Last week, Pitt announced its Athletics Hall of Fame class for 2019.
The list was quite esteemed. It included the likes of All-Americans in football and basketball such as Don Hennon, Mark May, Jimbo Covert, Joe Schmidt and football head coach Johnny Majors.
Also highlighting the marquee is Sam Clancy, one of the great two-sport stars in the history of Pitt.
He joined the Panthers after starring in basketball at both Fifth Avenue High School and Brashear. He also played football there but excelled on the court. So he joined the Panthers on a basketball scholarship, and his career blossomed.
Clancy was a four-year starter at Pitt from 1977-81, averaging 14.4 points and 11.6 rebounds. He is the only Pitt player to score more than 1,000 points (1,671) and grab over 1,000 rebounds (1,362). Clancy was a three-time Eastern 8 All-League selection. He led Pitt to four winning seasons, the 1981 Eastern 8 Tournament championship, an NIT berth in 1980 and an NCAA Tournament bid in 1981.
Clancy never played a football game at Pitt, but he made enough of an impression on coach Jackie Sherrill in some practices that Sherrill recommended Clancy to scouts from the Seattle Seahawks.
And a career was made.
Clancy played with the Seahawks, Colts and Browns in the NFL. He also played with the Pittsburgh Maulers and Memphis Showboats in the USFL.
I spoke with Clancy for our podcast. He gets in depth about how his career shifted from basketball to football, the elite athletic talent at Pitt in both sports during his days in Oakland, and his thoughts on the prospect of Panthers athletics returning to those glory days.
