Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 2

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed second baseman Nick Gonzales on the 10-day injured list Friday with a non-displaced fracture in his left ankle. Gonzales, who hit a home run Thursday in the loss to the Miami Marlins, originally injured the ankle Sunday when he hit a foul ball off his ankle...

The aim of Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi and every college coach during spring football is to keep everyone upright and healthy for the upcoming season. Yet, while understanding football is an inherently rough game, coaches pick their spots when they will allow players to block and tackle like it’s just another...

Kenny Pickett has been on the move since leading Pitt to an ACC championship in 2021, but he’s getting back to his college roots next month before digging deep into his new duties as a Cleveland Browns quarterback. Drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 and...

The unfortunate remnants of success struck Robert Morris again Thursday when 6-foot-5 shooting guard Josh Omojafo and point guard Kam Woods announced plans to enter the transfer portal. That makes four starters to enter the portal since the end of the season. Omojafo spent two seasons at Division II Gannon...

Former Pitt safety P.J. O’Brien started playing football at the age of 3 in a league called Super Pee Wee in Pompano Beach, Fla. And there he was Wednesday — 19 years later — still chasing footballs, pass catchers and dreams all over a football field, unwilling to put an...

The roster spots continue to open up for Pitt and coach Jeff Capel. Three more players, including a starter and two others who were part of Capel’s rotation most of the season, entered the NCAA transfer portal Tuesday, joining little-used forward Marlon Barnes, who previously announced his plans to transfer....

The portal losses continued to mount for the Duquesne men’s basketball team Tuesday when leading scorer Tre Dinkins put his name in the NCAA transfer portal, a source confirmed to TribLive. Duquesne G Tre Dinkins has entered the transfer portal, he tells TPR.Dinkins averaged 12.9 points and 3.1 assists per...

A day after Robert Morris lost Amarion Dickerson to the NCAA transfer portal, teammate and Horizon League Player of the Year Alvaro Folgueiras also entered his name in the portal, coach Andy Toole told TribLive. Folgueiras, a sophomore, was the Colonials’ second-leading scorer (14.1 points per game) and leading rebounder...

The play during Pitt’s intrasqaud scrimmage Saturday at Acrisure Stadium called for a slant route, but quarterback Eli Holstein and wide receiver Kenny Johnson saw something else. “Eli looked over there and saw that Cruce (Pitt safety Brookins) cheated down a little bit,” Johnson said. “So, he wasn’t really going...

Pitt secured verbal commitments from two members of the class of 2026 over the weekend, giving coach Pat Narduzzi four among prospects who will be seniors in high school next season. ???????????????? @CoachDuzzPittFB @CoachRush_CTFB @CoachDaws_ @Detroit_CTFB lets work. pic.twitter.com/FLxzX3wsY7— Marcus Jennings 3 ⭐️ 2026 DB (@marcusjenn24) March 23, 2025 Defensive...

The season will continue for the Duquesne women’s basketball team after the visiting Dukes survived a late rally by Miami (Ohio) to record a 73-66 victory Sunday in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. “Anytime you win in March, and you can say see you tomorrow, you...

Andy Toole said he might get text messages from people challenging his claim that this season’s Robert Morris team is the best in school history. Matt Furjanic didn’t send a text, but he certainly could have an argument with Toole. Furjanic coached the first Robert Morris teams that went to...

CLEVELAND — Sensing something historic, the Rocket Arena crowd got behind Robert Morris with all its vocal ferocity Friday afternoon, roaring with approval and anticipation while the 15th-seeded Colonials exchanged blow after blow with No. 2 Alabama. In the end, however, Alabama came after Robert Morris with superior athleticism and...

Coach Pat Narduzzi and staff will get serious Saturday when Pitt’s players strap on full gear for the first full live practice of the spring. The closed session — scheduled for Acrisure Stadium, weather permitting — will consist of more than 100 plays, the coach said. “Full live is an...

Eli Holstein knows the drill. He is Pitt’s starting quarterback and, as such, he is expected to learn the playbook better than he knows his name, get the football out of his hand on time and fight for those extra, precious yards — even when confronted by a taller, heavier...

Andy Toole’s quarter-century in college basketball is reflected in six— soon to be seven — NCAA Tournament appearances, championships won in three conferences as a player and coach and, most importantly, the impact he makes on young people. Yet stories involving Robert Morris’ coach go beyond the game. This week,...

Robert Morris athletic director Chris King has many duties to perform while his men’s basketball team prepares for its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 10 years. Yet he’s found time for one other task that, he hopes, will propel the Colonials to success far beyond 2025: keeping coach...

The Duquesne women’s basketball team will enter familiar territory after landing a berth in the WNIT for the 11th time and second year in a row. Duquesne will host a first-round contest against Longwood at 6 p.m. Thursday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The winner will advance to face Miami (Ohio)...

West Virginia’s women are back in the NCAA Tournament for the 16th time and third consecutive year. The Mountaineers were chosen as a No. 6 seed in Regional 2/Birmingham and will play Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C., against the winner of a First Four game between No. 11 seeds Columbia...

West Virginia’s men will not be among the 68 schools in the NCAA Tournament, but the Mountaineers were the last team scratched, according to tournament committee chairman Bubba Cunningham. That will be no consolation to West Virginia players, coaches and fans, however. WVU (19-13) finished in a tie for seventh...

After a season of improved production on offense, Pitt extended the contract of offensive coordinator Kade Bell, senior associate athletic director Pat Bostick said Saturday on the “Panther Insider” Show on 93.7 FM. Pitt has signed offensive coordinator Kade Bell to a three-season contract extension, a source tells @On3sports. The...

After missing out on an NCAA Tournament berth for the second year in a row, Pitt basketball will decline any other postseason opportunities, athletic director Allen Greene announced Friday. Greene, who added that coach Jeff Capel is in agreement, said the immediate focus of the program will be on the...

Clint Hurdle has had two opportunities since leaving Pittsburgh to put on an MLB uniform again, first as hitting coach with the San Diego Padres soon after the Pirates fired him in 2019 and a bench coach with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024. He decided not to take either...

In his book, “Hurdle-isms: Wit and Wisdom from a Lifetime in Baseball,” former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle details 25 phrases he has used over the years — in other words, Hurdle-isms. He said people “pause … and chuckle” when they hear No. 11: “There are two kinds of people...

Just like fathers and sons often form a bond tied together by baseball, Clint Hurdle started loving the game the day his dad, Big Clint, asked him, “Do you want to go outside and play catch?” The former Pittsburgh Pirates manager was 5. A flame was lit. Hurdle, now 67...