in Pitt Football 470 Words

Advice From Our Parents

I was picking up my mail the other day – we have a communal mailbox down the street – and as I got out of the car I did as I always do; walked around the rear of the car to get to the mailbox. I did this because I kept the car running while I walked over to the box.

When I got back home I was woolgathering and wondered how I learned to avoid killing myself if the car jumped a gear like that. Then I remembered my father taught me that back we I was a little kid.

That got me wondering about how many other small tidbits of advice and wisdom I received from my parents, teachers and other adults as I grew up. So – I thought maybe this would be a good topic to comment on so that we might learn some valuable advice that we, or our kids and grandkids, might benefit from.

Here are a couple from my parents:

When I was 13 years old my dad sat me down and said this; “If you want to be popular with girls here is what you do – every time you are at a party walk straight up to the prettiest girl and introduce yourself then ask her name. Other boys won’t do that because they are shy or whatever – but that girl will probably be grateful you did it because everyone else is scared of her.”

Here is the kicker to that, then he said: Start a conversation with her and let her talk. When she does, listen to her like she’s an actual human being (love that part) – don’t talk about yourself but ask her follow up questions about what she’s saying.”

Worked pretty damn well if I do say so…

Also, my mother told me once “Beware of small minded people with small power.” How right she was! Her belief was that sometimes those in a lower bureaucratic position who can say yes or no to simple requests will many times say “no” just because they can. It is the only power they hold over others. I’ve found that to be true many times also.

When I was about six my oldest brother told me “Don’t eat yellow snow” but I thought he was joking so I asked if that was true. Then he slapped me on the head and called me an idiot but that wasn’t anything new.

Have any of these bits of advice to share? Please do…

Also on a separate note – this is a follow up to the incident I was involved in a while back. The Howard County police sent me these nice things:

Now – I asked if my future traffic citations could be tossed for 2021 and got a resounding “NO!”.

Reed

118 thoughts on “Advice From Our Parents”

  2. Great recognition Reed and well deserved. It’s nice your actions were recognized! I don’t know you but I can guess that recognition does not drive you but it feels good…enjoy it.

    Liked by 2 people

  3. As far as advice I was once told to always do the right thing – especially when no one is looking.
    I told my own kids this and share it when mentoring young people in the workplace.

    Like

  4. Make some contributions to the local Gendarmes and get a Free Get Out of Jail card.

    Or become a politician. lol

    Had the card and did the other. Saved a lot of lawyering fees.

    Now that’s some good advice.

    Like

  5. I must have been 14 when I told my father I was thinking of taking over the farm one day. Without a moment of hesitation he said, “By all means, become a farmer. Just never get sick, and never grow old.”

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I tell my children to find a school that doesn’t accept mediocrity. Pitt is obviously not on that list.

    Also never pee against the wind.

    Like

  7. Recognize a bull-crapper as soon as possible then just keep moving along. hint… they usually wear big hats.

    Be nice to people for crying out-loud. It’s not hard to do plus a smile uses more muscles than a frown.

    Never quit or don’t come home…… your choice.

    Go stew in your own juices.

    Never come into the house while I’m writing numbers.

    When fielding a hopper, always move forward and take the ball at it’s lowest point near the ground. Short hops make one look like an All-Star!

    Liked by 4 people

  8. Advice from my wife’s uncle as we were visiting him in a nursing home, “If there is anything you would someday like to do, do it right now.”

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Measure twice and cut once or measure once and cut twice . . .with today’s lumber prices, this advice has never been more valuable!

    Like

  10. Congratulations on having great advice from loving parents. It would be wonderful if more people today reflected the sage words of caring parents.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Never wear mirrored sunglasses when playing poker.

    Always check your oil level in your vehicle before a trip as leaks do happen.

    There may be people with more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.

    If you fail to prepare, you’ve prepared to fail.

    The road to easy street has a sewer running through it.

    Like

  14. A bourbon a day keeps the Koolaid man at bay

    If someone gives you a free Fanta, politely decline

    Falling asleep in stadium seats is uncomfortable. And you might find yourself going viral on twitter.

    A gate should never be used to keep fans out

    Marry a girl who makes a good meatball. You’ll never go hungry.

    The color yellow does not look good on people so don’t waste your money buying yellow clothing. You won’t be the exception.

    Always strive for excellence. Never settle for being mediocre. Nobody wants to go around in life being average.

    Hire people better than yourself and give them the support they need to help them make you look good.

    Tackle problems head on and right away. They become bigger ones if you let them linger.

    If you experience high employee turnover, maybe the person staring back at you in the mirror is the problem.

    Be honest with people and yourself. Be the real deal every day.

    Avoid making Freddy Krueger references

    Always dress for success and look the part. If you dress like a slob and look like a potatoe, you’ll act and think like one

    Try sporting a mustache once in your life. If you don’t like it, you can always cut it off

    Beware of people promising you things. Make sure their words are backed by action

    Do your best to take the less traveled path in life. Take risks and experiment. Life is more than one spice.

    Never pass up a chance to meet someone new even a Texan

    Push your comfort zone and stretch yourself mentally, physically and spiritually.

    Always respect the opinions of others. Listen and try to understand their side. They may be wrong but hear them out. The truth and solutions are often in the middle between two reasonable people.

    The best thing about Pitt football is the tailgating. Expect the best from Pitt fans but the worst from the team. You’ll never leave disappointed.

    Like

    1. Your choices in life define you. The good and the bad. But never be afraid to make a decision.

      I chose Pitt over Penn State. I don’t regret that choice.

      Pitt was more real, more dirty, more like life.

      During my Penn State orientation it was all unicorns and fairies. It was hubris. It was zombie like. It was so not real. I mean has anyone ever seen a Nittany Lion?

      Pitt exposed their worts. Pitt was far more down to earth. Pitt didn’t try to hide who they were. That’s what sold me.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. If you suck, do something about it. Unless you like the sucking. And if you do, I’ve got some lemons to sell you

    https://1059thex.iheart.com/alternate/amp/2021-06-02-what-teams-suck-the-most/?__twitter_impression=true

    Pitt sports would fit right in. They have consciously made the decision to be mediocre at best and will offer you a bad product most of the time. To do just enough not to get booted from the ACC.

    I mean isn’t Pitt football one of only a handful of schools to have at least 4 losses every year since the Roman Empire fell?

    Come on guys. How often after a Pitt game last year did you yell ‘Pitt Sucks’

    Like

    1. Would that be the Western Roman Empire or the Eastern Roman Empire ? About a 1000 years difference in the years they fell. haha

      Like

      1. Aren’t you supposed to be hunting demons right now?

        In Pitt’s case, it is Western.

        Tex – who took several Classics classes at Pitt

        Like

  17. Well, now that Pitt has recruited one of its significant needs in the 6″9″ Mouhamadou Gueye from Stoney Brook, Capel has a seasoned, experienced Center to back up Hugely (who many said would never come back), with 2 remaining scholarships to give. I think if he lands a decent point guard it will be a very successful recruiting season, and Capel will have taken a major step in bringing Pitt back to respectability. This team could make the NIT this upcoming season.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. This team might make the NIT if Pitt were playing all their games against MAC teams. In the ACC Pitt will be lucky to get 4 wins with this current squad.

      Like

      1. Did you steal my vinegar? I drank some sugary bourbon the other day and predicted 8 ACC wins. Someone called me out on that. I forget the handle.

        Like

        1. The fresh weck rolls with the salt make all the difference (not to mention a big dose of white horseradish). Tex, do you think that if Pitt wins 8 ACC games their schedule is going to be sufficiently soft to get the into the NIT? I actually think that the guard play will be much improved this year with the growth and strength of the back court players coming back.

          Like

    3. Seriously Voice….you think a 6’9″ twig from the America East (not even close to MAC level) is going to help much in the ACC.

      Pitt will be lucky to score 50 ppg.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. He can run the floor and block shots. This will help as a defensive substitute when Hugely needs a blow or fouls out. Don’t be surprised of he adds 7-8 points/game as well. This team will go as far as their defense and 3 point shooting will take them. I think I’ll stick with Tex and go with 8 ACC wins.

        Like

  18. When did cheating become so commonplace? See belicheat. Kentucky derby. Most elite basketball schools.

    I always used to play the gray. The line between black and white. I would push all the way to the edge as coach and player. But ethically and morally I never cheated the outcome of a game.

    I’m really disgusted at sports right now.

    I guess in Pitts case, they are too stupid to get away with it.

    Two probations people over Minor stuff. If you cheat, cheat big at least.

    That would be good advice for my kids. Cheat big or go home.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Our latest bball recruit.

    He’s 200 lbs when completely wrapped like a Mummy.

    Like

  20. When I was younger, I heard a story about two pow’s in Vietnam. They eventually escaped, went home, and went their separate ways.

    Many many years later, they ran into each other.

    One of them had lived a full and enjoyable life, having many children and grandchildren.

    The other was a lonely, bitter, old man with no family.

    The first had learned to forgive their captors, and the other spent his life hating them.

    I believe the moral was that we should learn to forgive other people. If we hold hate in our hearts, it only hurts us.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. I will never forgive Pitt after what they did to Jackie and Wanny. The enemy is within. What hurts us is Pitt leaders playing us for fools. Some things are unforgivable.

      Like

      1. You have to add Gottfried to that list. The guy should have led us into the 90s and early 2000s. If he coached 15 more years at Pitt he still would not have been in his 60s. That lost decade really killed football. Mike wasn’t a loser coach (2-2 versus Holtz and Paterno, 2-1-1 vs WVU) and finally had his QB in place moving forward.

        That was the most egregious display by a university killing its most popular sport that brought the school notoriety. Not to mention it destroyed player relationships with the school with players from the late 80s, which Marc Spindler has even talked about.

        Like

          1. Maybe, but so what?

            Gary Williams banged co-eds at Maryland at a high rate. Is his face covered in team photos at Cole Field House? Is Pitt better than that?

            Like

  23. Do you have to be a licensed therapeutic practitioner to post here? Or, do you get automatically certified after a certain number of posts?

    Asking for a friend.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Does someone need a doctor for psychotherapy.

        You need an Amex card with unlimited spending.

        Like

  24. Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will retire after next season, according to several reports. The winningest coach in college basketball history has led the Blue Devils over the past 41 seasons with five national championships.

    Associate head coach Jon Scheyer has agreed to become Duke’s next head coach, according to a report by ESPN. The one-time student of Coach K’s will take over his at his Alma mater to start the 2022-23 season at the age of 34. Scheyer will also become the youngest coach to take over the program in Duke’s history.

    Like

    2. Duke runs its basketball program like any winning organization.Decisions made by the athletic department are designed to perpetuate excellence. Capel had a good run there, but the Blue Devils weren’t about to turn over the keys to their program to a loser and fader like Jeffy. The bad news? No one is going to take Capel off our hands. Heather will need to get dressed, go to the office, and work when next season ends. If Capel lasts that long.

      Like

    3. Duke’s AD must not read the POV. If they did they would know never to hire a head coach who doesn’t have a proven record of winning as a head coach…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  25. We are seeing the changing of the guard in the ACC, including the Commissioner. There should be more balance now, with Pitt, ‘Cuse and BC having more say. I look for football to become more dominant now as the Tobacco Road basketball legends fade into history.

    Like

    1. I’m not sure I’d make that leap just yet. You’d hope.

      Heather has little to no influence over anyone. That’s ANY One.

      A northerner won’t just make things easier if you have a dolt as AD.

      Like

    2. Never Fear…………..

      Lefty Driesell is coming back from retirement along with Norm Sloan’s Red plaid Sportcoat.

      Like

    1. Well, you have to be told the truth. Pitt will disappoint. Pitt will break your heart. Pitt will get you excited and then let you down hard. Pitt will excel in mediocrity. But if you can understand and deal with those things, pitt is it.

      Some of us alumni don’t have a choice. But I knew what I was getting into when I picked Pitt. No regrets. I see upside and opportunity.

      However, Need to fire 🔥 two people first.

      Like

  27. As some of us knew without looking….Pitt is Dead Last in basketball recruiting.

    So the experts are not impressed with scrubs from scrub leagues.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. But our coach can coach them up. Isn’t that what people say of Narduzzi? I’ve yet to see it. Must be fantasy. Any 🦄 sightings?

      Like

  29. Saw this on the Lair…

    “Pittsburgh’s defense rushing the passer since 2019:

    💪 Sacks – 116 (1st)
    💪 Pressures – 565 (1st)
    💪 Pressure % – 40.8% (1st)”

    Pretty impressive numerals for our Pitt Panthers. And we appear to have some impressive front-seven players in the pipeline…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

  30. On parental advice, my Dad led more by example, with a theme of treating others as you’d like to be treated.

    He was a kind man who did things like taking out a machine-gun nest with a well-placed grenade in the Pacific in WWII.

    Another theme was the importance of preparation, for whatever aim or task you had in front of you. You’ve got to prepare if you want to do well, whether it’s playing ball, giving a speech, or throwing a grenade, or having a tailgate!

    BTW, I like ike!

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Way to kick me when I’m down. 🤠

      I’m a big believer in a below market base with plenty of upside via incentives and bonus monies for reaching SMART goals.

      Pay for performance.

      Pitt is also 4 years running at a .500 record. Just seems to me that Pitt has a poor return on investment. And more importantly, there is little to no impetus to correct the malfeasance.

      But it’s not my money. Poor students and tax payers.

      Like

  32. Just saw on the local news that Coach Bates and his wife donated the money needed to replace the equipment for the Homewood youth football team. Their equipment was ruined by some flooding or something…

    After the chance to talk to him a couple times, I’m a big Coach Bates fan. 👍

    Go Pitt.

    Like

    1. Isn’t Bates the coach that had cancer and needed to be careful during covid?

      If so, I do like him. Like in a replacement for Narduzzi.

      Any my prayers are with you Ike although the last time I prayed it wasn’t answered. But it was for selfish reasons…pitt football actually winning a game. They lost. Domer game. God has a good sense of humour and appreciation of dark comedy.

      Like

      1. He needs to get a head coaching job at a Mac school. He’s not doing his career any good working under Narduzzi at pitt. In four years, he can come back and become HCRB

        Like

  33. All of the football equipment from the Homewood football program (local Pittsburgh area) was stolen a while back and recently reported on the news. There was a go fund me account set up to replace it.. Coach Randy Bates’ wife saw the story and told him about it. He and his wife wrote a check to replace all of it. What a kind gesture from a great couple.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Fitzgerald Fieldhouse should have been a more legendary gymnasium. It wasn’t because the administration hired coaches who hated to recruit, from Doc to Timmons to Buzz. The talent coming out from Western PA starting in 1951 with Stokes and Twyman to Brad Davis, Bennett and Pat Cummings in 1974 was a missed opportunity.

      Like

  35. Agree with Majors that Coach Bates is a class act…
    Nice guy that actually listened to us when we spoke to him. Looked us in the eye and answered our questions thoughtfully.

    Liked by 2 people

  36. Just watched the Channel 11 news…story about the Homewood theft of the football equipment and no mention of Coach Bates.
    Just said go fund site raised 11k.
    Good opportunity for pr…Pitt doesn’t get much of that.

    Like

    1. I saw the Coach Bates angle on Channel 4 News. They had Coach on camera and showed Coach B. handing over an envelope that had a Pitt script on it.

      Wonder if that’s the same envelope they fill with cash for Pitt recruits? 😊

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  38. From the Trib:

    Like the old days

    It’s always fun to say Pitt and Penn State in the same sentence and have good flashbacks.

    Some popular ex-players from both schools are on the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. It was published Wednesday.

    Former Nittany Lions linebacker LaVar Arrington (‘99), linebacker Paul Posluszny (‘06) and guard Steve Wisniewski (‘88) have been included.

    Former Pitt quarterback Matt Cavanaugh (‘77) and running back Craig “Iron Head” Heyward (‘87) are up for vote as well. So is former West Virginia Mountaineer defensive back Aaron Beasley (‘95) and head coach Jim Carlen.

    The ballots will be emailed to more than 12,000 National Football Foundation members and current Hall of Famers, who submit their votes to the NFF’s Honors Courts. The class is expected to be announced early in 2022. Those selected will be inducted during the 64th annual NFF awards dinner on Dec. 6, 2022.

    Former Steelers linebacker Levon Kirkland (Clemson, ‘92) and quarterback-turned-wide receiver Antwaan Randle El (Indiana, ‘02) are also up for consideration.

    Like

  39. My favorite piece of advice came from my uncle. Parents gave sage advice but my uncle gave something that I use and laugh about every time I make a trip. Since my late wife would not fly we drove to all our destinations. Just thought about it when I made my latest trip to Columbia earlier this week.

    The advice- when you are in a strange town and there are 3 lanes of traffic, stay in the middle lane. Advice from the mid 60’s. Even in these days of nav systems built into cars and easily accessible traffic apps, I remember. The only problem are those cities that have 4+ lanes. l always wonder how my Uncle Fred would update his advice.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Richard, I’m a little slow these days but I’m wondering if Uncle Freddy was suggesting to blend in and mind your own bees-wax when in unfamiliar places? Staying in the middle allows you to go right or left depending on who you’re talking to. Come to think of it, you do seem like a middle lane type of guy.

      Hope all is great with you Richard my good friend, also hoping to see you at your designated home game this year. I know a few guys planning a road trip to Tennessee.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Ike – Always good to hear from you. Every time I add yard waste or set fire to my burn pile or even walk by on the way to the far side of my yard, I think of you and smile at your friendship & kindness. Lately, I add a prayer for your health.

        I always thought of it as driving advice but you added a new dimension to my uncle’s advice. I probably am a middle lane type of guy. I blame it on my accounting background. I didn’t (& still don’t)
        open my mouth about salaries or other confidential info I knew & I haven’t even since I retired in 2007. But once I have info/data to back up my decision, I can change lanes quickly & with confidence into my new lane.

        I would love to be in the burgh for either the Clemson or Miami game but my settle for the Western Michigan (not announced but probably a noon game). After all, Fran & the other tailgate hosts will be their at 7am.

        Liked by 1 person

  40. Tex, there is a reason that colleges don’t go more to incentive based contracts for head coaches. It encourages cheating. If a coach doesn’t care much about staying with his current team, he is even more likely to cheat for short term gain,and then get out of town before the crap hits the fan. This could hurt the so called “stepping stone” schools like Pitt, Purdue and many others, even WVU. College sports would be a real mess (even worse than now) if this were to happen.

    The better approach is to hire good coaches, pay them well, and then give them small bonuses as recognition for good performance. Good coaches will want to win, and coaches like Narduzzi have a very good financial incentive to win and stay at a college like Pitt for a long time. You are not going to shame a coach into leaving if he is making a top salary, but the swinging gate approach where a coach makes almost nothing, stays for 3 years and then gets fired or bails out is not the answer. There are many recruiting intangibles and advantages that come from longevity. This is why I think the Pitt is on the right track with its contract structure.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well then when does the accountability begin. The risk of setting a high base is that you can overpay and then are stuck with a bad coach.

      You just can’t go on overpaying any coach for mediocre to poor results.

      Contracts were meant to be broken. Pitt needs a clean break after this season.

      I can’t see how pitt can justify to their stakeholders a coach getting paid top 25 coaching salary for a RPI ranking of 50. A guy making nearly 30 times the salary of a tenured professor. He’s grossly overpaid given the performance so when will Pitt cut bait.

      The buyout at this stage in the contract can’t be all that onerous. There has to be a booster or two willing to rid fans of this middling coach.

      Think about all the money Narduzzi is hogging for himself when that money could be better spent hiring better coordinators and assistants. But no pitt gets this washed up charmin salesman and some receivers coach from Hawaii.

      And really can Pitt even afford this guy. I’d hate to be a tax payer or student. And I’ll be damned if any of my money flows into Pats pockets. I don’t give money to thieves who live behind locked gates.

      Like

    2. But you need to invest in the right people. I have no problem paying top dollar to a person who has earned it.

      Like coach J and Coach Fisher. Those guys should make top ten salary. And then Pitt needs to give them both better facilities. And more money for assistants. And a larger recruiting budget. And just more appreciation for being the two best coaches Pitt has. And frankly, they rank right up there as best coaches in the country. What they’ve accomplished despite all the hurdles and constraints is remarkable.

      Narduzzi gets everything he asks for and delivers us all cold and bland food. I didn’t say it. But a Fanta can’t even wash down this mediocre plate of garbage.

      Like

      1. But tell us what you really think Tex.

        Heather & Atom Boy must like cold cuts, cause no angus prime beef in the 2 major sports.

        Like

          1. Would hate to see that again….say should an upchuck occur.

            Or is that….the upchuck ?

            Like

  41. Here’s some easy math

    I’m generalizing so I hope I’m close on assumptions. The school of education is ranked 23 in the us. They are top 25. Number one in the state.

    I’m assuming 2000 students are enrolled. Tuition is $18k for a full year. That’s $36 million in revenues this department receives. Dean of the school makes $200k. That’s .006 percent of revenues

    Pitt football generates $50 million and I’m being generous. I include 80 percent of that ACC check, ticket sales, merchandise, donations and other license fees

    Narduzzi makes $4.2 million. That’s 8.4 percent of revenues

    And most of you don’t have a problem with that?

    Like

  42. So about a dime of every dollar you spend on pitt football goes into Pats pocket. How does that make you feel?

    Like

  43. Sure, Duzz is overpaid by a million or two.

    I’d still like to see a school like Pitt try a different coaching model. I’d try having a Head Coach Offense and a Head Coach Defense. Hire two of the top coordinators in the land for those positions.

    We generally have a decent defense and crappy offense, or vice-versa, because our Head Coach’s strength is one side or the other.

    It might get messy with the egos, but think outside the coach’s box…

    And one thing you have to say about Coach Duzz — he has played his coaching cards about as well as possible. He’s either very smart or very lucky…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

    1. Two bosses does not work in business and probably not in FB either. Someone needs to be responsible to make the hard decisions and be held accountable. They also reap the rewards of bonuses and recognition.

      Sadly, Pitt’s administration does not hold HC’s responsible for wins. The old school way of sports accountability.

      Like

    3. Actually Herm Edwards at Arizona State follows the HCOff, HCDef model. Their titles on the ASU website does not list them as such but when Edwards discusses his coaches, that is how he dscribes them.
      Rick is right in that Edwards is the responsible party.

      Liked by 1 person

  44. Pay the head coach market for where you want to be. If top 25, then pay what the top 25 make. If they don’t perform, you fire them and don’t give them extensions. Simple.

    Who wants stable mediocrity. And Pitt isn’t that stable with its revolving door of coordinators and assistants.

    I agree that pitt needs to pay market for coordinators. Good dc’s and oc’s start at one million.

    What the old saying. Slow to hire. Quick to fire.

    Pitt should always have an updated list of at least five coaching candidates that should be interested and are good fits

    I would require head coaching experience as a criterion.

    Like

  45. We pay to 30 but don’t sniff top 25. Six years is long enough to be a top 25 program with the same HC.

    Are we already waiting til next year?

    This is about a 55 to 60 ranked team.

    Like

  46. I hope they strip search every Hoopie for coins. Cavity included.

    Like

    1. Ironhead’s 1791 Yards led the Nation that year.

      Ahead of some noteworthy talent:

      Ikcy Woods 1658
      Thurman Thomas 1613
      Emmitt Smith 1341

      Ironhead also led the Nation in Yards from Scrimmage.

      He’s not in now, cause he went to Pitt ! He’d be in a long time ago had he went
      to tOSU or Pedo State.

      Liked by 1 person

  48. The difference between mediocre and top HC pay is $2 million to $4 million. So over the course of a 5 year contract that amounts to $10 million. A decent program should be able to make that amount up over 5 years with an above average bowl game or two and with some creative fund raising. Naduzzi’s higher pay is not a major consideration in the overall scope of things.

    If they paid $2 million and then had the coach jump to a better job, or if they hired a mediocre coach for the mediocre pay and then fired him, they would be doing it all over again every 3-4 years, which is what everyone has complained about before. Do we want to return to a stepping stone program or not?

    So you need to pay the man!

    Like

    1. You need to fire the man

      He is grossly overpaid

      A poor ambassador for Pitt

      I don’t pray much but when I do it’s for Narduzzi on a one way ticket back to Youngstown.

      If you think I annoy y’all, Saint Jude has something to say about that.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Pitt prefers mediocrity & stability to taking any risks. Bureaucrats and paper pushers are not the risk taking types.

        Like

        1. And they don’t know when they are being taken to the cleaners. Narduzzi owns a dry cleaning shop in Youngstown. Did you know?

          Like

  49. An interesting tidbit I came across, seemingly lost in the void of sports history.

    Pitt played in the LAST Bluebonnett Bowl game EVER after that 1987 season. (losing of course)
    The smallest crowd in the history of the Bluebonnet watched. (23,282)

    Other noteworthy bowl tidbits;

    Pitt played in 3 of the only 4 BBVA Kumquat Bowls.

    Pitt played in the LAST EVER….Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

    Pitt = Killer of Bowl Games

    Like

    1. It shows how disgusted Texas fans were with its team in 1987 that not many traveled to Houston from Austin for that game. That’s a bigger indictment on UT than it is Pitt.

      Like

      1. And Pitt players admitted being a little hung over at game time having had a good time in some of Houston’s plentiful strip clubs.

        Like

    2. Pitt never got paid for that bowl game as the Bluebonnet Bowl went out of business. Pitt players had too much fun in Houston*a titty bars and came out flat. Pitt blew another opportunity to end the season ranked with the loss.

      Like

      1. Dallas has better ones. But as a young kid you’d be impressed with any of the men’s clubs in Texas. Even the ones in Abilene.

        I’ve never met bigger eggheads than at Pitt. Even the iveys aren’t this stuck up. They value sports far more than pitt. For pitt, it was always dirty.

        Like

  50. What’s wrong with packing in a crowd of 23,000 into a bowl game? 🙂 Remember that many of these bowls are mostly for TV consumption so that ESPN can offer up something for sports fans to watch during the holiday season. A one hour network TV program takes millions to produce, so getting Pitt for $150,000 or so is a cheap investment to fill up 3 hours of TV time.

    Like

    1. That 1987 squad was good. Beat Ohio state by a huge margin, beat Notre Dame and Penn State all at the old Pitt Stadium. But Mediocre Mike dropped games to BC and Temple I believe.

      Like

      1. tOSU win was in 1988, but Pitt beat BYU and NC State to start 2-0. Then the dreaded losses to Temple and BC. Genilla was not a good QB, but Gottfried recruited Major Harris as a DB and not a QB. What a grave mistake. Cost Mike big from 1987-89. He still should have coached Pitt throughout the 90s.

        Like

  51. My Longhorns want to forget that game. I watched it on TV knowing I’d be going to Pitt the next year. Should have gone to Texas. 🤠

    Well I did 12 years later

    Like

  52. Gloom, despair, and agony on the POV. Deep dark depression excessive misery. If it weren’t for Pitt bashing we’d have no POV discussion at all. Gloom despair and agony on the POV. Just got on the POV to see what’s been discussed and the discussion went from entertaining advice from fathers (6/1) to typical Pitt bashing (6/3). So it goes.

    Liked by 3 people

    2. All valid, fair and pertinent questions reporters don’t ask for fear of losing their creds and being locked out

      Why doesn’t pitt pay competitive salaries for assistants

      We all know why. Why is the elephant in the room a tiny sheep?

      Call it what it is.

      Pitt football could be so much better if 13 cents on every dollar received wasn’t spent on one mediocre guy.

      Like

Comments are closed.