We have some true blue Pitt fans on here despite how much we argue. This Steelers talk has polluted this message board. I'd love to hear your " Pitt Story".
Moment You Fell In Love With Pitt Football
- Thread starter Usuallyunusual-partdeux
- Start date
From the time I was little kid. We always rooted for the hometown teams. The first night home game against Purdue stands out to me as a kid.
Wow that's awesome!!! Not trying to date you here but can you remember the year? I took have always rooted for the hone town teams win or lose we ride or die.
Before I even saw a game. I listened to radio broadcasts back when guys like Corky Cost, Corny Salvaterra, Ivan Toncic and others were playing for Pitt. Those names intrigued me. Plus, the first year I really followed them on the radio, 1955, they had a good team, played a really tough schedule and went to the 1956 Sugar Bowl in the game where Pitt refused not to play Bobby Grier.
My dad took me to my first game as a birthday present the next year, 1956. Pitt upset favored Syracuse with Jim Brown and really held Brown down.
My dad took me to my first game as a birthday present the next year, 1956. Pitt upset favored Syracuse with Jim Brown and really held Brown down.
Growing up outside of Pittsburgh I was 100% NFL and a casual viewer of whatever Saturday aftooon ABC game of the week that was on.
I didnt become a pitt fan until freshman year of 1997. First game of Walt Harris career was my first game at Pitt and Pitt stadium. Went with my RA that took us freshman to the game. My dad was a Penn State alumni and had season tickets so I went to the 97 game at PSU and was surprised when Pitt didn't get blown out. But my first "I'm going to bleed blue and gold" experience was the Thursday night game against Miami where as a freshman a few of us painted ourselves to get on tv and then we tore down the goalposts and I was able to be one of the students on the goalpost when it actually snapped. From that point on I was hooked. So many good memories that year and the subsequent years. My work friends here in Central pa often comment that I am a walking billboard for pitt as I basically have two types of clothes: Pitt stuff or band concert clothes. I loved my 5 years at pitt getting my BA and MA. I love Saturdays in the fall because I get to return to Pittsburgh, see old friends, and cheer on the loyal sons of Pittsburgh. Been a season ticket holder since 97, so not able to know the dominance of pitt in the 70s and early 80s, but old enough to have some great memories firsthand.
Good thread and thanks for allowing me to reminisce
I didnt become a pitt fan until freshman year of 1997. First game of Walt Harris career was my first game at Pitt and Pitt stadium. Went with my RA that took us freshman to the game. My dad was a Penn State alumni and had season tickets so I went to the 97 game at PSU and was surprised when Pitt didn't get blown out. But my first "I'm going to bleed blue and gold" experience was the Thursday night game against Miami where as a freshman a few of us painted ourselves to get on tv and then we tore down the goalposts and I was able to be one of the students on the goalpost when it actually snapped. From that point on I was hooked. So many good memories that year and the subsequent years. My work friends here in Central pa often comment that I am a walking billboard for pitt as I basically have two types of clothes: Pitt stuff or band concert clothes. I loved my 5 years at pitt getting my BA and MA. I love Saturdays in the fall because I get to return to Pittsburgh, see old friends, and cheer on the loyal sons of Pittsburgh. Been a season ticket holder since 97, so not able to know the dominance of pitt in the 70s and early 80s, but old enough to have some great memories firsthand.
Good thread and thanks for allowing me to reminisce
See this is what it's all about!! You have stayed loyal through all the ups and downs!
Fall 1970. Father had been taking me to 1-9 Pitt home games between 1968-69. Saw Pitt routinely get crushed by PSU and ND Even as a very young kids I never believed Pitt would ever be worth a damn. Flash forward to 1970. Pitt-WVU . At the half Pitt down 35-6 to Bowden’s Mountaineers. Another blowout coming. But…. But… St. David Havern leads Pitt to 36-35 victory!!!! Everything changed with that game. Rabid fan— numerous arguments with ND, PSU and WVU fans and some near fights. Great timesForever after Pitt has been my team. 1974-1981 was glorious era followed mostly by mediocrity. Now I watch , but will leave games or turn off TV if Pitt does not show up. Too much disappointment and administration does not have high level commitment. Why should I?
Because your a loyal son and anybody can stay committed when things are good. Trust me I get it, but no matter what happened last season each fall brings new hope and optimism.
My first game at Pitt Stadium was a classic game.......Steelers vs. Iggles in the O.J. Simpson Bowl. I tried to get my money back for the worst NFL game in history. 1968.
My new girlfriend got me to games later that season. I had no college FB favorite. Had to watch the Panthers struggle with the mess through 1972. Got really into it when the Confederate Raiders arrived in late 1972. All of my 4 kids started to go at the age of 2. So I've been through a lot of ups & down.
My new girlfriend got me to games later that season. I had no college FB favorite. Had to watch the Panthers struggle with the mess through 1972. Got really into it when the Confederate Raiders arrived in late 1972. All of my 4 kids started to go at the age of 2. So I've been through a lot of ups & down.
My first real Pitt Football memory was Terry Murphy’s catch to beat WVU in ‘97.
1972. Dorsett's freshman year. My dad was a huge Pitt fan and he created one in me. I was a senior in high school in 1976. I worked at the neighborhood pharmacy behind the counter and deliveries. Had to work every Saturday afternoon. I would take the deliveries and listen to the game on the radio. I remember I would freeze up every time TD got a handoff, you just never knew if he was going to break one. Listening to Bill Hillgrove count down the yard markers as Dorsett was running down field. The 50..45..40..35..30..etc.
So many games, fond memories and heartbreaks over the years. H2P forever.
So many games, fond memories and heartbreaks over the years. H2P forever.
Last edited:
1985
I can vaguely remember first watching games on TV from 1982 or 1983.
Same era. I recall the Pgh. Press had large photos of Pitt games in the Sunday paper. I kept a scrapbook of the photos for the year (long gone now). The first game I attended was 1959, when my older brothers took me to Pitt Stadium. Saw a great Syracuse team with Ernie Davis, and I believe Cuse won 35-0. Didn't matter, as others have mentioned, I was hooked on Pitt football, and have been loyal to the home teams since.
First sidebar. I had a brother-in-law who had a business with a Notre Dame grad, and the ND guy was a fanatic for Irish football. My BIL took me to a ND game at Pitt Stadium, and I could not believe all the people wearing green and cheering for ND. Just a kid, but felt like shouting, hey guys, Pitt is the home team, show some loyalty. Hated Notre Dame ever since.
Second sidebar. I went on Army active duty in 1968, at Fort Gordon, GA. Had four guys from the Oklahoma National Guard in the class, and all I heard was OU, Boomer Sooner, Bud Wilkinson, etc. They asked me where I was from and I said Pittsburgh, and they laughed. Lean years for Pitt and the Steelers. When I got out of service in 1970, I went to Pitt Stadium to see Oklahoma play Pitt, hoping for revenge against the OU fans. Saw Pitt get blownout again. I never expected i would see a Pitt team compete against some of the best in the country.
Then a few years later, 1976, what a year to be a Pitt football fan. You had to live through it since it is hard to explain to a long suffering fan the euphoria we felt to have the best team in the country. Always loyal, And I still hate Notre Dame. And Penn State. Sorry for the long rant -- and thanks for the memories.
I remember Carl Desqua and Dave Hart but really became the Pitt fan when Tony arrived. While I didn't tend many Pitt games until after high school the voice of Bill Hillgrove made me love Pitt even more.
I was over my cousin's house (near Altoona). He's a big Penn State fan. He held up a yellow "Eat Shit Pitt" shirt with the blue script. I remember thinking how awesome the colors and lettering were. Fell in love with the blue and gold.
1980 Gator Bowl, watching Pitt throttle South Carolina, lead by Heisman winner George Rodgers. I was 9, watching with my older brother and cousin who were enrolled at Pitt at the time. Guess they influenced me.
Was just discovering football as a kid and was mesmerized by highlights on the local news of Paul Martha and his backfield mates zig-zagging down the field on long runs.
Go Pitt.
Go Pitt.
1973 ND game. ND win 31-10, but TD went for 209. Pitt would go the length of the field on a few plays but could not cash in. ND with their huge o line methodically drive down the field and score. I swear every time Pitt had the ball it snowed, every time ND had the ball the sun came out. Very cold. You could tell it was not the same old Pitt though.
Well, I saw my first Pitt game in 1959 as a young kid. The Panthers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat UCLA. Very exciting and impressionable. Pitt had a lot of great players on that team, including a tight end named Mike Ditka,
I love sports. Was fortunate to be able to play football, basketball and baseball. But when I started at Pitt, the Panthers weren’t very good. The football seasons during my undergrad years from 1968 through 1972 were all pretty poor. I guess the highlight was the 36-35 comeback win over the hoopies in 1970.
But then came the hiring of Johnny Majors in 1973. I was just out of school. But found a way to come up with a few bucks and get season tickets and joined the Golden Panthers.
The 1973 and 1974 seasons were encouraging. Better players. Better coaching. And a young running back named Tony Dorsett. The clip below is still the most fun I ever had at a football game at Pitt Stadium. Of course it was a portend of what was about to happen in 1976.
Enjoy!
That's an unusual fell in love with Pitt story. Didn't know Penn State did the whole WVU thing......
Nice.. do they make Pitt themed pacifiers?
I matriculated @ Pitt in 1970. So, 54 years. Having not grown up in W PA, Pitt was not my favorite college team until I became a student there. I recall being a fan of both Michigan teams before enrolling. I grew up in Penn State country but was never a fan of theirs.
Freshman memories include seeing Ralph Cindrich (All-American LB Candidate) injure his knee in the first home game; 36-35 WVU game; Terry Bradshaw's red Corvette parked in the quad (Melissa Babich)
Freshman memories include seeing Ralph Cindrich (All-American LB Candidate) injure his knee in the first home game; 36-35 WVU game; Terry Bradshaw's red Corvette parked in the quad (Melissa Babich)
Wow!! Thank you for sharing!! Us young bucks could learn a thing or two about being a loyal fan from you. My generation can be very impatient. You truly earned your Board of Trustees status.
I remember coming home from Pitt Stadium and talking to my dad after that game.
I told him Pitt wasn’t there yet. But you could tell they were coming. That Tony Dorsett was VERY special. And that the talent that Johnny Majors was accumulating throughout the roster was of the level that had a chance to be very competitive at the national level.
Wonderful times to be a Pitt football fan,
He is just one of many legends. Interesting that he chose to keep doing Pitt games but let go of Steelers games. I wonder if that was his choice, but I like him. I think Bostic is the next Hillgrove if there is such a thing.
Wouldn’t trade it for anything. 2024 will be my 56th consecutive year as a Pitt season ticket holder (including my four years as a student). 52nd consecutive year as a donor to Pitt Athletics after graduating.
Have met so many wonderful people over the years. Friends who have almost become family. Plus, I’ve seen so many fabulous football and basketball players perform for Pitt.
So many great games. Both wins and losses. That’s the way sports are. Nothing is scripted. Hard to beat that kind of excitement and drama.
My family was always a Pitt family, so I’ve been going to games since the mid 1980s when I was a kid. To be honest though, I was probably more into Pitt basketball around that time because of miller, lane, smith,etc, but we still went to football games. Beating Miami in I believe 1997 lit the diehard spark. Where the flip switched and I became a diehard for life was the last game at Pitt stadium my senior year. Just beating nd, storming the field and partying in Oakland, there was no turning back. Got season tix the year after with my buddies when we graduated and haven’t turned back since.
I was a freshman at Pitt in 1987. Saw Pitt beat Penn st. 10-0. I was hooked.
I love this story. I never got to see Van Pelt play. Looking at him now days it hard to believe he used to be a QB. He looks more like a OG now 🤣.
Wait.....the was a time where Pitt stormed the field? See that's one of the downsides to being at Acrisure. When we beat Miami and Clemson here those were absolutely storm worthy.....Miami more so considering the circumstances because we were actually favored over Clemson, but hey it was still Clemson.
How the heck did you root for Michigan teams in Puss U country. I'm surprised they didn't surround your home with pitch forks🤣. But honestly this is a good story. Have you ever gone back to your hometown in Pitt gear?
Long and boring story (about the Michigan connection) ... IIRC, the objectification of Paterno/Penn State had not reached its peak (or anywhere close, for that matter) in the time frame I'm discussing (mid to late 1960's). It was tough (er) then to get accepted on to the main campus of Penn State, and their regional campuses thrived. Penn State, like Pitt, was an Independent so the rivalry between them and the other Big Ten schools had not begun. So no, no pitchforks ... and there are no family members left in my hometown so visits there are infrequent at best
When it was time for me to start the selection process for schools, my folks said that I needed to look at a state-supported school (rather than private or out-of-state). At that time, Pitt, Penn State, and Temple were the three "major" level state-supported institutions. I had no interest in Penn State. The choice between Pitt and Temple basically came down to my love of the 'Burgh after my first visit. Had relatively little/nothing to do with sports. It just "felt right".
Both the Panthers and the Steelers took most of the four years of my time @ Pitt to become relevant. The Pirates won the Series in 1971 which added yet another team to root for. I went to Game 4 of the Series which was, as a "fun fact", the first ever night game played for the World Series. Truth. I still have the game program as a souvenir
Our kids weren't scared at all. And we almost beat them in 74 at ND. Threw 4 balls into their end zone very late. Can anybody remember that track star from the west coast to play as a WR? First name was Karl. Backup QB, too.
