Pitt Panthers: Football Program Running on Empty, Needs Makeover
Pitt football seems to be at a crossroads these days.
Walt Harris saved the program from demolition earlier in the decade by turning the doormat Panthers back into a respectable program. Then he left for Stanford and Dave Wannstedt arrived to recall the glory days of Pitt football.
In reality, Pitt football was saved from demolition but has never truly been returned to the relevant status it had in the 1970s and 80s. For that, Pitt football needs a serious makeover.
Here's a look at what needs to change for Panthers' fans to truly taste winning football in the Steel City.
Coaching Hires
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From Walt Harris to Dave Wannstedt to Mike Haywood, the University of Pittsburgh has been responsible for some almost criminally uninspiring hires when it comes to head coaches.
Wannstedt was an NFL washout when Pitt hired him mid-decade to bring the program from Walt Harris' respectable groundwork to a Big East and then national title.
When Wannstedt was fired, it was hoped and also expected that Pitt would bring in someone with serious credentials for the position.
Not to stomp on the good work and reputation of Mike Haywood, but he's not the kind of inspired hiring this team and school needed.
Florida made a run at head coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp from Texas and got him. Big East rival West Virginia did the same with Dana Holgorsen of Oklahoma State. Pitt could have done the same with Penn State's Tom Bradley, who's been key to that program's success for the past three years.
Instead, they waited until the first two were hired and then never pursued Bradley. They also stayed away from baggage-laden but talented Mike Leach.
Hiring someone not already-established is one thing. Hiring an also ran when there are other candidates out there is another. If Haywood doesn't grow into the job and succeed, Pitt needs to overhaul its hiring system.
Recruitment
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Quick. Name the last star quarterback Pitt had.
Dan Marino? Very good.
Yes, it's been that long since a true star quarterback has been under center for the Panthers. In that time, they've missed out on several. Joe Flacco was even on their roster before he transferred out.
When you recruit for a college football team, you look for impact players. Pitt hasn't gone after a true star at the sport's premiere position in years. They were barely a whisper in the Terrell Pryor sweepstakes a couple of years ago and he was a local product.
Star running backs this decade? Try LeSean McCoy. That's about it.
Receivers? Larry Fitzgerald certainly. Jonathan Baldwin. Maybe a couple of others?
Defenders? H.B. Blades and Darrelle Revis are both excellent choices.
When compared with schools that churn out talented NFL players like factories (Oklahoma, Texas, USC among others), Pitt isn't recruiting.
They billed Dave Wannstedt as the answer, saying he was an excellent recruiter and talent evaluator. If that was the case, I'd hate to see what someone without his skills would do to the program.
The reality is that the Panthers must change the way they do business. Start going after big recruits, play up the storied history of Pitt football (leave out everything after 1990), and shell out whatever scholarships necessary to truly put a winning program together.
Gameday Experience
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Heinz Field is a fine sports venue for professional football. It's got all of the things you'd want in an NFL stadium. It's big, well-situated, has wonderful amenities, and is laid out in a perfect way for Steelers fans to experience great NFL games.
For college football, it's uninspiring. That's being kind.
The college football experience is all about making noise, having a loud stadium, and packing a lot of students, alumni, and other fans into a tight space. It's much more high-pressured than the NFL. College fans rarely sit down during games.
If you want to see a great college experience, go to a Penn State game at Beaver Stadium or a West Virginia game in Morgantown. That's how it's done in the NCAA.
The cold reality is that Pitt is playing in a poor venue for it's type of action. Pitt games always feel under-attended to me. They have great fans, some of the best in the game, but the stadium just lacks the personality and history of old Pitt Stadium.
This problem is less readily fixable. Building a new stadium in an already-packed city could be difficult. Pittsburgh is also tapped out financially when it comes to stadium building after replacing three venues just over a decade.
If they want to return to the glory days, however, finding a solution is very, very important.
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Identity Crisis
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Almost every college football team has some kind of identity or persona associated with it.
Penn State has Joe Paterno and a smashmouth, old-style running offense that produces high-yardage backs and lots of grind-it-out type games.
West Virginia is the spread offense, fast-scoring team that depends on raw athleticism to win big games.
USC is the NFL's minor league affiliate, running a pro-style offense and defense that churns out professional athletes that are usually well-prepared for NFL life. The same can be said of Miami (FL) and even Oklahoma and Texas.
There are legacies and traditions aplenty with these schools.
Where is that with Pitt? They have three iconic alumni: Mike Ditka, Dan Marino, and Tony Dorsett. You rarely see them stumping for Pitt football. Where are they when it comes to promotion, recruitment, coaching, and all of the other problems? Why aren't they being involved?
Pitt has no big rivalry anymore except with West Virginia. The Big East as a whole is bereft of old teams. But nothing is done to encourage new rivalries either. Pitt can't rely on the Backyard Brawl forever when it usually can't win the game anyway.
It's time for the program to get creative or get left behind. TCU joins the conference in a year. Start encouraging some kind of rivalry with them and with upstart Connecticut. Sell the Backyard Brawl better too. In West Virginia, that game is the talk of the state. In Pennsylvania, if you aren't a diehard fan or a student at Pitt, you may have missed it.
The Bottom Line
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Pitt's football program needs help.
They could even take a lesson from their successful basketball program. The "Oakland Zoo" mentality of Peterson Events Center is completely lost in football. If the football program can find some kind of way to sell Heinz Field and get its fans excited and raving every game day, things will look a lot different.
For now, Pitt has to cross its fingers and hope Mike Haywood becomes a catalyst for the program. If he can match his obvious skills with some deft recruiting and talent evaluation (including going after some big-name recruits), he might be able to turn the product on the field back into something worth fearing.
Beyond the field, Pitt has to get better at promoting its team. They need something more lively in the rivalry department, some emphasis on past heroes and glory, and a better atmosphere inside their stadium.
Perhaps, if they can get all of that accomplished, solving the big problem of getting a stadium of their own won't be so bad after all.
Time will tell, but the program is at a crossroads.
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