in Pitt Football 918 Words

“Oakland Who!?”

Note – this piece was sent to me in the middle of the 2017 season and got lost in the shuffle but it is as timely now as it was when Lee sent it to me…

By Albert Lee Pickens III

As an avid Pitt fan, season ticket holder, former college football player, I have to ask one question; Oakland Who? So where are the so called self proclaimed “Oakland Zoo” or the “Panther Pitt?” What ever they want to call themselves? I’ll tell you where they aren’t… at the games! Maybe I expect too much.

My father took me to games and he instilled in me to stay till the end of every game, even in 10° weather no matter score. Fast forward 30 years and I’m still there for every home game. Sure it’s a bit of a hassle for Pitt students to ride a school bus a few blocks over to the game because there’s no stadium on campus.

During research for this article I went back to the 1980’s to look at the overall attendance every home game every season. Sure the big games like PSU, ND, and WVU had above average to sell out crowds. The other games didn’t have as many attending for the obvious reasons. But to blame attendance on the need of an on campus stadium does not support that arguments since the rest the numbers match up reasonably well.

The only number that doesn’t match up is the student section. Yes, I’m calling them out. If the Pitt students don’t show up on a beautiful Saturday afternoon when they have nothing to do, will they show up as adults? Will they bring their children to Homecoming 10 or 15 years later? I think the answer is no.

Over the last 40 years things have change for our city. People moved away when the mills shut down, jobs were hard to find, but Pittsburgh bounced back with new tech jobs and booming medical career paths. So knowing this there has to be more Pitt Alumni in the area than ever.

There are 18,000 plus undergraduate students on campus. In 2012 the Pitt student allotment went up to 10,000. On Saturday when Pitt played the Rice Owls I bet there were no more than 5,000 students. The students do have to pay around 30$ for six home games. What’s that the cost of two cases of Iron City? I understand the administration wants to be this institution of academia, but Pittsburgh is a “sports town.” Hold on – check that… while going through the numbers when Pitt had winning teams people showed up in force so for Pitt Pittsburgh is a bandwagon town.

Yes, the students at Pitt now come from everywhere. After reading a Wall Street Journal story, I saw a piece stating that a survey conducted by colleges across the country have discovered that less kids are going to football games over all.

That study found that student attendance has dropped 7.1% since 2009. That number is important because it is from those students who do attend games where schools get future season ticket holders. Who then in turn donate money to the program. It’s something the schools need to figure out!

Now the real big money donors seem to come from and donate to the academic side of our university. This doesn’t mean you can’t have both. To me this is the biggest issue of all… is this just this generational issue – not actually attending the games in person? I’m sure it is probably way easier to sit in your dorm with your iPhone, playing video games while half watching the game on your iPad!?

Are students really that dissatisfied with the stadium parking situation?  Or can the  students get help to get focused on the game experience… like a full game day atmosphere (tailgating) and hanging out with their friends. Which can all still be done at campus before the ride over. The game itself should be the tail end of the game day’s fun.

I put a challenge out there for the Homecoming game this year regardless of record, opponent or weather. I want to see if the students can start to change the culture. It begins this year.  So I ask again – Oakland Who?

If Pitt ever wants to be a national power again it’s going to take butts in the seats. To get the 4 and 5 star athletes they have to come to games and see 10,000 students and another 35,000 fans and Alumni.

The real story isn’t just about the coaches, X’s and O’s or players right now. It’s building a culture of students who love this historic program. Who show up like the Postal Service does in wind, rain and losing seasons. You know the saying “If you build it they will come?” Well students showing up now will help build it in the future. (And no, I’m not talking about a stadium.)

I hope to see more than the basic Student allotment at the home games. It is that vitally important…  To the Panther Pitt & Oakland Zoo – I’ll see you on Saturdays this fall.

Hail to Pitt!

Editor’s Note: Lee Pickens is a huge and vocal Pitt fan.  We now know that our AD, Heather Lyke, has made some changes to the logistics of where the students will sit at both the FB and BB games.  There is no doubt that she heard that suggestion from the fans themselves and Lee might have just been the guy screaming loudest…

 

98 thoughts on ““Oakland Who!?””

  1. Thanks ALP III – Yoi and double Yoi for the students. Also for me too. I should get the family to Pittsburgh for a weekend and a game a year. Its doable, but I don’t always do it. Shame on me. – Hobie

    Like

  2. Forget it ALP III it ain’t gonna happen. Just as most young people would rather buy a 6 pack instead of going to church and dropping that 6 pack money in the collection plate they would rather drink that same 6 pack at the same time Pitt is playing the game.

    Like

  3. Great piece ALP III. I’m only 33 so I was not alive for the glory years of the early 80’s. On Youtube, I watch tons of old Pitt football games because I’m a dork and I want to know what it was like when Pitt was a powerhouse. I am frankly appalled at the attendance of many of the games I”ve seen. We played Rutgers in 1982, ranked #2, and there are maybe 30k in attendance. A game against Purdue in 1985 has the same 30k feel and it was nationally televised on ESPN and at night…something those of us that hate the noon starts always pine for. So I agree with the point that an on campus stadium may not be the solution we all think it would be for attendance…winning is the solution.

    Like

    1. The 1985 game, was first game of the season, coming off the horrendous 1984 season of 3 wins 7 losses and 1 tie. Pitt was pre-season ranked #3 that year. The run Pitt had been on for over 10 years as one of the nation’s elite teams, came to a resounding halt in 1984. So maybe that had something to do with it. Plus the game against Purdue was on August 31st. I don’t believe the Fall Semester had even started yet. It was always AFTER Labor Day as far as I remember.

      Makes sense, semester not started yet, not many kids on campus = a small crowd.

      Like

      1. I didn’t know 1984 was such a bad year. Does Foge get the blame for the program going downhill or does Posvar for making academic standards harder on Mike Gottfried?

        Like

  5. ALP3…. that talk was “Knute Rockneish” in its delivery. Should be required listening for all in-coming freshmen…

    These kids wouldn’t know how to act if someone got in their face and demanded their attention followed by the appropriate action… like supporting their school team !

    Let’s Go Pitt !!! That’s all I need… hell you wouldn’t catch me or probably most of you bobbing/ bouncing up and down at a basketball game …,

    Like

  7. We have talked about this many times. A cultural change at the University is needed. Most Pitt Grads had a transactional relationship with Pitt, they paid their money, did the work and got their education. They have no special allegiance with the U. Part of this is because so many were commuters or grad students that started somewhere else. But the biggest reason is that Pitt treated students like consumers and not like family.

    School Spirit is not a “thing” at Pitt like it is at other schools. School Pride is lacking and that affects long term interest. Also, because of an historic job trend, most Pitt Grads had to leave town for work. Most that I know, do not follow the sports teams at all.

    Of course winning makes a difference, especially to the casual fan, but an ongoing continual internal media campaign to indoctrinate students is needed.

    When I took a professional business course at PSU, the instructor took the time to tell everyone the “greatness of Penn State” I booed him. The point is “We Are” is ingrained in everything they do and Profs and instructors spend the time to do the propaganda necessary to form life long commitments.

    I don’t remember anything similar in the way Pitt employees acted while I was there. No one ever shared their Pitt Pride. If anything, just the opposite.

    Having to bribe kids with a pop, is just sad. Things need to change from the top down.

    Like

    1. I have to agree with this statement. All of us had some sort of communal bond to Pitt. In Reed’s case family, in my case “The Band”.

      For me it all revolved around main campus, and dare I say the immersive experience. So immersive that it cost a few folks the ability to graduate.

      The Pitt ties that bind are not the Benedum/Swanson engineering halls.

      Like

  8. The Decade (1973 to 1983) that Pitt was really good to great (1976), that being Majors/Sherrill era, coincided with the explosion of Steeler Mania, Steeler Nation, 4 Super Bowl Titles in 6 years, etc. etc.

    So the decade where we would have grown our fan base of Pittsburghers who didn’t go to Pitt, but might have attended the games…..was greatly effected imo by a town that went absolutely bonkers at the sudden rise of the Steelers from perennial losers into the best team in the NFL.

    Just our luck……right.

    Like

  9. what gc says is correct. Other schools weave sports into the fabric of student life. The sports culture is part of their college experience. Pitt does fail to a large extent in developing that spirit and pride that is very important for future donations both academics and athletics. The family aspect is missing.

    But this all takes years to ingrain and must be continuously supported by the top…that means the BoT.

    Traditions can be created. Connections can be made.

    But one hindrance is lack of connection with campus facilities. So a football venue can keep students on campus and help bring fans and alumni back to campus. Thats why I think it should be part of the Victory Heights plan.

    Part of Same Old Pitt is expecting winning alone to solve these issues.
    During the height of Pitt’s greatness, old Pitt stadium had 50-55k fans in the seats, 90-95% capacity..
    Did this era of greatness produce school spirit and pride? To some extent yes, but it wasnt sustainable because other cultural things were not in place. It wasnt solely because Pitt started losing and attendance dropped to 35k.

    At many schools, fans show up regardless of record. They show their support of the school, participate in traditions and spend some time on campus.

    So if you ask me why Pitt doesnt win enough, its because Pitt doesnt have that winning mindset. Its a cultural thing. It can be taught but you need to have the right pieces in place.

    Create the right culture and identity first and you’ll see attendance improve, teams will start winning, attendance will improve some more and everyone has fun, good memories and will support the school beyond attendance with donations.

    Right now, you almost expect Pitt teams to find ways to lose and ‘pitt’ often in the most tragic way. But few at Pitt know how to win. So start with the culture. Win just 1 ACC championship in any sport for starters. Build upon it and you’ll see winning become contagious.

    Like

  10. Everyone is correct here but why do we always leave out the ONE THING PITT has had working against them? The goofy half-hearted commitment to their sports teams from the administration? Add in the changes after Sherrill left and then when Wanny was let go and to top it off, steve purposely sabotaging the football program with his idiotic narcissistic ideas that were all about him.

    All we can do is look around and ask ourselves. Do we see any tangible efforts being made around PITT that we can hang our hats on? That is a subjective question to be sure, the answers will be not line up with each other. There in lies where blogs come in and why there can be some heated debates.

    You all know how I feel. New chancellor, new athletic director and what appears evident to me a newer mindset from the BOT and or donors. In my views PITT has doubled back and somehow found the road to athletic success. Maybe. PITT football and attendance wasn’t ruined overnight. Is there a concerted effort to bring it back? ike

    Like

  11. Even in 1992 with an on campus stadium and no internet I felt I had way better things to do at 12n on a Saturday (many Saturdays it was just sleeping) then go to the football game. That did not stop me from becoming a die hard and if I did not live thousands of miles away I would be way more likely to go as an alumni as that sounds like a great way to spend my Saturday today. I think that is pretty standard across the country, the schools that still pack them in are stadiums filled with LOCAL adults. While some of them are alumni, it is not all of them, they are true college towns, which we will never be. That is what creates these programs, full on community support from non students/alumni and I’m not sure we can ever achieve that. It is why the three closest division one schools to us have a huge atmosphere and therefore recruiting advantage.

    Like

    1. Exactly….what the F is there to do in State College on a Saturday. Football is the only thing within 2.5 hours.

      Like

  12. There isn’t 18K students on campus. Pitt has a large number of commuters. If anyone knows where to find the breakdown, post the link.

    Is a kid that lives in the suburbs less likely to drive to Heinz field and pay ridiculous parking fees to see a game? Maybe

    Like

  13. Penn State also goes way out of the way to help grads find jobs at an incredibly incestuous rate.
    Peds hire Peds. It is a highly organized effort by PSU successful grads in high positions in all all walks of life. Imagine if when you graduated from Pitt, 3or 4 Pitt Grad run firms contacted you and gave you automatic interviews! And then hired you and made you invest in Pitt Football and a B-ball ticks out of your first pay checks! I think you would live eat and breathe all things Pitt for the rest of your life.

    Like

  14. IMHO the main reason Heather “gets” the AD position is because she herself was a collegian athlete and coach – and not just an educator/administrator like Stevey and so many other AD’s! She gets sports because she grew up in sports. She gets coaches and athletes because she was one herself. Pretty simple hah?

    Like

  15. Good points above and Pittman, great point and we have to ask ourselves when PITT hired a more of a sports oriented AD (makes sense) is that a firm statement and a possible change in direction coming from the university?

    Like

  16. My cousins’s daughter is now a partner in a Pgh law firm and lives in No Pgh suburb. She has 2 large furniture pieces in her living room which includes recliners and a sofa. In both, she has outlets in the middle and on each end of both where you can plug in and recharge your iPhone.

    Heather needs to supply this feature in the student section. Yes I know everyone’s head will be down and not watching the game. But there will be more bodies in the seats and they probably will cheer after a good play as soon as they finish their texts.

    wwb

    Like

  17. …. and with all that said and done. PITT beat psu two years ago.. people……. keep the faith..

    Like

  18. The POV needs to set up a Heather Lyke vacation fund for the next time PITT needs to hire a head coach….WUP’s.

    Like

  19. With the news out that coach Nard Dog is the highest paid employee of the University of Pittsburgh it might show Pitt is indeed on the upswing. By this I mean they are starting to see sports along with strong academics is important to the whole academic process. Hail to Pitt. tmc

    Like

  20. When I mentioned psu, you can substitute wvu, nd, tosu, or any sec school.

    They all know how to create life long school spirit.

    When FlSt came to town it was amazing.

    Like

    1. In WVU’s case, is it life long school spirit or is because they are all related from incestuous relationships?

      Like

  21. As an aside, I got my email today that confirmed my request for additional Pitt- PSWho tickets! Anyone else?? Also, remember the POV golf outing coming up. Lots of you guys could come. Come on, maybe we’ll have a UPitt/ Ike dunk tank. Or a “ Get your picture taken with a real Estonian”. Seriously, we all are terrible golfers, but it was a lot of fun last year. Try to come, even if it’s just for drinks! ( I said dunk tank, not drunk tank wise guy).

    Like

  23. JoeK, I mentioned the email confirmation earlier. I got four extras and I don’t need them. We have to get those tickets to PITT fans right?

    Dunk tank? I’ll need a strong mesh in front of me and a batting helmet as I’m sure there could be some errant throws…. beanballs coming my way. Barvo and guys.. here’s your chance..

    Like

  24. In the I didn’t know category. A rivals poster saw a t-shirt with a success with honor lettering over the PSU logo at a local mall. Never ends. But one poster mentioned that paterno had lasik surgery and continued to wear those coke bottles 6 plus years after the lasik when in fact he didn’t need them. Joe knew.

    Like

  25. OT: Pantherlair Football Board post reporting Ruben Flowers leaving the program. Another 4 star(I believe) that looks like he didn’t think he would get much playing time I guess. WR depth chart thin before this departure. Some redshirt freshman or freshman may have to show up quickly at Pitt this fall.

    Like

    1. Brian Batko: “He was buried on the depth chart a season ago, behind the likes of Jester Weah, Quadree Henderson, Rafael Araujo-Lopes, Maurice Ffrench and Aaron Mathews. Only Araujo-Lopes, Ffrench and Mathews return from that group, but redshirt freshmen Michael Smith and Darian Street are expected to push for more playing time after a year learning the offense, and first-year wideout Shocky Jacques-Louis could make an immediate impact.”

      Like

  26. Pitt cannot afford such high level 4 star busts which occur in every program. There simply aren’t enough 4 stars here. I think that Flowers just wasn’t very good. It’s as simple as that, with the possible exception that he was a grades casuality. After all, this is the end of the semester when the grades come due.

    Like

    1. VOR, let’s not dance in circles here. Some debate Narduzzi sucks for not getting four star players. Some debate Narduzzi is getting high rated 3* players though. Isn’t Flowers one of those players everyone wants to come in at PITT and turn the program into a winner. He hardly played for two years and now is gone…. Star players, yeah we want them but they aren’t the be all and end all…… ike

      Like

  27. I would not be real enthusiastic about riding a school bus to the game. Plus it cuts down on the amount of drinking and “smoking” that can go on. And lets be honest here when we played at Pitt Stadium you could sneak anything into the game short of a half barrel of beer.

    Like

    1. Where there’s a will there’s a way. I sat near there student section and plenty of apparent inebriation. Need to stop making excuses. Kids sleep overnight to get the best seats at many schools. They used to do it at the Pete.

      Like

  28. I believe I read that it was posted Narduzzi is the highest paid employee at PITT? hmm Can there be a change brewing down in Oakland?

    A belated thank you to Lee, a great middle name, for his great effort. Thanks.

    Like

    1. as of june 2017, $3M
      another 5 win season, and he wont be around
      with that kind of money, Pitt should be winning 9-10 games each year and going to good bowl games
      Capel is probably making close to $3M as well after incentives

      Chancellor is making around $700k

      I think we need to demand more of our coaches

      Like

  29. ike, I realize that Flowers is only one bust, but my point is that this kid should have and would have played by now if he was any good. Perhaps it was grades that brought him down, but it isn’t as though there were several superstar WRs on the roster last year that crowded him out. I think that Reed is right when he says that there are no stars on the team as of right now.

    Like

    1. According to some we are ‘deep’ at WR. Names of players at that position don’t in any way indicate we are ‘deep’. Unless……..deep with scrubs is the indicator of being ‘deep’.

      Like

    1. gc, tell me again how recruiting four star players is in any way a barometer? The correct way to look at this is to think Narduzzi is getting more bang for his buck with 3 * players? This is not a bad reflection on PITT’s recruiting. Can’t go wrong with those four stars players considered so paramount can you?

      Like

  31. Just kind of crazy that a football coach who has won nothing…no division titles or bowl games, is making 4 times the salary of the Chancellor. And the football program probably breaks even at best.

    And, Very Scary that Barnes the AD made more in one year than the Chancellor.

    Seems like a poor return on investment so far to me.

    Like

    1. What you’re saying here is I think the very reason that Pitt has not paid top dollar for coaches. Pitt administrators cringe when it is publicized that the FB or BB Coach is the highest paid employee at our great university!

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  32. VOR you’re my good buddy but Reed is not right in this instance, it proves his theory is not totally correct all the time. He firmly and correctly believes that PITT has to recruit 4* players or they will not win. My point is that Flowers is a 4* player and Narduzzi found better players who are 3*. Recruiting services are not always accurate. Here is a scenario for everyone. 4* Flowers did not separate himself from 3* recruits. Maybe Flowers was a 5.8 four star and the players beating him out were 5.7 three stars? I virtually see absolutely zero differences between the players in rankings. It’s how they play the game on the field. . . . .. ike

    Like

    1. a 5.8 with no strong offers unless you consider Iowa, Cincy and KY strong
      rivals was only one listing him as a 4…and just barely
      must of been his blend of height and speed
      I say look at what other schools are offering and sometimes not just the star
      we need to be beating out Va Tech, NC and Miami for recruits

      Like

      1. A four star is a four star Tx_ I read it on here all the time. You know otherwise you are preaching to the choir my friend. I’m with you on the difference between a 5.7 and a 5.8 player. It just isn’t there.

        Like

        1. That’s not what TX was saying but by all means take to your difference between 3 and 4 star soapbox. He was writing about comparative offers being part of the measure of a quality recruit. I agree but even that can be way off.

          Since we’re talking about splitting hairs over subjective measurements, Mathews and Ffrench (who appear to have been Flowers’ principal competition), were actually 5.6 recruits, not 5.7.

          So did you see better play from Mathews and Ffrench over anybody else including Flowers in 2017? I didn’t. Apparently neither did VOR. However all is well among the receivers for 2018? TIP

          So Flowers and Pugh leaving means two of the big “gets” of the 2016 class are now gone.

          Like

          1. Barvo, I completely understood what Tx was saying. If you read a little closer without the agenda on your shoulder you would have picked up on the fact I was being sarcastic. My point was a four star may well not be a four star.

            Myself seeing what and how all the receivers were doing at anytime? Heck no, where did I write I barvo? The little I know about Flowers leaving is simply, a four star recruit did almost nothing to help PITT’s chances of winning the past two year. Am I being too difficult for you to follow or maybe you’re following a little too close? My point this article concerning Flowers it does say how recruiting a four star guarantees very little at times. I would rather the head coach pick out player that wants to come to PITT rather some nerdy idiot playing favorites from a recruiting service suggesting who is better, Flowers or Matthews.

            I know why Pugh left and since we are putting words in mouths here I’m guessing you’re saying that’s Narduzzi’s fault as well.

            Like

  34. I understand what you are saying ike, and I agree with it. There were 3 star players that performed better, I guess, than he did. But I don’t recall any WRs, other than Lopes, playing at a high level, so the 3 stars were nothing to write home about either. What bugs me is that we have spent 35 years hoping that the 3 stars Pitt brings in somehow perform higher than their ranking. Perhaps a player who didn’t play football until SR. year, and was overlooked by others. Or a player who was hurt throughout high school and didn’t show up on any one else’s radar. Which of the 3 stars in this most recent class will perform above expectations? I’m not getting my hopes up only to be disappointed again…

    Liked by 1 person

  35. True VOR, I guess the truth is what has happened all this spring moving into summer. It could be homesickness, grades or maybe a nice little gentle nudge. We don’t know

    PITT does have a couple nice young receivers in the program right now though. I do wish the young man well…

    BTW, you gotta get your hopes up, why else do you get out of bed in the morning? 🙂

    Like

  36. You’re right, ike. Hope springs eternal, and I’m hoping that Narduzzi will find a hidden gem or two in his next class! 🙂 I do recall that there were a couple of promising WRs in the latest group.

    Like

  37. “Flowers had failed to emerge from a deep group of wide receivers this spring, despite the absence of many regulars.”

    As usual inaccurate reporting from these goobers. First off Flowers led all WR’s in receiving in the Spring Game I believe.

    And number 2,……what deep group of wide receivers ?

    Like

  40. Or the 3rd choice……it looks like it’s not being addressed at all. Little Q regressed last year as well.

    Like

  42. and btw… Flowers leaving has little to do with what happened last year on the field with all the receivers. It’s about what’s happened this year. Be it grades or family issues to on the field or off the field stuff.

    Like

  43. The FB coach being the highest paid employee on campus is certainly not an aberration. My guess that it is the highest paid position in most P5 schools, except places like Duke where the BB coach is highest paid.

    The players from the first 2 HCPN classes have thus far been a disappointment for the most part. IMO this led to the re-emphasis on recruiting the southern states i.e., the mentality that a 3-star of FL is the equal of many 4-star northerners

    wwb

    Like

    1. But is Pitts highest paid employee worth it? Jury still out but 3 million to me means he’d better win at least the division and get invites to some nice bowl games.

      Heck volleyball and softball won their divisions and lost less money than Pitt football did this year. I don’t think we paid these winning coaches anywhere near $3 million.

      To me, if you are going to pay a coach that money, you’d better get a four times return at least. Jamie Dixon got that return. Basketball made $16 million one year. It’s proven it can make a profit. Football breaks even at 45k attendance based on my numbers. Pitt averaged only 35k last year.

      Pitts overall budget is $60 million across all sports. The ACC check is close to $30 million to cover deficits across all our programs. Basketball this year alone lost over $20 million with lost revenues and buyout.

      Capel can probably justify his salary. Only 12 scholarship players and pitt reaps all the money from the Pete. Just fill the Pete to 95 percent capacity and generate excitement. Value for the entertainment dollar.

      Narduzzi has a much higher hurdle. I would think pitt could have an easier time making money if it had its own football stadium. 100 percent of the cut from tickets, merchandise sales, parking, concessions. Then suite licenses, naming rights, sponsorships.

      Pressure is on the Dog to produce. Time running out after three years and no trophies in the case.

      Tex

      Like

      1. All I am saying is that is not unusual at all that the FB coach is highest paid employee. But further, it’s not about who is the highest paid employee, it’s much much more about how his salary ranks in comparison to those of his competitors. And Pitt is still towards the bottom of the ACC

        Now a few years back … Jamie was the highest paid employee at Pitt. He was getting a reported $2.9M and ranked pretty much in the middle of the ACC (If memory serves)

        wwb

        Like

  44. Who actually IS responsible for coaching the WRs? QH is a good example of a WR who never developed his entire career before leaving. He is sounding like with the Steelers he is going to think abour catching some passes now. As I mentioned before, Pitt’s recruits are always a tad bit slow or a tad bit small which makes hem 3 stars. It would appear that Pitt landed QH because other P5 teams didn’t want to waste a scholarship on a 5’8″ WR. In QH’s case, he is a short WR who cannot catch.

    Like

  45. VOR, Kevin Sherman is the coach. Can’t say if he’s good or not but PITT has recruited a couple good wr’s on paper the past couple years

    Tx, jury is still out on Narduzzi right now but the point of his pay has more to do with PITT then it does him. When you can’t put your finger on the ailment the best thing to do is start eliminating possible causes. Looks like PITT is crossing off being cheap and uninterested from the list of causes of the PITT football illness.???

    Like

  47. ^^ This kid is silly athletic.. I thought I read he may have two years left? He only played 9 games his second year.

    Like

  48. So it finally happened. I figured it would sooner or later but more likely at a planned event such as a reading or maybe, possibly, at one of his charitable veterans events or even at one of his readings….but no, it was at the Columbia BJ’s. Leaving the egg aisle with 2 dozen of Egglands Best, wearing my Pitt hoodie on an all too hot day for it here in lovely, hot and humid May in Columbia and this BIG guy looks over and says, “hey, Pitt”. I look over and immediately the stache and 6’5″ of him lets it hit me immediately – Reed Kohberger.

    We chatted a bit and introduced wives, the far better halves for BOTH of us. Of course I thanked him for all he does here after he first says to his wife that I am a big poster here on the POV(for everyone’s sake, luck I am not) and we parted saying we need to get together for a game in the future.

    Life for me has been busy with my oldest graduating and making college choices and prom and graduation party planning, etc., wrestling tournaments with my 2nd and lax games and practice and tournaments with my youngest all outside a little craziness at the office. So I have been absent from here but for a few posts here and there and then low and behold I run into the Creator.

    Great meeting you Reed, looked like you were getting around fine so hope that back is up for golf in the future. I am not going this year to the golf outing but will try to get to one in the future. At least I hope to catch a Pitt football game or two this year and meet more of the POV gang.

    Like

    1. tvax1 – we’ll miss you at the golf outing. Enjoy the kids becoming adults. That is where you should be.

      Everyone else, please sign up so we can finalize the details of the event. I have verbal commitments from these 4* POVers – Reed (dinner + drink), GC (+son), JoeKnew (+ 3), Lastrow, MajorMajors & Dan72 (dinner + drink). On the fence for dinner + drinks is the hometown guy named Ike – rumor has it he has his “eye” on a nd visit that weekend.

      Others have said they will attend Lyke UPitt, MissingWLAT, several from the Spring Game and Matt from Louisville.

      I need to know –

      H2P!

      Liked by 1 person

  50. Wish the kid well. Hard to guess the reason for leaving. Am hopeful that if the athletes can’t break through after a couple of years of trying, that they are shown the door. Need to recruit better.

    I want to see how many freshman and RS freshman displace a junior or senior. When that happens in 2-3 positions each year, the talent is being improved sufficiently.

    Like

  51. Good story tvax… anyone staying overnight after vthe golf outing. Wondering which hotel to get a room?

    Liked by 1 person

  52. So we are not getting enough 4 stars and the ones we get don’t make it and some think that our recruiting is just fine. I guess all I can say is we’ll see. Somehow I don’t understand the logic. Why do all the top ten teams recruit all of those 4 and 5 star guys if 3 stars are just as good?

    If recruiting is the Life Blood, we need a transfusion. You may get the odd upsets, but you won’t get the routine wins when the other team is loaded with fours and you are playing with threes.

    Like

    1. Our recruiting the last 35 years directly reflects the four (4) Top 25 finishes in the ranking of the the last 35 years. We are in effect a program that is bottom echelon of the ACC and we’ll probably lose to Wake Forest this year to solidify that fact.

      Like

  53. Getting back to ALPS article premise, I remember posters mentioning that the Greek organizations were a big part of the game experience back in the day at Pitt Stadium. Maybe resurrecting what they did back then, contests and prizes for the Greek fraternity and sorority with the highest attendance at each game, T shirts in Pitt colors with the Greek letters of the organization, may help?

    Like

    1. Greek life is all under attack in today’s ultra PC version of college campuses. In 20 years it will be only a memory.

      Like

      1. And a classic movie – “Animal House”

        John “Bluto” Blutarsky: “Over? Did you say ?over?? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!”

        Like

  54. Rick: I’m in for dinner. Talked with both boys on Sunday at a cookout and they were to let me know today. That means they would have their own foursome. I’ll let you know later today/tomorrow and have the money sent out asap and there before Friday. Or is that too late? I can send it out today if needed.

    Like

  55. Emel. Heard good stuff on Smith and Schocky and Matthews was already ahead of RF. Lopes, Ffrench and Tipton fill out the possible wr unit with maybe a surprise player?

    I have no information why Flowers left the team and as I mention if it was depth chart reasons. I don’t know that it was?

    Like

  56. PittPT and Emel… your 2 posts were “ right on the money.” My frat was the connector to really plug me into Pitt. Great guys, excellent students who could tutor you in academics as well as the fine art of drinking. Carrying the Greek standards onto the field to form a tunnel for the team to run through as the Panthers were running into the field of battle .Greek sporting competition and Greek week ending with a Greek formal at Chatham Hall ( after we dined our dates at the Sir Loin I’m Squirrel Hill. We were a big part of the pulse at Pitt. F’ing political correction wiping the Greek life out at Pitt and across the nation.

    Like

    1. Ditto BigB. Still remember very vividly our formal at the Park Schenley which was such a beautiful restaurant/banquet room. And it’s funny you mention the Sir Loin Inn..as I was just thinking about that place the other day, as I use to go there after the trips to Little’s Shoes, across the street.

      Like

  57. Here’s another thought completely off the top of my head. Could it be possible that PITT heard positive news upcoming on Mack’s eligibility? I had read that even if the new rule passes he wouldn’t be but who knows?

    Like

  58. Thanks lastrow.

    Thinking about the golf outing that I plan to make it to in the future. Only going IF I can be paired with EE and/or Ike or Dr. Tom.

    Imagine the day with Upitt or Blank or _______ fill in the blank with many others here where EVERY darn shot of mine wasn’t good enough, even somehow the hole in one I make(the equivalent of PSU win or Clemson upset) because, uhhhhh,, I’m making 3M per year and I am expected to make those shots and a few others more regularly. I’d need to make sure I had one important thing in the bag….a gun to shoot myself after I couldn’t take it any longer. LOL!!! I kid Blank, and others, but not kidding you Upitt. Haha!!!

    Now if paired with Reed and his realism, THAT I could tolerate as by now I have learned to appreciate the negative leaning, understandably as we are not blind to Pitt history. I imagine the entire round to be filled with stories, anecdotes and wide ranging topics and information from not just Pitt but his life. One thing though, I will be careful not to credit HCPN on much, and especially not mention the closed practices which at this point even the most koolaid filled posters have to think aren’t serving much purpose or serving anyone well.

    Oh well, back to another day of grad party preparation at the house and other family obligations. Carry on everyone here, Pitt football less than 4 months away.

    And btw, if anyone is looking to sell their extra PSU tickets, let me know(Ike, are you listening?).

    Liked by 1 person

  59. Tickets to the PSU game will cost you about $125/ticket … you can buy season tickets for $185 right now.

    The Pitt administration has alienated a lot of fans. The campus culture does not emphasize athletics. Combine those two and you have fan apathy.

    You want attendance, fix those two. I’m looping wins into Pitt administration for not supporting athletics the way successful programs are supported.

    Like

  60. Tvax I do have four tickets for what I paid for them. $125. ea Location isn’t good but they will get you into the game. You want them they are yours. I just bought them to give PITT people a chance to be at another record setting attendance at Heinz Field.

    Like

  62. Right on TT. $125.00 plus $10 to mail them to me when they are already sending me my regular tickets and I’ll eat them before a psu fan gets them.

    Like

  63. We use to have a good many club seat season tickets. My one son and my can’t be soon enough ex son in law and a couple others. By the end of the game there must have been 25 to 30 of their friends in there. They would just buy a cheap seat and sneak in the club. Plenty extra seats with all the amenities for a few bucks.

    Like

  65. Those are great memories of the Greeks at Pitt in the 60s and 70s. I remember the HUGE signs they brought into Pitt stadium: “Squeeze the Orange”, “Cream the Seamen”, and other quite suggestive posters that really increased the interest and excitement among students at Pitt. (That ’69 schedule had Oklahoma, Pedo, UCLA and Notre Dame on it- all were losses- but Pitt certainly played a national schedule then.

    Like

  66. I would guess that won’t be in place till Jan. or so,however, the amount of money that can at some time be bet on the Nitters will drive the line up big time. I’d guess it’d start at PSWho by 6. If legal will quickly go to 8-81/2.

    Like

  67. Seems the secretive Pedo administration is gathering even more negative national publicity..

    “not clear how Penn State’s administration determined that the Outing Club’s activities were riskier than those of the clubs that remained intact, including groups dedicated to archery, boxing, and skiing, or Division 1 team sports like football and rugby. According to spokesperson Hall, all 79 of the university’s Campus Recreation organizations were reviewed, but the university has yet to release the risk assessment report that determined which clubs would be banned.

    The whole article is here.

    https://www.outsideonline.com/2303036/penn-state-axed-its-outdoor-club-what-happened?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Dispatch-05152018&utm_content=Dispatch-05152018+Version+A+CID_6fa69e3b4e7f40567bea2a20f0a3337c&utm_source=campaignmonitor%20outsidemagazine&utm_term=READ%20MORE

    Like

    1. That’s too bad. Sounded like a good club.

      I got in a kayak for the first time in the pool then soon after in the river while at Pitt. Been kayaking ever since. Outdoor pursuits like kayaking, mtn biking, and backpacking are a big part of my life because of the experiences I had at Pitt (a city school).

      Not sure what PSU is thinking. Risk is good.

      Like

  68. It was my pleasure to see Tvax-1 at The BJs store the other day. I recognized the Pitt fan right away because he had both his Pitt shirt and a Pitt hat on… what a guy.

    We talked a bit about my so-called negativity and I told him what I say to anyone else that asked me about it. I said “if I’m ever going to discuss anything I’m always going to be honest about it”. And that’s how I feel and I always have felt on the POV.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.