Pitt's All-time football roster

https://johnbaranowski.wordpress.co...e-pittsburgh-panthers-all-time-football-team/

It will take a heck of a football player to crack into that lineup.

 

Thanks. Welcome to the best MB on the net for all things Steelers (et al). Good first post and good article. Amazing part is most are not even close -most of those listed were light years ahead of next in line. From memory, probably the second best post WWII team (1976 was #1) was the 1963 team that went 9-1 and lost only to Roger Staubach's Navy team and missed out on all bowl games yet had a final rank of #4 in the nation. Don't think any of the All-Time players were on that '63 team. Always follow Pitt FB. Had season tix back in the early 60's with my Dad and I'll never forget that impressionable college football atmosphere back then. The Steeler's absolutely sucked during most of the 60's.

 

Thanks Mojave. The 1980 team that went 11-1 with only a loss at Florida State that year was a very good team as well, loaded with future NFL talent. The '63 Pitt team is often very high on the list of the best team to not appear in a bowl game. That team was a scrappy bunch with perhaps Paul Martha being the best player I recall.

 

You're so right. That's what I get for relying on memory - too busy those years with kids, job and buying a house to remember the #2 ranked Jackie Sherrill led 1980 team - Wow - Hugh Green, Dan Marino, Mark May, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Jimbo Covert, Tim Lewis. Funny how many people mis-remember history and still think that Tony Dorsett AND Dan Marino led the 1976 Panthers to the National Championship when Marino didn't show up until 1979, and Dorsett had graduated 3 years before Marino's freshman year. I have no way to confirm but I'm thinking Dorsett may be the only player to play on a college national championship team, win a Heisman Trophy, play on a Super Bowl Champ team and is in the NFL HOF. Staubach came close but Navy lost to Texas in the Cotton Bowl in 1963 and finished #2. It's a shame that with all the outstanding WR's and RB's Pitt's had over the past 20 years or so that the QB's have only been serviceable at best. Good enough to upset Clemson and Miami these past 2 years though.

 

I believe you're right about Dorsett's accomplishment.

 

Great Post, I have been a Pitt man for 50 years. You talk about players WOW just WOW.these young
people that don't know Pitt's history and the football players that have come thru the system. these are
not only some of the best college football players, but some of the best football players of ALL TIME!!!

 

OK - just had to follow up on this - from what I can tell, only other player -so far - to win a Heisman, play on a College National Title team, win a Super Bowl and is in NFL HOF is Marcus Allen, but I'd add an asterisk. While Marcus has all 4 attributes, he was only a Freshman when USC won the National Championship and was merely a backup to Heisman winner that season, Charles White. Not quite up to Tony Dorsett's standard when he won the Heisman and National Championship the same year and was a major component of that team's success. The next in line most likely for this 4 star achievement will be Charles Woodson - he won the Heisman and was on Michigan's National Championship team in 1997, won a Super Bowl with Green Bay (ugh) in 2011 and will be eligible for the NFL HOF in 2 more years, a very likely first ballot inductee. There may be other players who won a NFL championship and can check the other 3 boxes, but that would take some time or an extensive dbase to determine. I still maintain that TD is and will always be the top player in this very slim field of stars.

 

Nice follow up Mojave. I remember when Tony was a freshman, they were playing ND Ara Parsegian
was there coach at the time. Ara said he was too small to play for ND. All the Hawk did was run for over 200 yds or something that
day. I was a very inpreshinable 10 year old sitting with my midget football coach at PITT Stadium that day. My midget football
coach has passed along time ago, I think of him often, taught me sooo much.

 

Good work Mojave!

 

Thanks Ward. I fondly remember that game as well. I was listening to it on my car radio in a hotel parking lot while on my honeymoon. I'm sure that went over big with the Mrs! A kid named Daniels was at QB. Can't find TD's stats for his 1973 and 1974 games vs Notre Dame but his 4 year stats were 754 total yds rushing with 303 coming his Junior year and either 185 or 290 his senior year (1976), there are conflicting articles/charts about his 1976 stats.

Also saw where the crowd at the 1973 Notre Dame game was 56,593 at Pitt stadium that had a then capacity of 56,500. Amazing!

 

Thanks. I could have saved myself a lot of time and effort if I had read this on his Wikipedia page first. "He (Tony Dorsett) is the first of only two players in history (along with former running back Marcus Allen) who has won the Heisman Trophy, won the Super Bowl, won the College National Championship, been enshrined in the College Hall of Fame, and been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame." It was fun checking all this out and amazed me as I eliminated one big name after another big name in this search - i.e. Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, O.J., Billy Sims, Bo Jackson, Tim Brown, Hershell Walker, Barry Sanders, Emmett Smith, Peyton Manning, Cam Newton............

 

His name was Billy Daniels I believe, It was sold out house that day if I remember. Great great football setting.
I saw Terry Bradshaw and Jo Jo Starbuck outside Pitt Stadium that day also.

 

With Penn State coming to play Pitt this week, here's a very interesting All Time Teams match-up article. Hard to argue with the writer's assessment especially noting who had to be left off the list. My immediate (biased) take was that it would be Pitt as the better All Time Team with Marino, Dorsett and Fitz leading the charge but I had forgotten about how many NFL stars came from Penn St like Jack Ham, Rosie Grier, Lenny Moore, Matt Millen, so it's quite a comparative list. I still give the edge to Pitt although without Penn St, there'd be no Immaculate Reception and we all know what that means...........

https://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/14043032-74/who-has-better-all-time-team-pitt-or-penn-state

 

Mojave, c'mon man your killing me, It isn't even close Pitt by a wide margin.

 

I do agree with you Ward with the All Time Pitt players both at the college level and when they turned pro, and you're right, not even close. But that Immaculate Reception thing sure would be something to make Penn St fans (which I'm not,except when they play Ohio State) mighty proud. Two of the most exciting moments in my life, meeting Bill Mazeroski and Franco Harris in person. (But my experience meeting Rocky Bleier tops them all, and that introduces a Notre Dame element into the equation).

 

It's all good Mojave I was just joshing you. I know your a die hard Pitt man like me.