While you are certainly entitled to your opinion, I could not disagree with you more. Pat Narduzzi (and I am a supporter of the man) cares as much about the Pitt football program as Dave Wannstedt did. He is not perfect and when he makes bad decisions, he should be held accountable for those actions. That being said, if the Pitt athletic department had more people working there with his passion for the Pitt football program, we'd all be much happier.
Nobody goes to the games so Narduzzi is laughing ...........
- Thread starter FieldHouse12
- Start date
you really should have qualified your post. It was kind of dead while you were there. You obviously left after sweet caroline because the 4th quarter was loud. I don't begrudge you for leaving with a sick kid, it is good you are introducing young fans. That's how I got started.
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Anyone blaming the lack of fan support on anyone other than the school itself is misguided. The problem is that Pitt Fb has been at best mediocre since Jackie Sherill and that’s been just about 40 yrs ago ! Sure there have been some great players who’ve played for the Panthers since then , but the teams constantly lose important home games . While I’m sure everyone involved with the program wants the team to be far more successful than it is the university seems to be quite content to be a mediocre program . PN has demonstrated over his time here that he’s at best an average HC and does an average HC get the extension he got ? I’ve given up on the idea that Pitt Fb will ever be relevant on a national scene , but I’m holding out hope that Pitt bb under JC will .
You are wrong. Good coaches and players want to play for big-time programs that receive support. It takes money to run a big business. Teams like Pitt and BC will never be big players in football because of lack of support from its fans and alumni.
The notion that there were anywhere close to 47,900 people there is laughable. The notion that the place was half full, which would be about 34,000 is not nearly as laughable, but it's still way off.
Most of those sections aren't even close to half full. And that's the home side, where more people were sitting than on the visitors side.
Most of those sections aren't even close to half full. And that's the home side, where more people were sitting than on the visitors side.
35 years will cause lots of apathy, has in our family, we have tickets but thought other games were worth staying home to watch, we are in 111 CC
So ok your the AD at Pitt and you realize your Fb team doesn't recieve the support from the alumni equal to other similiar programs what are your solutions to the problem ? Whine and complain about it , or why don't you run it like a business and invest in it yourself . Put 10 million of your own money into the coaching staff and win some Fb games and watch HF fill up that's what you do . It's an investment. Why should other people put money up if you won't ? Bottom line is that Pitt is happy being medicore and collecting ACC money .
There aren’t enough Pitt alums and fans that care about Pitt football. It simply isn’t a priority like it is at a lot of other schools. It sucks for the Diehard fans that are out there, but that is the truth of the matter. Pitt Stadium wasn’t full when we were a Top 5 program in the country. The Steelers are #1 in this town, and you will see how awful things are when we play UNC on Th.
In the final analysis, it's the players and coaches, or lack of them, that determines the excitement level at the games. Fans react, nothing else.
And to add to that, there are quite a few old-time, diehard alums and fans who are losing interest quickly. I have historically attended all of the home games but haven't this year for various reasons. I've only attended 3 home games so far and I doubt I'm going to be at any more this year. Too many other things I'm doing (job, doing things around the house and with my wife, etc.). Pitt football has lost a lot of importance to us old-time diehards.
The students were real loud but many of the remaining fans just sat on their hands.
Some PITT fans don't like noise and get mad when others make noise at the game. I say if you're one of them stay home PITT doesn't need you.
Even when they honored the military personnel the applause was low level.
Some made more noise for the guy throwing the football for $ 1mill than they did for the PITT team.
Not good fans= bad fans.
Wait. You stated the coaches have no confidence in the offense. Then in the very next paragraph you state how we continue to have turnovers and dumb penalties.
Maybe there is a connection there.
I'm not defending the offensive series with 3 runs and almost 5 minutes to go. I thought that was piss poor game management as well. Pitt is probably finish with 8 or 9 wins. That's a damn good year.
Our family is one you are speaking of.... We started in 60s with 20 going religiously, then when we came along, siblings in the early 70s, we had about 25 at one point, today, we might have 2. Nobody died etc, people would rather cut grass etc , use time more wisely, but they find time for Steelers on Sunday's. In fact some laugh at me for still getting invested each year.
I agree and that’s why I’ve just given up on thinking Pitt will ever be a real factor in college Fb with the current circumstances.
Had Pitt been able to keep the mo from the Major and Sherrill yrs and continue to win they could’ve built a solid foundation . It takes a long term approach to build a loyal fan base but and it’s a big but you have to win .
And that is Pitt’s “loyal” fan base in a nutshell. Pitt fans and alums simply do not care enough, and that is why the program has been stuck in mediocrity. Fans and alums at schools that we compete with for talent would do whatever they could to get tickets. They go out of their way to support their program.
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Students and band are always great
it’s a big part of why we’ve stayed in the north club for years
We like the proximity to the best atmosphere areas
Whoa! That was my exact section and row from 2001 through 2011, when I let them go. I can't remember the exact seat numbers, but I'm sure I could find an old ticket stub somewhere.
I attended my first game at Heinz since 2010 yesterday, and bought tickets on stub hub just so I could get as close as possible. I was in 111 row X yesterday with my 2 kiddos, who I am trying to convert to Panther fans.
Except for the outcome, we had a great time. I thought the atmosphere was great. The crowd size was pretty much exactly what I excpected. It was a lively crowd throughout the 4th qtr. ...I thought the piped in music/noise was a bit much. That was my only complaint.
Don't pin the mediocrity on Pitt fans, especially us loyal Pitt fans. That's misplaced guilt. The mediocrity of the Pitt football program is based on poor recruiting and mediocre coaches. That's squarely on the program, no one else. For us staunch, loyal fans who used to bring 20 or so with them back in the 70's and who made this program what it was back then, we've understood this fact and know that there are more important things to do than watch a mediocre football team. To be honest, the games take way to long now. There isn't time for that.
As for the other programs, that just proves where their priorities are. I don't care what they do.
The fans and their support are the foundation for the program. They go hand in hand. That is why certain schools are never down for an extended period of time. There is no guilt. I am just stating the truth as to why we have been mediocre for so long. We are similar to teams like BC.
What do you think a recruit and their family think when they experience a home game at the following places: Heinz, Ohio St, Penn St, ND, Michigan, and Clemson?
Come on. Firstly, he cares. Every coach cares and wants to win. They have egos, competitive spirits, and an inherant loyalty to the program. Secondly, there were a lot more than 35k in the stands (announced at 47,900+). Listen, Pitt fans are disappointed but to post like this is not cool.
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Major League Soccer would disagree. Their move away from empty NFL stadiums to 20K seat packed stadiums revitalized the league.
Look at the picture I posted. The idea that there were even 35,000 people there, which would essentially mean half full, is ridiculous.
Chicken or egg. Do you realize how many times we have won 5 games straight in the last 30 years? THREE TIMES!!! Do you realize we have not lost more than 3 games in any season since 1981? ZERO! The Steelers play 16 game regular seasons and they have more seasons with less than 3 losses. Winning builds a brand and a fanbase. Again, blaming attendance and not understand why the people of the 412/724 and Pitt alums don't want to spend a Saturday afternoon watching mediocre college football makes you an idiot.
And every one of those other teams does not compete with a pro football franchise in the city where they play. If you're in some podunk town with nothing else to do sportswise except college football, like O$U or PissU or any of the places you stated, and if you like football, you go to the college football games. And even though Columbus may be considered a decent sized city, they have no sports except for O$U and maybe the Blue Jackets in hockey. I've been to Clemson on numerous occasions and believe me, there is nothing else to do down there in sports except be a fan of Clemson. Those towns all have captive audiences for college sports. In Pittsburgh, people can spend their $$$ on a lot more than Pitt sports, and they do. That's understandable.
You can't blame the fans for this. I think it's a combination of the location of the college sports teams and the quality of the programs. Fans can do nothing about either and have no influence on either.
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It starts with winning and making the Fb games the thing to do for the students . The students become alumni and some of them buy tickets and become donors . Do that over an extended amount of time and you’ll eventually have a filled stadium and enough money to compete . It will take years . Play lousy Fb and lose most of your big games at home and people will find other things to do . It won’t happen overnight , but it won’t happen until there’s a team on the field that excites students and fans .
Watch the Pete start to fill up again over the next few seasons as JC brings in better players and starts winning , this isn’t rocket science win and compete at a high level and everything else will follow .
Watch the Pete start to fill up again over the next few seasons as JC brings in better players and starts winning , this isn’t rocket science win and compete at a high level and everything else will follow .
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Apathy is caused by games like Saturday. If Pitt looks crummy but still wins, they're in first place this morning and starting to separate from the rest of the Coastal. Instead, every sports guy in Pittsburgh will dust off the article they've been waiting to drop all year long to lament that Pitt is still Pitt. Think about it, if this board can't get through a prediction thread last week without worrying that Pitt would do this, what do you think the casual fan is thinking?
true, add in the this is a pro-sports town and not a campus where it is the only show in town and the situation is magnified intensely. This town understands a playoff chase. Playing for a spot in the Pinstripe bowl will attract only the 30K die-hards (which isn't bad all things considered, just looks bad in the current stadium but that's been debated ad-naseum).
You need a playoff chase to get the yinzers off the couch. But even then, that won't help much in the current year. Attendance is driven by season tickets, not walk-ups. So you need a year or two of contention which creates buzz in the off-season which in turn generates more season ticket sales.
I’ve seen this perspective so many times on this board, and it still makes zero sense. PSU just packed 110k in their stadium last home game. 20k are students. Do you think the remaining 90k are residents of State College and the surrounding farmlands?
No. PSU’s fans come from all over PA, NJ, NY, DC, MD, and VA. These guys are fans of the Steelers, Eagles, Jets, Giants, Redskins, and Ravens. And that’s just in football. And that’s just the surrounding states. They have fans flying in from all over the country. You don’t think they have pro teams in those cities?
The pro team excuse is just that, another excuse. People can cheer for a college team AND a pro team. Give them a winner and they will cheer.
No. PSU’s fans come from all over PA, NJ, NY, DC, MD, and VA. These guys are fans of the Steelers, Eagles, Jets, Giants, Redskins, and Ravens. And that’s just in football. And that’s just the surrounding states. They have fans flying in from all over the country. You don’t think they have pro teams in those cities?
The pro team excuse is just that, another excuse. People can cheer for a college team AND a pro team. Give them a winner and they will cheer.
We were watching a “stinker” on Saturday. What did you expect from the crowd.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Total enrollment is 90k+. They churn out students like a factory. You're bound to generate a little interest that way. While I agree putting a winner on the field is important, it's not all that's going on there.
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