So which is it?

[pittdan77]

I've watched with some fascination the last few days over what has been unfolding with the basketball program and we're all very familiar with what happened with football over the last thirty years. Listening to the local media, I'm not really sure what a Pitt fan is supposed to think anymore.

We've been criticized for not supporting our programs and for being very passive about the lack of success in football and the failure of the basketball program to break through and become a top flight program. (After all, we're a basketball school....rolls eyes).

So now Jamie has decided going to TCU and I've heard nothing but how unappreciative and spoiled the fan base has become. I listened to how silly we are for celebrating recruiting success when it wasn't even a top 20 class. Almost a "know your place" attitude.

Just curious if anyone else gets this vibe?

 

[Swervin27]

I've watched with some fascination the last few days over what has been unfolding with the basketball program and we're all very familiar with what happened with football over the last thirty years. Listening to the local media, I'm not really sure what a Pitt fan is supposed to think anymore.

We've been criticized for not supporting our programs and for being very passive about the lack of success in football and the failure of the basketball program to break through and become a top flight program. (After all, we're a basketball school....rolls eyes).

So now Jamie has decided going to TCU and I've heard nothing but how unappreciative and spoiled the fan base has become. I listened to how silly we are for celebrating recruiting success when it wasn't even a top 20 class. Almost a "know your place" attitude.

Just curious if anyone else gets this vibe?

im still trying to comprehend the news that Dixon has been talking with tcu for over a week now, before the wiscy game...

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

I've watched with some fascination the last few days over what has been unfolding with the basketball program and we're all very familiar with what happened with football over the last thirty years. Listening to the local media, I'm not really sure what a Pitt fan is supposed to think anymore. We've been criticized for not supporting our programs and for being very passive about the lack of success in football and the failure of the basketball program to break through and become a top flight program. (After all, we're a basketball school....rolls eyes). So now Jamie has decided going to TCU and I've heard nothing but how unappreciative and spoiled the fan base has become. I listened to how silly we are for celebrating recruiting success when it wasn't even a top 20 class. Almost a "know your place" attitude. Just curious if anyone else gets this vibe?

Very good point, and the local sports doomsters versus the never believers are to be ignored now that Pitt is in the ACC. It is and always been up to Pitt to change Pitt Athletics and not react to any media, beliefs, and past practices. If Pitt wants to be, 'PITT IS IT!", again, it is up to only Pitt.

Chancellor Gallagher, Circle of Pitt Tradition Advisers, Athletic Director Barnes with Coach Pat Narduzzi will rebuild Football first like TCU, Wisconsin, MSU, Baylor, USC and any University Athletic Department knows has to come first and foremost now and Basketball will follow not lead anymore. Even Indiana, UNC, Duke, Kansas, Illinois, and UCLA know that to be true now and they are trying too.

The ACC Fruitful Guarantee Revenues that are certain and productive brings that kind of stable budgetary planning and goals to do what has been done elsewhere with far less tradition, histories and resources like Baylor or TCU.

It was quite easy to rebuild Pitt Football in 1972 and Chancellor Posvar was able to find and retain the right people to do it. But once done it was far harder to maintain and build on it due to changing events in NCAA Football landscape.

Finding good coaches was easy to rebuild the Football Program and faster back in those days. However, selecting the wrong people and a poor Athletic Director caused a slower downfall during and as Posvar's was getting ready for retirement.

It took another Chancellor in Nordenberg just to return Pitt to winning and making compromises on building facilities that were needed and lacking resources to do it. But Pederson came to Pitt just to become an A.D. with no intent to stay at Pitt either.

Pederson gave up Pitt Past Traditions and tried creating a New Pitt in his image and he lacked both visions at Pitt and at Nebraska? He did anything in the short termto get him the Nebraska A.D. job for his long term, and he failed to stay long there too.

One can't blame it all on him either. The Big East was an unstable conference formation of Catholic Basketball Programs and smaller Urban and Private/Semi-Private Secular Schools at a time when CFB was growing in Revenues beyond any imaginations. It was hard to find and keep Athletic Directors let alone Coaches that came to leave not stay?

Pederson knew it was easier to build a Basketball Program in the Big East and that was his goal al along until he could leave. Pederson was just a rebuilding Football A.D. at Pitt and not good Football A.D either at Nebraska. He was only brought back to Pitt because no one wanted him and Nordenberg wanted out of BEC. The ACC Swofford flawed first expansion did not destroy the Big East and needed a second expansion that brought Pitt, Cuse, ULou and ND into it. Sports Pundits like Kooking Baloney Show never remember that and just blame Pitt and forget how their mouths smell from such garbage they espouse on Pitt.

After 2002 Howland/Pederson leaving, 2003 ACC Expansion, 2004 Harris/Long leaving and BEC Expansion with Wannstedt, Nordenberg was left to not just try to rebuild the Football Program on his own, but to deal with Big East surviving as a BCS Conference. Nordenberg choosing Dixon was a risk that paid off big time.

When Pederson returned, this is why Dixon had such a long Contract with a Big Buyout! Still, Chancellor Gallagher, Pitt Tradition Advisers, Narduzzi,and Barnes are looking to the future not walking in the past anymore. Dixon is going out to a pasture where if they just win he stays forever, and that is easier than being in the ACC now.

I posted a while ago how TCU A.D. talked about how to rebuild and advance a Smaller Private Urban University when I went to a conference listening to him. He brought up Jamie Dixon's name as how one Alumnus's Advice can help do that and how Dixon did help TCU get into the Big East and then Big-12. Pederson had no such Pitt Alumni Football Advisers and if he did he did not listen to them.

TCU A.D. Del Conte.was clear then he wanted Jamie Dixon to come back to TCU. But he always said it what came first was the TCU President's Boschini Vision for TCU Football & Basketball and judgment in finding the right people that embraced that vision and finding coaches that will stay there too. TCU has the right President, A.D. and FB Coach in Patterson and now they have Dixon that knows them better than he knows Gallagher and Barnes now.

Contrast that to Pederson that only wanted a A.D. job so he could go to Nebraska and always took care of himself before any Program at Pitt or NU? He came to Pitt to leave Pitt and Nebraska never welcomed him Home with overpaid Consultant's New Images for NU, so he came back to Pitt and did even worse, except for the Nordenberg's ACC Goal!

In my opinion, Pitt has the "Right People" from Top to Down now in Chancellor Gallagher, A.D. Barnes, and Coach Pat Narduzzi with a Great Circle of Advisors that embraces Pitt Tradition and Past now to build upon Pitt Football and Basketball futures.

Chancellor Gallagher's has a great vision to build with ACC Revenues for the future with way better judgment knowing Football is first and Basketball is still very important but finding the right people that want to be at Pitt and stay at Pitt is what it takes now.

I love watching Local Sport's Pundits be wrong and why I can't listen to Kooking Baloney, KDKA Fan Morning Worthless Show that talks about themselves more than sports, and only listen to Starkey, Zeise and Chris Peak with NPR/PBS before and afterwards and in between!

Dixon leaving Pitt is now completely Chancellor Gallagher visions with his own people soon in place with rebuilding Pitt Football in wins and support build upon Pitt Basketball with even greater visions. Why I often say, "SO LITTLE DONE AND SO MUCH MORE TO DO!"

I call that building on Nordenberg's rebuilding vision and Pitt has the right people that want to be at Pitt just like TCU does too with his Adopted Mother in Dixon. I see a Bigger & Better Future for Pitt not so for Pitt's Sport's Critic's Past, and that is what change is all about!

Proving the gloomers, goobers, and doomers wrong!

Pitt Will Make "PITT IS IT!" again, in both Football & Basketball and Godspeed Jamie Dixon. Can do people always beat out the can't see vision critics and those critics have short memories how wrong they have been and forget about it later when proven wrong about their own pasts?