Pitt Football: Panthers Fans Cannot Allow AD Steve Pederson To Hire Todd Graham
The marriage of Pitt’s athletic director Steve Pederson and Tulsa’s head football coach Todd Graham is a match made in hell. It’s easy to see why they hit it off. Both have huge egos and both will engage in self-serving actions despite how those actions may affect student-athletes, alumni and fans.
Pitt fans simply cannot let Steve Pederson hire Todd Graham.
In 2006 Graham agreed to take over the Rice Owls football program from retiring Ken Hatfield.
Graham deserved praise for the way he revitalized the listless Rice program. He deserved praise for prodding alumni to open their checkbooks.
He deserved much more scorn for leaving his 2006 Rice team in the dust. He deserved scorn for dashing off to Tulsa before giving Rice a chance to meet his salary demands.
When Graham moved back to Tulsa, he made a lateral move. It was made after just one season at Rice, a season full of Graham promises, Graham hopefulness and Graham adoration.
When coaches abandon their teams for better paying assignments, their teams are left feeling lost and rejected.
Mardy Gilyard, former star Cincinnati receiver who now plays for the St. Louis Rams, criticized Brian Kelly to the press and stormed out of Kelly’s last meeting with the Bearcats in December 2009 for ditching the Bearcats to take the Notre Dame job.
The effect of Graham’s sudden exit from Rice was even more upsetting to the Owls players who were 1-10 Hatfield’s final season.
Graham promised them so much, but in the end delivered so little.
Certainly, no one expects coaches to stick with programs when a better deal comes along.
How and when they leave makes all the difference.
The only apt comparison to Graham’s desertion of the Owls is Rich Rodriguez’s abandonment of the Mountaineers.
Pitt fans want no part of a Rodriguez clone.
For Graham, Pitt will be at best a short holdover. Everyone but Pitt A.D. Pederson knows he is ready to use Pitt as a steppingstone to a better BCS job.
The University of Pittsburgh deserves far better.
Graham has just completed year two in a 10-year contract extension and salary increase Tulsa gave in 2009. Like Rodriguez, Graham has no respect for contracts.
The hiring of Graham, if it should take place, could cost Pitt an unreasonable sum because Graham will put the buyout payment owed to Tulsa on Pitt.
This deal has Steve Pederson's fingerprints all over it. It stinks. And chancellor Mark Nordenberg has been blind enough through the process of hiring the second head football coach for Pitt in 30 days to allow Pederson to have a prominent role as a committee member.
Most likely, Jerome Cochran, executive vice chancellor, has no idea about the depth of dislike for Pederson and the lack of trust the majority of fans, alumni and donors feel for him and any decisions he makes.
The other committee member, executive associate athletic director Donna Sanft, is a direct report to Pederson.
Three votes on the committee and Pederson essentially controls two.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review featured a story today entitled “Polarizing Pederson.” This story follows yesterday’s feature article, “Pitt Donors Push to Get Rid of Pederson” (triblive.com).
Graham won't be at Pitt long enough to establish the kind of recruiting ties he needs to win Big East titles and compete in BCS bowls.
Rice was in a hole when they hired Graham. Pitt is in no such condition.
The Panthers just completed an eight-win season.
Graham has experience running defenses but he is best known as an offensive guru.
Pitt does not need an offensive whiz. Pitt needs a combination of qualities, such as an excellent recruiter, organizer and game-day strategist who understands defense wins championships.
Pederson has not demonstrated he learned anything from his first search and continues to taint the second.
