1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Gator Bowl champion
Eastern champion
Conference Independent
Ranking
Coaches No. 2
AP No. 2
1980 record 11–1
Head coach Jackie Sherrill (4th year)
Offensive coordinator Wally English (2nd year)
Offensive scheme Multiple pro-style
Defensive coordinator Foge Fazio (2nd year)
Base defense Multiple front
Home stadium Pitt Stadium
(Capacity: 56,500)
1980 Division I-A independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#2 Pittsburgh           11 1 0
#5 Florida State           10 2 0
#8 Penn State           10 2 0
#9 Notre Dame           9 2 1
#18 Miami           9 3 0
Southern Miss           9 3 0
Navy           8 4 0
South Carolina           8 4 0
Virginia Tech           8 4 0
Boston College           7 4 0
Northeast Louisiana           7 4 0
Rutgers           7 4 0
UNLV           7 4 0
Tulane           7 5 0
Colgate           5 4 1
North Texas State           6 5 0
Villanova           6 5 0
West Virginia           6 6 0
Louisville           5 6 0
Richmond           5 6 0
Syracuse           5 6 0
East Carolina           4 7 0
Illinois State           4 7 0
Temple           4 7 0
Army           3 7 1
Holy Cross           3 8 0
Cincinnati           2 9 0
Memphis           2 9 0
William & Mary           2 9 0
Georgia Tech           1 9 1
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Despite losing one game, the Panthers were named national champions by several selectors including the College Football Researchers Association, The New York Times computer poll, and the Sagarin Ratings, among others. The university does not claim a national championships for this season, nor are the Panthers popularly recognized for winning that year's national championship. Pitt was awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East.

Championship selections

Selectors that named Pitt the 1980 national champion:[1]

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
Sat. Sep. 13 1:30 p.m. Boston College No. 3 Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA ABC W 146   44,820
Sat. Sep. 20 2:30 p.m. at Kansas No. 5 Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS W 183   41,300
Sat. Sep. 27 1:30 p.m. Temple No. 6 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 362   47,071
Sat. Oct. 4 1:30 p.m. Maryland No. 6 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 389   47,409
Sat. Oct. 11 7:00 p.m. at No. 11 Florida State No. 4 Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL L 2236   52,894
Sat. Oct. 18 1:30 p.m. West Virginiadagger No. 11 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl) W 4214   55,130
Sat. Oct. 25 2:00 p.m. at Tennessee No. 12 Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN W 306   94,008
Sat. Nov. 1 3:30 p.m. at Syracuse No. 11 Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY (Rivalry) ABC W 436   50,243
Sat. Nov. 8 1:30 p.m. Louisville No. 9 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 4123   47,280
Sat. Nov. 15 1:30 p.m. at Army No. 8 Michie StadiumWest Point, NY W 457   31,150
Sat. Nov. 22 1:00 p.m. at No. 5 Penn State No. 4 Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (Rivalry) ABC W 149   82,459
Mon. Dec. 29 9:00 p.m. vs. No. 18 South Carolina No. 3 Gator Bowl StadiumJacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl) ABC W 379   72,297
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Coaching staff

1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
Coaching Staff
  • Jackie Sherrill – Head Coach
  • Foge Fazio – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
  • Wally English – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
  • Joe Daniels – Running Backs
  • Ron Dickerson – Defensive Backs
  • Bob Matey – Defensive Line
  • Joe Moore – Offensive Line
  • Joe Naunchik – Receivers
  • Ray Zingler – Defensive Ends
  Support Staff
  • Alex Kramer – Administrative Assistant
  • Kevin Dickey – Recruiting Coordinator
  • Nick Rapone – Part-Time Assistant
  • Bob Davie – Part-Time Assistant
  • Kirk Ferentz – Part-Time Assistant
  Strength and Conditioning Staff
  • Buddy Morris – Weight Training Coordinator

Season summary

West Virginia

Starting free safety Rick Trocano moved over to offense in the second quarter to replace the injured Dan Marino. Previously the starter at QB in 1978, Trocano led Pitt to four second-quarter touchdowns during the Panthers’ win at Pitt Stadium.[2]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL Club
Hugh Green Defensive End1 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Randy McMillan Running Back112 Baltimore Colts
Mark May Tackle1 20 Washington Redskins
Rickey Jackson Linebacker2 51 New Orleans Saints
Greg Meisner Defensive Tackle3 63 Los Angeles Rams
Carlton Williamson Defensive Back3 65 San Francisco 49ers
Russ Grimm Center3 69 Washington Redskins
Bill Neill Defensive Tackle5 115 New York Giants
Benjie Pryor Tight End5 120 Cincinnati Bengals
Lynn Thomas Defensive Back5 121 San Francisco 49ers
Jerry Boyarsky Defensive Tackle5128 New Orleans Saints
Rick Trocano Quarterback11 292 Pittsburgh Steelers

[3]

Awards and honors

References

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