I rarely post but I faithfully follow and enjoy the extremely diverse views of our Panther Nation posters. I was at Pitt in the early seventies(undergraduate/graduate Engineering), played for Pitt soccer and had the opportunity to get to know several of the Pitt players on our Championship football team. What a great time to be at Pitt, as many of our older posters experienced .
For too many years now I have been enduring the hapless journey of our Panthers except for the occasional commitment and performance of some outstanding players that kept us hoping that if we can get a few more everything would be OK. I was not to be, because, for nearly quarter of a century, there was only pseudo commitment from the Pitt Administration. While commitment does not guarantee success, the lack of it guarantees continuous misery.
But things did change, slowly I might add, when the new administration made a real commitment to upgrade sports. As a result, we now have a situation where our football program is beginning to exhibit many of the traits of successful football schools:
--Our recruiting is transforming from a primarily regional one to a multi-regional with direction towards national.
- The offer sheets of our recruits are now beginning to include the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, LSU, Georgia, Miami and other football powers - and, Yes, we are beginning to win some of these battles. You can make several arguments about the improvements in different team positions including quarterbacks . When was the last time we had a decent starter and at least 2 promising backups?
- The quality of our assistant coaches has improved so that some are Nationally recognized and/or are offered better college or NFL opportunities.
- The lack of an on-site stadium has, in my opinion, turned into a positive asset, as the vast majority of recruits now view the proximity to Steelers(they better keep winning) as a very desirable element for their NFL aspirations.
- Headcoach stability has led to better quality recruiting and relatively low turnover of student athletes. In addition, the Nard is slowing learning how to be a better head coach.
Pitt football is being rebuilt from the ground up. So, why are still a more or less a 500 team? It is because , unlike basketball where 2 to 3 players can make a substantial difference(unfortunately we are struggling), in football you need to upgrade 85 players and complement them with quality coaching, good facilities and some lucky breaks. After 25 years of neglect, rebuilding is a very tall task. But, its happening at Pitt, although at a slower pace that many of us would like to see. In some areas, like my sport soccer or volleyball, progress is much faster as we invested in high quality coaching and facilities.
My three wishes for the coming year are to 1) figure a way to reduce the available seats for a better game environment, 2) Nard to stop acting on the sidelines like someone whose hair is on fire and 3) a couple lucky breaks when the game is on the line. For my part, I put my money where my mouth is, and for the first time I made a sizable donation to our fighting Panthers.
So, to the old timers like myself, I understand your frustration but maybe change is about to knock on our door.
Hail to Pitt!!!!
-
For too many years now I have been enduring the hapless journey of our Panthers except for the occasional commitment and performance of some outstanding players that kept us hoping that if we can get a few more everything would be OK. I was not to be, because, for nearly quarter of a century, there was only pseudo commitment from the Pitt Administration. While commitment does not guarantee success, the lack of it guarantees continuous misery.
But things did change, slowly I might add, when the new administration made a real commitment to upgrade sports. As a result, we now have a situation where our football program is beginning to exhibit many of the traits of successful football schools:
--Our recruiting is transforming from a primarily regional one to a multi-regional with direction towards national.
- The offer sheets of our recruits are now beginning to include the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, LSU, Georgia, Miami and other football powers - and, Yes, we are beginning to win some of these battles. You can make several arguments about the improvements in different team positions including quarterbacks . When was the last time we had a decent starter and at least 2 promising backups?
- The quality of our assistant coaches has improved so that some are Nationally recognized and/or are offered better college or NFL opportunities.
- The lack of an on-site stadium has, in my opinion, turned into a positive asset, as the vast majority of recruits now view the proximity to Steelers(they better keep winning) as a very desirable element for their NFL aspirations.
- Headcoach stability has led to better quality recruiting and relatively low turnover of student athletes. In addition, the Nard is slowing learning how to be a better head coach.
Pitt football is being rebuilt from the ground up. So, why are still a more or less a 500 team? It is because , unlike basketball where 2 to 3 players can make a substantial difference(unfortunately we are struggling), in football you need to upgrade 85 players and complement them with quality coaching, good facilities and some lucky breaks. After 25 years of neglect, rebuilding is a very tall task. But, its happening at Pitt, although at a slower pace that many of us would like to see. In some areas, like my sport soccer or volleyball, progress is much faster as we invested in high quality coaching and facilities.
My three wishes for the coming year are to 1) figure a way to reduce the available seats for a better game environment, 2) Nard to stop acting on the sidelines like someone whose hair is on fire and 3) a couple lucky breaks when the game is on the line. For my part, I put my money where my mouth is, and for the first time I made a sizable donation to our fighting Panthers.
So, to the old timers like myself, I understand your frustration but maybe change is about to knock on our door.
Hail to Pitt!!!!
-
