If were up to Dave Wannstedt, he’d still likely be the head coach of Pitt Football.
Speaking on the Hometown Roofing Pomp & Poni Podcast powered by Bowser Chevy Monroeville, the former Pitt and NFL coach, now with Fox Sports, says, “100 prevent Bob and I said that when I took the job publically.”
On December 7, 2010, Wannstedt was let go by Pitt. The move is considered one of the most controversial in Pittsburgh sports history.
Wannstedt took the Panthers on one of the programs best three-year runs in nearly 40 years and over six seasons went 42-31. He tells Pomp & Poni that he reworked his contract and believed his incoming class was the best he was bringing in “by far.”
Following a 7-5 season, then athletic director Steve Pederson fired Wannstedt, but he says there was more behind it than just the disappointing record.
Wannstedt says that then Chancellor Mark Nordenberg left most athletic decisions up to Pederson, “he left it up to Pederson who really wanted to be the voice of the program and the voice of the basketball program with Jamie Dixon.”
He also didn’t mince words about his feelings toward Pederson, “(Nordenberg) left everything up to Pederson, who was really incompetent and just all about himself at the end of the day in all sports.”
Wanny also revealed something he believes he has never shared publically about the situation.
“Mark Nordenberg called me and said, ‘hey Dave, I think we got an athletic director that we’re going to hire’ and I said who’s that, and he said ‘Steve Pederson what do you know about him’ and I said, I really don’t know him but everything I’ve heard about him is bad, and there was silence on the phone,” said Wannstedt.
While he is disappointed by the move over 10 years ago, he is happy for the program now and is glad the days of him having assistant coaching covering up coffee stains on the carpet when a recruit would come in are over.
“I am so excited,” said Wannstedt. “I think it’s the first time that they have a chancellor in Chancellor Gallagher and Heather (Lyke) the athletic director, that support the coaches. They don’t try to be the head coaches; they don’t want to be the voice.”
“I’m so happy because I’m a Pat Narduzzi, I’m a University of Pittsburgh, a Pitt Panther fan and I hope they win every game, I truly do.”