Listen: The Panther-Lair podcast - The Great Pitt Sports Debate(s)

[Chris Peak]

Some fun topics on the latest Panther-Lair Podcast with something I'm calling "The Great Pitt Sports Debate(s)." Included in the podcast:

- Who's the best point guard in Pitt history?
- What was the best football team in Pitt history - 1976 or 1980?
- What was the biggest win in Pitt history - 1976 Sugar Bowl or 2007 WVU?
- What was the most crushing loss - 1981 PSU, 2009 Cincinnati, 2009 Villanova?
- Who was the second-best WR in Pitt history?
- Who was the second-best RB?

Click the link below to listen to the podcast, and feel free to chime in this thread with some thoughts on those topics.

http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download/725PL16.mp3

 

[Jpripper88]

Best PG? Knight, Fields, Miller, Krauser.
Best Pitt team? 1976
Biggest win? '76 Sugar
Crushing loss? '81 PSU, but '09 Nova is close. Football is just king for me.
2nd best WR? Antonio Bryant
2nd best RB? Lesean McCoy

 

[HailToPitt725]

1) Billy Knight, hard to average a double-double your whole career and probably had the best combination of college/pro success.
2) 1976, difficult to argue against a team that went undefeated. The 1980 team might have Dan Marino, but the '76 team has Heisman winner Tony Dorsett.
3) 1976 Sugar Bowl, the Backyard Brawl was probably the sweetest victory I've ever experienced, but the Sugar Bowl win was a major bowl game and won Pitt their 9th national championship. Besides, the 2007 team still finished 5-7.
4) 2009 Villanova, the 70's/80's football run was much like the 2000's run, but the basketball team never got a national championship. We'll never know what woulda happened but if they went on to win the last two games, it wouldve been the explanation point on how historically dominant we were on the field and on the court.
5) Antonio Bryant, I was thinking either him or Tyler Boyd for this one, but I think Bryant gets this one for winning a Biletnekoff Award.
6) Marshall Goldberg, I know no one has watched him play, but football was, in fact, played before the 60's. Goldberg was very dominant at the tailback and fullback positions. He's also one of the only other Panther running backs in the College Hall of Fame.

 

[TreyCampbell]

Some fun topics on the latest Panther-Lair Podcast with something I'm calling "The Great Pitt Sports Debate(s)." Included in the podcast:

- Who's the best point guard in Pitt history?
- What was the best football team in Pitt history - 1976 or 1980?
- What was the biggest win in Pitt history - 1976 Sugar Bowl or 2007 WVU?
- What was the most crushing loss - 1981 PSU, 2009 Cincinnati, 2009 Villanova?
- Who was the second-best WR in Pitt history?
- Who was the second-best RB?

Click the link below to listen to the podcast, and feel free to chime in this thread with some thoughts on those topics.

http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download/725PL16.mp3

Just my opinion (since it was before my time), but the 1980 loss to FSU in football is the most crushing. That one loss cost Pitt a second National Championship. Getting 2 National Championships (1976 and 1980) would have had a significant impact on Pitt and helped propel the football program farther than we can imagine...

i.e., I don't know if the Pitt Admin de-emphasized athletics (stupid move) if we had won a second National Championship. AND I don't know if the Jackie S. stays as Pitt's Head Coach with a second National Championship (his first). BUT it is fun to think of the possibilities of where we'd be if we beat FSU and those two things did happen - we keep focus on athletics and Jackie stays our coach. I imagine we would've avoid the 30 years of sub-par athletics.

That is the most crushing loss to me!

LATE-

 

[Jpripper88]

Just my opinion (since it was before my time), but the 1980 loss to FSU in football is the most crushing. That one loss cost Pitt a second National Championship. Getting 2 National Championships (1976 and 1980) would have had a significant impact on Pitt and helped propel the football program farther than we can imagine...

i.e., I don't know if the Pitt Admin de-emphasized athletics (stupid move) if we had won a second National Championship. AND I don't know if the Jackie S. stays as Pitt's Head Coach with a second National Championship (his first). BUT it is fun to think of the possibilities of where we'd be if we beat FSU and those two things did happen - we keep focus on athletics and Jackie stays our coach. I imagine we would've avoid the 30 years of sub-par athletics.

That is the most crushing loss to me!

LATE-

That is certainly fair. I guess the '81 loss being the season finale and to PSU stings a little more for most because it also meant losing a NC shot. Losing to FSU in the 5th game of 1980 vs PSU in the 11th game of 1981 makes a big difference to me, even though the 1980 team was better than 1981.