Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 43
Pitt basketball plans summer tour of Spain, Diaz Graham twins’ hometown in Canary Islands
The Diaz Graham twins are going home — and taking their Pitt teammates with them. Pitt’s basketball team is crossing the Atlantic Ocean this summer for a 10-day trip to Spain, including Tenerife in the Canary Islands, the home of Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham. The team departs Aug. 5...
Herb Douglas remembered as an athlete, executive and inspirationVideo
Those who knew Herb Douglas, those who entrusted their futures with him and those who credit him for helping them succeed in life filled almost all of the pews inside Heinz Chapel on Wednesday afternoon. They were not there to mourn Douglas, an Olympic bronze medalist, a Pitt man (football...
Rays hand Pirates 2nd consecutive loss in 1st-place showdown
Austin Hedges was angry. Probably not as much as his manager, Derek Shelton. Yes, it looked like Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Thompson committed a balk in, perhaps, the most crucial moment of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4-1 loss Tuesday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. Down 3-1, runners...
Pat Narduzzi teams with ex-Steelers OC Chan Gailey to win Peach Bowl charity golf event
Pat Narduzzi and Chan Gailey, football coaches with strong ties to Pittsburgh and the ACC, teamed up to win the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge and $32,500 each for their respective charities Tuesday. The team of Narduzzi and Gailey recorded an eagle and six birdies, including three on holes 16-18,...
Pitt punter Sam Vander Haar enters NCAA transfer portal
Punter Sam Vander Haar, who spent one season at Pitt, has announced his intention to transfer, according to FarrellSports’ Mike Farrell. Vander Haar, who turns 26 on Thursday, is a native of Melbourne, Australia, where he played Australian rules football and attended the well-known Prokick Australia program that has produced...
With an eye toward the 2024 draft, NFL scouts will continue monitoring how Pitt players develop
The target number is 11. That’s the record for the most Pitt players chosen within the first seven rounds of the NFL Draft. In 1981, after the 1980 team finished 11-1 and mauled South Carolina, 37-9, in the Gator Bowl, 11 Pitt players were drafted in the first five rounds....
Brandon Hill chosen by Texans, 8th Pitt defensive back drafted in past 6 years
The list of Pitt defensive backs recruited and developed under coach Pat Narduzzi and eventually drafted by an NFL team grew by two to eight Saturday when the Houston Texans selected strong safety Brandon Hill in the seventh round (No. 249 overall). Hill’s partner at safety, Erick Hallett II, was...
West Virginia defensive tackle Dante Stills goes to Cardinals in 6th round
During his record-setting career at West Virginia, defensive tackle Dante Stills evolved from a freshman All-American in 2018 to a four-time All-Big 12 selection. He was second-team all-conference in 2019 and 2020, rising to first team in 2021 and 2022. All those months in the weight room, at practice and...
Jaguars pick Pitt safety Erick Hallett II in 6th round
If there’s one trait the NFL values over almost every other, it’s reliability. And former Pitt free safety Erick Hallett II certainly showed that by finishing his college career by making 31 consecutive starts. The Jacksonville Jaguars were paying attention, and they made Hallett a sixth-round draft choice Saturday (the...
Jaguars choose Penn State WR Parker Washington in 6th round
Penn State wide receiver Parker Washington was overlooked through five-plus rounds of the NFL Draft, but he is considered one of the best 50/50 combatants coming out of college. The Jacksonville Jaguars realized that and chose Washington in the sixth round (185th overall) Saturday. With the 185th pick in the...
Mt. Lebanon grad Colby Sorsdal goes to Lions in Round 5
Mt. Lebanon graduate Colby Sorsdal started five seasons and 46 games at William & Mary, but his football career is far from finished. .@WMTribeFootball @colby_sorsdal is a day 3 prospect who wasn’t invited to the combine was has 4 critical components; he has size, he has experience , moves very...
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford goes to the Packers in Round 5
Aaron Rodgers has moved on, and Sean Clifford is moving in after the Green Bay Packers drafted the former Penn State quarterback in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday. Clifford was the 149th player chosen overall. Clifford was Penn State’s starting quarterback for the past four seasons,...
Pitt LB SirVocea Dennis drafted by Buccaneers in 5th round, 1 of 6 Panthers selected
Unless your last name is Manning, college players can’t manipulate the NFL Draft to land in a desired spot. Former Pitt linebacker SirVocea Dennis’ professional fate rested with the 32 NFL teams, but ending up in Tampa, Fla., with the Buccaneers on Saturday surely looked like a predestined event. Dennis,...
Jets pluck Pitt running back Izzy Abanikanda in 5th round
After Izzy Abanikanda worked out for pro scouts inside Pitt’s indoor practice facility last month, he was asked what he wanted the NFL to know about him. “I want them to know I’m a dedicated, disciplined, humble man, on and off the field,” he said. But he added, without shame,...
Jets select Pitt offensive tackle Carter Warren in 4th round
Carter Warren’s loyalty, sadly, was not rewarded after he decided — with his teammates on Pitt’s offensive line — to return for a sixth season in 2022. After eschewing an invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl, Warren played and started in only the first four games before suffering a season-ending...
49ers use their 1st draft pick, a 3rd-rounder, on Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown
When a safety gets his hands on the football as often as Ji’Ayir Brown did for Penn State, the NFL is sure to notice. The San Francisco 49ers made the investment in Brown on Friday night when they drafted him in the third round. It was the 87th pick overall...
Penn State center Juice Scruggs goes to the Texans in Round 2
As a child, Frederick Henry Scruggs refused to drink his milk, insisting to be served juice. So his father, Frederick, named him Juicy, a label that morphed into Juice in middle school, stuck through his days at Cathedral Prep High School in Erie and later at Penn State. Which was...
Jaguars choose Penn State tight end Brenton Strange in the 2nd round of NFL Draft
Tight end Brenton Strange, who was a favorite end zone target of Penn State quarterbacks over the past four seasons, was chosen by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday night in the second round of the NFL Draft. He was the 61st player chosen overall. Strange was the sixth tight end...
Casey Jo MacPherson brings assertive nature to Pitt gymnastics
Casey Jo MacPherson’s competitive mindset first surfaced on her preschool playground in Eugene, Ore. Pitt’s new gymnastics coach was so young at the time, her parents had to relate the story to her. “When I was really little, my parents told me about (how) I was at preschool, and I...
Another 1st rounder for Pitt: Calijah Kancey goes to Buccaneers 19th overall
When Calijah Kancey was chosen 19th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, Pitt could boast of first-round choices in consecutive drafts for the first time in 15 years. Kancey joins quarterback Kenny Pickett who went 20th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022. Defensive back Darrelle Revis...
Pitt AD Heather Lyke hopes Victory Heights project leads to further success
At the moment, the space that will house Pitt’s $240 million Victory Heights Arena and Sports Performance Complex is occupied by a tall crane and several construction vehicles moving tons of dirt. But athletic director Heather Lyke sees the facility that will rise from that dirt setting Pitt up for...
Before becoming friends with Dick Groat, Pitt’s Jeff Capel studied, marveled at his life, career
When Jeff Capel was an assistant coach at Duke in 2014, he accompanied the team to the Petersen Events Center for a game against Pitt. He walked onto the floor to carry out his duties, but that was only part of what he wanted to accomplish that night. He also...
Bill Hillgrove was witness to Dick Groat’s toughness
Dick Groat, who died Thursday of complications from a stroke at the age of 92, played baseball and basketball with equal flair. • Baseball MVP, two-time World Series champion and 14-year MLB pro with the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. • Star basketball player at Duke, college Hall of...
Former Moon star Puff Johnson decides to transfer from North Carolina to Penn State
New Penn State coach Mike Rhoades landed a significant addition from the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday when former Moon star Puff Johnson announced plans to enroll this year. Let’s Rock #WeAre pic.twitter.com/Af2bpiMfEv— Puff Johnson (@PuffJohnson14) April 26, 2023 Johnson, who led Moon to a PIAA championship in 2019, is transferring...
Duquesne continues to rebuild roster for 2023-2024 season
In what appears to be another busy offseason, Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot recently turned his roster retooling efforts toward point guard Kailon Nicholls, a rising freshman, and 6-foot-7 forward Andrei Savrasov, a transfer from Georgia Southern. Both have made verbal, non-binding commitments to the Dukes, according to reports. Nicholls, a...
