I was on the espn message boards during those days
Migrated here after graduation in 2002 and leaving the area
Migrated here after graduation in 2002 and leaving the area
Roll Call & a Trip Down Memory Lane: Frank Sokol's Unauthorized Pitt Sports Message Board
- Thread starter DT_PITT
- Start date
I seem to recall that you had a different handle at the beginning. Or where you always souf?
Man. And here I felt like an old timer but I didn’t get here til 09.
Like Souf, I was an ESPN guy in the early 00s.
As someone said though, the early internet days were wild. I remember the first internet community I really got involved in. Good times.
Like Souf, I was an ESPN guy in the early 00s.
As someone said though, the early internet days were wild. I remember the first internet community I really got involved in. Good times.
Yeah, I was on the boards since back then as well but didn’t post, just lurked to keep up on things.
And that is definitely an appropriate description if Brian.
I think it was Brian2001 and then I think he was IronWorks. I never understood how a poster that committed to the original message boards, even though he drove me nuts with defending Walt for everything, for Pitt just disappears. Unless he has a different handle on Pantherlair.
Frank had an "Unauthorized Pitt Football Information Page" and an "Unauthorized Pitt Basketball Information Page" but only one combined message board. By 2000, this been absorbed and turned into the Blue and Gold Insider Message Boards on the earliest interation of Rivals that had both a football and basketball forum.
At the time Frank's board was winding down, there was a shift in activity to PLCP's boards which originated from his own personal website but hosted on grassy.com. There was a separate football and basketball board (and also PSU and WVU rivalry boards) which were eventually known as the "Lair" and then "Pantherlair.com". This was eventually hosted on aliancesports.com, or some such endeavor. At some point I think rivals bought out alliancesports and/or brought PLCP on and subsumed the "pantherlair" domain name and added a premium board. Later, someone at rivals accidentally let the domain name expire and some squatting/redirect company snatched it up which is why it became panther-lair.com
Here's an archive of my earlier sites which have links to some of these earlier sites.
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I doubt he is here under a different handle because his writing style was unmistakable. teh, teh. These forums are so addicting that I always fear something bad, as in Geno's case, happened when posters suddenly disappear. I hope that Brian is well and in his stadium seat for the opener.
I was on as DaytonPanther or JETuohey and enjoyed many a morning before the family woke up reading comments. It was nice for us "out-of-towners" to get more coverage and gossip. Bought a few tapes too. Brian delivered all of mine.
I feel the same way about Delpanther but I suspect that he may have been banned.
Was just looking at the Paco page.
Wyndell. He sat behind me at Pitt Stadium. Got into a spot of trouble as I recall. Wonder if he ever came back under a different name.
I discovered the PITT messages boards in January 1998. (22 years now---wow!)
I have had three names that I know of since logging into the boards. I first registered as B'More Xpress (moved to Baltimore in March of 98.) Then switched my handle to I-83 panther for a brief time. Finally settled with Pittparade and have been posting with that name for at least 18 years.
We used to have live chats through Frank Sokol's message board often meeting once a week, like a live classroom, even if a game was not being played. Sokol would often attend and participate. Somebody used to log into the chats as 1st and 10. He/she seemed to be pretty well connected to what was happening fb recruiting wise. That was fun getting some interesting recruiting information long before the general public would learn about it.
Once met PLCP before a PITT fb game way back in the Walt Harris era.
I guess we can say that people like us that logged in the message boards in the 1990's were the pioneers of social media, right?
I have had three names that I know of since logging into the boards. I first registered as B'More Xpress (moved to Baltimore in March of 98.) Then switched my handle to I-83 panther for a brief time. Finally settled with Pittparade and have been posting with that name for at least 18 years.
We used to have live chats through Frank Sokol's message board often meeting once a week, like a live classroom, even if a game was not being played. Sokol would often attend and participate. Somebody used to log into the chats as 1st and 10. He/she seemed to be pretty well connected to what was happening fb recruiting wise. That was fun getting some interesting recruiting information long before the general public would learn about it.
Once met PLCP before a PITT fb game way back in the Walt Harris era.
I guess we can say that people like us that logged in the message boards in the 1990's were the pioneers of social media, right?
I've been lurking and occasionally posting since the Sokol and plcp boards. Information was hard to come by in the early days -- a combination of the PPG, talk radio, and a few connections in the programs. I remember that I was helping a friend move the day that Ron Powlus committed and running to the car for "top of the hour" updates. We ended up with his teammate, but neither won two Heismans.
Conference realignment was a crazy time. Constant rumors about teams in and teams out, Villanova and UConn jumping up, Temple being ousted, the ACC raid, the reconstituted Big East, and the sensationalist rumors of Penn State and/or ND forming a new conference.
Tech Sideline and Vernon Bailey's Mountaineer Message Boards were great sources of information in the day with some good fans. I also greatly enjoyed the Shuless Hillbilli board, which had some great self-deprecating humor. I once pointed out a picture of Shuless with shoes, which he promptly fixed and then replied that I must have had "bad burrito."
I miss the reliable characters -- brian, PittLaw, TOP, Simmerdunna (on the BB board).
Anyone remember Frankes -- "Shine the ships!"
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Great times back then always looked forward to DT & BMan basketball reviews. Brian would get everyone fired up and Simerduna telling us about Chevy Troutman.
"Steve Pederson, currently the associate athletic director at Nebraska, will succeed Oval Jaynes as Pittsburgh's athletic director. Pederson was selected after a two-month search that followed Jaynes' resignation. Pederson now faces the task of rebuilding what once was one of the East's top collegiate programs. Pederson formerly was current football coach Johnny Majors' recruiting coordinator at Tennessee. He held the same job at Ohio State. "We again want to be the top program in the East, but you don't make grand promises unless you have grand plans in place," Pederson said. "We have big plans. I believe in building a solid foundation and that's what we're going to do here." Pederson will take over Dec. 1."
Someone please save us!!!!
I guess his big plans were getting rid of Pitt Stadium, and forbidding us from calling Pitt, Pitt.
Someone please save us!!!!
I guess his big plans were getting rid of Pitt Stadium, and forbidding us from calling Pitt, Pitt.
Thanks for clarifying all those early days, CP. your memory is impressive. It’s hard to believe but it’s been almost a quarter century since the boards started!!! Where does the time go.
I thought Of Wyndell Williams just last week. For some reason I had his contact info and I was deleting a bunch of entries no longer needed including his. What happened was that he was arrested and plead guilty to molesting a kid or child pornography or something similar and wound up in the clink. As I recall he did have news about local recruits especially in the City League. I think he might have been one of the first guys to report Brandon Williams was going to commit to Pitt back in 1997(?) when Walt Harris became Coach.
I always started out as Owtahear. Then, in deference to the great, or maybe decently average U2 bassist, I was Adam_Clayton.
I remember as a kid, I had to be like 13 or 14, and getting a "Blue Chips" Magazine that went over recruiting. Dan Marino and John Elway were the cover boys.
What ever happened to Lee Corso's Rental Car?
I also remember when Dokish used to post on here before he spun off his own blog. I've been kicking around the idea of taking Sean Miller Fan big-time. I'm talking blog, podcast, YouTube channel, premium content, weekly interviews with a Miller family member. What do you guys think?
I also remember when Dokish used to post on here before he spun off his own blog. I've been kicking around the idea of taking Sean Miller Fan big-time. I'm talking blog, podcast, YouTube channel, premium content, weekly interviews with a Miller family member. What do you guys think?
Still here don't post much. I even remember reading a board hosted by a Syracuse fan (Tholtsbery) before Frank's board. Is RicoDe still around?
I was on those boards — mainly looking for any tidbit of info on Pitt football and Pitt recruiting.
But I can’t remember what name I would have posted under...
Go Pitt.
But I can’t remember what name I would have posted under...
Go Pitt.
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