Pitt-Penn State
*Congratulations to the Boston Bruins for winning the 2011 Stanley Cup last week, their first Cup since 1972. Mark Recchi was on this team and went out in style. Recchi won his first Cup with the Penguins in 1991 but was traded in 1992 in the deal that brought Rick Tocchet, Kjell Sammuelson, and Ken Wregget to Pittsburgh. Recchi went on to win a Cup with Carolina in 2006, and now he finishes his career at 43 years of age with a Cup playing for Boston.
*Much of the talk over the last week and a half is the renewal of the Pitt-Penn State football game in 2016 and 2017. It will only be a two game series, so the rivalry will likely not be the one that was back in the late 1970s and into the middle 1980s. Some light needs to be shed on this series and its relevance on the college football landscape.
Joe Paterno became head coach of Penn State in 1966 after serving as an assistant to then coach Rip Engle. Of course, we all know Paterno is still coaching at the age of 84. What many may not know that is Pitt was not relevant during those times and was a candidate to drop a level in college football because the program was becoming stagnant.
Johnny Majors was named head coach after the 1972 season and served four years in that capacity. During his tenure, Pitt went from being an also ran to a national champion and perennial contender. When he left for Tennessee, his alma mater, after the national championship season of 1976, one of his assistants, Jackie Sherrill, kept Pitt at the top and had three seasons of 11 – 1 records. He turned out first round draft picks and eventual starters to the NFL.
It was during this time that Pitt met Penn State in the last game of the regular season with bragging rights, undefeated records, and major bowl games on the line. It was one of the fiercest intrastate battles of its time, right up there with Auburn-Alabama, Nebraska-Oklahoma, Ohio State-Michigan, USC-UCLA, Oregon-Oregon State, and other rivalries of that time. It was played close to Thanksgiving, or on that weekend, and it packed the house at both facilities – then Pitt Stadium and Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley.
After Jackie Sherrill left in 1982, Foge Fazio took over as coach and Pitt began a slow and steady decline. Fazio was head coach during Dan Marino’s senior season and a team that was thought to be a legitimate national title contender ended up 9 – 3. As the 1980s proceeded, Joe Paterno wanted to create an eastern seaboard “power” conference and asked Pitt to join him. Many may not know or realize that. Everyone wants to blame Paterno for the Pitt game becoming extinct, the last time being played in 2000. People need to do their homework before pointing fingers.
At that time, Pitt and Penn State were major independents, which meant they could schedule anyone they wanted to. However, if a conference was created, some prestige could go along with it and the financial rewards that would have been reaped with a television contract. During this time was when Penn State was being courted by the Big Ten. Since the chances were slim that Pitt was going to change its mind, Paterno gave the green light for Penn State to join the conference. They began conference play in 1994.
The announcement last week that this rivalry would be renewed, for two games anyway, brought about many “About time” announcements from people associated with both universities, and especially those at Pitt. There are also those who feel that this series needs to renewed annually and both schools need to find a way to make it work.
Penn State and Paterno get chided for scheduling cupcake schools and irrelevant opponents instead of Pitt. Some may say that is sour grapes, others say it has some merit. Pitt-Penn State is basically the battle of Pennsylvania. Except there has not been a battle since the aforementioned 2000 and even before that when Penn State was playing its Big Ten schedule and Pitt was still an independent before joining the newly created Big East Conference.
First things first. Even though I love reminiscing as much as the next person about the good days of our childhood and these games meant something, those days are gone, unfortunately. There are some who will be waiting with baited breath when Penn State visits Heinz Field in 2016. The last time Penn State played in Pittsburgh, it was on artificial turf at old Three Rivers Stadium. Things have changed. The atmosphere may have also changed.
When those teams battled, it was for bragging rights, at least for the year, and the teams had been meeting yearly. It was something to be said to be a part of that game and who was on the winning side. This area was a recruiting hot bed for both schools and landing a blue chip prospect was considered a win over the rival. Yes, those were great days in Pittsburgh and Happy Valley. The problem is those days are long over and this rivalry, albeit for two games, may not have the luster it once had.
There are some even clamoring for Pitt and Penn State to open their seasons with each other and close with their other rivals, West Virginia for Pitt, the Backyard Brawl, and Michigan State for Penn State. To me, that just isn’t the same. Sure, the teams playing will be enough for some people, but you have to be able to maintain tradition. Part of tradition is the fact that this game was played at the end of the season with so much on the line. Opening the season with this game would be strange.
The argument for this series to be renewed annually would carry some merit if both athletic directors could agree on something – Steve Pederson at Pitt and Tim Curley at Penn State. But Penn State is balking at that because of future scheduling conflicts. My answer all along as been this – despite the fact that the Big East basketball conference is, arguably, the best conference in the country - Pitt goes to the Big Ten and plays Penn State every year, last game of the season. Forget what it might do to the basketball program. There are plenty of legitimate powers in the Big Ten basketball wise to make the transition smooth and moot. But if the fans and all involved want this to happen, then Pitt joins the Big Ten in football and plays Penn State every year. Imagine Heinz Field with the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, now Nebraska, and Penn State paying visits every other year? I say it’s doable and I also say it needs to be done. It is the only realistic answer to this dilemma.
I’m glad this game has been renewed, if only for two years. First game is five years from now so I will still be plenty young enough to enjoy it, since I grew up with the rivalry in the 70s and 80s. It will be fun to watch these two old foes strap it on, if only for two more times anyway, and get after it on the gridiron. I will make only one request of Pitt – either scrap the present uniforms altogether and go back to the old school unis, with the script Pitt on the helmets, the royal blue jerseys, and the mustard pants, or at least break out the old school threads for these two games. It would only be fitting, so to speak!
*Denny Hamlin won the Father’s Day race in Michigan last Sunday, his first win of the season. The backyard of the Big Three witnessed a Toyota winning the race. This Sunday, the Sprint Cup series moves to wine country and Infineon Raceway, a road course, the first road course of the season, in Sonoma, California.
*Much of the talk over the last week and a half is the renewal of the Pitt-Penn State football game in 2016 and 2017. It will only be a two game series, so the rivalry will likely not be the one that was back in the late 1970s and into the middle 1980s. Some light needs to be shed on this series and its relevance on the college football landscape.
Joe Paterno became head coach of Penn State in 1966 after serving as an assistant to then coach Rip Engle. Of course, we all know Paterno is still coaching at the age of 84. What many may not know that is Pitt was not relevant during those times and was a candidate to drop a level in college football because the program was becoming stagnant.
Johnny Majors was named head coach after the 1972 season and served four years in that capacity. During his tenure, Pitt went from being an also ran to a national champion and perennial contender. When he left for Tennessee, his alma mater, after the national championship season of 1976, one of his assistants, Jackie Sherrill, kept Pitt at the top and had three seasons of 11 – 1 records. He turned out first round draft picks and eventual starters to the NFL.
It was during this time that Pitt met Penn State in the last game of the regular season with bragging rights, undefeated records, and major bowl games on the line. It was one of the fiercest intrastate battles of its time, right up there with Auburn-Alabama, Nebraska-Oklahoma, Ohio State-Michigan, USC-UCLA, Oregon-Oregon State, and other rivalries of that time. It was played close to Thanksgiving, or on that weekend, and it packed the house at both facilities – then Pitt Stadium and Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley.
After Jackie Sherrill left in 1982, Foge Fazio took over as coach and Pitt began a slow and steady decline. Fazio was head coach during Dan Marino’s senior season and a team that was thought to be a legitimate national title contender ended up 9 – 3. As the 1980s proceeded, Joe Paterno wanted to create an eastern seaboard “power” conference and asked Pitt to join him. Many may not know or realize that. Everyone wants to blame Paterno for the Pitt game becoming extinct, the last time being played in 2000. People need to do their homework before pointing fingers.
At that time, Pitt and Penn State were major independents, which meant they could schedule anyone they wanted to. However, if a conference was created, some prestige could go along with it and the financial rewards that would have been reaped with a television contract. During this time was when Penn State was being courted by the Big Ten. Since the chances were slim that Pitt was going to change its mind, Paterno gave the green light for Penn State to join the conference. They began conference play in 1994.
The announcement last week that this rivalry would be renewed, for two games anyway, brought about many “About time” announcements from people associated with both universities, and especially those at Pitt. There are also those who feel that this series needs to renewed annually and both schools need to find a way to make it work.
Penn State and Paterno get chided for scheduling cupcake schools and irrelevant opponents instead of Pitt. Some may say that is sour grapes, others say it has some merit. Pitt-Penn State is basically the battle of Pennsylvania. Except there has not been a battle since the aforementioned 2000 and even before that when Penn State was playing its Big Ten schedule and Pitt was still an independent before joining the newly created Big East Conference.
First things first. Even though I love reminiscing as much as the next person about the good days of our childhood and these games meant something, those days are gone, unfortunately. There are some who will be waiting with baited breath when Penn State visits Heinz Field in 2016. The last time Penn State played in Pittsburgh, it was on artificial turf at old Three Rivers Stadium. Things have changed. The atmosphere may have also changed.
When those teams battled, it was for bragging rights, at least for the year, and the teams had been meeting yearly. It was something to be said to be a part of that game and who was on the winning side. This area was a recruiting hot bed for both schools and landing a blue chip prospect was considered a win over the rival. Yes, those were great days in Pittsburgh and Happy Valley. The problem is those days are long over and this rivalry, albeit for two games, may not have the luster it once had.
There are some even clamoring for Pitt and Penn State to open their seasons with each other and close with their other rivals, West Virginia for Pitt, the Backyard Brawl, and Michigan State for Penn State. To me, that just isn’t the same. Sure, the teams playing will be enough for some people, but you have to be able to maintain tradition. Part of tradition is the fact that this game was played at the end of the season with so much on the line. Opening the season with this game would be strange.
The argument for this series to be renewed annually would carry some merit if both athletic directors could agree on something – Steve Pederson at Pitt and Tim Curley at Penn State. But Penn State is balking at that because of future scheduling conflicts. My answer all along as been this – despite the fact that the Big East basketball conference is, arguably, the best conference in the country - Pitt goes to the Big Ten and plays Penn State every year, last game of the season. Forget what it might do to the basketball program. There are plenty of legitimate powers in the Big Ten basketball wise to make the transition smooth and moot. But if the fans and all involved want this to happen, then Pitt joins the Big Ten in football and plays Penn State every year. Imagine Heinz Field with the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, now Nebraska, and Penn State paying visits every other year? I say it’s doable and I also say it needs to be done. It is the only realistic answer to this dilemma.
I’m glad this game has been renewed, if only for two years. First game is five years from now so I will still be plenty young enough to enjoy it, since I grew up with the rivalry in the 70s and 80s. It will be fun to watch these two old foes strap it on, if only for two more times anyway, and get after it on the gridiron. I will make only one request of Pitt – either scrap the present uniforms altogether and go back to the old school unis, with the script Pitt on the helmets, the royal blue jerseys, and the mustard pants, or at least break out the old school threads for these two games. It would only be fitting, so to speak!
*Denny Hamlin won the Father’s Day race in Michigan last Sunday, his first win of the season. The backyard of the Big Three witnessed a Toyota winning the race. This Sunday, the Sprint Cup series moves to wine country and Infineon Raceway, a road course, the first road course of the season, in Sonoma, California.
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