Pitt’s Narduzzi draws on days at Rhode Island as 4 senior captains named
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Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi on Friday named four of his most trusted seniors — Deslin Alexandre, SirVocea Dennis, Kedon Slovis and Carter Warren — as captains for the 2022 season. They were chosen by a vote of their teammates.
Narduzzi believes all four will take the job seriously — just as he did as a three-year starting linebacker at Rhode Island from 1987-89.
Pitt co-captain Carter Warren … pic.twitter.com/9lVLTYzuU2
— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) August 26, 2022
How serious was the Pitt coach as a captain? Finally, after more than three decades, the story can be told.
Narduzzi, an all-Ohio player at Ursuline High School in Youngstown, transferred from Youngstown State to Rhode Island in 1987. Son of a coach, he came from a blue-collar family. Football was a big deal in the Narduzzi household.
“There’s nothing else to do in Youngstown,” he said. So Pitt’s future coach spent many hours in the offseason lifting weights and circuit training.
Rhode Island was different, he said.
“Rhode Island, there’s a lot of things to do there,” he said. “Summertime, guys would be bouncing at the beach.”
One week, Narduzzi got word several members of the team were spending Thursday night — less than 48 hours before a game — at the bars.
“Everybody’s out partying at the bars,” he recalled. “I went in and told the head coach (Bob Griffin).
“’Coach Griffin, our whole team was out the night before, just drinking. It’s not good,’ ” he said, recalling the conversation.
“Sometimes, the head coach is the last one to know,” Narduzzi said Friday. “You need someone to lead.”
Narduzzi was that someone.
The next day, at Griffin’s team meeting, the coach asked his starting offense to stand. Then he said, “If you were out drinking last night, sit down.”
Narduzzi said half the offense sat down.
Then he asked the backups to stand.
“I’ll never forget the meeting,” Narduzzi said Friday. “(Griffin said to the backups), ‘You’re starting tomorrow.’ He did the same thing on the defensive side of the ball.
“For all those old guys out there, I was the guy who kind of told on you.”
He said no one knew who blew the whistle.
“They know now,” he said.