective schools.
- Wes Fesler
Wesley Eugene "Wes" Fesler was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach of football and basketball. He was three-sport athlete at Ohio State University and a consensus first-team selection to the College Football All-America Team three straight years...
(Ohio State; Pitt coach in 1946)
- Johnny Majors
Johnny Majors is a former American football player and coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player award, in 1955 and 1956. He finished second to Paul Hornung in voting for...
(Tennessee; Pitt coach from 1973–1976 and 1993–1996)
First Team All-Americans
Pitt has had 72 different players selected as First Team All-American throughout its history for a total of 88 all-time First Team All-American Selections. That total includes 49 selections which have attained Consensus status. Pitt's Consensus First Team selections ranks as the eighth most consensus All-Americans among Division I FBS schools. The following list of Pitt's First Team
All-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
ns is compiled for the Pitt football media guide from various sources including the NCAA Football Guide, and consists of players who were first-team selections on one or more of the All American teams which were made over the years by
Walter CampWalter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
,
Grantland RiceGrantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
, Casper Whitney,
International News ServiceInternational News Service was a U.S.-based news agency founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.Established two years after the Scripps family founded the United Press Association, INS scrapped among the newswires...
,
Associated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
,
United Press InternationalUnited Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
, NANA,
NEAUnited Media is a large editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. It syndicates 150 comics and editorial columns worldwide. Its core business is the United Feature Syndicate and the Newspaper Enterprise Association...
, the
Football Writers Association of AmericaThe Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
, the
Football Coaches AssociationThe American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
, the All-America Board,
NewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
,
The Sporting NewsSporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
, and
Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
.
| First Team All-American Selections |
| Year |
Name |
Pos. |
| 1914 The 1914 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1914. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp...
|
Robert PeckBob Peck was an American football player who most famously played center for the Pittsburgh Panthers, where he was a three-time All-American. In 1917 he played in the Ohio League, the direct predecessor to the modern National Football League for the Youngstown Patricians and the Massillon Tigers....
|
C Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
|
1915The 1915 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1915. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp.-Key:*WC = Collier's Weekly as...
|
Robert Peck* |
C |
| 1916 The 1916 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1916...
|
Robert Peck* |
C |
| 1916 |
James Herron James P. "Pat" Herron was an American football player and coach. He played at end for the University of Pittsburgh's football team. A member of the Panthers' undefeated national championship teams coached by "Pop" Warner in 1915 and 1916, Herron earned first team All-American honors in 1916...
* |
E |
| 1916 |
Andy Hastings Charles Elliott "Andy" Hastings , also known as "Sandy Hastings" in professional football records, was an American football player...
|
FA fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
|
| 1916 |
Claude Thornhill -References:...
|
GIn American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
|
| 1917 The 1917 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1917...
|
H.C. "Doc" Carlson Henry Clifford "Doc" Carlson is a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee as the men's college basketball coach of his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, from 1922 to 1953...
|
E |
| 1917 |
Jock SutherlandDr. John Bain "Jock" Sutherland, D.D.S., was an American football coach. He coached college football at Lafayette College and the University of Pittsburgh and professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers...
* |
G |
| 1917 |
Dale Sies* |
G |
| 1917 |
George McLaren |
F |
| 1918 The 1918 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations for the 1918 college football season.-Key:* WC = Walter Camp...
|
Leonard Hilty* |
T Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
|
| 1918 |
Tom Davies Thomas J. Davies was an American football player and coach. He played as a halfback at the University of Pittsburgh and was a consensus All-American in 1918 and 1920...
* |
B |
| 1918 |
George McLaren* |
F |
| 1920 The 1920 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations for the 1920 college football season.-Key:* WC = Walter Camp* UP = Henry L...
|
Tom Davies |
B |
| 1920 |
Herb Stein Herb Stein was an American football player. After high school, Stein attended the University of Pittsburgh and served as the team's center from 1918 until 1921. He was a consensus All-American for Pitt in both his junior and senior years and served as the team captain in 1920...
* |
C |
| 1921 The 1921 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1921...
|
Herb Stein* |
C |
1925The 1925 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1925...
|
Ralph Chase* |
T |
| 1927 The 1927 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1927...
|
Bill KernWilliam Franklin "Bill" Kern was an American football player and coach. He played college football as a tackle at the University of Pittsburgh in 1925 and 1927 and then with the Green Bay Packers of the NFL in 1929 and 1930...
|
T |
|
| Year |
Name |
Pos. |
| 1927 |
Gilbert Welch Gilbert Laverne "Gibby" Welch was an American football player who played college football for the University of Pittsburgh. He broke Red Grange's single season yardage record in 1926 and was an All-American in 1927...
# |
B |
| 1928 The 1928 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1928...
|
Mike Getto* |
T |
| 1929 The 1929 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1929 college football season...
|
Joe Donchess Joe Donchess was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979....
# |
E |
| 1929 |
Ray Montgomery* |
G |
| 1929 |
Toby Uansa |
HA halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
|
| 1929 |
Thomas Parkinson |
B |
| 1931 The 1931 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1931...
|
Jesse Quatse* |
T |
| 1932 The 1932 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1932...
|
Joe Skladany* |
E |
| 1932 |
Warren Heller# |
B |
| 1933 The 1933 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1933...
|
Joe Skladany* |
E |
| 1934 The 1934 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1934 college football season...
|
Charles Hartwig* |
E |
| 1934 |
George Shotwell* |
G |
| 1934 |
Isadore Weinstock |
C |
| 1935 The 1935 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1935 college football season...
|
Art Detzel |
T |
| 1936 The 1936 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1936 college football season...
|
Averell Daniell Averell Daniell was an American football defensive tackle. He played high school football for Mt. Lebanon High School and college football for the University of Pittsburgh as a walk-on. He played professionally for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League...
* |
T |
| 1936 |
William Glassford |
G |
| 1937 The 1937 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1937 college football season...
|
Frank Souchak Frank S. Souchak, Jr. was an American professional football player and amateur golfer.Souchak was born in Berwick, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Pittsburgh where he lettered in basketball, football, and golf. In 1937, he was captain of the football team and earned All-American...
|
E |
| 1937 |
Bill Daddio Louis William "Bill" Daddio was an American football player, coach, and scout in the United States. He was an All-American at end at the University of Pittsburgh and played with the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL and the Buffalo Bisons of the All-America Football Conference...
|
E |
|
| Year |
Name |
Pos. |
| 1937 |
Tony Matisi Anthony Francis "Tony" Matisi was an All-American football player. Matisi was born in New York City and graduated from Union-Endicott High School. He played for the University of Pittsburgh where he was named a consensus All-American at the tackle position in 1937. Matisi was six-feet,...
* |
T |
| 1937 |
Marshall GoldbergMarshall Goldberg was an American football halfback with the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League.- Football career :Goldberg was born in Elkins, West Virginia...
* |
B |
| 1938 The 1938 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers. The organizations choosing the teams included: the United Press, the Associated Press, Collier's Weekly, and the New York Sun...
|
Marshall Goldberg# |
B |
| 1938 |
Bill Daddio Louis William "Bill" Daddio was an American football player, coach, and scout in the United States. He was an All-American at end at the University of Pittsburgh and played with the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL and the Buffalo Bisons of the All-America Football Conference...
|
E |
| 1941 The 1941 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers...
|
Ralph Fife |
G |
| 1949 The 1949 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1949 college football season...
|
Bernie Barkouskie |
G |
| 1952 The 1952 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1952 college football season...
|
Eldred Kraemer |
T |
| 1952 |
Joe Schmidt Joseph Paul Schmidt is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. His 13-year career with the National Football League's Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.-Collegiate career:Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh,...
|
LB |
| 1956 The 1956 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1956...
|
Joe WaltonJoseph Frank Walton is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Robert Morris University. Walton played eight seasons in the National Football League and served as head coach of the New York Jets for seven seasons...
# |
E |
| 1958 The 1958 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1958 college football season...
|
John Guzik* |
G |
| 1960 The 1960 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1960 college football season...
|
Mike DitkaMichael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
# |
E |
| 1963 The 1963 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers...
|
Paul Martha Paul Martha is a former American football safety who played seven seasons in the NFL. He played his college football and basketball at Pitt. Some of his former teammates at Pitt included future NFL head coaches Mike Ditka and Marty Schottenheimer...
* |
B |
| 1963 |
Ernie Borghetti |
T |
| 1973 The 1973 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
|
RB |
| 1974 The 1974 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Tony Dorsett |
RB |
| 1974 |
Gary Burley Gary Burley is an alumnus of Grove City High School,and Brookpark Middle School, Grove City, OH,a suburb of Columbus, and is a former American football player who was a defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.He played for the Bengals in Super...
|
MG |
| 1975 The 1975 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Tony Dorsett |
RB |
| 1976 The 1976 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Tony Dorsett# |
RB |
|
| Year |
Name |
Pos. |
| 1976 |
Al Romano* |
MG |
| 1977 The 1977 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Matt Cavanaugh Matthew Andrew Cavanaugh is a former American football quarterback in the NFL who played from 1978 to 1991. In the course of his career as a professional football player, he earned two Super Bowl rings...
|
QB |
| 1977 |
Randy Holloway Randy Holloway is a former National Football League defensive end who played from 1978 to 1984 for the Minnesota Vikings and the St. Louis Cardinals. He attended the University of Pittsburgh and was the Vikings first round draft pick in the 1978 NFL Draft....
* |
DT |
| 1977 |
Bob Jury* |
DB |
| 1977 |
Tom Brzoza* |
C |
| 1978 The 1978 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Hugh Green* |
DE |
| 1978 |
Gordon Jones Gordon Jones is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for five seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams....
|
WR |
| 1979 The 1979 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Hugh Green# |
DE |
| 1980 The 1980 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Hugh Green# |
DE |
| 1980 |
Mark MayMark Eric May is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.-Football career:...
# |
OT |
| 1981 The 1981 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Sal Sunseri - External links :* at Rivals.com* at panthers.com...
* |
LB |
| 1981 |
Jimbo Covert |
OT |
| 1981 |
Dan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
|
QB |
| 1981 |
Julius Dawkins Julius Dawkins is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League and Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 12th round of the 1983 NFL Draft...
|
SE |
| 1982 The 1982 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Jimbo Covert* |
OT |
| 1982 |
Bill Maas William Thomas Maas , is a former American Football defensive tackle who played for the Kansas City Chiefs , and the Green Bay Packers . Maas was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1986 and 1987. In 1984 Maas was named The NFL Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press...
|
DT |
| 1982 |
Bill Fralic William P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
|
OT |
| 1983 The 1983 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Bill Fralic# |
OT |
|
| Year |
Name |
Pos. |
| 1984 The 1984 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Bill Fralic# |
OT |
| 1986 The 1986 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Randy Dixon Randy Dixon is a former tackle in the National Football League who played nine seasons in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts.Dixon currently lives with his wife, daughter, and sons....
* |
OT |
| 1986 |
Tony Woods Stanley Anthony Woods is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League who played for the Seattle Seahawks from 1987 to 1992, as well as the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh...
* |
DE |
| 1987 The 1987 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Ezekial Gadson |
LB |
| 1987 |
Craig Heyward Craig William "Ironhead" Heyward was an American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, St...
* |
RB |
| 1988 The 1988 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Mark Stepnoski Mark Matthew Stepnoski is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He attended Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie, Pennsylvania, and went on to star at the University of Pittsburgh....
* |
OG |
| 1988 |
Jerry Olsavsky Jerome Daniel "Jerry" Olsavsky is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens...
|
LB |
| 1989 The 1989 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
|
Marc Spindler Marc Spindler is a former American football player who was a defensive tackle and defensive end who played nine seasons in the National Football League. Since retiring from football, Spindler has worked for both WDFN and WXYT, two Detroit area sports talk radio stations.In 1986, Spindler was...
|
DT |
| 1990 The 1990 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Scripps-Howard, The...
|
Brian Greenfield* |
P |
| 1994 The 1994 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, United Press International, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Scripps-Howard, The Sporting News and Football News.The...
|
Ruben Brown Ruben Parnell Brown is a former American football guard of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills 14th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
|
OT |
| 2000 The 2000 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly, Football News, Sports Illustrated and...
|
Antonio Bryant Antonio Bryant is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
* |
WR |
| 2003 The 2003 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and Rivals.comThe...
|
Larry FitzgeraldLarry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
# |
WR |
| 2006 The 2006 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, CBS Sports, ESPN, College...
|
H.B. Blades |
LB |
| 2008 The 2008 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American first teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, ESPN, CBS Sports,...
|
Scott McKillop -San Francisco 49ers:An inside linebacker in San Francisco's 3-4 defense, McKillop competed with former veteran player Jeff Ulbrich to serve as backup to Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes....
|
LB |
| 2009 An All-American team is an honorary sports team for a specific season composed of the best amateur players at each position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
|
Dorin Dickerson During his off season he spends his time in Pittsburgh, and is an avid karaoke participant. He also enjoys playing softball and tennis.-External links:*...
|
TEThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
|
| 2010 The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original All-America team was the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and Walter Camp...
|
Jabaal Sheard Jabaal Sheard is an American football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns.-College career:He is described as someone who has not gotten enough credit on the Pittsburgh defensive line and noted for his "extraordinary game" against Notre Dame and the pressure he put on quarterback Jimmy Clausen...
|
DE |
|
| *indicates Consensus status. #indicates unanimous selection. Ref: |
Academic All-Americans
Pitt has had 16 different football players named as Academic-All Americans for a total of 21 selections. In addition, five Pitt players have been named as a National Scholar-Athletes by the
National Football FoundationThe National Football Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Black Knights football coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice...
and three players have awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.
| Academic Honors |
| Name |
Year(s) |
Selection |
Position |
| Dave Blandino |
1973 |
NFF |
OL |
| Vince Crochunis |
2002, 2003, 2004 |
AA |
DL |
| Dick Deitrick |
1952 |
AA |
E |
| Jeff Delaney |
1976, 1978
1978
1979 |
AA
NFF
NCAA |
DB |
| Rob Fada |
1981, 1982 |
AA |
OL |
| Al Grigaliunas |
1963 |
NFF |
E |
| John Guzik |
1958 |
AA |
G |
| Bill Lindner |
1959 |
AA |
T |
| Greg Meisner Gregory Paul Meisner is a former American football defensive lineman for the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants of the National Football League....
|
1979, 1980 |
AA |
DL |
|
| Name |
Year(s) |
Selection |
Position |
| Lou Palatella |
1954 |
AA |
T |
| J.C. Pelusi |
1982 |
AA |
DL |
| Louis Riddick Louis Riddick is the Director of Pro Personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He is a former American football safety in the NFL from 1991 to 1998. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the ninth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football at...
|
1989, 1990 |
AA |
DB |
| Robert Schilken |
1986 |
NCAA |
DE |
| Dan Stephens |
2003, 2004 |
AA |
DL |
| Mark Stepnoski Mark Matthew Stepnoski is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He attended Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie, Pennsylvania, and went on to star at the University of Pittsburgh....
|
1986, 1988
1988
1989 |
AA
NFF
NCAA |
OL |
| Todd Toerper |
1974 |
NFF |
WR |
Joe WaltonJoseph Frank Walton is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Robert Morris University. Walton played eight seasons in the National Football League and served as head coach of the New York Jets for seven seasons...
|
1956 |
AA |
E |
|
| AA = Academic All-American; NCAA = NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship; NFF = National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Ref: |
Conference awards
The University of Pittsburgh football program was an independent for the majority of its history. It joined the
Big East ConferenceThe Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
for football in 1991, the inaugural year that the Big East sponsored the sport. Pitt won a share of the Big East football championship in
2004The 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2004 college football season in which they won a share of The Big East Conference Championship and were awarded with a BCS berth to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :...
and
2010-Rankings:The Panthers debuted at #15 in the preseason Coaches' Poll. and in the preseason Associated Press Poll.Sports Illustrated ranked Pitt #16 in the annual College Football Preview issue on August 16, 2010....
, and several Panthers have won various
Big East Conference football awardsThe Big East Conference gives five football awards at the conclusion of every season. The awards were first given in 1991 following the conference's first football season. The five awards include Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year, Rookie of...
, including Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Special Teams Player, Rookie, and Coach of the Year.
- Offensive Player of the Year
- 1994 Billy West, RB, So
- 2000 Antonio Bryant
Antonio Bryant is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
*, WR, So
- 2003 Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
, WR, So
- 2009 Dion Lewis
Dion John Lewis is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft...
, RB, Fr
- Defensive Player of the Year
- 2006 H.B. Blades, LB, Sr
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
- 2008 Scott McKillop
-San Francisco 49ers:An inside linebacker in San Francisco's 3-4 defense, McKillop competed with former veteran player Jeff Ulbrich to serve as backup to Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes....
, LB, Sr
- 2009 Greg Romeus
Greg Romeus is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He played as a defensive end for the Pittsburgh Panthers at the University of Pittsburgh. Romeus played football for just one year before entering college...
*, DE, Jr
- 2009 Mick Williams*, DT, Sr
- 2010 Jabaal Sheard
Jabaal Sheard is an American football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns.-College career:He is described as someone who has not gotten enough credit on the Pittsburgh defensive line and noted for his "extraordinary game" against Notre Dame and the pressure he put on quarterback Jimmy Clausen...
, DE, Sr
- Special Teams Player of the Year
- 2002 Andy Lee
Andrew Paul Lee is a punter in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 6th round in the 2004 NFL Draft and is currently serving a 6 year, $7.1 million contract that runs through 2012. The contract also included a $1.66 million signing bonus...
*, P, Jr"Junior" is a term used in the United States to describe a student in their 3rd year of study . A Junior is considered an upperclassman...
- 2003 Andy Lee
Andrew Paul Lee is a punter in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 6th round in the 2004 NFL Draft and is currently serving a 6 year, $7.1 million contract that runs through 2012. The contract also included a $1.66 million signing bonus...
*, P, Sr
- 1991 Tom Tumulty
Thomas Patrick Tumulty is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for three seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals....
, LB
- 2002 Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
, WR
- 2007 LeSean McCoy
-Philadelphia Eagles:McCoy was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract with the team on June 29, 2009....
#, RB
- 2009 Dion Lewis
Dion John Lewis is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft...
#, RB
- Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- 2004 Vince Crochunis, DL
Administration & Policy Studies
- 2008 Conor Lee, PK
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Business & Economics, MBAThe Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
- 1997 Walt Harris
Walt Harris is a former American football player and coach in the United States. Harris served as the head football coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California from 1989 to 1991, the University of Pittsburgh from 1997 to 2004, and at Stanford University from 2005 to 2006,...
, 1st year
- 2004 Walt Harris
Walt Harris is a former American football player and coach in the United States. Harris served as the head football coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California from 1989 to 1991, the University of Pittsburgh from 1997 to 2004, and at Stanford University from 2005 to 2006,...
, 8th year
- *co-recipient, #unanimous selection
Panthers in the NFL
Pitt has produced 289 NFL players, many of them among the famous players in professional football history. Furthermore, in a survey of NFL drafts from 1979 to 2009, ESPN rated Pitt third, behind only USC and Miami, for having "the most fertile NFL draft pipelines." Some former Pitt players that have left their mark on the NFL include
Ruben BrownRuben Parnell Brown is a former American football guard of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills 14th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
,
Jim CovertJames Paul "Jimbo" Covert is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine and a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears.-High school:Covert excelled in both football and wrestling at Freedom Area High...
,
Mike DitkaMichael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
,
Chris DolemanChristopher John Doleman is a former American Football defensive end who played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers from 1985 to 1999. He was an 8-time Pro Bowl selection and a 3-time First-team All-Pro during his playing days, recording 150⅓ career sacks...
,
Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
,
Larry FitzgeraldLarry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
,
Russ GrimmRussell Scott Grimm is a former American football guard for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. As a collegian, he was an All-American center at the University of Pittsburgh. As a professional, Grimm had multi-selections to both the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams, and was...
, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward,
Rickey JacksonRickey Anderson Jackson is a former American football linebacker in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers . In 1997, Jackson was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Jackson won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX one year before retiring...
,
Dan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
,
Curtis MartinCurtis James Martin, Jr. is a former American football running back. He is an alumnus of Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh...
,
Mark MayMark Eric May is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.-Football career:...
,
Darrelle RevisThough Revis was not the first defensive back drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft , he was the first cornerback taken that year...
, and
Tony SiragusaAnthony "Tony" Siragusa , nicknamed "Goose", is a former National Football League defensive tackle who spent twelve seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens. He currently works as a sideline analyst for NFL games broadcast on the Fox Network.-Early life:Siragusa attended David...
.
Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
Six Panthers have been elected into the
Pro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. Pitt is tied for seventh among all colleges and universities for the number of former players inducted. Pitt's six Hall of Famers and their year of induction and years played are:
- Mike Ditka
Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
(Enshrined in 1988; Played 1957-1960)
- Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
(Enshrined in 1994; Played 1972-1976)
- Russ Grimm
Russell Scott Grimm is a former American football guard for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. As a collegian, he was an All-American center at the University of Pittsburgh. As a professional, Grimm had multi-selections to both the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams, and was...
(Enshrined in 2010; Played 1977-1980)
- Rickey Jackson
Rickey Anderson Jackson is a former American football linebacker in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers . In 1997, Jackson was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Jackson won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX one year before retiring...
(Enshrined in 2010; Played 1977-1980)
- Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
(Enshrined in 2005; Played 1979-1982)
- Joe Schmidt
Joseph Paul Schmidt is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. His 13-year career with the National Football League's Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.-Collegiate career:Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh,...
(Enshrined in 1973; Played 1949-1952)
Pro Bowl selections
Through the 2010 NFL season, 30 former Pitt players have been selected to appear in the NFL
Pro BowlIn professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
for a total of 105 all-time Pro Bowl selections. Pitt has been represented by at least one Pro Bowl selection every year since 1981.
| Panthers selected for the Pro Bowl |
| Selection(s) |
Name |
Position |
Team: Season(s) |
| 10 |
Joe Schmidt Joseph Paul Schmidt is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. His 13-year career with the National Football League's Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.-Collegiate career:Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh,...
|
LB |
LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963 |
| 9 |
Ruben Brown Ruben Parnell Brown is a former American football guard of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills 14th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
|
G |
BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003; BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 2006 |
| 9 |
Dan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
|
QB |
DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 |
| 8 |
Chris Doleman Christopher John Doleman is a former American Football defensive end who played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers from 1985 to 1999. He was an 8-time Pro Bowl selection and a 3-time First-team All-Pro during his playing days, recording 150⅓ career sacks...
|
DE |
VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993; FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 1995; 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
: 1997 |
| 6 |
Rickey Jackson Rickey Anderson Jackson is a former American football linebacker in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers . In 1997, Jackson was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Jackson won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX one year before retiring...
|
LB |
SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, 1993 |
| 5 |
Mike DitkaMichael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
|
TE |
BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 |
| 5 |
Larry FitzgeraldLarry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
|
WR |
CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| 5 |
Curtis Martin Curtis James Martin, Jr. is a former American football running back. He is an alumnus of Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh...
|
RB |
PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
: 1995, 1996; JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 1998, 2001, 2004 |
| 5 |
Mark Stepnoski Mark Matthew Stepnoski is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He attended Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie, Pennsylvania, and went on to star at the University of Pittsburgh....
|
C |
Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
: 1992, 1993, 1994; Oilers: 1995, 1996 |
| 4 |
Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
|
RB |
Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
: 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983 |
| 4 |
Bill Fralic William P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
|
G |
FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 |
| 4 |
Russ GrimmRussell Scott Grimm is a former American football guard for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. As a collegian, he was an All-American center at the University of Pittsburgh. As a professional, Grimm had multi-selections to both the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams, and was...
|
G |
RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 |
| 3 |
Jeff Christy Jeffrey Allen Christy was an American football center for the Arizona Cardinals, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He now helps coach for the Freeport Senior High School football team.-Early life:...
|
C |
VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
: 1998, 1999; BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
: 2000 |
| 3 |
Bill McPeak William Patrick McPeak was an American football player and National Football League coach.-Playing career:...
|
DE |
SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
: 1952, 1953, 1956 |
| 3 |
John Reger John George Reger is a former American football linebacker. He played in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins, and participated in three Pro Bowls during his 12 year career. Reger played college football at the University of Pittsburgh.-References:...
|
LB |
SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
: 1959, 1960, 1961 |
| 3 |
Darrelle RevisThough Revis was not the first defensive back drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft , he was the first cornerback taken that year...
|
CB |
Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| 2 |
Jimbo Covert James Paul "Jimbo" Covert is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine and a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears.-High school:Covert excelled in both football and wrestling at Freedom Area High...
|
OT |
BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 1985, 1986 |
| 2 |
Hugh Green |
LB |
BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
: 1982, 1983 |
| 2 |
Andy LeeAndrew Paul Lee is a punter in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 6th round in the 2004 NFL Draft and is currently serving a 6 year, $7.1 million contract that runs through 2012. The contract also included a $1.66 million signing bonus...
|
P |
49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
: 2007, 2009 |
| 2 |
Bill Maas William Thomas Maas , is a former American Football defensive tackle who played for the Kansas City Chiefs , and the Green Bay Packers . Maas was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1986 and 1987. In 1984 Maas was named The NFL Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press...
|
NT |
Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
: 1986, 1987 |
| 2 |
Carlton Williamson Carlton Williamson , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 3rd round of the 1981 NFL Draft. A 6'0", 200 lbs. safety from the University of Pittsburgh, Williamson was a 2-time Pro Bowl selection in 1984 and 1985 and a 2-time Super...
|
S |
49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
: 1984, 1985 |
| 1 |
Fred Cox Frederick William Cox is a former National Football League kicker who played for the Minnesota Vikings throughout his career . Fred was raised in Monongahela, PA, where his family owned a grocery store...
|
K |
VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
: 1970 |
| 1 |
Sean Gilbert Sean Gilbert is a former professional American football defensive lineman who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams as the third overall pick of the 1992 NFL Draft. A 6'5", 318-lb...
|
DT |
Rams: 1993 |
| 1 |
Marshall GoldbergMarshall Goldberg was an American football halfback with the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League.- Football career :Goldberg was born in Elkins, West Virginia...
|
FB |
Cardinals: 1941 |
| 1 |
Craig Heyward Craig William "Ironhead" Heyward was an American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, St...
|
RB |
FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 1995 |
| 1 |
Fred Hoaglin Fred Hoaglin, was a center in the NFL from 1966 to 1976. He was a member of the first Seattle Seahawks team after being acquired from Houston in the expansion draft....
|
C |
BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 1969 |
| 1 |
Mark MayMark Eric May is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.-Football career:...
|
T |
RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
: 1988 |
| 1 |
Dave Moore David Edward Moore is a former American football player who played for the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Buffalo Bills. During his career he was a Tight End, Full Back, and Long Snapper. Moore played in his only Pro Bowl in 2007 as long snapper for the NFC. He retired on June 7, 2007...
|
TE |
BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
: 2006 |
| 1 |
John Paluck John Joseph Paluck was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He went to one Pro Bowl during his nine year career. Paluck played college football at the University of Pittsburgh and was drafted in the second round of the 1956 NFL Draft....
|
DE |
RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
: 1964 |
| 1 |
Marty SchottenheimerMartin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach...
|
LB |
BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 1965 |
|
NFL first round draftees
Throughout its history, the University of Pittsburgh has had 261 players selected 282 times in professional football drafts when totaling both NFL and AFL picks. This includes 24 First Round NFL draft picks since 1960.
.jpg)
| Panthers Drafted in the NFL First Round |
| Year |
Name |
Position |
Team |
overall pick |
| 1961 |
Mike DitkaMichael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
|
TE |
Bears |
5 |
| 1964 |
Paul Martha Paul Martha is a former American football safety who played seven seasons in the NFL. He played his college football and basketball at Pitt. Some of his former teammates at Pitt included future NFL head coaches Mike Ditka and Marty Schottenheimer...
|
S |
Steelers |
7 |
| 1977 |
Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
|
RB |
Cowboys |
2 |
| 1978 |
Randy Holloway Randy Holloway is a former National Football League defensive end who played from 1978 to 1984 for the Minnesota Vikings and the St. Louis Cardinals. He attended the University of Pittsburgh and was the Vikings first round draft pick in the 1978 NFL Draft....
|
DE |
Vikings |
21 |
| 1981 |
Hugh Green |
LB |
Buccaneers |
7 |
| 1981 |
Randy McMillan Lewis Lorando "Randy" McMillan , was a professional American football player who was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 1st round of the 1981 NFL Draft. A 6'0", . running back from Harford CC two-time 1st team All-AmericanPittsburgh, McMillan played in 6 NFL seasons from 1980-1986.-External...
|
RB |
Colts |
12 |
| 1981 |
Mark MayMark Eric May is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.-Football career:...
|
T |
Redskins |
20 |
| 1983 |
Jim Covert James Paul "Jimbo" Covert is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine and a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears.-High school:Covert excelled in both football and wrestling at Freedom Area High...
|
T |
Bears |
6 |
| 1983 |
Tim Lewis Tim Lewis is an American football coach and former cornerback. He is currently the secondary coach for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.-Playing career:...
|
CB |
Packers |
11 |
| 1983 |
Dan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
|
QB |
Dolphins |
29 |
| 1984 |
Bill Maas William Thomas Maas , is a former American Football defensive tackle who played for the Kansas City Chiefs , and the Green Bay Packers . Maas was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1986 and 1987. In 1984 Maas was named The NFL Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press...
|
NT |
Chiefs |
5 |
| 1985 |
Bill Fralic William P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
|
T |
Falcons |
2 |
| 1985 |
Chris Doleman Christopher John Doleman is a former American Football defensive end who played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers from 1985 to 1999. He was an 8-time Pro Bowl selection and a 3-time First-team All-Pro during his playing days, recording 150⅓ career sacks...
|
LB |
Vikings |
4 |
| 1986 |
Bob Buczkowski John Robert Buczkowski is a former professional football defensive end in the NFL who played for the Los Angeles Raiders in 1986 and 1987, as well as the Phoenix Cardinals and the Cleveland Browns. He is considered one of the biggest busts in NFL Draft history...
|
DT |
Raiders |
24 |
| 1987 |
Tony Woods Stanley Anthony Woods is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League who played for the Seattle Seahawks from 1987 to 1992, as well as the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh...
|
LB |
Seahawks |
18 |
| 1988 |
Craig Heyward Craig William "Ironhead" Heyward was an American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, St...
|
RB |
Saints |
24 |
| 1989 |
Burt Grossman Burt L. Grossman is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. Before becoming a professional, Grossman played college football at the University of Pittsburgh where he was a three time All-ECAC selection. In 1989 he was drafted by the San Diego Chargers...
|
DE |
Chargers |
8 |
| 1989 |
Tom Ricketts Tom Ricketts is a former professional American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for five seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Kansas City Chiefs.-External links:*...
|
T |
Steelers |
24 |
| 1992 |
Sean Gilbert Sean Gilbert is a former professional American football defensive lineman who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams as the third overall pick of the 1992 NFL Draft. A 6'5", 318-lb...
|
DT |
Rams |
3 |
| 1995 |
Ruben Brown Ruben Parnell Brown is a former American football guard of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills 14th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
|
OL |
Bills |
14 |
| 2004 |
Larry FitzgeraldLarry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
|
WR |
Cardinals |
3 |
| 2007 |
Darrelle RevisThough Revis was not the first defensive back drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft , he was the first cornerback taken that year...
|
CB |
Jets |
14 |
| 2008 |
Jeff OtahJeffrey C. Otah is a Nigerian American football offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers 19th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
|
OL |
Panthers |
19 |
| 2011 |
Jonathan Baldwin Jonathan Dupree Baldwin is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs.-College career:Baldwin played for the University of Pittsburgh...
|
WR |
Chiefs |
26 |
|
Current NFL players
Current NFL players that played college football at the University of Pittsburgh (as of September 2011):
- Jonathan Baldwin
Jonathan Dupree Baldwin is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs.-College career:Baldwin played for the University of Pittsburgh...
, WR (Kansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
)
- Aaron Berry
Aaron Douglas Berry Jr is an American football cornerback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was signed by the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Pittsbugh.-External links:**...
, DB (Detroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
)
- Nate Byham
-External links:**...
, TE (San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
)
- Kennard Cox
Kennard Devane Cox is an American football cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
, DB (Seattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
)
- Dom DeCicco
Dom DeCicco is an American football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Pittsburgh.-External links:**...
, LB (Chicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
)
- Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
#, WR (Arizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
)
- Joe Flacco
Flacco was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, becoming the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware...
&, QB (Baltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
)
- Henry Hynoski
Henry Hynoski is an American football fullback for the New York Giants. Hynoski played college football at the University of Pittsburgh.-High school career:...
, FB (New York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
)
- Andy Lee
Andrew Paul Lee is a punter in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 6th round in the 2004 NFL Draft and is currently serving a 6 year, $7.1 million contract that runs through 2012. The contract also included a $1.66 million signing bonus...
#, P (San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
)
- Dion Lewis
Dion John Lewis is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft...
, RB (Philadelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
)
- LeSean McCoy
-Philadelphia Eagles:McCoy was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract with the team on June 29, 2009....
, RB (Philadelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
)
- Mike McGlynn
Michael Ryan "Mike" McGlynn is an American football center for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
, OL (Cincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
)
- Jeff Otah
Jeffrey C. Otah is a Nigerian American football offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers 19th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
, OT (Carolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
)
- Tyler Palko
Tyler Palko is an American football player and starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football for the University of Pittsburgh.Palko was the starting quarterback...
, QB (Kansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
)
- Jason Pinkston
Jason R. Pinkston is an American football offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He is the cousin of Todd Pinkston, a former NFL wide receiver.-Collegiate career:...
, OL (Cleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
)
- Darrelle Revis
Though Revis was not the first defensive back drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft , he was the first cornerback taken that year...
#, DB (New York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
)
- Greg Romeus
Greg Romeus is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He played as a defensive end for the Pittsburgh Panthers at the University of Pittsburgh. Romeus played football for just one year before entering college...
, DL (New Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
)
- Clint Session
Clint Session is an American football linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh...
, LB (Jacksonville JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
)
- Jabaal Sheard
Jabaal Sheard is an American football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns.-College career:He is described as someone who has not gotten enough credit on the Pittsburgh defensive line and noted for his "extraordinary game" against Notre Dame and the pressure he put on quarterback Jimmy Clausen...
, DL (Cleveland BrownCleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,...
)
- Shawntae Spencer
Shawntae Spencer is a cornerback in the NFL. He went to University of Pittsburgh. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2nd round in 2004 NFL Draft. In 2005, he had 83 tackles and 4 interceptions.Shawntae Spencer, who was finally healthy in 2010 started opposite Nate Clements...
, DB (San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
)
- LaRod Stephens-Howling
LaRod Stephens-Howling is an American football running back and kickoff returner for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
, RB (Arizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
)
- Kris Wilson, TE/FB (Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
)
- #Selected to the Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
. &transferred to the University of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
for his final two seasons.
Season-by-season results
Pitt Panthers Football Recent Season-by-Season Info
| All-Time Totals |
| Wins |
Losses |
Ties |
NFL Draftees |
First Team All-Americans |
All-Time Ranking (based on wins) |
| 670 |
483 |
42 |
252 |
88 |
#20 |
| Dave Wannstedt Dave Wannstedt is current Assistant Head Coach/Inside Linebackers Coach for the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League. He was most recently head coach of the University of Pittsburgh football team, a position he held for six seasons. Wannstedt is also the former head coach of the Miami...
(2005–2010) |
| Year |
Wins |
Losses |
Highest rank
Final rank |
Bowl |
Recognition |
NFL Draftees |
All-Americans |
| 2010 -Rankings:The Panthers debuted at #15 in the preseason Coaches' Poll. and in the preseason Associated Press Poll.Sports Illustrated ranked Pitt #16 in the annual College Football Preview issue on August 16, 2010....
|
8 |
5 |
#15
NR |
BBVA Compass Bowl |
Big EastThe Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
Co-Champions |
Jonathan Baldwin Jonathan Dupree Baldwin is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs.-College career:Baldwin played for the University of Pittsburgh...
Jabaal SheardJabaal Sheard is an American football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns.-College career:He is described as someone who has not gotten enough credit on the Pittsburgh defensive line and noted for his "extraordinary game" against Notre Dame and the pressure he put on quarterback Jimmy Clausen...
Dion LewisDion John Lewis is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft...
Jason PinkstonJason R. Pinkston is an American football offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He is the cousin of Todd Pinkston, a former NFL wide receiver.-Collegiate career:...
Greg RomeusGreg Romeus is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He played as a defensive end for the Pittsburgh Panthers at the University of Pittsburgh. Romeus played football for just one year before entering college...
|
Jabaal Sheard Jabaal Sheard is an American football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns.-College career:He is described as someone who has not gotten enough credit on the Pittsburgh defensive line and noted for his "extraordinary game" against Notre Dame and the pressure he put on quarterback Jimmy Clausen...
-DE |
2009The 2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season was the fifth under head coach Dave Wannstedt. The 2009 season marked the team's ninth at Heinz Field and the University's 120th season overall. The 2009...
|
10 |
3 |
#8
#15 |
Meineke Car Care Bowl The 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl was the eighth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game started at 4:30 PM US EST on Saturday, December 26, 2009 and was telecasted on ESPN and ESPN360...
|
|
Nate Byham -External links:**...
Dorin DickersonDuring his off season he spends his time in Pittsburgh, and is an avid karaoke participant. He also enjoys playing softball and tennis.-External links:*...
|
Dorin Dickerson During his off season he spends his time in Pittsburgh, and is an avid karaoke participant. He also enjoys playing softball and tennis.-External links:*...
-TE |
2008The 2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2008 college football season. The season was the fourth under head coach Dave Wannstedt, who was looking to achieve his first winning season with the Panthers...
|
9 |
4 |
#17
NR |
Sun BowlThe Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
|
|
LeSean McCoy -Philadelphia Eagles:McCoy was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract with the team on June 29, 2009....
Scott McKillop-San Francisco 49ers:An inside linebacker in San Francisco's 3-4 defense, McKillop competed with former veteran player Jeff Ulbrich to serve as backup to Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes....
LaRod Stephens-HowlingLaRod Stephens-Howling is an American football running back and kickoff returner for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
Derek KinderDerek Kinder is an American football wide receiver.He attended the University of Pittsburgh, but missed the 2007 season due to a knee injury. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, the sixth last player to be selected. On August 31, 2009 he was released by...
|
Scott McKillop -San Francisco 49ers:An inside linebacker in San Francisco's 3-4 defense, McKillop competed with former veteran player Jeff Ulbrich to serve as backup to Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes....
-LB |
| 2007 |
5 |
7 |
NR |
|
|
Jeff OtahJeffrey C. Otah is a Nigerian American football offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers 19th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
Mike McGlynnMichael Ryan "Mike" McGlynn is an American football center for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
Kennard CoxKennard Devane Cox is an American football cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
|
Scott McKillop -San Francisco 49ers:An inside linebacker in San Francisco's 3-4 defense, McKillop competed with former veteran player Jeff Ulbrich to serve as backup to Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes....
-LB
LeSean McCoy-Philadelphia Eagles:McCoy was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract with the team on June 29, 2009....
-RB |
| 2006 |
6 |
6 |
NR |
|
|
Darrelle RevisThough Revis was not the first defensive back drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft , he was the first cornerback taken that year...
Clint SessionClint Session is an American football linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh...
H.B. Blades |
H.B. Blades-LB |
| 2005 |
5 |
6 |
#21
NR |
|
|
Charles Spencer
Josh Lay |
|
|
Further information
- University of Pittsburgh Football Vault: The History of the Panthers. Sam Sciullo, Jr. Atlanta, GA: Whitman Pulblishing, 2008, ISBN 0-7948-2653-9
- University of Pittsburgh Football Media Guide 2008. E.J. Borghetti, Mendy Nestor, and Celeste Welsch eds. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh, 2008
- Paths of Glory: The Dramatic Story of Pitt's First Century of Football. Video. Ross Sports Productions. 1991
- Greatest Moments in Pitt Football History. Mike Bynum, Larry Eldridge, Jr., and Sam Sciullo, Jr. eds. Nashville, TN: Athlon Sports Communications, 1994, ISBN 1-878839-04-7
- Hail to Pitt: A Sports History of the University of Pittsburgh. Jim O'Brien, ed. and Marty Wolfson, illus. Pittsburgh, PA; Wolfson Publishin Co., 1982, ISBN 0-916144-08-2
- Pitt: The Story of the University of Pittsburgh 1787–1987. Robert C. Alberts. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1986, ISBN 0-8229-2250-7
- Pitt Stadium Memories 1925–1999. Sam Sciullo, Jr. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh. 2000
- Tales from the Pitt Panthers. Sam Sciullo, Jr. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing LLC, 2004, ISBN 1-58261-198-X
- The Year the Panthers Roared. Francis J. Fitzgerald, ed., Louisville, KY, AdCraft Sports, 1996, ISBN 1-887761-06-3
- Jock Sutherland: Architect of Men. Harry G. Scott. New York, NY: Exposition Press, 1954.
External links