Pittsburgh Panthers football
Encyclopedia
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate
football
team of the University of Pittsburgh
, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football
competition. Pitt has competed as a member of the Big East Conference
since 1991, but has accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference
.
Pitt has claimed nine National Championships
, 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 Fame
inductees, the eighth most consensus All-Americans, and the seventh most Pro Football Hall of Fame
inductees. The Panthers are currently coached by Todd Graham
. Pitt plays home games at Heinz Field which they share with the National Football League Pittsburgh Steelers and utilize the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Sports Performance Complex
as their practice facility.
Football at the University of Pittsburgh began in the fall of 1889 when the school was still known as the Western University of Pennsylvania
, 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 Smyers
, 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 Academy
, 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 Association
's opponent, Shadyside Academy, failed to appear for its game at Exposition Park
. 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 College
, losing 32-0, but closed out its inaugural three game season with the university's first win, a 10-4 victory over Geneva College
.
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 College
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 Trees
from Normal University of Pennsylvania
. 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 Hall
, an athletic facility on the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the 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 State
, 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 Brawl
on October 26, 1895, with WUP losing to West Virginia
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 Hockensmith
. That season, Hockensmith led the school to its first victory over West Virginia, a 12-0 shutout in Morgantown on October 5, 1901.
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" Mosse
was hired away from the University of Kansas
, and brought several of his players with him. Other players were recruited from surrounding Western Pennsylvania colleges, including star half back
Joseph H. Thompson
. 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 McCormick
who took special interest in athletics at the university. Encouraged by university trustee George Hubberd Clapp
, 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. Mellon
. The university also obtained a lease of Exposition Park
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 Law
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. Moorehead
, 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 Pittsburgh
, and it soon became known as "Pitt" among fans and students. The following year, in 1909, the school officially adopted the Panther
as a mascot. Also in 1909, the school moved to the Oakland
section of Pittsburgh where it remains to this day, and the football team began playing games at Forbes Field
, starting with the third game of the season against Bucknell
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 fullback
Tex Richards
, 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 champion
. Following his coaching stint, Thompson went on to become a highly decorated hero of World War I
.
Winning continued under coach Joseph Duff
, 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.
In 1914, Pitt athletic booster Joseph Trees and athletic director A. R. Hamilton hired Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner
as Pitt's head coach. Warner, who had previously led Carlisle
, Cornell
, and Georgia
, had been successful at his previous stops, mentoring the likes of Jim Thorpe
, 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 Peck
, Pitt's first First Team All-America
n, and All-American end James Pat Herron
, Warner's first Pitt team in 1915 went 8-0, shutting out five opponents, and was trumpeted by football historian Parke H. Davis
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 Navy
when, following a delay of the team's train heading to Annapolis
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 fullback
Andy Hastings
and guard "Tiny" Thornhill
. Also on that team were Jock Sutherland
and H.C. "Doc" Carlson
, 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 basketball
, 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 I
. 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 Tech
, coached by the legendary John Heisman
. 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 Camp
. 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 Syracuse
and undefeated Penn State. The Penn State game ended in a scoreless tie after Pitt star Tommy Davies
, 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 Stanford
, 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 Stadium
.
A natural replacement for Warner was Dr. John Bain "Jock" Sutherland
, Warner's former All-American guard on the 1915 and 1916 national championship teams and 1917 undefeated team. A native of Coupar Angus
in Scotland
, Sutherland had graduated from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Dentistry
, where he later served as faculty. Sutherland had served a tour in the Army
and later achieved success as the head coach of Lafayette College
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 Welch
, who led the nation in rushing in 1926 and helped Pitt to the Eastern Championship and its first bowl game, the Rose Bowl
, 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 Dame
that would be the only meeting between Sutherland and Knute Rockne
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 Nebraska
. 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 Penn
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 Minnesota
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 Granite
which included guard Vince Lombardi
, to the first of what would be three consecutive scoreless ties at New York City's Polo Grounds
. 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 1936
and 1937
seasons which featured Heisman Trophy
candidate and Hall of Fame
running back Marshall Goldberg
. In 1936, Pitt shut out five of its opponents, including a 34-0 win over West Virginia, a 6-0 victory at Ohio 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 Trophy
as Eastern Champions and ranked third in the Associate Press Poll
, the inaugural year of the poll, whose rankings were finalized before the bowl season. Pitt accepted a bid to the Rose Bowl to face Washington
, 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 Bowman
, 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 fullback
, Dick Cassiano and Harold Stebbins at halfback
, 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 Methodist
. 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 Tech
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 NFL
including a head coaching stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers
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.
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 Shaughnessy
in 1943 and in 1945; with new university chancellor Rufus Fitzgerald
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 Fesler
, 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 Conference
as the replacement for the University of Chicago
, 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 Casanova
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 Hamilton
taking the rein
s of the team on an interim basis for the 1951 season. In 1952 Red Dawson
took over, and the Panthers, led by future Hall of Famer
Joe Schmidt
, scored a huge upset at Notre Dame, then coached by Frank Leahy
, 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 Navy
and handing West Virginia its only loss of the season.
In 1955 Pitt sought a return to the roots of its previous success by turning to John Michelosen
, 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 Bowl
. Pitt's invitation to the Sugar Bowl was surrounded by controversy because Pitt, an integrated
team, was the first to bring an African-American, Bobby Grier, to play in a southeastern
bowl game in the segregated
Deep South
. 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 Bowl
, 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, Miami
, UCLA
, Penn State, Oregon
, 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 Baylor
, 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 Martha
, swept through a schedule that included wins at Notre Dame, UCLA, West Virginia, and Miami and home victories against Washington, Cal
, Syracuse, and Penn State. The only loss of the season was in late October at Navy, which was led by Roger Staubach
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. Kennedy
was assassinated
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 Oklahoma
, 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 Ditka
and Marty Schottenheimer
, both of whom played at Pitt under Michelosen.
, 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 UCLA
, but could not achieve a winning record and was relieved following a disastrous single win campaign in 1972.
University Chancellor Wesley Posvar
took action to revive the football program and hired Johnny Majors
from Iowa State to resurrect the program in 1973. Majors immediately upgraded the recruiting, most notably bringing in future Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett
. 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 Dooley
'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 1973
. Their success earned the Panthers their first bowl bid since 1956 when they were invited to play Arizona State
in the 1973 Fiesta Bowl
, where they lost 28-7. The next season saw further improvement with wins at Florida State
and Georgia Tech to finish 7-4. In 1975
, a Sun 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 Panthers
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 Michigan
lost to Purdue
. 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 Stadium
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 Tennessee
, to take the head coaching job.
Jackie Sherrill
, an assistant under Majors at Pitt and the head coach at Washington State
, 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 Bowl
appearance followed in 1978. Sherrill stockpiled future NFL talent including Pittsburgh's own quarterback Dan Marino
, Hall of Fame inductee Russ Grimm
, and Outland Trophy
winner Mark May
. Sherrill also molded a devastating defense that was anchored at the defensive end
position manned by Hall of Fame inductee Rickey Jackson
and Heisman Trophy runner-up Hugh Green, who had the highest finish in the Heisman voting by a defensive player until 1997, when Michigan's
cornerback
Charles Woodson
, who also played receiver
, won the trophy. 1979
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 1980
, and a devastating season-ending defeat at the hands of rival Penn State in 1981
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 Walker
. 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 CFL
and the USFL
. Bobby Bowden
, 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&M
, 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.
Defensive coordinator and Pitt alumnus Foge Fazio
took the reins of the preseason number one team for 1982
. 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 Bowl
, despite inspired play from All-American offensive tackle Bill Fralic
. A disastrous three-win season in 1984
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 Bluebonnet
and John Hancock Sun
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 Bowl
in which Pitt defeated Texas A&M. In 1991 Pitt joined the new Big East
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.
took over as interim head coach for the final contest at Hawai'i
. 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 Nordenberg
, brought in athletic director Steve Pederson
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.
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 Harris
, who had built a reputation as a quarterback guru with a background in the West Coast Offense
, 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 Bowl
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 Complex
, was constructed on the city's South Side
in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
. 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 Field
, 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 Award
winner Antonio Bryant
, 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 game
in six of his eight seasons, including five consecutive bowl games from 2000 through 2004, with bowl victories in the Tangerine Bowl
over North Carolina State
in 2001 and, led by Bilentnikoff and Walter Camp Award
winner Larry Fitzgerald
, over Oregon State
in the 2002 Insight Bowl
. Harris also led Pittsburgh to a share of the Big East Conference
championship in 2004 and Pitt received the conference's automatic Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl bid, playing Utah
in the Fiesta Bowl
. Harris was named the Big East Conference Coach of the Year in 1997 and 2004, and he was the AFCA
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.
Dave Wannstedt
, 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 Dolphins
, 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 Johnson
, 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 Morgantown
on December 1, 2007, was the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl
, 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 Game
. 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 season
, Pitt recorded key victories against Iowa
, tenth ranked South Florida
, 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 Rivalry
against Cincinnati
cost Pitt a conference championship, but the Panthers played in the Sun Bowl
, its first bowl bid under Wannstedt, and finished with a 9-3 record. In 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 Bowl
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 Lewis
, and Big East Co-Defensive Players of the Year in Mick Williams and Greg Romeus
.
Prior to the 2010 season
, 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
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 Kentucky
on January 8th.
head coach Todd Graham
as the new head coach of the Panthers for the 2011 season
. Graham instituted a sweeping change of offensive and defensive philosophies that incorporate a hurry up, no-huddle
offense and attacking, 3–4 defense which he termed "high octane" and "nitro", respectively.
The team first played at Recreation Park
. Beginning in 1900, the Panthers played their games at Exposition Park
on the North Shore
of Pittsburgh, sharing the stadium with the Pittsburgh Pirates
.
In 1909 the Panthers, along with the Pirates, moved to Forbes Field
, located on campus, where they played until 1924. In 1925, Pitt Stadium
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 Steelers
also used it for home games in the mid-1960s. Following the demolition of Pitt Stadium in 1999, the Panthers moved to Three Rivers Stadium
, again on the North Shore, where the Pirates and Steelers
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 Field
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 Center
Sports Performance Complex
which is also shared with the Steelers.
Pitt football has been involved in several notable first-time occurrences in the history of college football, including:
, 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 Tucson
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
". This song, along with the Pitt Victory Song
, 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 Stadium
. One hour prior to kick off, the Pitt Band also engages in the "March to Victory" from Tony Dorsett
Drive down General Robinson Street and ending at the stage on Art Rooney
Avenue. This tradition dates back to before the move to Heinz Field when the Pitt Band would march throughout the streets of 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:
student section in an attempt to bolster enthusiasm and unity by emphasizing the 12th man
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 Field
, the athletic department, in collaboration with their sideline apparel outfitter at the time Aéropostale
, 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 Zoo
-like atmosphere at Heinz Field
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.
Pitt's fiercest and primary rivalry is the Backyard Brawl
which is played annually against fellow Big East Conference
member, the West Virginia Mountaineers
. 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 Virginia
, 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 Dame
and Syracuse
; 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 Navy
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 Rivalry
was established when the Cincinnati Bearcats
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.
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 • 1936
• 1937
• 1976
• 1980
• 1981
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 • 1936
• 1937
• 1976
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 • 1936
• 1937
• 1938 • 1976
• 1980
• 1981
in 1936, Pitt has been selected as its National Champion twice, in 1937
and 1976
. 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 1976
.
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)
1894 • 1899 • 1914 • 1918 • 1925 • 1927 • 1929 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1963 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981
. 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 Trophy
awarded by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
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 Conference
. Round-robin
play began in the Big East beginning in 1993, although a championship was awarded during its first two years.
Pitt has been to 27 bowl game
s throughout its history, winning 12 and losing 15.
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
Pitt players were among the finalists for the Heisman Trophy Award
in 14 different seasons.
24 total former players or coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
has inducted 18 former Panthers inducted as players.
In addition, Herb McCracken
, who played at Pitt from 1918–1920, was inducted as a coach of Allegheny and Lafayette.
The following two Pitt coaches have been inducted into the Hall of Fame as players at their respective schools.
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 Camp
, Grantland Rice
, Casper Whitney, International News Service
, Associated Press
, United Press International
, NANA, NEA
, the Football Writers Association of America
, the Football Coaches Association
, the All-America Board, Newsweek
, The Sporting News
, and Sports Illustrated
.
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 Foundation
and three players have awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.
The University of Pittsburgh football program was an independent for the majority of its history. It joined the Big East Conference
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 2004
and 2010
, and several Panthers have won various Big East Conference football awards
, including Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Special Teams Player, Rookie, and Coach of the Year.
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 Brown
, Jim Covert
, Mike Ditka
, Chris Doleman
, Tony Dorsett
, Larry Fitzgerald
, Russ Grimm
, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, Rickey Jackson
, Dan Marino
, Curtis Martin
, Mark May
, Darrelle Revis
, and Tony Siragusa
.
. 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:
Through the 2010 NFL season, 30 former Pitt players have been selected to appear in the NFL Pro Bowl
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.
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College athletics
College 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...
football
American football
American 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 Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The 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, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The 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 football
College football
College 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 Conference
Big East Conference
The 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 Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The 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 Championships
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A 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 Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The 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 Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The 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 Graham
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:...
. Pitt plays home games at Heinz Field which they share with the National Football League Pittsburgh Steelers and utilize the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
The 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 Complex
UPMC Sports Performance Complex
The 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)
History of the University of Pittsburgh
The 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 Smyers
Bert Smyers
Bertrand "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 Academy
Shady Side Academy
Shady 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 Association
Allegheny Athletic Association
The 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 Park
Exposition Park (Pittsburgh)
Exposition 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 College
Washington & Jefferson Presidents football
The 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 College
Geneva College
Geneva 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 College
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
The 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 Trees
Joe Trees
Joseph 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 Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana 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 Hall
Trees Hall
Joseph 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 Oakland
Oakland (Pittsburgh)
Oakland 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 State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The 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 Brawl
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...
on October 26, 1895, with WUP losing to West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers football
The 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 Hockensmith
Wilbur Hockensmith
Wilbur 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)
Arthur Mosse
Arthur 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 Kansas
University of Kansas
The 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 back
Running back
A 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. Thompson
Joseph H. 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....
. 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 McCormick
Samuel McCormick
Samuel 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 Clapp
Clapp Hall
George 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. Mellon
Andrew W. Mellon
Andrew 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 Park
Exposition Park (Pittsburgh)
Exposition 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 Law
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
The 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. Moorehead
John A. Moorehead
John 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 Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The 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 Panther
Panthers of Pittsburgh
A 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 Oakland
Oakland (Pittsburgh)
Oakland 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 Field
Forbes Field
Forbes 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 Bucknell
Bucknell University
Bucknell 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.
Fullback (American football)
A 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 Richards
Tex Richards
Robert "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 champion
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A 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 I
World War I
World 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 Duff
Joseph Duff
Joseph 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)
Glenn Scobey Warner
Glenn 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 Carlisle
Carlisle Indians football
The 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,...
, Cornell
Cornell Big Red football
The 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 Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs football
The 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 Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus 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 Peck
Bob Peck (football)
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....
, Pitt's first First Team All-America
All-America
An 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 Herron
James Pat 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...
, Warner's first Pitt team in 1915 went 8-0, shutting out five opponents, and was trumpeted by football historian Parke H. Davis
Parke H. Davis
Parke 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 Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The 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 Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis 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 fullback
Fullback (American football)
A 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 Hastings
Andy Hastings
Charles Elliott "Andy" Hastings , also known as "Sandy Hastings" in professional football records, was an American football player...
and guard "Tiny" Thornhill
Claude E. Thornhill
-References:...
. Also on that team were Jock Sutherland
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...
and H.C. "Doc" Carlson
Clifford 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...
, 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 basketball
Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball
Pittsburgh 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 I
World War I
World 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 Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The 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 Heisman
John Heisman
John 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 Camp
Walter Camp
Walter 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.
Syracuse Orange football
The 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 Davies
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...
, 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 Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The 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 Stadium
Pitt Stadium
Pitt 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)
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...
, Warner's former All-American guard on the 1915 and 1916 national championship teams and 1917 undefeated team. A native of Coupar Angus
Coupar Angus
Coupar 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 Scotland
Scotland
Scotland 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 Dentistry
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
The 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 Army
United States Army
The 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 College
Lafayette Leopards football
The 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 Welch
Gibby 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...
, who led the nation in rushing in 1926 and helped Pitt to the Eastern Championship and its first bowl game, the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The 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.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre 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 Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute 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 Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The 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 Penn
Penn Quakers
The 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 Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The 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 Granite
Seven Blocks of Granite
The 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 Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent 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 Grounds
Polo Grounds
The 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.
1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 1937
1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 Trophy
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...
candidate and Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The 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 Goldberg
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...
. In 1936, Pitt shut out five of its opponents, including a 34-0 win over West Virginia, a 6-0 victory at Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The 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 Trophy
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...
as Eastern Champions and ranked third in the Associate Press Poll
AP Poll
The 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 Washington
Washington Huskies football
College 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.
John Gabbert Bowman
John 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 fullback
Fullback (American football)
A 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 halfback
Halfback (American football)
A 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 Methodist
SMU Mustangs football
The 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 Tech
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie 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 NFL
National Football League
The 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 Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The 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)
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...
in 1943 and in 1945; with new university chancellor Rufus Fitzgerald
Rufus Fitzgerald
Rufus 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 Fesler
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...
, 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 Conference
Big Ten Conference
The 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 Chicago
University of Chicago
The 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 Casanova
Len Casanova
Leonard 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 Hamilton
Tom Hamilton (coach)
Thomas 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 rein
Rein
Reins 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 Dawson
Red Dawson
Lowell 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 Famer
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The 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 Schmidt
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,...
, scored a huge upset at Notre Dame, then coached by Frank Leahy
Frank Leahy
Francis 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 Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The 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)
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:...
, 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 Bowl
1956 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...
. Pitt's invitation to the Sugar Bowl was surrounded by controversy because Pitt, an integrated
Racial integration
Racial 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 southeastern
Southeastern United States
The 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 segregated
Racial segregation
Racial 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 South
Deep South
The 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 Bowl
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...
, 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, Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The 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...
, UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The 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, Oregon
Oregon Ducks football
The 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 Baylor
Baylor Bears football
The 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 Martha
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...
, swept through a schedule that included wins at Notre Dame, UCLA, West Virginia, and Miami and home victories against Washington, Cal
California Golden Bears football
The 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 Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger 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. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John 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 assassinated
John F. Kennedy assassination
John 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".
Oklahoma Sooners football
The 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 Ditka
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...
and Marty Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin 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 DePasqua
Carl 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 UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The 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)
Wesley Posvar
Wesley 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 Majors
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...
from Iowa State to resurrect the program in 1973. Majors immediately upgraded the recruiting, most notably bringing in future Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett
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 Dooley
Vince Dooley
Vincent 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 1973
1973 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 State
Arizona State Sun Devils football
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....
in the 1973 Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The 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 State
Florida State Seminoles football
The 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 1975
1975 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 Bowl
Sun Bowl
The 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 Panthers
1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The 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 Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers football
The 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 Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium
Three 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 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The 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 Sherrill
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...
, an assistant under Majors at Pitt and the head coach at Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The 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 Bowl
Capital One 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...
appearance followed in 1978. Sherrill stockpiled future NFL talent including Pittsburgh's own quarterback Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel 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 Grimm
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...
, and Outland Trophy
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...
winner Mark May
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:...
. Sherrill also molded a devastating defense that was anchored at the defensive end
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...
position manned by Hall of Fame inductee Rickey Jackson
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...
and Heisman Trophy runner-up Hugh Green, who had the highest finish in the Heisman voting by a defensive player until 1997, when Michigan's
Michigan Wolverines football
The 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...
cornerback
Cornerback
A 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 Woodson
Charles Woodson
Charles 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 receiver
Wide receiver
A 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. 1979
1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 1980
1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 1981
1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 Walker
Herschel Walker
Herschel 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 CFL
Canadian Football League
The 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 USFL
United States Football League
The 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 Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert 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&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The 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)
Foge Fazio
Serafino 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 1982
1982 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 Bowl
1984 Fiesta Bowl
The 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 Fralic
Bill Fralic
William P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
. A disastrous three-win season in 1984
1984 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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
Mike Gottfried
-External links:*...
. Gottfried recruited well, defeated rival Penn State twice, and led Pitt to the Bluebonnet
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...
and John Hancock Sun
Sun Bowl
The 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 Bowl
Sun Bowl
The 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 East
Big East Conference
The 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 SunseriSal Sunseri
- External links :* at Rivals.com* at panthers.com...
took over as interim head coach for the final contest at Hawai'i
Hawaii Warriors football
The 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 Nordenberg
Mark Nordenberg
Mark 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 Pederson
Steve Pederson
Steve 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)
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,...
, who had built a reputation as a quarterback guru with a background in the West Coast Offense
West Coast offense
In 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 Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The 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 Complex
UPMC Sports Performance Complex
The 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 Side
South Side (Pittsburgh)
South 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 Center
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
The 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 Field
Heinz Field
Heinz 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.
Fred Biletnikoff Award
The 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 Bryant
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...
, 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 game
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...
in six of his eight seasons, including five consecutive bowl games from 2000 through 2004, with bowl victories in the Tangerine Bowl
Champs Sports Bowl
The 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 State
NC State Wolfpack football
The 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 Award
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;...
winner Larry Fitzgerald
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...
, over Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers football
The 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 Bowl
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....
. Harris also led Pittsburgh to a share of the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The 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 Utah
Utah Utes football
The 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 Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The 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 AFCA
American Football Coaches Association
The 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 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...
, 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 Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The 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 Johnson
Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy 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 Morgantown
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown 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 Brawl
2007 Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia football game
The 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 Game
BCS National Championship Game
The 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 season
2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The 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 Florida
South Florida Bulls football
The 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 Rivalry
River City Rivalry
The 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 Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bearcats football
The 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 Bowl
Sun Bowl
The 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 2009
2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 Bowl
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...
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 Lewis
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...
, and Big East Co-Defensive Players of the Year in Mick Williams and Greg Romeus
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...
.
Prior to the 2010 season
2010 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
-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
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 Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats football
The 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 TulsaTulsa Golden Hurricane football
The 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 Graham
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:...
as the new head coach of the Panthers for the 2011 season
2011 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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-huddle
Hurry-up offense
The 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
Recreation Park (Pittsburgh)
Recreation 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 Park
Exposition Park (Pittsburgh)
Exposition 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 Shore
North Shore (Pittsburgh)
The 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 Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The 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 Field
Forbes Field
Forbes 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 Stadium
Pitt Stadium
Pitt 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 Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The 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 Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium
Three 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 Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The 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 Field
Heinz Field
Heinz 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 Center
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
The 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 Complex
UPMC Sports Performance Complex
The 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 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 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 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
- First known use of numbers on the uniforms of football players was instituted by Pitt in 1908 during the coaching tenure of John MooreheadJohn MooreheadJohn 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 BrawlBackyard 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...
over West Virginia at Forbes FieldForbes 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 gameBowl 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...
color barrier in the segregatedRacial segregationRacial 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...
, southeasternSoutheastern United StatesThe 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 SouthDeep 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 Bowl1956 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 DorsettTony DorsettAnthony "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 AwardWalter 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;...
(1980). - First sophomore, Larry FitzgeraldLarry 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...
, 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 UnionWilliam 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...
, 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 Tucson
Hyundai Tucson
The 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
"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 Song
Pitt Victory Song
The 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 Stadium
Pitt Stadium
Pitt 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
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 Rooney
Art Rooney
Arthur 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 Oakland
Oakland (Pittsburgh)
Oakland 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 UnionWilliam 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...
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 standardsHeraldic flagIn 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 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 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 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 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 HeinzHeinzHeinz 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...
ketchupKetchupKetchup 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'sJumbotronA 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 LearningCathedral of LearningThe 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 CarolineSweet 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
Pitt 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 man
12th Man
The 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 Field
Heinz Field
Heinz 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 Aéropostale
Aéropostale (clothing)
Aéropostale, 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 Zoo
Oakland Zoo (cheering section)
The 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 Field
Heinz Field
Heinz 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
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...
which is played annually against fellow Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The 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 Mountaineers
West Virginia Mountaineers
The 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 Virginia
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown 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 Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre 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 Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football
The 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 Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The 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 Rivalry
River City Rivalry
The 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 Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcats
The 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 SelectionsAccording 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 • 1936
1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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...
• 1937
1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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...
• 1976
1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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...
• 1980
1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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...
• 1981
1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 H. 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....
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 • 1936
1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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...
• 1937
1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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...
• 1976
1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 • 1936
1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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...
• 1937
1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 • 1976
1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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...
• 1980
1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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...
• 1981
1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 PollAP Poll
The 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 1937
1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 1976
1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 1976
1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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 |
| AP AP Poll The 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, 1936 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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... , 1937 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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, 1976 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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... , 1980 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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... , 1981 1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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, 1936 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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... , 1937 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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... , 1976 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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
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-AtlanticMid-Atlantic States
The 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 Trophy
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...
awarded by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
The 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 Conference
Big East Conference
The 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-robin
Round-robin scheduling
Round-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 Sutherland 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... |
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 |
| 1936 1936 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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 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 |
| 1937 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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 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 |
| 1976 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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 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 |
| 1979 1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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 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 |
| 1980 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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 |
| 2004 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 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 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 2010 Pittsburgh Panthers football team -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 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
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...
s throughout its history, winning 12 and losing 15.
| Pitt Bowl History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
Number 1 ranking
Pitt has achieved the number one ranking in the major national polls (APAP Poll
The 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 MarinoDan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
, QuarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback 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 DorsettTony DorsettAnthony "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 BackRunning 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 GoldbergMarshall 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...
, Running Back, 1936–1938 - #65 Joe SchmidtJoe 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,...
, LinebackerLinebackerA 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 MayMark 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:...
, Offensive Tackle, 1977–1980 - #79 Bill FralicBill FralicWilliam P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
, Offensive Tackle, 1981–1984 - #89 Mike DitkaMike 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...
, End, 1958–1960 - #99 Hugh Green, Defensive EndDefensive 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...
, 1977–1980
Major award winners
- Heisman TrophyHeisman 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...
- Tony DorsettTony DorsettAnthony "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 AwardMaxwell AwardThe 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...
- Maxwell Award
- Tony DorsettTony DorsettAnthony "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 AwardWalter 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;...
- Walter Camp Award
- Tony DorsettTony DorsettAnthony "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 FitzgeraldLarry 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...
(2003)
- Lombardi AwardLombardi AwardThe 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 TrophyOutland 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...
- Outland Trophy
- Mark MayMark 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:...
(1980)- Biletnikoff Award
- Antonio BryantAntonio 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...
(2000) - Larry FitzgeraldLarry 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...
(2003)
- Walter Camp Coach of the YearWalter Camp Coach of the YearThe 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 MajorsJohnny 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...
(1973) - Jackie SherrillJackie 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...
(1981)- AFCA Coach of the YearAFCA Coach of the YearThe 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...
- AFCA Coach of the Year
- Johnny MajorsJohnny 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...
(1977)- Eddie Robinson Coach of the YearEddie Robinson Coach of the YearThe 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...
- Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
- Johnny MajorsJohnny 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...
(1973) - Johnny MajorsJohnny 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...
(1976)
Heisman finalists
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...
in 14 different seasons.
| Year | Name | Position | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Marshall Goldberg 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... |
RB | 3rd |
| 1938 | Marshall Goldberg 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... |
RB | 2nd |
| 1941 | Edgar Jones Edgar Jones (running back) 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 Ditka 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... |
E | 6th |
| 1975 | Tony Dorsett 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 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 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 Marino Dan Marino Daniel 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 Marino Dan Marino Daniel 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 Bill Fralic William P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:... |
T | 8th |
| 1984 | Bill Fralic 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 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 Fitzgerald 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 | 2nd |
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
Players
The College Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of Fame
The 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 DaniellAve DaniellAverell 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 DaviesTom 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...
(1918–1921) - Mike DitkaMike 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...
(1958–1960) - Joseph DonchessJoe DonchessJoe Donchess was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979....
(1927–1929) - Tony DorsettTony DorsettAnthony "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 FralicBill FralicWilliam P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...
(1981–1984) - Marshall GoldbergMarshall 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...
(1936–1938) - Hugh Green (1977–1980)
- Dan MarinoDan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
(1979–1982) - Mark MayMark 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:...
(1977–1980) - George McLaren (1915–1918)
- Robert PeckBob Peck (football)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 SchmidtJoe 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,...
(1950–1952) - Joe SkladanyJoe SkladanyJoe Skladany was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1975....
(1931–1933) - Herb SteinHerb SteinHerb 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 ThompsonJoseph 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....
(player 1904–1906, coach 1909–1912) - Hube WagnerHube WagnerDr 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 McCracken
Herb McCracken
G. 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 SutherlandJock 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...
(Pitt player from 1914–1917, and Pitt coach from 1924–1938) - Glenn "Pop" Warner (Pitt coach from 1915–1923)
- Clark ShaughnessyClark 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...
(Pitt coach from 1943–1945) - Len CasanovaLen CasanovaLeonard 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 FeslerWes 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...
(Ohio State; Pitt coach in 1946) - Johnny MajorsJohnny 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...
(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-AmericaAll-America
An 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 Camp
Walter Camp
Walter 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 Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland 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 Service
International News Service
International 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 Press
Associated Press
The 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 International
United Press International
United 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, NEA
United Media
United 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 America
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
, the Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The 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, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek 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 News
The Sporting News
Sporting 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 Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports 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...
.
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Academic All-Americans
National Football Foundation
The 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.
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Conference awards
Big East Conference
The 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 2004
2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 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
2010 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
-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 awards
Big East Conference football awards
The 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 BryantAntonio 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...
*, WR, So - 2003 Larry FitzgeraldLarry 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, So - 2009 Dion LewisDion 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...
, RB, Fr
- Defensive Player of the Year
- 2006 H.B. Blades, LB, SrSenior (education)Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
- 2008 Scott McKillopScott 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 RomeusGreg 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...
*, DE, Jr - 2009 Mick Williams*, DT, Sr
- 2010 Jabaal SheardJabaal 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...
, DE, Sr
- Special Teams Player of the Year
- 2002 Andy LeeAndy Lee (American football)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, JrJunior (education)"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 LeeAndy Lee (American football)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
- Rookie of the Year
- 1991 Tom TumultyTom TumultyThomas Patrick Tumulty is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for three seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals....
, LB - 2002 Larry FitzgeraldLarry 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 - 2007 LeSean McCoyLeSean 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 LewisDion 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...
#, RB
- Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- 2004 Vince Crochunis, DL
Administration & Policy Studies - 2008 Conor Lee, PKPlacekickerPlacekicker, 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, MBAMaster of Business AdministrationThe 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...
- Coach of the Year
- 1997 Walt HarrisWalt 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,...
, 1st year - 2004 Walt HarrisWalt 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,...
, 8th year
* co-recipient, #unanimous selection
Panthers in the NFL
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....
, Jim Covert
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...
, Mike Ditka
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...
, Chris Doleman
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...
, Tony Dorsett
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 Fitzgerald
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...
, Russ Grimm
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...
, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, Rickey Jackson
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...
, Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
, Curtis Martin
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...
, Mark May
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:...
, Darrelle Revis
Darrelle Revis
Though Revis was not the first defensive back drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft , he was the first cornerback taken that year...
, and Tony Siragusa
Tony Siragusa
Anthony "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 FamePro Football Hall of Fame
The 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 DitkaMike 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...
(Enshrined in 1988; Played 1957-1960) - Tony DorsettTony DorsettAnthony "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 GrimmRuss 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...
(Enshrined in 2010; Played 1977-1980) - Rickey JacksonRickey 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...
(Enshrined in 2010; Played 1977-1980) - Dan MarinoDan MarinoDaniel 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 SchmidtJoe 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,...
(Enshrined in 1973; Played 1949-1952)
Pro Bowl selections
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...
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.
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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.| Panthers Drafted in the NFL First Round | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current NFL players
Current NFL players that played college football at the University of Pittsburgh (as of September 2011):- Jonathan BaldwinJonathan BaldwinJonathan 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 ChiefsKansas 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 BerryAaron BerryAaron 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 LionsDetroit 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 ByhamNate Byham-External links:**...
, TE (San Francisco 49ersSan 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 CoxKennard 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...
, DB (Seattle SeahawksSeattle 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 DeCiccoDom DeCiccoDom 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 BearsChicago 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 FitzgeraldLarry 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 (Arizona CardinalsArizona 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 FlaccoJoe FlaccoFlacco 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 RavensBaltimore 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 HynoskiHenry HynoskiHenry 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 GiantsNew 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 LeeAndy Lee (American football)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 49ersSan 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 LewisDion 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...
, RB (Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia 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 McCoyLeSean 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 EaglesPhiladelphia 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 McGlynnMike 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...
, OL (Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati 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 OtahJeff 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....
, OT (Carolina PanthersCarolina 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 PalkoTyler PalkoTyler 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 ChiefsKansas 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 PinkstonJason 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:...
, OL (Cleveland BrownsCleveland 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 RevisDarrelle RevisThough Revis was not the first defensive back drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft , he was the first cornerback taken that year...
#, DB (New York JetsNew 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...
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, DL (New Orleans SaintsNew 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 SessionClint 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...
, LB (Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville 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 SheardJabaal 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...
, DL (Cleveland BrownCleveland 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 SpencerShawntae SpencerShawntae 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 49ersSan 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-HowlingLaRod 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...
, RB (Arizona CardinalsArizona 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 RavensBaltimore 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...
)
- #Selected to the Pro BowlPro 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...
. &transferred to the University of DelawareUniversity 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
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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.