Mark Madden: Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster ‘won’t be very good, then he’ll leave,’ Notre Dame should ‘kick rocks’
If you listen to our “Madden Monday” podcasts weekly, then you know Mark Madden’s strong affection for Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Obviously, Mark is JuJu’s biggest fan. So when Smith-Schuster celebrated subscriber No. 1,000,000 to his YouTube channel, you knew Mark would be the first one in line to...
Pre-pandemic schedule might have given Pitt a liftVideo
The first four weeks of the season appeared set up neatly for Pitt to write its name across the college football skyline. For a month, at least. There were three non-Power 5 opponents — Miami (Ohio), Marshall and Richmond — and an ACC home game against Duke, a team that...
First Call: How the Big Ten’s decision may impact Pitt, Notre Dame, West Virginia and others
Sometimes this job requires you to act like you have all the answers. All the time. Immediately. Even if you don’t. Saying “I don’t know” feels like a cop-out. But when it comes to asking what the football ripple effects will be from Thursday’s decision by the Big Ten to...
Pitt, ACC to delay start of fall competitions
Six athletic teams at Pitt will experience a slight delay in the start of fall competition. The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Thursday that the season starts for each of its Olympic sports at its 15 members schools will be no earlier than Sept. 1. The delay includes all exhibition and...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 54: Jerry Olsavsky could be counted on to make the stop
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 54: Jerry Olsavsky No matter what number he wore — and he wore both Nos. 54 and 55 playing football in Pittsburgh — there...
U mad, bro?: Readers emote about fans at games, protests, anti-maskers, Cam Newton and … Dan Marino?
There’s no reason to ask if you were mad this week. Everybody got mad at something at some point. Coronavirus numbers spiked. Bars were shut down again. A partial travel quarantine went back in place. Worst of all, the New England Patriots upgraded at quarterback! Yuck! What a terrible week....
Pitt adds tight end Trey Andersen to 2021 recruiting class
Pat Narduzzi and his staff have been busy over the past year trying to recruit tight ends, and their efforts paid off Tuesday when Trey Andersen verbally committed to the class of 2021. Pitt’s coach has high hopes for tight end Lucas Krull this season, but the transfer from Florida...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear it, No. 65: Pitt’s Joe Schmidt grew tough playing sandlot football vs. convicts
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 65: Joe Schmidt Joe Schmidt did not play in the golden age of Pitt football. In his three varsity seasons, the Panthers won 10...
Pitt secures verbal commitment from Florida linebacker, 17th prospect in class of 2021
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi added a third Florida prospect to his class of 2021 when inside linebacker Derrveron Maxwell-Black of St. Petersburg pledged to enroll next year. Maxwell-Black made the announcement Thursday on Twitter. I will like to thank God,my mother,grandfather, and the rest of my family and also my...
Commissioner John Swofford, who ushered Pitt into the ACC, plans to retire in 2021
John Swofford, who watched over the ACC while it expanded from nine to 15 schools, said Thursday he plans to retire after the 2020-21 athletic year. Swofford, 71, is the longest-tenured of the ACC’s four commissioners, serving 24 of the conference’s 67 years. He will continue as commissioner until a...
Pitt basketball, soccer and volleyball athletes scheduled to return Monday
Pitt’s efforts to return its athletic programs to normal offseason schedules will continue Monday when five teams — men’s and women’s basketball and soccer and volleyball — are welcomed back to campus for voluntary activities. As with the football team that began returning June 8, each player will undergo a...
Pitt’s Heather Lyke hopes schools can ‘lift’ student-athletes’ voices
In a time of social injustice and student-athletes developing a voice in response, Heather Lyke said Tuesday universities “need to be there to lift it.” “Our student-athletes need to have a voice if they want to have a voice,” she said Tuesday on 93.7 FM. “A lot of us need...
Heather Lyke believes Pitt can ‘weather this storm’
Faced with the possibility of canceling football games, losing revenue and limiting crowds at Heinz Field — perhaps even the sellout expected for Notre Dame — Heather Lyke said Tuesday that Pitt can “weather this storm” created by the covid-19 pandemic. Speaking on 93.7 FM, Pitt’s director of athletics admitted,...
‘Burgh’s best to wear it, No. 69: Pitt’s Randy Dixon, AC/DC fan, an electric choice
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best 100 players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 69: Randy Dixon Running into defensive linemen all day takes a toll on a man. But when it was time to relax, Pitt’s...
Analysis: 10 victories represent reasonable goal for Pitt football in 2020
The magic number is 10, a victory total that has been unattainable at Pitt for the past decade, and a reality only once since 1981. But it’s a reasonable goal for Pat Narduzzi’s 2020 team, his sixth at Pitt. Narduzzi welcomes back 12 players on defense and seven on offense...
Miami (Ohio) transfer Nike Sibande brings scoring potential to Pitt basketball
Jeff Capel’s makeover of Pitt basketball continued Saturday when he announced the addition of former Miami (Ohio) guard Nike Sibande to the 2020-2021 roster. He has one season of eligibility remaining. Sibande must sit out this season as a transfer, unless he is granted a waiver by the NCAA. But...
Cam Heyward: NFL Hall of Fame Game doubtful, thrilled about his dad’s Pitt honors
Defensive end Cameron Heyward is the Pittsburgh Steelers NFLPA union rep now that Ramon Foster has retired. And, given the coronavirus uncertainty, he seems dubious of the chances that the NFL can pull off the Hall of Fame Game between the Steelers and Cowboys. “It’s just my point of view,”...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear it, No. 73: Mark May sent out ‘May Day’ calls to Pitt opponents
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 73: Mark May They called him “May Day,” the international signal for distress, because that’s what Mark May created for opponents during his time...
Pitt safety Paris Ford: ‘This can be a historic season for the Panthers’Video
Taking a brief break from his offseason workouts, Paris Ford agreed Thursday to do a video interview with the ACC Network. Pitt’s junior safety enjoyed the conversation with the morning team of Mark Packer and Wes Durham — even inviting the duo to enjoy the chicken and waffles with him...
Pitt, West Virginia ink deal to extend basketball ‘Backyard Brawl’ for 2 more seasons
West Virginia coach and alumnus Bob Huggins called Pitt “our biggest rival.” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said Panthers-Mountaineers is “one of the best (rivalries) in the country.” When hired as WVU athletic director, Shane Lyons reiterated a primary objective was to get Pitt and West Virginia playing again. Soon, despite...
NCAA approves plan for basketball players to work with coaches
The NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday approved a plan to allow college basketball players to start working with their coaches for the first time since the pandemic wiped out March Madness. The summer access period for men’s and women’s players will begin July 20. The NCAA Tournaments were canceled...
Craig Heyward, Steve Wisniewski among those on 2021 College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Craig Heyward, Steve Wisniewski and Matt Cavanaugh are among those with local ties who were listed on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021 that was announced Tuesday. Heyward was a 1987 consensus All-American after leading the nation in rushing yards for Pitt. The late...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 79: Bill Fralic served pancakes with pleasure for Pitt
When it came to Bill Fralic’s blocking for the Pitt Panthers, there is no shortage of superlatives. A new statistic was coined, and a legendary offensive line coach gave a ringing endorsement. The Pancake Block was created in Fralic’s honor, for the ferocity with which he flattened defenders. The late...
Franklin Regional grad Fisch lives dream, earns walk-on spot with Pitt basketball
It is not quite “The Fish Who Saved Pittsburgh.” No, this story is more along the lines of, “The Fisch Who Wooed Pittsburgh,” and it is a tale of devotion, determination and fulfillment. In a couple of years, Pitt super fan Aidan Fisch went from being a team manager on...
Pitt, Penn State defenders named to preseason Walter Camp All-American team
College football is still months away, but the honors are rolling in for Pitt and Penn State players. Pitt defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons were named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-American team. (Twyman and Parsons earned second-team regular-season honors in 2019.) Twyman finished the...
