in Pitt Football 2,841 Words

Pitt Rivalries – It’s Good to Hate

Fellow POVers – Tex is fast becoming a lifesaver on this site. His articles have kept us going and they are always good, enjoyable and thought provoking.

When I took the POV back in January I mentioned that I’ll not be able to write much because I’m going back to university for degree work. I start the Wednesday – in essence, I’m saying you’ll have just about nothing to read if articles aren’t forth coming from the readers. That said, Richard in SC, Tex and some others have chipped in but through Spring Practice that won’t be enough.

I’ll take time to proof your article, pretty it up with images if I have time and post it – but I’m asking all to think about putting fingers to keyboard and help. Thanks !

Ali and Frazier, Coke and Pepsi, Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarity, Magic and Bird, Yankees and Red Sox, Batman and Joker, Tom and Jerry, Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s, Ricky Bobby and Jean Girard, Godzilla and Mothra, Thor and Loki, Marty McFly and Biff, Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone.

What do these pairings all have in common?  They are rivals.  Rivals are found all throughout real life and fiction.  Individuals, teams and mythic beasts.  And rivalries make sports so much more entertaining.  It gives us fans that added dose of passion.  The best rivalries aren’t forced.  They naturally occur like earthquakes, Texas twisters and a heart attack 40 years after eating your first large order of ‘O’ fries.

So what makes a good rivalry and an opponent worthy of fear and loathing?  Well from my perspective there are four criteria that must be met to make a rivalry:

  1. Repeated competition, a familiarity and history
  2. Adversary worthy of respect, an equal
  3. Mutual dislike of one another particularly among the fans
  4. Big moments with epic confrontations

Rivalries add that extra motivation for both players and fans.  They enhance school spirit and stoke the passions.  For players and teams, rivalries help increase performance (several studies have proven this).  For fans, they are what makes sports so endearing.

Conference realignment impacted many of Pitt’s natural and historic rivals.  Pitt no longer has Penn State on the football schedule and now the Lions consider tOSU to be their rival in the Big 10 (whatever), however, West Virginia makes a return in 2022.  I don’t think isolated WVU has found a rival in the Big 12 after six long years.  Of course, many of the old Big East schools are no longer on the basketball schedule since only BC and Syracuse are now members of the ACC. Schools like UConn, Georgetown, Villanova and Saint Johns were forgotten.  

I’d like to focus on Pitt’s historic rivals in both football and basketball.  First I’ll explore and analyze Pitt’s most familiar adversaries and grade them out on a Rivalry Meter.  I’ll provide some brief commentary on each one.  Then I’ll take a look at some promising future feuds and recommend some schools that can be added to the schedule.

My rivalry meter is comprised of the following categories:  Familiarity (history), Level of competition (worthiness), Passion (fan dislike of one another), and Big moments (epic confrontations).

PENN STATE

Familiarity: 5

Competition: 4

Passion: 4

Big Moments: 4

Total: 17

Pitt has played Penn State 93 times going 42-47-4.  Penn State is tied with WVU as the most frequently played school in football, and the historic competition has been pretty equal, however, the Lions went 3-1 in the most recent series with two blowout wins.  The schools generally recruit the same players although Pitt just offers the 4* recruits while Penn State actually gets them to sign.  Both sides have fans with a strong dislike of one another although I think the Pitt hatred is a bit hotter since Penn State views Pitt as little brother. 

Penn State denied Pitt a chance at a national title back in the early 80’s with the 48-14 game.  Pitt denied them a chance at the BCS with a 42-39 victory in 2016.  Other memorable games include 24-7 Pitt in 1976, 17-10 PSU in 1978, 19-10 PSU in 1982, 10-0 Pitt in 1987 and 12-0 Pitt in 2000.  Penn State is definitely a top rival but since play has been discontinued, this rivalry will die a slow death.  The newer generations don’t even consider the Nitters to be a rival.  It’s the school from coal country below.

WEST VIRGINIA

Familiarity: 5

Competition: 4

Passion: 4

Big Moments: 4

Total: 17

Pitt has played West Virginia 93 times going 55-35-3.  The two schools are only separated by 75 miles.  The Panthers and Mountaineers are pretty equally matched these days.  Both fan bases despise one another, but I get the feeling that the WVU fans really hate people from PA and the city.  The schools are opposites (rural vs city, public vs semi private, no teeth vs teeth, community college vs real college). 

So being opposites does help generate a strong dislike of one another.  The Big moment was Pitt’s huge upset win in a game denying WVU a chance at a national championship and it had national ramifications across the coaching landscape.  Everyone knows 13-9 when you say it.  Those numbers will always have staying power.  Other memorable games include: 41-38 (3OT) Pitt in 1997, 47-41 WVU in 1994, 31-31 tie in 1989, 16-13 Pitt in 1982, and 36-35 Pitt in 1970.

SYRACUSE

Familiarity: 5

Competition: 3

Passion: 2

Big Moments: 2

Total: 12

These two schools have met 76 times with Pitt going 41-32-3.  However Pitt is 16-4 over the past 20 years…so much for a worthy adversary.  I don’t really see much passion from either side.  Outside of a few Syracuse jokes about the weather, there really isn’t much to hate about the Orange.  There appears to me to be a strong mutual respect.  I don’t recall any big games played between the two schools with anything meaningful on the line.

NOTRE DAME

Familiarity: 5

Competition: 3

Passion: 3

Big Moments: 4

Total: 15

Pitt has played the Irish 69 times and have only won 21 games for a .304 winning percentage.  The competition has been one sided historically.  Notre Dame is the superior opponent but that doesn’t mean the games aren’t competitive (save for last season’s blowout).  There have been some memorable games like back in 1976 with TD running wild.  The 19-9 game in 1977 which gave Notre Dame a clear path for a national championship. The 31-16 game in 1982 that denied Pitt a chance at a national championship. 

The 29-26 (3OT) game in 2012 that preserved an Irish undefeated season.  And then of course some equally memorable but non high stakes games like the last game ever played at Pitt stadium and Tyler Palko’s F-bomb during a post game interview after a wild Pitt win in South Bend (Touchdown Jesus not pleased).  I don’t think Notre Dame views Pitt as a rival despite being the fifth most played school for the Irish.  I think there are far more Pitt fans who dislike the Irish.  It’s easy to dislike America’s college team.

NAVY

Familiarity: 4

Competition: 3

Passion: 2

Big Moments: 2

Total: 11

These two schools have played each other 40 times with Pitt winning 22 times.  Fairly evenly matched throughout history but the teams have really never played in meaningful regular season games with a championship on the line or major bowl game at stake. The schools were either independents or part of other conferences. 

Outside a bowl game match-up (see the Military Bowl in 2015), these schools don’t line up against each other anymore.  They played each other almost every year in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.  But nothing in the 90’s.  And only four times in the last 20 years.  Tough to dislike one of the service academies.  And we all know who Navy considers their rival.

MIAMI

Familiarity: 4

Competition: 2

Passion: 3

Big Moments: 2

Total: 11

The teams have met 40 times with Pitt only winning 11 games.  Miami has Pitt’s number and might always be the superior team given their players hailing from the talent rich state of Florida.  The schools are part of the same division so now they play each other every year.  The majority of the games over the past five years have been competitive.  I think many of Pitt’s players are motivated to play Miami and a chance to knock off a typically ranked team.  Pitt has many players from Florida who probably want to show Miami what they missed. 

The typical Pitt fan doesn’t hate this school.  Pitt fans most likely disliked “Thug U” from the 90’s and all the cheating scandals Miami has gone through.  I really think some Pitt fans are just jealous of the Miami weather and beautiful women on their campus.  But it’s always good to beat an over ranked Miami team and to treat their suntanned fans to some cold dreary November weather in Pittsburgh.

Potential Football Rivals

VIRGINIA TECH

They play each other each year now.  Very competitive series.  Close enough to Pittsburgh to travel to see games in Blacksburg and vice versa.  Tech fans are good tailgaters.  There’s probably already someone you know that earned their degree at the school.  In my case, my brother in law.  Mutual respect on both sides.  And I know showing a Hokie respect will really bother a Hoopie.

GEORGIA TECH

These schools are in the same division.  Both city schools.  The head coaches can’t seem to stand one another so that’s a good start.

CINCINATTI

Cincy denied Pitt a BCS birth.  And both schools had some lame River trophy they used to play for.  Most Pitt fans hate all things Ohio so this one appears to be a possibility to get onto the OOC schedule.  Only a five hour drive between cities.  Skyline chili sucks.

BUFFALO

Yes, I received a degree from this school.  But it’s only a four hour drive.  The games should be entertaining with Pitt being victorious most of the time.  The food is to die for in Buffalo (pierogis, pizza, wings, beef on weck, micro brews).  And Buffalo fans are some of the very best to tailgate with.  They will welcome you in and share their food and drinks.  They can sympathize with the meaning of SOP (see Buffalo Bills and Sabres).  Canada is also just across the river where you can enjoy a performance of the Canadian ballet and have fun gambling your money away in the finest North American casinos.

WEST VIRGINIA

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Familiarity: 5

Competition: 4

Passion: 4

Big Moments: 2

Total: 15

The schools have played each other 117 times (WVU leads the series 71-46).  The series took a break after conference realignment.  WVU has won the last three meetings.  They are scheduled to play in 2021 and 2022.  WVU is the far better team at this point in time but historically the teams have been evenly matched.  Hoopie fans have been known to throw coins onto the court and verbally abuse Pitt fans.  The passion is there but the teams haven’t played any meaningful games so that really takes down the rivalry meter.

Syracuse

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Familiarity: 5

Competition: 3

Passion: 3

Big Moments: 2

Total: 13

The Orange and Panthers have played 106 times.  Syracuse has won roughly 50% more times but the recent games have been competitive and entertaining generally.  It’s easy for Pitt fans to root against whiny Boeheim.  The schools have never met in the NCAA tournament or in the Big East finals but Pitt uses these games to value their worth.  I think the respect is mutual on both sides and both teams expect a hard fought game.  Pitt going up against a Zone D is always interesting.

Penn State

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Familiarity: 5

Competition: 3

Passion: 3

Big Moments: 1

Total: 12

The schools have played 76 times (series tied at 38) and really the drop off between the football side and basketball side is significant.  I don’t think either fan base considers this a rivalry.  Maybe in name only.  Penn State doesn’t care enough about basketball and Pitt would frankly rather play someone relevant.  I’m personally glad these schools don’t play each other anymore.  I’d rather tune into a cow tipping contest or a competition for cow patty throwing.

Duquesne

Familiarity: 5

Competition: 2

Passion: 2

Big Moments: 1

Total: 10

The teams have met 73 times with Pitt winning 50. The matchup is called the City game.  Pitt has only lost twice in the last 20 meetings.  And now for some reason Pitt doesn’t want to play the Dukes.  Is Pitt afraid of losing?  Does HC Capel have some grudge?  It’s a game that honors the City of Pittsburgh.  It should be played every year even if Pitt fans would rather watch re-runs of the Golden Girls.

Villanova

Familiarity: 4

Competition: 4

Passion: 4

Big Moments: 4

Total: 16

Villanova is Pitt’s fifth most frequently played opponent having met 65 times with Pitt winning 33. They have not played one another since the 2012 season, Pitt’s last year in the Big East.  Nova is a small Catholic school in the suburbs of Philadelphia.  So you had a built in natural rival – East vs West PA, Catholic vs Non-Catholic, small college vs big university.  The rivalry got heated when Coach Rollie Massimino squared off with Paul Evans.  And then you had Bobby Martin who spurned Rollie and attended Pitt instead.  Rollie never forgave him or Evans.  You also had the Doug West investigation under Chipman with West taking his alleged $10k from a Pitt booster and going to Nova (it was assumed Coach Mass paid him more).  And everyone remembers what happened in March 2009 and the name Scottie Reynolds.  

UConn

Familiarity: 4

Competition: 4

Passion: 4

Big Moments: 4

Total: 16

These schools have played each other 60 times on the court and have met three times in Big East finals with UConn winning two.  UConn leads the series 32-28.  Both schools dislike one another and are worthy adversaries.  A memorable game includes Blair’s tossing of Thabeet.  Much like Nova, they haven’t played each other since Pitt left the Big East for the ACC.  

G-Town

Familiarity: 4

Competition: 4

Passion: 4

Big Moments: 4

Total: 16

Pitt and Georgetown have met 58 times with the Hoyas winning 34 of the games.  They have also met twice in Big East finals with each coming away with a title.  Again, a generally competitive match-up most of the time.  Strong dislike at least on Pitt’s side.  I know during my time at Pitt, the Hoyas were probably the most despised of all the Big East schools just based on the booing I heard.  An epic moment during their confrontations was the Julius Page dunk over seven-foot tall Boumtje Boumtje.  That dunk to this day is one of the top 25 dunks of all time in college basketball.

Potential Basketball Rivals

Saint Johns

The schools have played each other 58 times.  It’s a fun road trip heading to the City to watch Pitt play the Redmen (now called the Red Storm).  It also allows Pitt to get some publicity in the City and possibly develop another pipeline for recruits.  Pitt plays Saint John’s next year.  Hopefully, it can become a regular occurrence. 

Maryland

Just a short 3 hour drive from Pittsburgh.  Maryland is a former ACC school with a solid history in basketball having won a national championship back in 2002.  Both schools are Tobacco Road outsiders so it would be mud in the eye of ACC brass if this competition became a rivalry.

Temple

Another school like Nova from Philly.  So it’s a natural rival based on geography.  Both Pitt and Temple are city schools.  It should be a good battle between these schools.  I have occasionally seen Temple gear in the Pittsburgh area so there are some of their fans living and working in the Burg that can be antagonized.

As you can see, Pitt has several historic rivalries with schools in both football and basketball.  Conference realignment has put many of these rivalries in danger or on permanent hiatus.  I believe rivalries are key in motivating players and instilling school spirit and pride among fans, students and alumni.  I personally had some great memories watching Pitt play against some of these schools.  Hopefully the Pitt administration can find a way to reinstate some of these matchups and get some of the old Big East schools back on the schedule and into a regular rotation.

What are your thoughts regarding this rivalry analysis and what schools would you like to see Pitt play?

HAIL TO PITT

82 thoughts on “Pitt Rivalries – It’s Good to Hate”

  4. Great article Tex!!!

    Lots of stuff I never knew

    for me another important Pitt/PSU game was the 24-24 tie my last year at Pitt which meant during my 4 years we went 1W – 2L – 1 tie with JoePa going for a tie rather than a win at the end of the game

    never a Villanova fan so Scottie Reynolds and the Wildcats keeping Pitt from a final 4 stands out as an easy team to hate forever

    nothing better than the toothless Hoopies showing up in Pittsburgh mostly in the back of pickup trucks for football games during my Pitt years and then currently my neighbor a former Hoopie who I drop 13-9 on whenever appropriate,,,,, and even better when inappropriate

    Like

    1. Yep. That was another memorable game with the Nitters. I probably left off at least five more games for both WVU and Penn State. There’s a good story behind each game.

      Like

  5. Wow Tex very good. Keep em coming, full of PITT memories., info and much appreciated! You mention many memorable games and it shows that PITT has given all of us PITT fans a reason and a team to root for.

    Adderall is good food.

    One team I would like PITT to play every year is Navy.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you Reed for those wonderful graphics. I thought you may have gone R rated for West Virginia though. You kept it clean. Good man. 🤠

      Like

  8. Good job, Tex, with one huge omission. The 1963 team played Navy in Annapolis. Pitt was ranked #3. Navy had Roger Staubach. Pitt feel behind early and couldn’t catch up. Pitt finished 9-1 and Navy was the only blemish on its record. Pitt finished #4 in the country. Imagine if Pitt had won the 1983 Navy contest?

    West Virginia’s football and basketball programs are way ahead of Pitt at this point. It’s going to be interesting to see how well we complete next season. West Virginia’s hoops team in the NCAA tourney again. The Mountaineers may be toothless but they’ve got enough to tear us apart.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. UConn, Nova and G-Town all made the tournament. Saint John’s was left out. Maryland and Rutgers also made it.

    I think a Pitt – Maryland series in basketball would be a good one once Pitt is back.

    Syracuse somehow made it in.

    West Virginia a 3 seed.

    Like

    1. And there is no clear favorite this year. The one seeds are all beatable – Pitt basketball is in really bad shape – I hate to say that…

      I’m rooting for MD, UNC, tOSU and anyone playing the hoopies.

      March Madness used to be my favorite sporting time of the year. Former AD Barnes and Chancellor Gallagher have ruined that for me. Rarely watch an entire game unless Pitt is playing and this past season I rarely watched an entire Pitt game.

      Pitt is a baseball school?

      Like

      1. Tex – well written article – I have only two things to add – one positive and one negative:

        The psuX 42-39 game was my best in person game and it was a loud, record crowd for any Pittsburgh sporting event ever, including the Steelers.

        The psuX 48-14 game was 14-0 when I turned off the game to pay attention to my date (watching on TV while home on school break). I nearly threw up when I saw the 48 number for the first time – date was not with me, fortunately.

        Like

  10. Tex — Excellent article. Well written and appreciate the digging you did. 👍

    OT — Had we won some more BB games and not collapsed again this season, I have no doubt that Pitt would have been picked as one of those contingency teams who would be in the tourney only to replace a Covid team – and of course that wouldn’t have happened… Would have been so Pitt though…

    And Tex – you seem to me like a “Dr. Pitt and Mr. Hyde,” but I appreciate all the brain-power you expend on Pitt athletics!

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. So Pitt Baseball Beats GT 18-12 to take the series. Again Pitt had 19 hits! They scored 7 runs in the second and 4 in the third.

    Sounds like GT can hit but their pitching’s not so good. But credit to Pitt for winning another series against a ranked team…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 5 people

  12. Great article Tex!
    Re BB scheduling: With a few exceptions, we play a cupcake out-of -conference schedule; have been for decades. Inevitably, we lose a couple games anyway due to complacency or disinterest. Meanwhile, season ticket holders pay for games that are counter productive toward building a strong team.

    I’d much rather see a few games against old rivals, home and home series, each early season. Win or lose, we’d be much better prepared for the ACC games.

    Like

  13. Pitt debuts at #18 in D1Baseball.com’s Top 25.

    Top 25
    Full Rankings Chart Updated March 15, 2021

    -1. Arkansas
    Vanderbilt
    Mississippi State
    Ole Miss
    Florida
    Miami
    Texas Tech
    Louisville
    East Carolina
    Texas
    UCLA
    -12. Georgia Tech
    Tennessee
    Oklahoma State
    TCU
    South Carolina
    Notre Dame
    -18. Pittsburgh
    LSU
    Oregon
    UC Santa Barbara
    Michigan
    Oregon State
    Boston College
    -25. Virginia Tech

    I count four norther schools in this mid-March baseball poll.

    Go Pitt!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Impressive.

      Most of these northern teams begin the season playing tournaments down south or against southern teams.

      Pitt is doing surprisingly well. Maybe a regional birth is in the cards this year? Would be the first since 1995?

      Like

  14. Great stuff Tex!
    Rivalries are important for the game, they keep the juices flowing. Without them passion for the game is limited..
    The changing landscape, conference realignment has ruined many rivalries, all of ours.
    Your summary does point out that Pitt was pretty much the underdog in all of our rivalries making winning a really big deal.
    Unfortunately rivalries take time and history. While our out of conference rivals remain, the luster is gone forever.
    It may take 25 more years in the ACC for Pitt to develop rivalries, since we don’t really hate anybody yet.
    The other important ingredient is meaningfulness, we really haven’t played any meaningful games so far.
    For that to happen we have to become contenders, when and if that happens again is anyone’s guess.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Good observation. Pitt has been the underdog in many of these memorable games. Making the upset very sweet. Approaching the sweetness of Koolaid dare I say.

      Like

  15. Good article Tex. I know you want to throw Buffalo a bone, but they would never be a good rivalry. Rivalries have to be competitive, Buffalo is one team Pitt would own. Agree with your assessment of the city. Good place to visit, in the summer.

    Like

    1. Pitt should win 3 of 4 or 4 of 5 against them. So the rivalry meter takes a hit on competitiveness for sure.

      Buffalo does have a good basketball team. Their last two coaches were Hurley and Oats.

      Like

      1. Buffalo men’s BB made the NIT. They would own Pitt these last five or six years.

        Football would be a tough, competitive game with the make-up of the current teams. Buffalo has a really good coach who is in the conversation to take over the Kansas job left vacant by Les Miles’ pretty girl smooching.

        Like

  16. : 2021 Pitt Football Pro Day

    Pitt will host its annual Pro Day on Wednesday, March 17, at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Due to health and safety protocols, Pitt will be unable to host media on-site. However, Pitt Studios will produce live coverage of the entire event—which can be viewed on ACC Network Extra via the Watch ESPN app—beginning at 10:15 a.m.

    The testing stations for Pitt’s Pro Day will include:

    225-Pound Bench Press
    Vertical Jump
    Broad Jump
    40-Yard Dash
    Pro Shuttle
    Three-Cone Drill
    Individual Position Skill Work

    Select players will be available for virtual media interviews at the conclusion of their scheduled workout (after 1:30 p.m.). Please email E.J. Borghetti (eborghetti@athletics.pitt.edu) to confirm your interest in participating in the interview session and to receive a Zoom link.

    The Panthers’ expected 2021 Pro Day participants with final collegiate biography links:

    Saleem Brightwell, linebacker
    Paris Ford, defensive back
    Jeff George, Jr., quarterback
    Will Gragg, tight end
    Damar Hamlin, defensive back
    Bryce Hargrove, offensive lineman
    Patrick Jones II, Drexler, Sam Sam.Drexler@nfl.comdefensive lineman
    Alex Kessman, placekicker
    Aaron Mathews, wide receiver
    Jimmy Morrissey, offensive lineman
    Jason Pinnock, defensive back
    Jazzee Stocker, defensive back
    DJ Turner, wide receiver
    Jaylen Twyman, defensive lineman
    Amir Watts, defensive lineman
    Rashad Weaver, defensive lineman

    Like

  17. It appears that Heather’s accomplishments are hard to ignore or contradict, now. The minor sports are coming along well, with baseball joining the ranks of soccer, wrestling, WVB, softball etc. as programs that are on the upswing. It seems that this was all part of a plan to build up the minor sports to compete in the ACC, while providing stability to men’s FB and BB, which are going to take more time. Some are predicting as many as 10 wins for Narduzzi this coming year, and Capel is capable of improving BB recruiting which has been a problem with Pitt basketball for sometime.

    Both PN and JC know what is necessary to compete in the ACC, and despite the slow movement these programs are trending upward. I wonder if Narduzzi wins the Coastal this year, and Capel gets men’s BB back into the NCAA tournament, will Heather finally get the credit she deserves??

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Nor softball, which was on the upward trend when HL dismantled the program.

        Softball is on a downward trend.

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        1. Not sure why the softball coach was forced out. She’s now at Louisville. Heather did play softball at Michigan. I bet the two didn’t see eye to eye on things.

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    2. Let’s hold off on baseball. Pitt football was ranked at one point last season and the basketball team was 8-2 until they lost 10 of their last 12.

      And again both coach Jay and coach fisher were hired by the guy most love to hate.

      Like

    4. VoiceofReason, hope you are right about “.. all part of a plan to build up the minor sports to compete in the ACC, while providing stability to men’s FB and BB, which are going to take more time.” Sounds reasonable to me.

      Liked by 1 person

    5. Pitt currently has 4 teams ranked nationally now. Volleyball, mens soccer, baseball, and wrestling. Can’t remember if that ever happened before. H2P!

      Like

  19. Tex… Just one BEEF with your article. I like Skyline Chili. No Primantis, but it does grow on ya over time.

    But I fully understand your position given your local.

    Like

    1. Too much cinnamon for me. And maybe too high an expectation. Texas chili does have Mexican chocolate as a secret ingredient.

      One food that did impress me in Chicago was deep dish pizza. I’m a New York thin style guy but I was very impressed.

      Like

      1. One of the best kept secrets in Pittsburgh, Primantis actually has some REALLY good chili.

        First ordered it on a drunken whim back in college. Family recipe.

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  20. Basketball…Pitt, RMU, Duquesne should all play each other every year. Play on each others courts. They all have nice venues now courtesy of UPMC.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. I guess I have a problem with players like Twyman and Ford who sat out all or parts of the season getting to use Pitt’s facilities for Pro Day. I still think that if a player walks away from his team mates and university during the season for his own purposes, he should not be given use of the facilities thereafter. Declaring for the draft after a season is over is another matter, but skipping out on your team mates out of disappointment with the season or to avoid injury is betrayal in my mind.

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Tex, really enjoy your well-written and informative articles.

    One question, which school in the coastal is most likely to become Pitt’s main rival in the future?

    I say North Carolina.

    Like

    1. You’re probably right.

      Miami has a long history with Pitt. The Hokies only have a two game edge on pitt in the series. It’s been very competitive unlike Miami.

      But as far as new rivalries, the tar heels could be that team but Pitt needs to start beating them first.

      I also like Georgia tech. They are a city school like pitt. Good academics. But tough to hate them. I could make myself hate North Carolina just like I hate their bbq.

      Like

  23. To have a rivalry both school’s must possess equal disdain for… that takes many years….at this point the Hokies are the closest thing to a rivalry…. Ask ACC fans who their rivalries are and not one will mention PITT !

    Great work Tex… just got back from Indiana Pa… the folks at Luigi’s in Clymer said to tell you hello…

    Like

    1. And Virginia is the Hokies main rival. We’re like Syracuse to them.

      I used to drink in the woods outside clymer in high school. We’d get a few kegs and throw a party until the cops would bust it up. I was never really sure why it was clymer. Plenty of woods closer to home.

      Maybe it was to avoid the dreaded Indiana police. They had the paddy wagons for IUP students.

      Like

    2. I have been to Luigi’s and his brothers place in DuBois, even better.
      Had friends that lived in Penn Run, Used to camp out in those woods.

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  27. Great Tex. We are unrivaled in the ACC because we have no ACC rival. I think ACC should expand to include Temple and Navy. Two great metro areas. Forget ND. My rival order is PSU, ND and WVU. H2P

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  29. Frank, totally agree with those true rivalries… Cincy was becoming one in the Big Easy days as the were a stumbling block for PITT…

    Any of you ole bastads remember the great Cindy QB Greg Cook???

    Liked by 1 person

  34. I don’t know about the rest of you but I’d do anything to Rutgers on the schedule for early 2000s payback:)

    Like

    1. I agree. The garden state they call themselves. They are really home to some of the worst toxic waste sites in America and its where America dumps its garbage.

      Liked by 1 person

  35. Best Pitt Rivalry is between on campus stadium supporters and steeler stadium supporters.

    Excellent read Tex.

    In my mind, Pitt isn’t worthy of a rivalry to any other team.

    Pitt football record over the last 25 years is 168-152. Who even gets excited to play Pitt? We are mediocre and rarely hit the rankings so the games are meaningless for the most part. Dairy High put Pitt out on the island. They get nothing out of playing or beating us. WV High wants to play so that they can stay relevant to High schools in the burgh for recruiting purposes. Pitt should not play them. No upside. Keep them on an island.

    Pitt basketball over the same 25 year period is 534-316. A good, but not great record. Big east had some nice rivalries with georgetown, villanova, connecticut and syracuse but that all went away. Conference re-alignment crushed the basketball rivalry for Pitt because the basketball schools were not invited to the football conference and the ACC already had their own rivalries. It is like being the kid that transfers into high school during his senior year. Who will take him/her and bring them in close to your group. We are the outsider looking in.

    In both sports, our games played mean very little to the conference or national landscape. This is why I disagree with building non-revenue, who care sports, first. The university is losing a chance at a rivalry every year they do not compete for championships in ACC football and basketball. Do we really think that 92 fans at a baseball game against FSU will get the blood boiling of fans? Ummmm nope! If it wasn’t for our crack reporters, I would have no clue how we did in any sport, because in the big scheme of things….nobody cares. Watch espn and see which sports get air time. Those are the ones you should do well in. Do well enough each year and rivalries will take care of themselves because games will actually mean something. Who is the closest in miles for our squad in the ACC?

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    1. When heather first came in, she spoke of building a championship culture. Excellence across all sports. I believe the thinking was that excellence would be contagious forcing a friendly competition between coaches. Challenging everyone to reach for the stars. It was a bottoms up approach. At a high level, I agree with this approach. But you can get there by just holding coaches accountable to a standard. I’m more a believer in a top down approach. You need to get your two money makers on a path to excellence first. I applaud the effort but the time and effort really needs to focus on the only two sports that really matter.

      Liked by 1 person

  37. Great article, Tex. The key ingredients to a rivalry are in some order: repeated meetings for high stakes (resulting bitterness from the loser); proximity (familiarity breeds contempt and local bragging rights), and a social divide of some kind (public v. private, urban v. rural, flagship v. land grant, etc.) Pitt’s two true historical rivals, PSU and WVU, checked all three boxes. There’s no school in the ACC that offers the potential for a rivalry at that level, even on a generational timeline. Probably the best Pitt football can hope for is to be Virginia Tech’s secondary rival like WVU was to Pitt all those years we were focused on PSU. On a similar note, I understand the move to the ACC was the correct one, but it never feels worse than the week of the Big East tournament. At its best, that event had the aura around it like the night of a big fight. Don’t think we’ll see the likes of that in our new digs.

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  38. Another great article Tex! I may not always agree with you, but I appreciate the passion and effort you put into your articles and posts.

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    1. My next article will be a fun take on if I was Coach Narduzzi.

      How would I sell Pitt to a recruit.

      I personally believe Pitt has many good selling points. But the recruit will have many questions.

      How I answer them will convince a five star to give Pitt a shot.

      I’ll have something next week.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Great article, Tex! I think the best rival opportunity for Pitt is Syracuse. They are both Northern schools with a lot of history. Over the years it has been a competitive relationship that may be a bit weaker right now, but we are looking at the longer term when establishing a rivalry.

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    1. The rivalry with the orange 🍊 is there for sure on the basketball side. But the cuse just can’t beat Pitt in football and it never helps if their star QB is hungover. Syracuse football is big in upstate New York. They have to start beating Pitt first but I’d rather have Pitt continue the beatings. 🤠

      Liked by 1 person

  40. Tex, I love to watch those beatings in football as well, and it would be good to have a rival that we can continue to beat more often! But these things go in cycles, and long after their hungover QB is gone the rivalry should hopefully endure. 🙂 I remember way back in college days those big “Squeeze the Orange” signs the frats would display at Pitt Stadium, so there is already a long history. And it helps that the driving distance is close enough that Pitt might get some additional ticket sales for football.

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    1. No but I do.

      Brown played once at Pitt Stadium. Twice against Pitt. Pitt won both games.

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  42. Tex – late to the party, but thanks for the post.
    As I’ve noted after your other articles, you have a good writing style (articles, that is. 😉 )

    Sadly, Pitt is stuck in a time without any natural rivals in football. And thats a shame. Its a combination of what has happened to it and other schools since the shift away from Independents in the 90’s to CFB realignment in the early 2000’s.

    Our longest continuous matchup is against Syracuse. Hardly been a barn burner series. Meh.
    Notre Dame might be one for Pitt, but the Irish have Navy and USC as longstanding traditional matchups. Its not a reciporcal relationship in that regard.

    Attempts to manufacture rvialries (Syracuse in the ACC and Cincy in the BE) are silly. The best way we could have had a rivalry with the Bearcats was to tackle Gilyard.

    Our medicore performance since joining the ACC has done nothing to change that. Win games and in the process hurt the other programs by beating them. P1ss off their fans by ruining their season. Do it consistently.

    The other ACC schools will never view us as a rival unless we do something that rivals do – define their season for good or bad.. Its done by knocking them off when they are strong (and vice versa) and competitive, games that have meaning – who wins the Coastal or the ACC Championship game itself. Short of that, its not very interesting.

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    1. The ACC is just not a good fit for Pitt. I’m hoping in 2027, it all changes. Tv contracts expire.

      You’ll like my next piece. I put on my sales hat to sell Pitt to an 18 year old four star from jersey.

      I play the role of HCPN.

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