A total of 12 athletes from seven sports, including four of the best players to wear a Pitt football uniform, were inducted Friday night into the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame in front of a sold-out crowd at Petersen Events Center. The class is the sixth to be recognized since the Hall of Fame was established in 2018.

Football players Larry Fitzgerald, Ruben Brown, Matt Cavanaugh and Chris Doleman joined coaches Keith Gavin (wrestling), Bobby Lewis (baseball), Joe Luxbacher (soccer) and Richard Bradshaw (swimming and diving), All-Americans Maureen McCandless (track and field/cross country runner), Allison Williams-Murphy (track and field) and Suzanne Pulley-Klacik (swimming) and Clyde Vaughan, the second-leading all-time scorer in Pitt basketball history.

• Brown was a four-year starter at offensive tackle from 1991-94, a first-team All-American as a senior and first-round draft choice of the Buffalo Bills in 1995. He went to eight consecutive Pro Bowls and is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

• Cavanaugh led Pitt to the 1976 national championship and was named MVP of the Sugar Bowl while leading the unbeaten Panthers to a 27-3 victory against Georgia.

• Fitzgerald made 161 catches for 2,677 yards and a school record 34 touchdowns in only 26 games during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. He played 17 years with the Arizona Cardinals.

• Doleman, who died in 2020, recorded 25 sacks (eighth all-time) from 1981-84. He helped Pitt finish in the top 20 three times, including No. 2 in 1981 and No. 9 in 1982 before he became the fourth overall choice in the 1985 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings and a member of Pro Football Hall of Fame (2012).

• Bradshaw was Pitt’s men’s swimming and diving coach from 1971-78 and 1987-90, winning three Big East championships while finding time to lead the women’s program from 1975-81.

• Gavin, currently Pitt’s wrestling coach, is one of 12 Pitt men to win an NCAA championship. A two-time All-American, he was 120-37 from 2003-08, including 33-0 as a senior at 174 pounds.

• Lewis, who died in 1995, coached baseball at Pitt for 36 seasons (1955-90). Among his players were major-leaguers George “Doc” Medich and Ken Macha and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka.

• Luxbacher set school records for goals and points in a game (7/15), plus career goals (37) and points (84). He was named assistant coach in 1983, head coach in 1984 and eventually won a Pitt record 224 matches.

• McCandless was a three-time All-American in the indoor and outdoor 5,000 meters and also earned national honors in cross country while competing from 2002-06.

• Pulley-Klacik was a six-time All-American from 1978-81 in the 400 free relay (three times), 200 free relay, 800 free relay and 200 medley relay. She joined Pitt Hall of Famer Kathy Stetler as one of two Pitt women swimmers to earn All-America honors in each of her four seasons.

• Vaughan scored 2,045 career points and trails all-time Pitt leader Charles Smith by just 12. Behind his marksmanship, Pitt won the 1981 and 1982 Eastern 8 Tournament championships. Vaughan led the team in scoring and rebounding in each of his final three seasons (1981-84).

• Williams-Murphy was a seven-time Big East champion hurdler and three-time outdoor All-American from 1989-94.

Hall of Fame nominations were solicited from the general public. Criteria for induction includes being five years removed from collegiate competition and not currently playing professionally.

The Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame selection committee evaluated the pool of nominees and submitted a recommendation to athletic director Heather Lyke.

The inductees will be introduced Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium during the North Carolina/Pitt game.

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