Last game at Pitt stadium. People were ripping up the field and tearing down the goal posts. Looking for souvenirs.
Moment You Fell In Love With Pitt Football
- Thread starter Usuallyunusual-partdeux
- Start date
First my first Pitt game was listening to them play Navy with Staubach. They lost…Ugh! Their only loss and didn’t go to a Bowl game that year. I was hooked😎
April of 1973. I’m a senior in high school and working at a famous country club 13 miles from Pittsburgh. It was a fabulous evening to be one of three bus boys at a Pitt fund raiser with new Head Coach Johnny Majors. There were 60-80 potential money givers in attendance at the banquet. Desert and coffee being served after dinner as Majors begins to speak. That guy could paint a vision unlike anybody I had ever seen in person or on television. I’m in the back of the room trying to remain inconspicuous because I was accepted to Pitt for the fall of 1973 and I also liked football. After listening to Majors I considered walking on. Unfortunately I was 5’ 8” and 150 pounds and had never played football so that wasn’t going to happen …….. but I felt like I could have run through a ****ing brick wall for that guy. That’s when I became a Pitt fan.
He would have made a good trial attorney.
He would have made a good trial attorney.
The first Pitt game I went to was vs Ped State in 1991. My cousin Doug Whaley played safety on the team and hooked me up with tix. I was hanging out where the team buses stage and players all come out. Paterno's lawn troll and a 1/2 tall ass walked past me about 10 yards away. I couldnt get over how little he was. I thought who the hell would be intimidated by this dude. It rubbed me the wrong way and I hated them ever since then
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1975 as a nine year old kid watching the Johnny Major’s show getting ready for the Sun Bowl.
I was always a fan but when I was a youngun they weren’t very good and never on TV. Then in 72 they started camping at UPJ, which is 5 miles from my house. Then they signed a kid out of Hopewell high in ‘73 And the die was cast for me. I’ve been a crazy ever since.
This is a really cool story. He sounds like the type of personality that could turn around a program....and he did. RIP coach Majors. He brought Pitt football back to the top of the mountain.
I really started following Pitt in 1973. It was obvious that TD was a special talent from day 1. But what really hooked me was my freshman year 1976. Of course, we won the natty that year and I was all in on Pitt football. We had a great run for the next for the next 6 years. Pitt was big time. We were relevant. Sad to say we may never see those days again. Just glad I was there to experience what great football looked like.
Cruzer
Tony Dorsett 303 versus N.D.
In the womb. I attended several games while living there lol
But really probably 1997, beating WVU in overtime. I was a fan of basketball before football really, my dad and I went to plenty of Pitt football games before then but we went to a TON of basketball games in the 90s (and only slightly less in the 00s). I really miss basketball at the Field House. Hope they play a game there one more time some day
But really probably 1997, beating WVU in overtime. I was a fan of basketball before football really, my dad and I went to plenty of Pitt football games before then but we went to a TON of basketball games in the 90s (and only slightly less in the 00s). I really miss basketball at the Field House. Hope they play a game there one more time some day
Some people have mentioned the 36-35 game with West Virginia. I had been a Pitt fan for a long time by then, but that is one of my most remembered games. I was in Vietnam and the game was broadcast on Armed Forces Radio. Not with Adrian Kronauer as the commentator unfortunately. We didn’t get the beginning of the game; they picked it up late in the first half with Pitt getting slaughtered. Havern had just come in at QB.
He had been one of the QBs on the freshman team when I had covered them for the Pitt News. That was Dave Hart’s first class and it was highly publicized. The big QB recruit was Don Plusqualic from Ohio. Havern was 3rd or 4th team. Played its first game against a WVU team featuring Jim Braxton down in Washington, PA. Beat them 35-0 I believe. Then played tOSU in Columbus. They had Rex Kern, John Brockington and Jack Tatum on that team. Lost 35-28 in a back and forth game. Kern ran about 70 yards for the winnning TD. Then lost 7-0 to PSU at Happy Valley in a snowstorm where Pitt dominated but fumbled the game away. Finally, lost to Joe Theisman and ND at Forbes Field. All 4 teams we played went to 3 bowl games the next 3 years. Pitt went 1-9 each year.
So expectations for the WVU game weren’t high. But, when Havern came in and Denny Ferris started running the ball, things changed. It was about 3 am in Vietnam but I stayed awake and heard all 4 TD drives. The only bad thing was there were no WVU fans around to rub it in. Still one of the games I most remember.
He had been one of the QBs on the freshman team when I had covered them for the Pitt News. That was Dave Hart’s first class and it was highly publicized. The big QB recruit was Don Plusqualic from Ohio. Havern was 3rd or 4th team. Played its first game against a WVU team featuring Jim Braxton down in Washington, PA. Beat them 35-0 I believe. Then played tOSU in Columbus. They had Rex Kern, John Brockington and Jack Tatum on that team. Lost 35-28 in a back and forth game. Kern ran about 70 yards for the winnning TD. Then lost 7-0 to PSU at Happy Valley in a snowstorm where Pitt dominated but fumbled the game away. Finally, lost to Joe Theisman and ND at Forbes Field. All 4 teams we played went to 3 bowl games the next 3 years. Pitt went 1-9 each year.
So expectations for the WVU game weren’t high. But, when Havern came in and Denny Ferris started running the ball, things changed. It was about 3 am in Vietnam but I stayed awake and heard all 4 TD drives. The only bad thing was there were no WVU fans around to rub it in. Still one of the games I most remember.
That was my first game as well. Been a Panther fan since. Grew up in Pittsbuirgh suburbs, didn't go to school there. Left for the Navy but still followed the Panthers. Came back home for a game or two no matter where I was living/working. Have had season tickets for last 15 years. Have cancer now, moving to Texas to be near kids/grandkids, this will likely be my last year of season tickets
I'm sorry to hear this brother 😔. You and your family are in my prayers. It's not over till it's over.......F cancer.
The family of a good friend of mine growing up was good friends with Boo Conners, Pitt’s equipment manager. I would go to games with them. First lunch and unlimited Pepsis at the Pitt Tavern and then the games. Boo would take us into the locker room after the games and I met Carl DePasqua then. Have been a fan ever since. Got both undergrad and graduate degrees from Pitt. My daughter graduated from Pitt in 2022 and my son will graduate from Pitt this month.
I sorta leaned PSU as a kid in the 60’s. They were good and they were on TV. I soured big time on them in May ‘71. I was a senior at TJ, and even then, their arrogance really offended me.
So, I chose Pitt, put on the Blue and Gold, and became forever a Panther.
Sitting here this morning thinking about it, I’m wondering how much influence athletics had in forming that permanent bond and loyalty, and how much was due to other factors such as dorm life, campus life, Greek life, class work.
I guess as much as I loved athletics, the overall amazing experience I had as an undergrad at Pitt was maybe just as influential in cementing my permanent bond to the University.
And yes - it was Karl Farmer. Nice guy. Instantly became our best quarter miler. As I recall, he was a Junior Olympic champion with a time of :45.6 (ish?).
So, I chose Pitt, put on the Blue and Gold, and became forever a Panther.
Sitting here this morning thinking about it, I’m wondering how much influence athletics had in forming that permanent bond and loyalty, and how much was due to other factors such as dorm life, campus life, Greek life, class work.
I guess as much as I loved athletics, the overall amazing experience I had as an undergrad at Pitt was maybe just as influential in cementing my permanent bond to the University.
And yes - it was Karl Farmer. Nice guy. Instantly became our best quarter miler. As I recall, he was a Junior Olympic champion with a time of :45.6 (ish?).
November 3, 1979. My first Pitt game. I was sort of a Pitt fan but also watched Notre Dame (was a big Joe Montana fan since I grew up in the Mon Valley) and PSU. Basically I liked whatever team was on TV and all three of them had highlight shows on Sunday mornings. I started to lean Pitt because of Dorsett (I was 8 his senior year), but no single team fully grabbed me until November 3, 1979 when Pitt played Syracuse.
I remember walking up Cardiac Hill for the first time. My seat was in the bowl end zone (remember, Pitt's endzones were identified by the bowl and the hole) with the scoreboard to my back. Watching the band come out of the hole, then see them sitting in the stands and playing Rock and Roll part 2 with the students chanting "we're gonna beat the hell out of you", hearing Roger Huston roll his R's and the awesome way he said Hugh Green, and his announcements about upcoming events punctuated with "Be there!" at the end. Man, I was hooked.
Turned out it was Dan Marino's first start. Pitt won that day 28-21. On the way home, my Dad stopped at Kaufman's at the brand new Century 3 mall. It had just opened and the actual full mall portion was still under construction. As a promotion, Lynn Swann was making an appearance there. So in the same day I got to watch Dan Marino's debut and meet Lynn Swann. The 11 year old OH Pete was in heaven and hooked on Pitt. Little did I know that we were in the home stretch of the golden years of Pitt football at that time.
Lots of heartbreak after that.
But I'm still here 45 years later. And Pitt football has become one of the things my kids and I bond over. I 've been taking them to games since they were infants and we still go to every game that their busy schedules will allow, including a couple of bowl games. We are now planning which away game sights we want to go to after my older one graduates college and has the time to go to away games. I'm really looking forward to that. And God willing, one day, my sons, their kids & I will walk through the turnstiles together as another generation become Pitt fans.
I remember walking up Cardiac Hill for the first time. My seat was in the bowl end zone (remember, Pitt's endzones were identified by the bowl and the hole) with the scoreboard to my back. Watching the band come out of the hole, then see them sitting in the stands and playing Rock and Roll part 2 with the students chanting "we're gonna beat the hell out of you", hearing Roger Huston roll his R's and the awesome way he said Hugh Green, and his announcements about upcoming events punctuated with "Be there!" at the end. Man, I was hooked.
Turned out it was Dan Marino's first start. Pitt won that day 28-21. On the way home, my Dad stopped at Kaufman's at the brand new Century 3 mall. It had just opened and the actual full mall portion was still under construction. As a promotion, Lynn Swann was making an appearance there. So in the same day I got to watch Dan Marino's debut and meet Lynn Swann. The 11 year old OH Pete was in heaven and hooked on Pitt. Little did I know that we were in the home stretch of the golden years of Pitt football at that time.
Lots of heartbreak after that.But I'm still here 45 years later. And Pitt football has become one of the things my kids and I bond over. I 've been taking them to games since they were infants and we still go to every game that their busy schedules will allow, including a couple of bowl games. We are now planning which away game sights we want to go to after my older one graduates college and has the time to go to away games. I'm really looking forward to that. And God willing, one day, my sons, their kids & I will walk through the turnstiles together as another generation become Pitt fans.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Awesome story full of nostalgic moments that only locals could appreciate. "Kaufmans!" "Brand new Century 3 Mall" It's crazy I just seen on the news they are continuing the demolition of it. Thanks for the post.November 3, 1979. My first Pitt game. I was sort of a Pitt fan but also watched Notre Dame (was a big Joe Montana fan since I grew up in the Mon Valley) and PSU. Basically I liked whatever team was on TV and all three of them had highlight shows on Sunday mornings. I started to lean Pitt because of Dorsett (I was 8 his senior year), but no single team fully grabbed me until November 3, 1979 when Pitt played Syracuse.
I remember walking up Cardiac Hill for the first time. My seat was in the bowl end zone (remember, Pitt's endzones were identified by the bowl and the hole) with the scoreboard to my back. Watching the band come out of the hole, then see them sitting in the stands and playing Rock and Roll part 2 with the students chanting "we're gonna beat the hell out of you", hearing Roger Huston roll his R's and the awesome way he said Hugh Green, and his announcements about upcoming events punctuated with "Be there!" at the end. Man, I was hooked.
Turned out it was Dan Marino's first start. Pitt won that day 28-21. On the way home, my Dad stopped at Kaufman's at the brand new Century 3 mall. It had just opened and the actual full mall portion was still under construction. As a promotion, Lynn Swann was making an appearance there. So in the same day I got to watch Dan Marino's debut and meet Lynn Swann. The 11 year old OH Pete was in heaven and hooked on Pitt. Little did I know that we were in the home stretch of the golden years of Pitt football at that time.
But I'm still here 45 years later. And Pitt football has become one of the things my kids and I bond over. I 've been taking them to games since they were infants and we still go to every game that their busy schedules will allow, including a couple of bowl games. We are now planning which away game sights we want to go to after my older one graduates college and has the time to go to away games. I'm really looking forward to that. And God willing, one day, my sons, their kids & I will walk through the turnstiles together as another generation become Pitt fans.
We are the same age. So....here is the exact moment I "fell in love"....was this production watching it as a 11 year old....
Being in the Union watching Palko put the finishing touches on his 5 TD masterpiece in South Bend during my freshman year.
I had been to football games before then, but that game & the bizzaro Fiesta Bowl run that followed made me love Pitt football.
I had been to football games before then, but that game & the bizzaro Fiesta Bowl run that followed made me love Pitt football.
I've rarely heard a crowd compare to a packed Field House going crazy back when it sat ~7,000. The people in the upper decks were so close to the roof the sound reverberating was NUTS
When Pitt had players like Dennis Atiyeh and Dave Puzzuoli.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/01/25/A-University-of-Pittsburgh-football-player-and-a-former/6854443854800/
Seriously it was when I was a student walking up Cardiac Hill with the crowd for games. Never forgot that feeling
This was my first game. Dad was a recent Pitt Grad and my grandfather (Mom's dad) was a huge ND fan. Grandfather talked about ND and how good they were the whole way to the game. I'll never forget the ride home. Grandfather was sitting there steaming and dad had this grin on his face the whole way home. Priceless.
Indeed Karl Farmer was the WR ....... the backup QB who played in that game for Pitt that you asked about was Bob Medwid who came in when the starter, Billy Daniels, went down with a bad knee injury.
I'm pretty sure that is the game that I watched on closed circuit TV in the Syria Mosque in Oakland with about 3,500 other Pitt students/fans.
My father was a Pitt graduate and big sports fan (Pirates, Steelers, and especially Pitt athletics, he loved Pitt !) ..... he instilled a love of sports in me starting when I was 5-6 years old including Pitt sports ....... the first Pitt game I remember watching on TV was the 12/56 Gator Bowl against Georgia Tech remembering that Pitt lost to Georgia Tech in the 1/56 Sugar Bowl that "mike412" mentioned, I was 7 years old ...... while watching that Gator Bowl game, my older sister who was born in Georgia bet me a dime that GT would win ..... I accepted the bet and had to pay her when GT won 21-14 ....... that is the last time I ever bet on a sporting event but have never wavered in my love for and faith in Pitt to this day !
There is a story about the Golden Panthers and Majors 1 that I like to tell ...... when Majors came in and the Golden Panthers were formed, almost every county in western Pa. had a chapter of the Golden Panthers ..... I grew up in Indiana, Pa. and my father and I attended the first meeting of the Indiana County Golden Panthers ..... Majors and Sherrill were there along with 2 Indiana High School grads on the Pitt football team at the time, Dennis Moorhead and Bill Vitale ...... there were maybe 35 or so attending and they had a Happy Hour followed by a dinner and finally a meeting where Majors talked about the program, his plans, and the need for donations. etc. ...... what a dynamic speaker and he had the group really pumped ....... one of the attendees was on old time general practitioner physician still practicing medicine in his 80's ..... he had played football for Pitt under Pop Warner and was a teammate of Jock Sutherland ..... during the meeting, he put his head on the table and fell asleep or it seemed ...... as the meeting went on, he didn't move and I wasn't sure if he was breathing, I thought he may have passed away and was about to check on him but the meeting was almost over ...... Majors was talking about donations and some guy stands up in the front row and said he didn't think he could donate since he went to dental school at Pitt but was a Penn State undergraduate ...... there was silence in the room, the mood changed dramatically for the worse, Majors and Sherrill were speechless ...... BUT the 80 some year old doctor/former Pitt player who I was worried died during the meeting upon hearing the words "Penn State" literally jumped out of his seat, with a mean look on his face and pointing a menacing finger at the Penn State undergrad/Pitt dental school grad said "Buddy, I don't know who you think you are but I'll tell you one thing for sure, you didn't learn a damn thing until you went to dental school" ...... the room broke out in joyous laughter, "Go Pitt" chants were heard and when I looked up Majors and Sherrill had the biggest grins I've ever seen ! ..... numerous donations were secured that night and Majors/Sherrill understood the Pitt/Penn State rivalry a little better.
There is a story about the Golden Panthers and Majors 1 that I like to tell ...... when Majors came in and the Golden Panthers were formed, almost every county in western Pa. had a chapter of the Golden Panthers ..... I grew up in Indiana, Pa. and my father and I attended the first meeting of the Indiana County Golden Panthers ..... Majors and Sherrill were there along with 2 Indiana High School grads on the Pitt football team at the time, Dennis Moorhead and Bill Vitale ...... there were maybe 35 or so attending and they had a Happy Hour followed by a dinner and finally a meeting where Majors talked about the program, his plans, and the need for donations. etc. ...... what a dynamic speaker and he had the group really pumped ....... one of the attendees was on old time general practitioner physician still practicing medicine in his 80's ..... he had played football for Pitt under Pop Warner and was a teammate of Jock Sutherland ..... during the meeting, he put his head on the table and fell asleep or it seemed ...... as the meeting went on, he didn't move and I wasn't sure if he was breathing, I thought he may have passed away and was about to check on him but the meeting was almost over ...... Majors was talking about donations and some guy stands up in the front row and said he didn't think he could donate since he went to dental school at Pitt but was a Penn State undergraduate ...... there was silence in the room, the mood changed dramatically for the worse, Majors and Sherrill were speechless ...... BUT the 80 some year old doctor/former Pitt player who I was worried died during the meeting upon hearing the words "Penn State" literally jumped out of his seat, with a mean look on his face and pointing a menacing finger at the Penn State undergrad/Pitt dental school grad said "Buddy, I don't know who you think you are but I'll tell you one thing for sure, you didn't learn a damn thing until you went to dental school" ...... the room broke out in joyous laughter, "Go Pitt" chants were heard and when I looked up Majors and Sherrill had the biggest grins I've ever seen ! ..... numerous donations were secured that night and Majors/Sherrill understood the Pitt/Penn State rivalry a little better.
I think Boo and Horse Czarnecki were my all-time Pitt favorite people along with Beano.
Greatest game I've ever seen. I remember telling myself...he's killing these dudes. And when it was announced over the PA that Hawk had 303..I was like holy chit!!
When TD got to 303, they pulled him and the place went nuts when they took him out. He crushed them in 76 at South Bend, too.
I wonder if the 4 games still is the biggest yardage for ANY career??
