Maybe some of you picked the wrong school

[JS School]

I'm just a Pitt fan, not an alumni, so maybe I just don't understand. You went to a school that is similar to Boston College, Miami and Georgia Tech, yet some of you seem to expect a football experience similar to Penn State, Michigan or Nebraska. Why do you let Penn St fans and the local media get in your heads about attendance? Pitt does well for a school of it's size and location, although we all would like to see it do even better.

An on-campus stadium would be nice to have, but is it worth several hundred million dollars just to provide a slightly better game day experience? Looking at Pitt's attendance history I can't believe it would make much of a difference, other than the optics of 40,000 fans in a 45,000 seat stadium as opposed to 70,000. Perhaps a few hundred more alumni and students would show up, but to a non-alum it might actually be something of a deterrent. Oakland can be a bit of a pain when 12,000 show up for a Duke hoops game.

From my seats the Heinz Field experience is fine. Sure, I look up at the upper sections and think they would look better if full, but it really doesn't bother me much. For Pitt to improve attendance I think they need to attract local football fans by winning. Building an on-campus stadium to please students and alumni just doesn't seem like it would have much effect on whether or not they show up.

To some recruits, having 80,000 people cheering for them rather than 40,000 will make a difference. Others may be more impressed with sharing a practice facility with one of the NFL's premier franchises. If Lyke has a few hundred million dollars to spend on football, she should ask Narduzzi how he would like to see it spent. I doubt if he would list a new stadium as his first priority.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Personally, football had zero impact on my college decision. In fact, I didn't care much about college football until I started at Pitt and began paying some attention to the team. I actually had student tickets for Pitt Stadium, 3 Rivers and Heinz Field, and I believe that I have a rather unique perspective most fans don't have. Going to Pitt Stadium for games as a student was, frankly better, then going to Heinz Field (or 3 Rivers) for games as a student. You just can't replace the experience of going to a game in your own stadium on campus. It was fun, had a certain romance to it, and is a special thing in my mind. Going to Heinz Field was the opposite. It felt sanitized, hollow and devoid of the specialness of going to a game at Pitt Stadium.

 

[JohnnyGossamer]

I'm just a Pitt fan, not an alumni, so maybe I just don't understand. You went to a school that is similar to Boston College, Miami and Georgia Tech, yet some of you seem to expect a football experience similar to Penn State, Michigan or Nebraska. Why do you let Penn St fans and the local media get in your heads about attendance? Pitt does well for a school of it's size and location, although we all would like to see it do even better.

An on-campus stadium would be nice to have, but is it worth several hundred million dollars just to provide a slightly better game day experience? Looking at Pitt's attendance history I can't believe it would make much of a difference, other than the optics of 40,000 fans in a 45,000 seat stadium as opposed to 70,000. Perhaps a few hundred more alumni and students would show up, but to a non-alum it might actually be something of a deterrent. Oakland can be a bit of a pain when 12,000 show up for a Duke hoops game.

From my seats the Heinz Field experience is fine. Sure, I look up at the upper sections and think they would look better if full, but it really doesn't bother me much. For Pitt to improve attendance I think they need to attract local football fans by winning. Building an on-campus stadium to please students and alumni just doesn't seem like it would have much effect on whether or not they show up.

To some recruits, having 80,000 people cheering for them rather than 40,000 will make a difference. Others may be more impressed with sharing a practice facility with one of the NFL's premier franchises. If Lyke has a few hundred million dollars to spend on football, she should ask Narduzzi how he would like to see it spent. I doubt if he would list a new stadium as his first priority.

Yup.

Pitt is like the programs you mentioned. I'd add UCLA, Colorado and a few others as well. It's being in Steeler town and between PSU and tOSU with many ND fans around. Skews folks perception that Pitt's actually a lot alike other programs situated similarly to Pitt. And those programs - see Stanford and GT - have shown the ability to have multiple 10+ win season inside of decade.

 

[Panther_in_Kentucky]

I'm just a Pitt fan, not an alumni, so maybe I just don't understand. You went to a school that is similar to Boston College, Miami and Georgia Tech, yet some of you seem to expect a football experience similar to Penn State, Michigan or Nebraska. Why do you let Penn St fans and the local media get in your heads about attendance? Pitt does well for a school of it's size and location, although we all would like to see it do even better.

An on-campus stadium would be nice to have, but is it worth several hundred million dollars just to provide a slightly better game day experience? Looking at Pitt's attendance history I can't believe it would make much of a difference, other than the optics of 40,000 fans in a 45,000 seat stadium as opposed to 70,000. Perhaps a few hundred more alumni and students would show up, but to a non-alum it might actually be something of a deterrent. Oakland can be a bit of a pain when 12,000 show up for a Duke hoops game.

From my seats the Heinz Field experience is fine. Sure, I look up at the upper sections and think they would look better if full, but it really doesn't bother me much. For Pitt to improve attendance I think they need to attract local football fans by winning. Building an on-campus stadium to please students and alumni just doesn't seem like it would have much effect on whether or not they show up.

To some recruits, having 80,000 people cheering for them rather than 40,000 will make a difference. Others may be more impressed with sharing a practice facility with one of the NFL's premier franchises. If Lyke has a few hundred million dollars to spend on football, she should ask Narduzzi how he would like to see it spent. I doubt if he would list a new stadium as his first priority.

At the time, I picked the right school. Pitt was on top of the football world. In retrospect, I didn't know how stupid , clueless and cheap Pitt's Administration was. So yes. Given all of that, I definitely picked the wrong school.

 

[PantherO]

Someone should do survey. Curious to see the attachment and commitment level to the program from the Students to Adults of the Pitt Stadium Crowd vs Students to Adults of the Heinz field era.

To me, that would be very telling if an on campus stadium was important, not important, or didn't matter.

 

[Saboteur]

I'm just a Pitt fan, not an alumni, so maybe I just don't understand. You went to a school that is similar to Boston College, Miami and Georgia Tech, yet some of you seem to expect a football experience similar to Penn State, Michigan or Nebraska. Why do you let Penn St fans and the local media get in your heads about attendance? Pitt does well for a school of it's size and location, although we all would like to see it do even better.

An on-campus stadium would be nice to have, but is it worth several hundred million dollars just to provide a slightly better game day experience? Looking at Pitt's attendance history I can't believe it would make much of a difference, other than the optics of 40,000 fans in a 45,000 seat stadium as opposed to 70,000. Perhaps a few hundred more alumni and students would show up, but to a non-alum it might actually be something of a deterrent. Oakland can be a bit of a pain when 12,000 show up for a Duke hoops game.

From my seats the Heinz Field experience is fine. Sure, I look up at the upper sections and think they would look better if full, but it really doesn't bother me much. For Pitt to improve attendance I think they need to attract local football fans by winning. Building an on-campus stadium to please students and alumni just doesn't seem like it would have much effect on whether or not they show up.

To some recruits, having 80,000 people cheering for them rather than 40,000 will make a difference. Others may be more impressed with sharing a practice facility with one of the NFL's premier franchises. If Lyke has a few hundred million dollars to spend on football, she should ask Narduzzi how he would like to see it spent. I doubt if he would list a new stadium as his first priority.

I'm not a Pitt grad but I will take Pitt over my AM any and every day of the week. If you want to be a sl^t to winning in CFB, there are a host of more suitable candidates.

 

[pbrad]

After 2 years in the service I picked PITT to stay at home, they just happened to go on a great run and win a NC while I was there.

I agree expectations and perception are high here. This is due to the fact that a lot of fans don't understand how,in the City of Champions, a program can fall so far.

 

[Cathedral Lawn Frisbee]

JS, amen and well said! I am a proud graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and am a rabid panther football fan. I usually don't get too excited unless it is defending our school. Hail to Pitt

 

[PantherFan412]

The whole attendance issue and the hair pulling regarding attendance is a function of the team being mediocre. I don't even mean that attendance would be better if the team was good (although I'm sure that's true), I just mean that there is little else to talk about.

Next time we have a legitimately good team - like ranked in the top 15 for several consecutive weeks - the number of attendance/game experience/Sweet Caroline threads will drop like a rock.

The issue is that the team has been mediocre to bad for 25 years. The best team was probably the 2009 team that infamously blew the conference title against Cincinnati in the snow. That's the issue.

Forget the teams you mention (PSU, Michigan, Nebraska, etc.). The issue is not that PSU has a better program than us, it's that schools like Northwestern, USF, and Cincinnati have had objectively better programs than us over the last two decades or so. That's the issue with the program.

 

[FIVE4PITT]

I did love Pitt stadium because I saw a lot of great teams there during my time in the early 1980s. It belongs on campus but we know the space is limited in Oakland. I thought they should had remodeled Pitt stadium but I go to all the home games at Heinz Field. Winning takes care of everything.

 

[DiehardPanther]

I have nightmares of sitting in an empty Pitt Stadium with 15k others losing to the likes of Temple. The place was a dump, and people did not show up even though it was on campus.

 

[rmf05]

Its totally understandable that Pitt's townie fans would feel this way. You have no connection to the university or campus. Its also possible that you have never been to a college football game at another school that plays their games on campus. When Pitt fans go elsewhere for games, its a pretty gut-wrenching experience for most of us. It isn't merely "slightly" better. Its an altogether different experience. That difference makes losses more palatable and victory sweeter and turns casual fans into passionate ones.

 

[UPitt '89]

At the time, I picked the right school. Pitt was on top of the football world. In retrospect, I didn't know how stupid , clueless and cheap Pitt's Administration was. So yes. Given all of that, I definitely picked the wrong school.

If you picked your school because of the quality of the football program, and you arent a football player, then you are a freaking moron.

 

[JS School]

Its totally understandable that Pitt's townie fans would feel this way. You have no connection to the university or campus. Its also possible that you have never been to a college football game at another school that plays their games on campus. When Pitt fans go elsewhere for games, its a pretty gut-wrenching experience for most of us. It isn't merely "slightly" better. Its an altogether different experience. That difference makes losses more palatable and victory sweeter and turns casual fans into passionate ones.

I've been to South Bend eight times, among other places. After the first two or three times my interest in seeing the Golden Dome, the Grotto and Touchdown Jesus pretty much wore off. I'm not an ND alum either, though, so maybe that's why I stopped getting all warm and fuzzy every time I see it. But the point is a Pitt game experience is never going to be like an ND game experience for lots of logical reasons. I just don't see the need to criticize Pitt for that.

 

[UPitt '89]

I graduated from Pitt in 1989 (duh)... and have had season tickets continuously ever since. Before that, went to several games a year going back to mid 70s.

The romanticizing of Pitt Stadium by people continues to amaze me.

It was a dump. It had less than 40k fans most games. Tailgating was almost non existent except for the OC lot. Seats were further from the field because of the track, especially in the end zones. Bench seating with no seat backs was uncomfortable. Concessions sucked. Ingress/egress into and out of Oakland sucked. Until the very last few years, there were no lights, so few night games (except when they brought lights in for some games in the 90s). Astroturf field was horrendous. Students attended in lesser numbers than they do at Heinz most games.

There was absolutely NOTHING above average about Pitt Stadium, and most things were well below.

Now, no doubt, if there was ever a new on campus stadium, some of these shortfalls would be taken care of.

But please stop the romanticism of that dump. It was horrendous.

And sitting in Beaver Stadium this past weekend reminded me of how much of a dump THAT place is too.

Heinz Field isnt the greatest place to watch a game, but it is 10 times better than Pitt Stadium was.

 

[JS School]

I did love Pitt stadium because I saw a lot of great teams there during my time in the early 1980s. It belongs on campus but we know the space is limited in Oakland. I thought they should had remodeled Pitt stadium but I go to all the home games at Heinz Field. Winning takes care of everything.

Exactly. The place was a dump and the crowds were small. But the team was great so it was fun.

 

[cbpitt2]

Someone should do survey. Curious to see the attachment and commitment level to the program from the Students to Adults of the Pitt Stadium Crowd vs Students to Adults of the Heinz field era.

To me, that would be very telling if an on campus stadium was important, not important, or didn't matter.

Seems to me there a lot of us passionate old fogies who went to games at Pitt Stadium showing up to the games at Heinz Field more so than the far less passionate younger alums.

 

[pittdan77]

The only reason this board wrings its hands over attendance is because Nitters take shots at Pitt for it. #107Strong

I went to Penn State. Trust me, there's give and take with running a sports program like that. Most of it is give on behalf of the students, faculty, and alumni. I could fill pages and pages with examples.

Being a Pitt fan isn't easy. You want to cheer for a frontrunner? Go chug some Kool-Aid. Guys like me remember the "glory days" and believe they're still possible.

 

[pittmeister]

I graduated from Pitt in 1989 (duh)... and have had season tickets continuously ever since. Before that, went to several games a year going back to mid 70s.

The romanticizing of Pitt Stadium by people continues to amaze me.

It was a dump. It had less than 40k fans most games. Tailgating was almost non existent except for the OC lot. Seats were further from the field because of the track, especially in the end zones. Bench seating with no seat backs was uncomfortable. Concessions sucked. Ingress/egress into and out of Oakland sucked. Until the very last few years, there were no lights, so few night games (except when they brought lights in for some games in the 90s). Astroturf field was horrendous. Students attended in lesser numbers than they do at Heinz most games.

There was absolutely NOTHING above average about Pitt Stadium, and most things were well below.

Now, no doubt, if there was ever a new on campus stadium, some of these shortfalls would be taken care of.

But please stop the romanticism of that dump. It was horrendous.

And sitting in Beaver Stadium this past weekend reminded me of how much of a dump THAT place is too.

Heinz Field isnt the greatest place to watch a game, but it is 10 times better than Pitt Stadium was.

THIS!

 

[BuffetParrothead]

Ridiculous thread!
PITT admin and coaching staffs set high expectations and don't perform. When you pay for a product and expectations set by the product owner aren't met there'll be some unhappy customers.
Moving on.
How about this as a possible solution!
Each dedicated PITT fan who attends games should bring a new PITT fan to the home games!
Just one or more if you can find them and explain to them how important and fun attending games is!
And it is Mrs Buffett and I RT 600 miles to show up as the only people in our section but we're there.
Be part of the solution not the problem!

 

[Joe Magarac]

Its totally understandable that Pitt's townie fans would feel this way. You have no connection to the university or campus. Its also possible that you have never been to a college football game at another school that plays their games on campus. When Pitt fans go elsewhere for games, its a pretty gut-wrenching experience for most of us. It isn't merely "slightly" better. Its an altogether different experience. That difference makes losses more palatable and victory sweeter and turns casual fans into passionate ones.

My gut has not been wrenched when I have gone to other stadiums on campus or off campus. I have been to ~25 different college venues. One example is Louisville. An off campus venue but just as raucous as any other I have been to.
The reason for lack of large crowds at Pitt goes far beyond the location of the stadium;
Lack of support from the Pitt Administration
Mediocre results for 35 years
Stiff competition from Steelers, Penguins and Pirates
Realize that any other college football factory type program (PSU ND O$U FSU Texas Nebraska Alabama Georgia USC Oklahoma etc etc etc) were they located in Pittsburgh would be fourth place in the pecking order.
That fact is never discussed in the press or by the community.
If you can think of a college team that would be among the top 3 in the pecking order in this town please advise. I'm all ears.

 

[rmf05]

I don't hear anyone romanticizing Pitt Stadium. We're talking about the whole on-campus experience. Comparing a stadium that wasn't even built for football in the 1920's to Heinz isn't appropriate either since nobody is suggesting we move back into a non-existent stadium. Pitt Stadium had issues that would be fixed in a new building. Frankly, Heinz was obsolete within 5 years of being opened and is already not a very impressive stadium by NFL standards and likely won't be by college standards either by the time the lease is up in 2030.

 

[PantherFan412]

Seems to me there a lot of us passionate old fogies who went to games at Pitt Stadium showing up to the games at Heinz Field more so than the far less passionate younger alums.

Even if that's true, it has nothing to do with Pitt Stadium. Anyone who went at Pitt in the 70s or 80s is bound to have a closer connection to the football program simply based on the fact that the program has been bad to mediocre in the 90s and 00s.

 

[HailtoPitt]

I graduated from Pitt in 1989 (duh)... and have had season tickets continuously ever since. Before that, went to several games a year going back to mid 70s.

The romanticizing of Pitt Stadium by people continues to amaze me.

It was a dump. It had less than 40k fans most games. Tailgating was almost non existent except for the OC lot. Seats were further from the field because of the track, especially in the end zones. Bench seating with no seat backs was uncomfortable. Concessions sucked. Ingress/egress into and out of Oakland sucked. Until the very last few years, there were no lights, so few night games (except when they brought lights in for some games in the 90s). Astroturf field was horrendous. Students attended in lesser numbers than they do at Heinz most games.

There was absolutely NOTHING above average about Pitt Stadium, and most things were well below.

Now, no doubt, if there was ever a new on campus stadium, some of these shortfalls would be taken care of.

But please stop the romanticism of that dump. It was horrendous.

And sitting in Beaver Stadium this past weekend reminded me of how much of a dump THAT place is too.

Heinz Field isnt the greatest place to watch a game, but it is 10 times better than Pitt Stadium was.

What I can tell you is that in my personal experience, being a student for all three stadium experiences, it was a better experience at Pitt Stadium. Yes, it was certainly a dump. Nobody disputes that fact. If, however, Pitt had put in half the effort to make the stadium a little bit nicer and more welcoming to fans as they do with things at Heinz, and then half the effort they now put into getting students to games and improving the experience, then perhaps things would be different now.

 

[PITTLAW]

I graduated from Pitt in 1989 (duh)... and have had season tickets continuously ever since. Before that, went to several games a year going back to mid 70s.

The romanticizing of Pitt Stadium by people continues to amaze me.

It was a dump. It had less than 40k fans most games. Tailgating was almost non existent except for the OC lot. Seats were further from the field because of the track, especially in the end zones. Bench seating with no seat backs was uncomfortable. Concessions sucked. Ingress/egress into and out of Oakland sucked. Until the very last few years, there were no lights, so few night games (except when they brought lights in for some games in the 90s). Astroturf field was horrendous. Students attended in lesser numbers than they do at Heinz most games.

There was absolutely NOTHING above average about Pitt Stadium, and most things were well below.

Now, no doubt, if there was ever a new on campus stadium, some of these shortfalls would be taken care of.

But please stop the romanticism of that dump. It was horrendous.

And sitting in Beaver Stadium this past weekend reminded me of how much of a dump THAT place is too.

Heinz Field isnt the greatest place to watch a game, but it is 10 times better than Pitt Stadium was.

You obviously must be more of an NFL fan than a college fan...as Pitt Stadium was very typical of most college venues. What was unusual about Pitt Stadium was the architecture, history and views of the campus that it had to offer. Pitt Stadium was also far superior to Heinz from a noise level, even if the stadium was not full. Of course for those that worry about appearances, Pitt Stadium also did not generally look glaringly empty when it was not full...because of the color of the seating [versus bright yellow] and bench seats permit people to spread out a bit, thereby making it look fuller than empty seat back chairs. The stadium where the team plays has little to do with attendance...but it has a lot to do about atmosphere and game day experience, IMHO. Hail to Pitt!

 

[sibleyfan91]

My gut has not been wrenched when I have gone to other stadiums on campus or off campus. I have been to ~25 different college venues. One example is Louisville. An off campus venue but just as raucous as any other I have been to.
The reason for lack of large crowds at Pitt goes far beyond the location of the stadium;
Lack of support from the Pitt Administration
Mediocre results for 35 years
Stiff competition from Steelers, Penguins and Pirates
Realize that any other college football factory type program (PSU ND O$U FSU Texas Nebraska Alabama Georgia USC Oklahoma etc etc etc) were they located in Pittsburgh would be fourth place in the pecking order.
That fact is never discussed in the press or by the community.
If you can think of a college team that would be among the top 3 in the pecking order in this town please advise. I'm all ears.

When i was at Pitt for undergrad in early 90s, the Pens were having their first breakthrough seasons to be Cup winners. They were barely on the city radar before that. Went to a few games in the 88 and 89 years, even with Mario the crowds were lame. But flash forward 20 years and 5 Cups and one additional final and many other deep playoff runs, and what do you know, the Penguins are part of the fabric of the city.

From my understanding, the Steelers got no attention in the city for several decades up until the 70s explosion of winning.

So while it may seem that Pitt would stay unnoticed even if we started winning significantly, I think that is wrong. One flash in the pan great season (or a couple sweet 16s like Pitt basketball) might not be sufficient, but success on the scale of the Penguins and Steelers would jack interest to the same level. My opinion anyway.

 

[HailtoPitt]

When i was at Pitt for undergrad in early 90s, the Pens were having their first breakthrough seasons to be Cup winners. They were barely on the city radar before that. Went to a few games in the 88 and 89 years, even with Mario the crowds were lame. But flash forward 20 years and 5 Cups and one additional final and many other deep playoff runs, and what do you know, the Penguins are part of the fabric of the city.

From my understanding, the Steelers got no attention in the city for several decades up until the 70s explosion of winning.

So while it may seem that Pitt would stay unnoticed even if we started winning significantly, I think that is wrong. One flash in the pan great season (or a couple sweet 16s like Pitt basketball) might not be sufficient, but success on the scale of the Penguins and Steelers would jack interest to the same level. My opinion anyway.

We aren't likely to have that kind of success with Pitt. Pro teams are a different animal and are competing with similar resources. In college football, it is more about the money, which Pitt doesn't have to hire and retain a great coach needed for a long run. So, it should be about the experience first and foremost. Not giving fans (the customers) what they have wanted (script) for a long time is inexcusable. Not being able to figure out a solution to keeping football on campus (even CMU and Duquense have an on campus facility in higher urban and compact locations) is inexcusable.

 

[PITTLAW]

Ridiculous thread!
PITT admin and coaching staffs set high expectations and don't perform. When you pay for a product and expectations set by the product owner aren't met there'll be some unhappy customers.
Moving on.
How about this as a possible solution!
Each dedicated PITT fan who attends games should bring a new PITT fan to the home games!
Just one or more if you can find them and explain to them how important and fun attending games is!
And it is Mrs Buffett and I RT 600 miles to show up as the only people in our section but we're there.
Be part of the solution not the problem!

You are not the only guy that travels to see Pitt play. There are tons of fans that travel from all around the country [and world] to see Pitt play. The problem is there are just not enough of us. I also make a 600 mile round trip for each home game, and never miss an away game either. Be certain, we have some great fans...just not enough of them. Hail to Pitt!

 

[sibleyfan91]

We aren't likely to have that kind of success with Pitt. Pro teams are a different animal and are competing with similar resources. In college football, it is more about the money, which Pitt doesn't have to hire and retain a great coach needed for a long run. So, it should be about the experience first and foremost. Not giving fans (the customers) what they have wanted (script) for a long time is inexcusable. Not being able to figure out a solution to keeping football on campus (even CMU and Duquense have an on campus facility in higher urban and compact locations) is inexcusable.

The experience certainly matters. But all my years I went to games at Pitt stadium and it was no great shakes. I don't need great amenities to enjoy a game, but it was pretty dismal there. And ironically both when a student and after, the stadium (and field house) seemed "off campus" to me at the time, because I never had classes or lived in that part of Oakland. I can imagine it is a bit more of a chore for the students to go to Heinz... But i think a really significant winning team would grab more hearts and wallets than a stadium smack in center Oakland would with continued mediocre teams.

 

[rmf05]

Pitt will never become major part of the local fabric. Too many PSU, ND, WVU and OSU fans not to mention that college football will always have to compete with both NFL and HS football. Pitt will always be the local team but our share will at most be about 50% and the other PSU/WVU/ND folks will be avidly against us. In Ohio, even Akron and Toledo fans root for OSU. In Pittsburgh that isn't the case with nearly any of the other teams' fans. Pitt is purely a niche market that includes alumni, students and a very few locals. The key is building brand loyalty among that niche. You do that by strengthening relationships between the team and its few fans and between the fans themselves. The uniform thing has been brilliant because finally the uniform fiasco is being fixed and we are all coming together in appreciation. Also, parents are taking their kids to see the team in the same or similar uniforms and colors that they enjoyed. There's a generational connection. Being on campus is similar.

 

[PittSquared]

I graduated from Pitt in 1989 (duh)... and have had season tickets continuously ever since. Before that, went to several games a year going back to mid 70s.

The romanticizing of Pitt Stadium by people continues to amaze me.

It was a dump. It had less than 40k fans most games. Tailgating was almost non existent except for the OC lot. Seats were further from the field because of the track, especially in the end zones. Bench seating with no seat backs was uncomfortable. Concessions sucked. Ingress/egress into and out of Oakland sucked. Until the very last few years, there were no lights, so few night games (except when they brought lights in for some games in the 90s). Astroturf field was horrendous. Students attended in lesser numbers than they do at Heinz most games.

There was absolutely NOTHING above average about Pitt Stadium, and most things were well below.

Now, no doubt, if there was ever a new on campus stadium, some of these shortfalls would be taken care of.

But please stop the romanticism of that dump. It was horrendous.

And sitting in Beaver Stadium this past weekend reminded me of how much of a dump THAT place is too.

Heinz Field isnt the greatest place to watch a game, but it is 10 times better than Pitt Stadium was.

You said most of what I experienced as a student. Tailgating was minimal and dispersed. The atmosphere was great for PSU, ND and WVU. For Temple, Rutgers, and Kent State, there wasn't any. At all.

The good news was, students could get there easily. The bad news was, students could leave easily -- and often did.

The biggest difference between the experience at Pitt and places like Penn State or Notre Dame is that fans weren't making a weekend of it at Pitt. Most drove in, attended the game, and drove home. At Penn State, people show up on Friday and don't leave until Sunday, and the tailgate culture builds around all that time you spend before and after the game. If you're traveling to that venue, you clear your schedule and spend your weekend there. No taking kids to a Saturday morning soccer game, doing yard work, or going to family functions.

 

[HailtoPitt]

How about this as a possible solution!
Each dedicated PITT fan who attends games should bring a new PITT fan to the home games!
Just one or more if you can find them and explain to them how important and fun attending games is!

The giant hole in your plan is it is really difficult to do this with Pitt. It's not like you are taking people to an Ohio State or Virginia Tech game where the stadium is packed and the team usually meets expectations.

 

[ThePanthers]

We aren't likely to have that kind of success with Pitt. Pro teams are a different animal and are competing with similar resources. In college football, it is more about the money, which Pitt doesn't have to hire and retain a great coach needed for a long run. So, it should be about the experience first and foremost. Not giving fans (the customers) what they have wanted (script) for a long time is inexcusable. Not being able to figure out a solution to keeping football on campus (even CMU and Duquense have an on campus facility in higher urban and compact locations) is inexcusable.

Dude, if you want a field with a set of bleachers on each side, then then Pitt can have an on campus stadium. Comparing it to CMU and Duquense, it is ridiculous.

 

[sibleyfan91]

Pitt will never become major part of the local fabric. Too many PSU, ND, WVU and OSU fans not to mention that college football will always have to compete with both NFL and HS football. Pitt will always be the local team but our share will at most be about 50% and the other PSU/WVU/ND folks will be avidly against us. In Ohio, even Akron and Toledo fans root for OSU. In Pittsburgh that isn't the case with nearly any of the other teams' fans. Pitt is purely a niche market that includes alumni, students and a very few locals. The key is building brand loyalty among that niche. You do that by strengthening relationships between the team and its few fans and between the fans themselves. The uniform thing has been brilliant because finally the uniform fiasco is being fixed and we are all coming together in appreciation. Also, parents are taking their kids to see the team in the same or similar uniforms and colors that they enjoyed. There's a generational connection. Being on campus is similar.

You might be right, but I think the majority of casual fans of other college teams aren't diehards, other than alums. They'd switch (or add) allegiance to Pitt if we won the most. And like with the Penguins, Pitt's winning similar to their level would generate fans who weren't interested in college football at all before. Of course it's only my opinion. Maybe the great majority would just yawn. I really think it would be the opposite, but I'd sure like to test the theory, anyway! Not exactly imminent though.

 

[DiehardPanther]

Pitt has been more successful at Heinz. Let's compare the last 15 years at Pitt Stadium versus the 15 years at Heinz. The game records, we averaged 60k in 2003 at Heinz, and the big games have been just as good or better at Heinz. The best game I ever saw was Pitt vs VT. The pregame, and game itself were awesome. The building is not the issue, but rather the people inside the building.

 

[PITTLAW]

Pitt has been more successful at Heinz. Let's compare the last 15 years at Pitt Stadium versus the 15 years at Heinz. The game records, we averaged 60k in 2003 at Heinz, and the big games have been just as good or better at Heinz. The best game I ever saw was Pitt vs VT. The pregame, and game itself were awesome. The building is not the issue, but rather the people inside the building.

Unfortunately such a comparison is not valid. You have not controlled for many things that have changed. Since around '97, Pitt has been much more supportive of football, in terms of promotion, economic support, and trying to compete [not to mention Big East/ACC conference membership]. The respective stadiums impacted atmosphere, not so much attendance. Hail to Pitt!

 

[TD_istheman]

Seems to me there a lot of us passionate old fogies who went to games at Pitt Stadium showing up to the games at Heinz Field more so than the far less passionate younger alums.

100% NAILED IT. PITT has a bunch of soft ass nerds, who didn't care about football these past few generations, they owe that all to themselves! School ran by nerds , Nerdy, Pedey, now have a bunch of goofs just like them leaving with their liberal education. Wasn't like that when I went there at all

 

[BuffetParrothead]

You are not the only guy that travels to see Pitt play. There are tons of fans that travel from all around the country [and world] to see Pitt play. The problem is there are just not enough of us. I also make a 600 mile round trip for each home game, and never miss an away game either. Be certain, we have some great fans...just not enough of them. Hail to Pitt!

I actually mentioned to Mrs Buffett that PITTLAW travels about the same distance as we do AND makes all the home games, away games + the bowl games.

You're probably one of the most dedicated if not THE most dedicated PITT fan.

Your point about not enough Us's and Them's is a problem.

It's amazing that local people don't want to experience ACC ( the best conference in college football ) gameday atmosphere in person for "bargain basement " prices.

 

[Pittx9]

You went to a school that is similar to Boston College, Miami and Georgia Tech, yet some of you seem to expect a football experience similar to Penn State, Michigan or Nebraska.

I agree. But the problem is, Pitt could and was a program of miami's caliber. They should still be there. Miami's downfall was not for very long, they just brought in an established college coach and appear to be back on the winning track. I couldn't care less how big our stadium is and how full it is, Miami games aren't exactly the hottest ticket in town but I would say that is a program we should strive to be like.

 

[Joe Magarac]

I actually mentioned to Mrs Buffett that PITTLAW travels about the same distance as we do AND makes all the home games, away games + the bowl games.

You're probably one of the most dedicated if not THE most dedicated PITT fan.

Your point about not enough Us's and Them's is a problem.

It's amazing that local people don't want to experience ACC ( the best conference in college football ) gameday atmosphere in person for "bargain basement " prices.

I agree. I did not go to all away games but try to go to 1 or 2 per year as well as all home games.
Pitt has some of the best true fans of any school in the Power 5, just way too few of us.