Scheduling ? for the old-timers in here

[cbpitt2]

How was Pitt able to get USC (the Trojans not the Gamecocks) to play a game here in 1974 at the height of USC's play?

The two schools have not met since. The last game between Pitt and USC prior to 1974 was @ USC in 1965. That doesn't sound like a home-and-home arrangement spread out over 10 seasons.

Btw, as Myron might have said the Major Majors in his second year at Pitt, his young squad held their own losing 16-7 against the powerful Trojans.

 

[Panther_in_Kentucky]

How was Pitt able to get USC (the Trojans not the Gamecocks) to play a game here in 1974 at the height of USC's play?

The two schools have not met since. The last game between Pitt and USC prior to 1974 was @ USC in 1965. That doesn't sound like a home-and-home arrangement spread out over 10 seasons.

Btw, as Myron might have said the Major Majors in his second year at Pitt, his young squad held their own losing 16-7 against the powerful Trojans.

I was in attendance as a teenager. I recall the program headline was TD vs AD ( Tony Dorsett vs. Anthony Davis ). Pitt also played UCLA in the 1970's as well I believe.

 

[HOF Coach]

This was PITT's 1972 schedule (my freshmen year). To watch a home schedule like this in person, I thought that I died and went to heaven! By the way, UCLA's QB was Mark Harmon of NCIS fame. Mark's Dad, Tom Harmon, played at Michigan and won the Heisman Trophy.

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
Sat. Sep. 9 1:30 p.m. No. 19 Florida State Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA L 7–19
Sat. Sep. 16 1:30 p.m. No. 8 UCLA Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA L 28–38
Sat. Sep. 23 3:30 p.m. at Air Force Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO L 13–41
Sat. Sept. 30 1:30 p.m. Northwestern Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA L 22–27
Sat. Oct. 7 8:30 p.m. at Tulane Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA L 6–38
Sat. Oct. 14 1:30 p.m. at No. 7 Notre Dame Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Rivalry) L 16–42
Sat. Oct. 21 1:30 p.m. Boston College Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 35–20
Sat. Oct. 28 1:30 p.m. at Syracuse Archbold Stadium • Syracuse, NY (Rivalry) L 6–10
Sat. Nov. 4 1:30 p.m. West Virginia

Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl) L 20–38
Sat. Nov. 11 1:30 p.m. at Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD L 13–28
Sat. Nov. 25 1:30 p.m. at No. 6 Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (Rivalry) L 27-49

 

[oldpanther]

I was in attendance as a teenager. I recall the program headline was TD vs AD ( Tony Dorsett vs. Anthony Davis ). Pitt also played UCLA in the 1970's as well I believe.

Pitt played UCLA going back into the 1950's home and home, also played during the 1960's. USC only made the one visit that I am aware of.

 

[Pittx9]

This was PITT's 1972 schedule (my freshmen year). To watch a home schedule like this in person, I thought that I died and went to heaven! By the way, UCLA's QB was Mark Harmon of NCIS fame. Mark's Dad, Tom Harmon, played at Michigan and won the Heisman Trophy.

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
Sat. Sep. 9 1:30 p.m. No. 19 Florida State Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA L 7–19
Sat. Sep. 16 1:30 p.m. No. 8 UCLA Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA L 28–38
Sat. Sep. 23 3:30 p.m. at Air Force Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO L 13–41
Sat. Sept. 30 1:30 p.m. Northwestern Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA L 22–27
Sat. Oct. 7 8:30 p.m. at Tulane Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA L 6–38
Sat. Oct. 14 1:30 p.m. at No. 7 Notre Dame Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Rivalry) L 16–42
Sat. Oct. 21 1:30 p.m. Boston College Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 35–20
Sat. Oct. 28 1:30 p.m. at Syracuse Archbold Stadium • Syracuse, NY (Rivalry) L 6–10
Sat. Nov. 4 1:30 p.m. West Virginia

Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl) L 20–38
Sat. Nov. 11 1:30 p.m. at Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD L 13–28
Sat. Nov. 25 1:30 p.m. at No. 6 Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (Rivalry) L 27-49

Great schedule, no doubt. But Pitt won one game that year and you thought you were in heaven?

 

[21Guns.]

Prior to 1984 the NCAA of CFA (made up of 63 major programs) controlled all tv rights. This severely limited tv broadcasts. This was a major problem particularly for west coast programs. Because the major media outlets were in the east there was a major east coast bias. Therefore schools like USC would often schedule games for exposure in the east. They didn’t necessary want a home game in return.

 

[HOF Coach]

Great schedule, no doubt. But Pitt won one game that year and you thought you were in heaven?

Oh, it was painful to watch that PITT team play, for sure. This was the era before scholarship limits were enacted. So, for example, Notre Dame's 4th team was better than our 1st team! Notre Dame would offer as many really good players that would commit just so that their competition couldn't sign them. So players that would be starters for just about any other college team, were buried on their bench.

But it was "heaven" because this was the time before ESPN and other cable sports channels existed. Nor were there mobile phones, nor the internet, where you could check on a score of LIVE action whenever you wanted to.

Therefore, there was ONE college football national "game of the week" broadcasted on ABC on Saturday afternoons. That was it! Then we would watch the "Prudential College Football Scoreboard Show", where they had wall after wall of games posted (scoreboards), and host Dave Dial would show final scores or live updated scores from other time zones as they occurred. And we would watch that scoreboard show for an hour because that was where we would learn if we won our bets with a bookie or not...

So to see teams, like UCLA, FSU and even Navy in person was a thrill because our exposure to them was so limited. Typically, only rivalry games of national interest were broadcasted on TV (Ohio State/Michigan, USC/UCLA, Oklahoma/Nebraska, PITT/Penn State, Texas/Arkansas, Army/Navy, etc.). Other than that, we had to rely on newspaper and radio coverage and our weekly copy of Sports Illustrated to keep up to date with college football.

Dang, suddenly I feel so old at age 64. My how much the world has changed just in my lifetime!

 

[paulbl99]

How was Pitt able to get USC (the Trojans not the Gamecocks) to play a game here in 1974 at the height of USC's play?

The two schools have not met since. The last game between Pitt and USC prior to 1974 was @ USC in 1965. That doesn't sound like a home-and-home arrangement spread out over 10 seasons.

Btw, as Myron might have said the Major Majors in his second year at Pitt, his young squad held their own losing 16-7 against the powerful Trojans.

Was there.
MNC team in town with a ton of talent.

Good question about why they were here

....in the 60s Pitt was one of the few if perhaps only team to play on the West Coast( from the East Coast)having USC/UCLA / Udub on the schedule with regularity....usually out there although Gary Beban and UCLA played here....

Maybe they “owed” one we got from them delayed a few yrs.