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| 12–29–1
| 12–29–1
| [[1975 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|1975]]
| [[1975 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|1975]]
| '''W''', 34–20
| PITT, 34–20
|}
|}
{{Americanfootballbox
{{Americanfootballbox
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===Penn State===
===Penn State===
{{AFB game box start
|Title ='''Penn State at Pittsburgh'''
|Visitor=Nittany Lions
|V1=7 |V2=0 |V3=0 |V4=0
|Host='''#1 Panthers'''
|H1=0 |H2=7 |H3=7 |H4=10
|Date=November 26
|Location=<br>[[Three Rivers Stadium]]<br>[[Pittsburgh]]
|StartTime=9:00 PM
|ElapsedTime=
|Attendance=50,250
|Weather=
|Referee=
|TVAnnouncers=
|TVStation=[[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry=yes |Quarter=1 |Time= |Team=Penn State |Event= |Score= 0–7}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=2 |Time= |Team=Pittsburgh |Event= |Score= 7–7}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team=Pittsburgh |Event= |Score= 14–7}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=4 |Time= |Team=Pittsburgh |Event= |Score= 21–7}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |LastEntry=yes |Quarter=4 |Time= |Team=Pittsburgh |Event= |Score= 24–7}}
{{AFB game box end}}
{{see also|1976 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry}}
{{see also|1976 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry}}
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 385: Line 363:
|- align="center"
|- align="center"
| 35–36–3
| 35–36–3
| [[1975 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|1975]]
| 1975
| PSU, 7–6
| PSU, 7–6
|}
|}
{{Americanfootballbox
|titlestyle={{NCAA color cell|Pittsburgh Panthers}};text-align:center;
|state=autocollapse
|title=Pittsburgh vs. Penn State – Game summary
|date=November 26
|time=9:00 PM [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
|road='''#1 Pittsburgh'''
|R1=0|R2=7|R3=7|R4=10|RT=24
|home=#16 Penn State
|H1=7|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|HT=7
|stadium=[[Three Rivers Stadium]]
|attendance=50,250
|weather=
|referee=
|TV=[[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
|TVAnnouncers=[[Chris Schenkel]], [[Bud Wilkinson]], [[Steve Zabriske]]
|reference=
|scoring=
;First Quarter
*PSU –
;Second Quarter
*PITT –
;Third Quarter
*PITT –
;Fourth Quarter
*PITT –
*PITT –
|stats=
;Top passers
*PITT –
*PSU –
;Top rushers
*PITT –
*PSU –
;Top receivers
*PITT –
*PSU –
;Top defenders
*PITT –
*PSU –
}}
{{Clear}}


===#5 Georgia (Sugar Bowl)===
===#5 Georgia (Sugar Bowl)===
{{AFB game box start
| Title = '''Sugar Bowl'''
| Visitor = '''#1 Panthers'''
| Host = #5 Bulldogs
| V1 =7 | V2 =14 | V3 =3 | V4 =3
| H1 =0 | H2 =0 | H3 =3 | H4 =0
| Date=January 1, 1977
| Location=<br>[[Louisiana Superdome]]<br>[[New Orleans]]
| StartTime=12:30 PM
| ElapsedTime=
| Attendance= 76,117
| Weather=
| Referee=
|TVAnnouncers= <br>'''Play-by-Play:''' [[Keith Jackson]]<br>'''Analyst:''' [[Ara Parseghian]]
|TVStation=[[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry=yes |Quarter=1 |Time= |Team=Pittsburgh |Event= |Score= 7–0}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=2 |Time= |Team=Pittsburgh |Event= |Score= 14–0}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=2 |Time= |Team=Pittsburgh |Event= |Score= 21–0}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team=Georgia |Event= |Score= 21–3}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team=Pittsburgh |Event= |Score= 24–3}}
{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |LastEntry=yes |Quarter=4 |Time= |Team=Pittsburgh |Event= |Score= 27–3}}
{{AFB game box end}}
{{see also|1976 Georgia Bulldogs football team|1977 Sugar Bowl}}
{{see also|1976 Georgia Bulldogs football team|1977 Sugar Bowl}}
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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|- align="center"
|- align="center"
| 2–0
| 2–0
| [[1975 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|1975]]
| 1975
| PITT, 19–9
| PITT, 19–9
|}
|}
{{Americanfootballbox
|titlestyle={{NCAA color cell|Pittsburgh Panthers}};text-align:center;
|state=autocollapse
|title=Pittsburgh vs. Georgia – Game summary
|date=January 1
|time=12:30 PM [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
|road='''#1 Pittsburgh'''
|R1=7|R2=14|R3=3|R4=3|RT=27
|home=#5 Georgia
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=3|H4=0|HT=3
|stadium=[[Three Rivers Stadium]]
|attendance=50,250
|weather=
|referee=
|TV=[[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
|TVAnnouncers=[[Keith Jackson]], [[Ara Parseghian]]
|reference=
|scoring=
;First Quarter
*PITT –
;Second Quarter
*PITT –
*PITT –
;Third Quarter
*UGA –
*PITT –
;Fourth Quarter
*PITT –
|stats=
;Top passers
*PITT –
*UGA –
;Top rushers
*PITT –
*UGA –
;Top receivers
*PITT –
*UGA –
;Top defenders
*PITT –
*UGA –
}}
{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}


Revision as of 00:40, 30 September 2018

{{{year}}} [[{{{team}}} football]]
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1

The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 NCAA Division I football season and is recognized as that season's consensus national champion.[1] Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the best Division I team in the East.

During the 1970s, the top-ranked team won its bowl game only three times: Pittsburgh joined Nebraska (1971) and USC (1972).

Schedule

Sep 114:20 pmat No. 11 Notre DameNo. 9

ABCW 31–10 59,075 Sep 187:30 pmat Georgia TechNo. 3

W 42–14 43,424 Sep 251:30 pmTempleNo. 3

W 21–7 38,500 Oct 21:30 pmat DukeNo. 2

W 44–31 37,200 Oct 91:30 pmLouisvilleNo. 2

  • Pitt Stadium
  • Pittsburgh, PA

W 27–6 34,000 Oct 161:30 pmMiami (FL)No. 2

  • Pitt Stadium
  • Pittsburgh, PA

W 36–19 42,434 Oct 232:00 pmat NavyNo. 2

W 45–0 26,346 Oct 301:30 pmSyracuseNo. 2

  • Pitt Stadium
  • Pittsburgh, PA (Rivalry)

W 23–13 50,399 Nov 61:30 pmArmydaggerNo. 2

  • Pitt Stadium
  • Pittsburgh, PA

W 37–7 45,753 Nov 131:30 pmWest VirginiaNo. 1

ABCW 24–16 56,500 Nov 269:00 pmNo. 16 Penn StateNo. 1

ABCW 24–7 50,250 Jan 112:30 pmvs. No. 5 GeorgiaNo. 1

ABCW 27–3 76,117

Template:CFB Schedule End

Regular season

The previous season saw Pitt win the Sun Bowl over Kansas for an 8–4 record, highlighted by wins at Georgia and Notre Dame. The stage was set for 1976, with Pitt ranked ninth in the AP preseason poll, for the Panthers to make a run for the national championship.

In the first game of the 1976 season, the Panthers faced off against Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. A year earlier, Tony Dorsett had finished with 303 yards rushing in Pitt's 34–20 victory over the Irish. "They even grew the grass high," said Carmen DeArdo, a diehard Pitt alumnus, "and everyone knew Tony would get the ball." "They didn't let that grass grow long enough," Dorsett said later. He darted 61 yards on his first run of the season and tacked on 120 more by the end of the 31–10 Pitt win.[2][3]

The season continued with a 42–14 win at Georgia Tech and a 36–19 win over Miami. The Panthers traveled to Annapolis on October 23 to face Navy and Dorsett broke the NCAA career rushing record on a 32-yard touchdown run in the 45–0 victory. Dorsett's achievement prompted a mid-game celebration in which even Navy saluted the feat with a cannon blast.[4] Pitt won a tough, hard-fought battle against struggling rival Syracuse.

On November 6, the second-ranked Panthers hosted Army at Pitt Stadium and won handily, but the significant action was taking place several hundred miles west, in West Lafayette, Indiana, where the Purdue Boilermakers held off the top-ranked Michigan Wolverines 16–14 in the closing seconds. The Pitt Stadium crowd erupted in celebration when the stadium public address announcer dramatically gave the final score from Purdue. For the first time in the modern era, Panther fans could legitimately claim, "We're number one!" Pitt defended its ranking in a close Backyard Brawl against West Virginia to go 10–0 heading into the regular season finale on national television against instate rival Penn State (7–3).[5]

At a packed Three Rivers Stadium on the night after Thanksgiving, the Nittany Lions scored first and held Dorsett to 51 yards in the first half; the game was tied at seven at halftime.[6] Majors adjusted for the second half by shifting Dorsett from tailback to fullback, enabling him to explode for an additional 173 yards as Pitt rolled to a 24–7 victory to cap an undefeated regular season.[6][7]

In December, Dorsett became the first Pitt Panther to win the Heisman Trophy as the nation's best college football player. Dorsett also won the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and was named UPI Player of the Year. He led the nation in rushing with 1,948 yards and was selected as an All-American. Dorsett finished his college career with 6,082 total rushing yards, then an NCAA record for career rushing.

Sugar Bowl

The 11–0 Panthers accepted an invitation to the Sugar Bowl to face second-ranked Georgia. Pitt defeated the Bulldogs 27–3 and was voted number one by both the Associated Press and Coaches polls, claiming their ninth national championship.[8] This was Pitt's first undefeated national championship since 1937. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) named Majors the 1976 Coach of the Year. Following this historic season, Majors returned to his alma mater, the University of Tennessee, to take the head coaching job.[9]

Game summaries

#11 Notre Dame

See also: 1976 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
12–29–1 1975 PITT, 34–20
Pittsburgh vs. Notre Dame – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
#9 Pittsburgh 7 14 01031
#11 Notre Dame 7 3 0010

at Notre Dame Stadium

Game information

Georgia Tech

Temple

Duke

Louisville

Miami (FL)

Syracuse

Army

West Virginia

Penn State

See also: 1976 Penn State Nittany Lions football team and Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry
Overall record Last meeting Result
35–36–3 1975 PSU, 7–6
Pittsburgh vs. Penn State – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
#1 Pittsburgh 0 7 71024
#16 Penn State 7 0 007

at Three Rivers Stadium

Game information

#5 Georgia (Sugar Bowl)

See also: 1976 Georgia Bulldogs football team and 1977 Sugar Bowl
Overall record Last meeting Result
2–0 1975 PITT, 19–9
Pittsburgh vs. Georgia – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
#1 Pittsburgh 7 14 3327
#5 Georgia 0 0 303

at Three Rivers Stadium

Game information
Kiosk in the Great Hall at Heinz Field celebrating Pitt's 1976 national championship

Roster

1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
C 67 Tom Brzoza Jr
QB 12 Matt Cavanaugh Jr
TE 81 James Corbett Sr
RB 33 Tony Dorsett Sr
WR 24 Gordon Jones So
WR 19 Randy Reutershan Jr
WR 29 Willie Taylor Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 55 Al Chesley So
DT 75 Ed Gallagher So
DE 70 Randy Holloway Jr
DE 60 Cecil Johnson Sr
CB 31 Bob Jury Jr
DT 78 David Logan So
DT 68 Don Parrish Sr
DE 91 Al Romano Sr
CB 21 J.C. Wilson Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P 41 Larry Swider Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Coaching staff

1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
Coaching staff
  • Johnny Majors – head coach
  • Joe Madden – assistant head coach/defensive secondary
  • Joe Avezzano – offensive coordinator/offensive line
  • Bobby Roper – defensive coordinator/defensive line
  • Bill Cox – quarterbacks/receivers
  • Jim Dyar – defensive secondary
  • Larry Holton – defensive ends
  • Harry Jones – offensive backs
  • Bob Matey – middle guards/junior varsity
   Support staff
  • Henry Lee Parker – administrative assistant to the head coach
  • Keith Schroeder – coordinator of computer scouting
  • Ray Olsen – graduate assistant
  • Dave Wannstedt – graduate assistant
   Strength and conditioning staff

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL Club
Tony Dorsett Running back 1 2 Dallas Cowboys
Larry Swider Punter 7 185 Denver Broncos
Jim Corbett Tight end 7 194 Cincinnati Bengals
Al Romano Defensive lineman 11 289 Houston Oilers
Carson Long Kicker 11 302 Los Angeles Rams
Don Parrish Defensive end 12 314 Atlanta Falcons

[10]

Awards and honors

A football signed by the 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, including Tony Dorsett and head coach Johnny Majors.
  • Tony Dorsett, Heisman Trophy [11]
  • Tony Dorsett, Walter Camp Award[12]
  • Tony Dorsett, Maxwell Award
  • Tony Dorsett, led the nation in rushing with 1,948 yards
  • Tony Dorsett, All-America selection

References

  1. ^ Official 2009 NCAA Division I Football Records Book (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2009. p. 85. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  2. ^ "CNNSI.com - College Football - Heisman Heroes - Suzuki presents Heisman Heroes: Tony Dorsett - Friday August 25, 2000 01:29 PM". CNN.
  3. ^ Gorman, Kevin (2008-10-30). "Pitt-Notre Dame series produces phenomenal performances". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2010-04-29. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Tony Dorsett No. 1". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. October 24, 1976. p. 77.
  5. ^ Axelrod, Phil (November 26, 1976). "Pitt, State, maybe Tennessee". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 18.
  6. ^ a b Parascenzo, Marino (November 27, 1976). "Panthers claw Nittany Lions, 24-7". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  7. ^ Mackin, Mike (2008-06-12). "Let's Learn From the Past: The 1976 Pitt Panthers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
  8. ^ "Yearly National Championship Selections: 1976 National Championships". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  9. ^ Fitzgerald, Francis J., ed. (1996). The Year the Panthers Roared. Louisville, Kentucky: AdCraft Sports. ISBN 1-887761-06-3.
  10. ^ https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1977.htm
  11. ^ "1976 - 42nd Award Tony Dorsett Pittsburgh Back". HeismanTrophy.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2011-06-06. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ http://collegefootball.about.com/od/collegefootballawards/a/award-camp.htm

Further information

Video

  • 1976 Pitt at Notre Dame complete game video on YouTube: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
  • 1977 Sugar Bowl, Pitt vs Georgia for the national championship, first half video on YouTube: Part 1
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