Well, good luck and enjoy the healthy hate game that some say is not a Rivalry, I see it as nothing but that among both Universities and Programs and WVU too. i have a Cooper Rock Picnic and leaving now. No matter which Teams win the Universities are better together when competing in Sports and uniting on Research and both serve the Commonwealth in ways that is a tribute to all the Alumni, as I see it.
Excerpt:
When Jackie Sherrill replaced Johnny Majors as Pitt coach in 1977, he contacted Paterno about getting their staffs together. “He didn't say no,” Sherrill said. “He didn't say anything.” A year later, Sherrill spotted a Penn State academic representative on campus, asking Pitt administrators about how the university treats its student-athletes. (Paterno viewed Pitt as a competitive threat after the Panthers won the national title in 1976.) Sherrill immediately called Paterno and asked why he hadn't been apprised of the visit. “I said, ‘I tried to get together with you when I first got here,' ” Sherrill said he told Paterno. “He said, ‘I didn't need you then. I need you now.' “I blurted back — I was young and aggressive — ‘Well, I don't need you now.' ” He said Paterno told him, “I thought I would squash you and chase you away.”
Decades later, Paterno invited Sherrill and his wife to State College for a football weekend. “I joked with him, and we made amends. Fortunately, he liked my wife,” Sherrill said.
Sherrill, 2-3 against Paterno but 50-9-1 overall, said, “We made coach Paterno work harder than he ever worked. It wasn't a good marriage because you're taking the king of the mountain off the mountain. “It's like two pro boxers trying to get the title at the same time. They certainly don't say nice things about each other.”
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11078190-74/pitt-state-penn
Excerpt:
When Jackie Sherrill replaced Johnny Majors as Pitt coach in 1977, he contacted Paterno about getting their staffs together. “He didn't say no,” Sherrill said. “He didn't say anything.” A year later, Sherrill spotted a Penn State academic representative on campus, asking Pitt administrators about how the university treats its student-athletes. (Paterno viewed Pitt as a competitive threat after the Panthers won the national title in 1976.) Sherrill immediately called Paterno and asked why he hadn't been apprised of the visit. “I said, ‘I tried to get together with you when I first got here,' ” Sherrill said he told Paterno. “He said, ‘I didn't need you then. I need you now.' “I blurted back — I was young and aggressive — ‘Well, I don't need you now.' ” He said Paterno told him, “I thought I would squash you and chase you away.”
Decades later, Paterno invited Sherrill and his wife to State College for a football weekend. “I joked with him, and we made amends. Fortunately, he liked my wife,” Sherrill said.
Sherrill, 2-3 against Paterno but 50-9-1 overall, said, “We made coach Paterno work harder than he ever worked. It wasn't a good marriage because you're taking the king of the mountain off the mountain. “It's like two pro boxers trying to get the title at the same time. They certainly don't say nice things about each other.”
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11078190-74/pitt-state-penn
