PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pitt has been searching a long, long time for what seemed to be a unicorn. Finding a football coach that wanted to stay without another dream job, yet had the level of success to continue to grow the program.
Following an ACC Championship season, including the publicity of a Heisman finalist and a Biletnikoff Award winner, Pitt Director of Athletics Heather Lyke announced Monday a contract extension for head coach Pat Narduzzi through the 2030 season. Lyke said Narduzzi has built a strong culture and foundation that has the program positioned for sustained success well into the future.
Narduzzi will be the third head football coach in Pitt history to coach 100 games this season and with eight wins becomes the school’s second all-time winningest coach.
After years of searching, Pitt finally has stability and success in the football program. There were several times they thought they had it previously.
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Dave Wannstedt (2005-10)-a proud Pitt and Baldwin graduate that seemed to be the perfect combination. Leaving the NFL, the Panthers national champion offensive lineman took over a team ranked 23rd going into his first year. An underwhelming start of 16 wins and 19 losses his first three seasons including a big loss at Ohio University. That stretch seemed to turn with a 13-9 win at number two West Virginia at the end of Wannstedt’s third year. While the record and recruiting improved a key 3-0 loss in a fourth-year bowl game and then a heart-breaking loss to Cincinnati in essentially the Big East Championship game came after year five. A sixth year of close losses at Utah, Notre Dame and UConn included in with some off-field issues ended Wannstedt’s tenure, unpopular as the decision was for some, at 42-31.
Johnny Majors (1973-76) took at five-win Pitt program in 1973 to winning a national championship in 1976. Even though Pitt took a huge chance on him after his mediocre record at Iowa State, the 41-year-old couldn’t resist ‘the lure of his homeland’ and left for Tennessee. Majors tried to rekindle the magic a second time at Pitt in the mid-90s, but it never materialized.
Jackie Sherrill (1977-81) swooped in from Washington State and kept the ball rolling after the national title with four bowl wins in five seasons, finishing 50-9-1 and recruiting some of the greatest players in Pitt history-Dan Marino, Hugh Green, Jimbo Covert, Russ Grimm, Mark May, Rickey Jackson. Sherrill received, at the time, a ridiculously high contract of $1.6 million over five seasons to go to Texas A&M when he was making $175,000 at Pitt. Sherrill told me two years ago leaving Pitt was one of his biggest regrets.
One of the most sought-after assistant coaches in 2012, Paul Chryst (2012-14) came to Pitt and seemed to be establishing some momentum when ‘the only job he would leave for’ became open and he remains the head coach at Wisconsin.
An offensive guru, Walt Harris (1997-2004) took over a Pitt program that was outscored 266-13 in games against West Virginia, Ohio State, Miami, Syracuse and Notre Dame in 1996 to beat the Mountaineers and get into a bowl game the very next season. After a couple of struggling campaigns, he would beat Penn State and WVU in the same season in 2000. Harris improved the talent base, but missed on a few key opportunities to separate themselves. After a first Big East title, Harris decided to leave for an opportunity at Stanford going 6-17 and fired after two seasons.
Foge Fazio (1982-85) had some moderate success, Mike Gottfried’s (1986-89) team struggled too much academically. Paul Hackett (1989-92) had one winning record in three seasons and that was 6-5. Todd Graham was Todd Graham he blew in and out of the program after one .500 season.
Now change.
Narduzzi said he ‘loves Pitt football and the University of Pittsburgh and it’s truly home for my family and me’. Finally, a coach with enough success that wanted to stay and an administration willing to reward it.