Pitt's Pat Narduzzi emotionally shaken by University of Virginia shootings

Pat Narduzzi loves to talk football, but Pitt’s coach had a difficult time at his weekly news conference Monday thinking about anything other than the three members of the University of Virginia team who were fatally shot Sunday night in Charlottesville, Va.

A little more than a day before the shooting, Narduzzi’s team played Virginia at Scott Stadium, near the campus site where the shootings occurred.

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“I’m shocked, obviously. Don’t even care to talk about that game,” said Narduzzi, who paused a few times to compose himself during his remarks. “We just put it aside.”

Killed in the shootings were junior wide receivers Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler and junior linebacker D’Sean Perry. Christopher Jones, 22, a member of the team in 2018, was arrested Monday morning in connection with the shooting.

Narduzzi said he made a point after the game to speak to Davis, who was injured.

“The Davis kid, the big, tall wideout, I remember seeing him right after the game and shaking his hand and saying, ‘Get healthy,’ ” Narduzzi said. “It puts things in perspective.

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“Our hearts and our prayers go out to the city of Charlottesville, the University of Virginia, coach Tony Elliott and his football team. I can’t imagine losing three guys in the room here and can’t even imagine what’s going on down there.

“Unthinkable. You go from playing a football game to that. It’s sad.”

The shootings occurred Sunday after Pitt players had been dismissed from their normal Sunday duties. Narduzzi said he spoke to a few players individually Monday morning, but he plans to address the entire team Tuesday when players report to practice. He said he doesn’t know what he’ll say.

“I have time to think about that.”

Narduzzi speaks regularly to his team about topics outside of football

“We talk about it all the time. It’s more than just football,” he said. “It’s your faith, family and football, with football being last.

“When you see something like that happen … we know it happens a lot more. School shootings, whatever it is, in Texas, in Florida, right here in the synagogue in Pittsburgh,” he said referring to the Tree of Life shooting in Squirrel Hill in 2018.

“Then, you just got done playing a football team. You think about what the Virginia football team is going through. That’s a brother in that room. It’s just hard. You can’t fathom what those poor kids are going through. It’s tough.”

The Sunday shootings brought back sad memories for Pitt’s coach. He said a Northern Illinois player died after a workout when Narduzzi was on that school’s coaching staff two decades ago. Narduzzi’s father, longtime football coach Bill Narduzzi, died in 1988 at the age of 51.

“That was traumatic,” he said.

The three Virginia players who died had a history of success with the Cavaliers.

Davis, a 6-foot-7 wide receiver, was the team’s primary deep threat, with 16 catches for 371 yards and two touchdowns this season. He missed the 2021 season with an injury.

In a May 2021 video on UVA football’s Twitter account, Davis said outside of class he enjoyed watching ’90s movies and reading Shakespeare plays and the Bible.

“Virginia is the perfect place for anybody who wants to work hard and be great,” he said. “At Virginia, it’s way bigger than football.”

Chandler transferred from Wisconsin this year, and Perry, who recorded two tackles Saturday against Pitt, played in 15 games for Virginia over the past three seasons.