Byline: Dr. Tom Richards

I hear from other Pitt fans all the time; “you’re dreaming, what a naïve cheerleader you are, Pitt will never win another National Championship again”, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah. Well you know what, nobody, not one of us is truly clairvoyant, so spare me your criticism concerning my enthusiasm for our University’s football program.

Like you, I can’t see the future either and I’ll be the first to admit it when my optimistic predictions for success of this team fall flat.  That being said, I do know history and in studying history, trends and tendencies present themselves, and when identified, they can shed light on those factors that had a bearing on that history that was previously created.

So when I hear the arguments that the big money in college sports is an insurmountable hurdle for all of those “also ran programs” that prohibits them from ever being able to win championships, I call that out as BS!

That idea was shown to be invalid in this year’s NCAA basketball tourney, where Gonzaga beat out USC for the opportunity to bring down the Tarheels in the championship game. David against Goliath and they almost pulled it off too. But I already hear the rebuttal:

“… yeah but that’s basketball, football is different that’s where the BIG $$$$ is generated. No way a program like Pitt could possibly match up with powerhouse elite programs like Alabama, OSU, or Florida State”!

Once again I call BS.

If you know your history you would recognize the fact the this year’s NCAA FBS champions are relatively new to that rarefied air of both big time elite college football programs as well as past National Championships. Clemson did the impossible this season, and they did it against the very best of the best in defeating Alabama for the crown.

Continue reading “Appreciate the Past – Anticipate the Future” →