Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi in midst of hectic offseason
If you think the life of a college football coach slows down when the shoulder pads are packed away, you haven’t had to keep up with Pat Narduzzi this month. Pitt’s coach has been busy since a 34-30 victory against Eastern Michigan on Dec. 26 in the Quick Lane Bowl....
Pitt freshman Justin Champagnie could be key in disrupting Syracuse zone
The Pitt men’s basketball team faces a tough task. The Panthers (13-6, 4-4 ACC) play at Syracuse on Saturday for a matchup with the notoriously zone-heavy Orange (12-7, 5-3). In years past, Pitt has struggles for an answer for the extended 2-3 zone that has stifled so many teams. The...
First Call: Video of Antonio Brown turning himself in; NFL draft tight end emerges
For Friday’s “First Call,” you can watch Antonio Brown turn himself in as he goes to jail. Maybe the Steelers should pay attention to a small conference tight end who is emerging at the Senior Bowl. Pitt and Duquesne hit the road in college hoops. Robert Morris has a big...
Pitt, WVU baseball will bring the Backyard Brawl back to PNC Park
The Backyard Brawl is returning to PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pitt and West Virginia athletic departments announced Thursday that the schools’ baseball teams will meet April 29 at the home of the Pirates. It’s the second consecutive season the two rivals will meet at PNC Park. West...
U mad, bro? Prickly Pitt fans, Matt Murray defenders, Barry Bonds debaters sound off
How are we going to start this week’s “U mad, bro?” With me being mad. That’s how. I was mad because I got locked out of my email. My stupid password expired. Why do they make me update that thing so often?! So I couldn’t get to my usual material...
Pitt beats Boston College in closing seconds on Ryan Murphy jumper
Pitt’s lead had vanished. The momentum was long gone. You might think Ryan Murphy’s heart was pumping like a hammer behind his jersey and his knees were turning to rubber when he stood 18 feet from the basket in a tie game, staring at the rim. You would be wrong....
Pitt gets 7 home games in 2020, including a Friday night vs. Virginia Tech
Friday night college football comes to Heinz Field this season as part of Pitt’s schedule that was released Wednesday morning by the ACC. Pitt will host Virginia Tech in a nationally televised game Friday, Nov. 6 — one of seven home games. It will be played on the same night...
First Call: Watt brother to host ‘SNL’, Chris Archer rips Astros, Todd Graham’s new job, Kansas hoops brawl
In Wednesday’s “First Call”: J.J. Watt to host SNL. Chris Archer fires at the Houston Astros. A major basketball brawl. A new home for Todd Graham. Live! From New York … How big of a personality is Houston Texans star J.J. Watt? Big enough to host “Saturday Night Live” on...
Nutrition plays key role for Jeff Capel, Pitt men’s basketball
Jeff Capel compares an athlete’s body to an engine. For the engine to run at peak efficiency, it needs the best fuel. The body functions the same way when it comes to nutrition. As coach of the Pitt men’s basketball team, Capel encourages his players to make healthy choices to...
Mike DeCourcy talks huge night for Duquesne, Pitt hoops; Ben Roethlisberger; Super Bowl
It’s a big night for Western Pennsylvania college basketball on Wednesday. Pitt plays host to Boston College at 9 p.m. Duquesne visits Rhode Island at 7 p.m. And Penn State visits Michigan at 7 p.m. So we turn to college basketball expert Mike DeCourcy from The Sporting News and the...
Jeff Capel looks for Pitt to put 2 good games back-to-back vs. ACC foe
The following information is factual but drawn from a small sample size: two games. So, please, no overreaction. Pitt is 3-4 in the ACC and coming off a victory Saturday against North Carolina. After the first two victories, Pitt didn’t play as well in its next games and lost to...
Martin Luther King Day important to Pitt’s Jeff Capel and his family
Pitt coach Jeff Capel likes talking to his players about the opportunities they have as student-athletes at a major university. But he didn’t need a holiday Monday to underscore what the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. means to him and his family. Capel grew up listening to the...
3-star junior safety Javon McIntyre commits to Pitt
With Pitt’s 2020 recruiting class nearly complete, coach Pat Narduzzi received the third verbal commitment from a member of the class of 2021 when safety Javon McIntyre tweeted his intention to enroll next year. He committed to Pitt over the weekend while visiting campus with several teammates from the Imhotep...
Pitt finally makes an impact in the ACC
Jeff Capel loves to beat North Carolina — he’s a Duke guy, after all — but he was careful not to put too much significance on Pitt’s 66-52 victory Saturday at Petersen Events Center. “It’s a step,” he said. “I don’t know what it speaks to, but it’s a step...
Kevin Gorman: Jeff Capel gets cutthroat against Carolina, as Pitt gets sweep to savorVideo
Jeff Capel wasn’t aware of the last time the Pitt Panthers pulled off a regular-season sweep in conference play, claiming he hadn’t studied the program’s history well enough to know. What the Pitt coach does know — perhaps better than any of his players could ever imagine — is the...
Pitt topples North Carolina to sweep season series with Tar HeelsVideo
If anyone knows where to draw the line between good and great, it’s Jeff Capel, who won a national championship as an assistant at Duke and coached 18 players who turned into first-round draft choices in the NBA. “I’ve been around a lot of greatness,” he said. “I think great...
2 strength assistants leaving Pitt football to join Dave Andrews at Iowa State
Two strength assistants are leaving Pitt’s football program to re-join former head strength and conditioning coach Dave Andrews at Iowa State. Freddie Walker and Trever Ryen have been named assistant strength and conditioning coaches for the Cyclones, an Iowa State spokesman said Friday. Walker was at Pitt for the past...
Pitt’s clash with North Carolina will pull 1 team out of its slump
There is no need to place any additional importance on the men’s basketball game Saturday at Petersen Events Center matching a team stuck in a three-way tie for 11th-place and another that is one slot from the bottom of the 15-team ACC. But Pitt and North Carolina better start winning...
Pitt guard Trey McGowens’ improved play may be tied to something you can’t seeVideo
Trey McGowens said he worked “harder than ever” getting ready for his sophomore season at Pitt. He also watches video with a more experienced eye, looking for an edge that might mean the difference between winning and losing — some things he might have missed last season as a freshman....
Pitt safety Damar Hamlin returning for 5th year
The Pitt defense received more good news Tuesday when free safety Damar Hamlin said he is returning for his fifth year of eligibility after getting a waiver from the NCAA. Hamlin’s freshman year in 2016 was limited by injuries to three appearances without a start. He is the fourth Pitt...
Former Pitt star Jimbo Covert selected to Pro Football Hall of Fame
Jimbo Covert was in San Francisco on business Wednesday, so he set his alarm for 4 a.m. He didn’t want to sleep through one of the greatest moments of his life. The former Pitt and Chicago Bears offensive lineman had known for a week he was one of the finalists...
Coach Emily Boissonneault up to task of building Pitt women’s lacrosse from scratchVideo
Start-ups are nothing new to Emily Boissonneault. When she entered Donald A. Wilson Secondary School in suburban Toronto as a sophomore, the school was new. She became a member of its first girls basketball team and, at the urging of a gym teacher who owned the local lacrosse club, first...
Pitt loses lead late, falls to Louisville in overtimeVideo
Pitt coach Jeff Capel couldn’t believe what he saw. There were 21 seconds left in overtime Tuesday night in a game Pitt finally lost 73-68 to No. 11 Louisville. With Pitt down two, 6-foot-10 center Terrell Brown reached over — or so he thought — Louisville’s 6-11 Malik Williams and...
Pitt running back V’Lique Carter enters NCAA transfer portal
Running back V’Lique Carter, who made his Pitt freshman debut in 2018 by rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns against Duke, said Tuesday he has entered the NCAA’s transfer portal with the intent of transferring. As a sophomore in 2019, Carter was part of a crowded Pitt running back...
Pitt hopes Victory Heights will raise bar for athleticsVideo
Alonzo Webb has been a coach without a home for each of his 18 years leading the Pitt track and field/cross country programs. The longest-tenured coach on campus, he’s sat in meetings with multiple athletic directors who spoke hopefully of building his team the track that disappeared and never resurfaced...
