1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Eastern Champions
Fiesta Bowl Champions
Conference Independent
Ranking
Coaches #6
AP #7
1979 record 11–1
Head coach Jackie Sherrill (3rd year)
Offensive coordinator Wally English (1st year)
Offensive scheme Multiple Pro
Defensive coordinator Foge Fazio (1st year)
Base defense Multiple Front
Home stadium Pitt Stadium
(Capacity: 56,500)
1979 Division I-A independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#6 Florida State   –   –       11 – 1 – 0
#7 Pittsburgh   –   –       11 – 1 – 0
UNLV   –   –       9 – 1 – 2
#17 Temple   –   –       10 – 2 – 0
Tulane   –   –       9 – 3 – 0
Rutgers   –   –       8 – 3 – 0
East Carolina   –   –       7 – 3 – 1
#20 Penn State   –   –       8 – 4 – 0
South Carolina   –   –       8 – 4 – 0
Navy   –   –       7 – 4 – 0
Notre Dame   –   –       7 – 4 – 0
Southern Miss   –   –       6 – 4 – 1
Syracuse   –   –       7 – 5 – 0
Colgate   –   –       5 – 4 – 1
Boston College   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Holy Cross   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Memphis   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Miami   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
North Texas   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Villanova   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Virginia Tech   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
West Virginia   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Georgia Tech   –   –       4 – 6 – 1
Louisville   –   –       4 – 6 – 1
Connecticut   –   –       3 – 6 – 2
William & Mary   –   –       4 – 7 – 0
Northwestern State   –   –       3 – 6 – 0
Illinois State   –   –       3 – 8 – 0
Northeast Louisiana   –   –       3 – 8 – 0
Army   –   –       2 – 8 – 1
Air Force   –   –       2 – 9 – 0
Cincinnati   –   –       2 – 9 – 0
Richmond   –   –       0 – 11 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1979 college football season. The Panthers competed in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. Pitt was awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East.

Schedule

In the Backyard Brawl, Pittsburgh was led by freshman quarterback Dan Marino. He directed Pitt to a 24-17 victory in the last college football game played at old Mountaineer Field.[1]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
Sat. Sep. 15 1:30 p.m. Kansas #16 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 24–0   41,545
Sat. Sep. 22 1:00 p.m. at North Carolina #13 Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC L 7–17   50,500
Sat. Sep. 29 7:30 p.m. at Temple Veterans Stadium • Philadelphia, PA W 10–9   34,039
Sat. Oct. 6 1:30 p.m. Boston College Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 28–7   37,146
Sat. Oct. 13 10:00 a.m. Cincinnatidagger Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (River City Rivalry) W 35–0   31,620
Sat. Oct. 20 4:30 p.m. at #12 Washington #17 Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA W 26–14   52,485
Sat. Oct. 27 1:30 p.m. #17 Navy #12 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 24–7   51,332
Sat. Nov. 3 12:30 p.m. Syracuse #12 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Rivalry) ABC W 28–21   43,500
Sat. Nov. 10 1:30 p.m. at West Virginia #12 Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl) W 24–17   38,681
Sat. Nov. 17 1:30 p.m. at Army #11 Michie Stadium • West Point, NY W 40–0   31,689
Sat. Dec. 1 12:30 p.m. at #20 Penn State #11 Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (Rivalry) ABC W 29–14   76,958
Tue. Dec. 25 3:30 p.m. vs. Arizona #10 Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl) NBC W 16–10   55,347
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

[2]

Coaching staff

1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
Coaching Staff   Support Staff
  • Alex Kramer – Executive Assistant
  • Kevin Dickey – Recruiting Coordinator
  • Nick Gasparato – Graduate Assistant
  • Jerry Leith – Graduate Assistant
  • Nick Rapone – Graduate Assistant
   Strength and Conditioning Staff
  • Paul Stark – Weight, Strength Coach

[3]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL Club
Jo Jo Heath Defensive Back6 141 Cincinnati Bengals
Bob Gruber Tackle10 276 Los Angeles Rams

[4]

References

Dan Marino quarterbacks Pitt in 35-0 rout of Cincinnati on October 13, 1979
  1. ↑ http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2007/12/the-backyard-brawl-100-years-of-wvu-and-pitt-football/
  2. ↑ http://cfreference.net/cfr/school.s?id=215&season=1979
  3. ↑ "Coaches Biographies". 1979 Pitt Football. University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics. 1979. pp. 19–24. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  4. ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1980.htm
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