Wofford’s Shawn Watson embraces ‘the why’ of coaching as he prepares his Terriers for Pitt
Pat Narduzzi and Shawn Watson will stand on opposite sidelines Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, rival coaches for the three-plus hours it will take Pitt and Wofford to play their 2023 season opener. But it won’t be the first time college football has brought them together. Once, it even tore them...
Fueled by Heather Lyke’s leadership, Pitt athletics experiencing renaissance of success
One by one, they enter the room. Pat Narduzzi. Jeff Capel. Jay Vidovich. Dan Fisher. Every head coach of a varsity program at the University of Pittsburgh shuffles into a room in either the Petersen Events Center or the South Side football facility. They’re all here to meet with their...
Pitt chancellor: Multiple factors will play into a new contract for AD Heather Lyke
New University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Joan Gabel minced no words when it came to her assessment of Athletic Director Heather Lyke. “Heather is without question one of the best athletic directors in the country,” Gabel recently told the Tribune-Review. “She’s been recognized as such (for) wins on the field and...
Mega-donor Chris Bickell helping Pitt level playing field with college football’s elite teams
Chris Bickell is helping to keep Pitt athletics in the game. For starters, there’s the matter of the $20 million — the largest single donation provided to Pitt athletics — he donated in 2021. To put that into perspective, John and Gertrude Petersen of Erie donated $10 million in 1999...
From QB to athletic office, Pat Bostick continues to leave mark at Pitt
When Pat Bostick first arrived at Pitt, his job was scoring touchdowns — either by throwing them as a highly recruited, four-star quarterback or by leading the Panthers offense. Today, Bostick’s job is scoring points with donors: building lasting relationships with deep-pocketed alumni and supporters who part with their assets...
Good not good enough for Pitt in 2023’s new era of college football
Pitt football began in 1890 with a team that played three games, never bothered to name a coach and managed one victory, 10-4, at Geneva. Today, there are 55 Pitt coaches and staff members — from coordinators to nutritionists — who make significant contributions to a program that is among...
Louis Riddick imparts wisdom to Pitt football players
It’s no secret ESPN football analyst Louis Riddick loves Pitt football. He doesn’t hide it: He boasts about the Panthers any time he can to his colleagues and on social media. The 1991 Pitt graduate was the guest speaker at the Pitt Football luncheon Friday at The Westin, where he...
Pitt backcourt shorthanded after Dior Johnson leaves men’s basketball team
A once-prized Pitt basketball recruit who ran into legal trouble and redshirted last season, Dior Johnson is “no longer attending the University of Pittsburgh,” a team spokesman said in a statement Friday evening. The move comes as a surprise after the 6-foot-3 guard joined the Panthers on their preseason trip...
Pitt notebook: Panthers choose 3 team captains for ’23 season
Coach Pat Narduzzi announced tri-captains at the teams’s annual football kickoff luncheon Friday at The Westin. The trio selected by their teammates for the upcoming season includes offensive lineman Matt Goncalves, linebacker Shayne Simon and defensive lineman David Green. Goncalves said he didn’t know if he expected to be named...
First Call: Ex-Steelers QB could start in Arizona; pricey Roberto Clemente bat auction; Aaron Donald’s new ring trend
Friday’s “First Call” sees a former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback on the move. John Lynch’s real opinions on the Nick Bosa situation may be shining through in San Francisco. A piece of Roberto Clemente memorabilia is up for auction. And Penn Hills product Aaron Donald may have started a very unique...
Big week for Pitt punter Caleb Junko as he earns scholarship, starting job
After participating in some light stretching and then booting a couple of balls high into the air at the onset of Thursday’s Pitt football practice, Caleb Junko took a timeout and headed to a familiar spot occupied by his grandfather, legendary former Pitt assistant Bob Junko. “How are you doing?”...
First Call: 49ers reveal QB depth chart for opener vs. Steelers; new ACC expansion talk; will McCutchen hit 300th vs. Cubs?
Thursday’s “First Call” gets the full breakdown of the San Francisco 49ers quarterback depth chart as they prepare for the regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. We also have the network broadcast team for that game, and a little Steelers-Niners history from an opening-day perspective. Plus, we examine the latest...
U mad, bro?: Steelers preseason hype, RB1 debates, SMU in the ACC and lanternflies
There is only one thing that has truly made me mad this week. Lanternflies. Gawd, do I hate those things! I feel like I’m in the Battle of Stirling scene from “Braveheart.” “We’re outnumbered … at least three to one!” Watch the video I posted of the war zone that...
Phil Jurkovec eager to incorporate tight ends into Pitt’s offensive attackVideo
As Pitt’s Sept. 2 season opener against Wofford grows closer, plenty of questions have been asked about what the Panthers are capable of offensively. Will former Pine-Richland standout and high-profile transfer Phil Jurkovec take the reins seamlessly at quarterback? Are the Panthers prepared to run the football effectively in the...
Pitt football notebook: Phil Jurkovec on another preseason award watch list
Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec, a Pine-Richland grad, is among the preseason candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. It marks the second award to recognize Jurkovec as a preseason candidate. The Unitas Award is presented annually to the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with his class....
Pitt’s defense earns revenge against offensive counterparts at 2nd scrimmage
First, it was the Pitt offense that stood out. This time around, the defense took center stage. The Panthers’ second scrimmage of the preseason has been tickling the senses of coach Pat Narduzzi — a defensive-minded guy, mind you — and creating a stir at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex ever...
Leechburg’s Braylan Lovelace making smooth transition to college football at Pitt
Braylan Lovelace was faced with a dilemma when he enrolled at Pitt in January while his Leechburg High School classmates were five months from graduation. Pitt coaches and support staff presented him with this challenge: gain weight, but don’t get fat. Upon early graduation from Leechburg, which plays in the...
Depth, local flavor show up on Pitt’s defensive line
Not one prone to make exaggerated claims, Charlie Partridge rattled off names of 13 players he believes will contribute on Pitt’s four-man defensive line before the end of the season. Roster numbers are important, especially early in the season when heat can be an issue. It’s also good to keep...
Damar Hamlin soaks in return to Pittsburgh — and Steelers, fans return the love
Damar Hamlin was happy to be able to soak in the moment. The sights, the sounds. The … smells? “It kind of felt like college again, that feeling I got when I was playing at Pitt,” Hamlin said of his first football game in Pittsburgh as a pro. “Stadium smelled...
After walking the walk in NFL, Pitt WR coach Tiquan Underwood talks the talk
During wide receiver drills at Pitt practice, assistant coach Tiquan Underwood keeps up a dialogue. Good catch, bad catch, slick route or sloppy, Underwood will have something to say about it. He is among a cluster of Pitt coaches who constantly chatter during practice — whether it’s offering praise or...
Pitt grad Kathryn Nesbitt to referee Women’s World Cup Final
Throughout her life, Kathryn Nesbitt has been determined not to let her passion for two very different interests, science and soccer, get in the way of one another. To say Nesbitt has managed to pull off an impressive balancing act in that regard might be an understatement. Nesbitt, 34, studied...
Pitt preparing for 2nd scrimmage before the final week of camp
A week from Friday will be Pitt football’s annual kickoff luncheon, signaling the end of fall camp, the start of classes and the anticipation of football that actually matters. Before that, coach Pat Narduzzi will run his team through its second scrimmage this month Saturday on the Beano Cook Fields...
Pitt 5 things: ACC Network analyst, ex-Miami coach Mark Richt misses game, just not ‘wildly dramatic’ changes
Mark Richt stopped coaching five years ago after 171 victories in 18 seasons, 15 at Georgia, three at Miami. Yet the sights and sounds — even smells — of the game he loves linger. Now an analyst for the ACC Network, Richt visited Pitt practice this week. The stage set...
Pitt notebook: Some starting spots solid on offensive line, but keep an eye on 330-pound redshirt freshman Ryan Baer
There’s plenty of vocalized optimism surrounding Pitt’s offensive line that returns four players with significant experience. Yet there has been no definitive word on the makeup of certain positions along the line. All-ACC preseason tackle Matt Goncalves can play on the left or right side. If he is left —...
Pat Narduzzi teaches ball security by sticking it to Pitt’s ball carriers
During a typical practice, Pitt coaches conduct a wide variety of drills on as many as three fields. Coach Pat Narduzzi walks from one station to another, sometimes just observing, but often offering advice and loud admonishments if something displeases him. Unlike legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant, who used to...
