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REWIND: Favorite Games · Pittsburgh Sports Memories

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_04: Hello and welcome to another uh episode of Pittsburgh Sports Memories Podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_04: Um I'm your host uh Steve Wirt, and as usual, I'm joined by Hi everybody, I'm Tim Hannon.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_04: And on today's episode, we're going to do favorite games.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_04: These are uh games that uh just you you probably probably a lot of people don't remember them.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_04: And there's a few favorite moments, maybe just not a game too, but just stuff that like uh happened in sports that uh I really remember and I'm sure Tim will remember too.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_04: And hopefully uh everybody else out there remembers at least some of these, but um they're just hold a special place in my heart.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_04: They might not have won a championship and there might not even be really an iconic moment attached to them, but just stuff that I just like as I yeah, as I get older, just you know, you cherish stuff more, I guess.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Is the name of the podcast is Pittsburgh Sports Memories, so is there some good memories?
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, that it is, that it is.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_04: And they're all good ones on this one, so we don't have any more Sid Slid, we won't have to cry through this one, I guess.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_04: Complain about you know John McSherry not not being there.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um so uh to start off, it was the uh and this is a definitely a Tim and Steve shared memory, be uh the last game at Pitt Stadium, and um spoiler alert, uh Pitt would win 37 to 27.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_04: Um a little background on this, uh Pitt had played at Pitt Stadium since 1925, and in 1999, and all the it was all the rage to build yourself a new stadium, so Pitt didn't want to feel left out.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_04: So they decided to build a new basketball arena, and to do that, they wanna they move the football team to Heinzfield and they shared uh theirs facilities with the Steelers, which they still do.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_04: And um, so the last game was set to be at Pitt Stadium versus Notre Dame on November 13th, 1999.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Pitt had, let's see, four wins heading into this game, I know, and it was late in the season, too.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_04: So Pitt needed to win, I think, this game and the game the following week against West Virginia to qualify for bowl, for a bowl.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Pitt that year had lost to some ranked teams like uh Boston College, Virginia Tech, who I think Michael Vick was on that team.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_04: Uh they had lost to Miami, who was pretty good, and uh Syracuse.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I remember the Syracuse game.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_04: I actually attended that game earlier in the season.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_04: And I the only the one thing I remember, besides I think Kevin Barlow threw a touchdown, which was weird because he was running back.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_04: But uh Syracuse actually botched a snap on a field goal attempt, and then like I guess the holder was the backup quarterback, so he like just picked up the ball and like ran around for like seen like forever.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_04: And no, it wasn't Troy Noons, and he just like chucked the ball in the end zone, and instead of Syracuse just being held to a field goal, they actually scored a touchdown.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_04: It was probably like the most ridiculously lucky moment I've ever seen in like sports.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_04: It was just like what other team but Syracuse, especially at that time, like anytime Pitt played Syracuse, it just seemed like something crazy like that that was very fortunate for them would happen.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_04: So fun times.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_04: Um Notre Dame was having a uh down year, they had five wins.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_04: They had lost to a lot of ranked teams like Michigan and uh Purdue.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_04: The week before they played Tennessee, who was ranked fourth, and um Tennessee like totally pounded them.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Tennessee was quarterbacked by future uh by T Martin, who uh famously the Steelers picked over Tom Brady.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_04: So I guess T Martin has that going for him.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_04: Uh both Pitt and Notre Dame were mediocre that year, so it really wasn't it really wasn't a ton of stuff on the line on the line, but Pitt did have uh some players that would go on to have like fairly successful NFL careers.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_04: Uh like I said, Keven Barlow played for years with uh the 49ers.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Nick Goings, uh he played for Carolina for a while and had a pretty successful career for like Nick Goings.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_04: Antonio Bryant was was good.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_04: He did he play?
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_04: He played for Cleveland and I think a couple other Dallas.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_04: Um Dallas, yeah.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, he was but he had a solid NFL career too.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_04: Um unfortunately they had uh John Terman and David Priestley throwing them the ball, so that was kind of a problem for uh Antonio Bryant there.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_04: Although Tony O'Brien still made the best of it even with those guys.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_04: And they even say during the broadcast of this game that Pitt had the top passing offense that year in the Big East.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_04: So you figure like with Michael Vick and such, you know, that wasn't like a small accomplishment.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um Notre Dame had uh quarterback Jarius Jackson, who was pretty mediocre.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_04: He he wasn't a bad college quarterback, but he wasn't like great or anything.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_04: But he he was decent.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_04: And they had a wide receiver named Bobby Brown, who I remember every time he caught a pass, everybody would laugh because it was like, you know, it's his prerogative to catch a pass, I guess.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: There's gonna be a whole generation of people that will not get that joke.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: Well But I think it's hilarious.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_04: Well, I mean, they might just remember him as the guy who was married to Whitney Houston.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_04: I I don't know.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um it it was a back and forth game, like both teams kind of made plays.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_04: And uh I mean Antonio Bryant Bryant's definitely he scored the first points of the game and he made a really nice catch.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I remember also remember Ramon Walker causing a fumble by the near name running back.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um Bryant all like and that that kind of turned the game around.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_04: Like he had another one where he had an interception too.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_04: Like Ramon Walker had a really good game that day, and Antonio Bryant had a had a great game too.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_04: Um they also had another Pitt had another wide receiver named Latif Grimm, who had like a solid pit career, but like he just wasn't Antonio Bryant.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_04: He didn't really do much in the NFL, but he was pretty good for Pitt.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_04: But he might have been more of a product of that system, like of Vault Harris's system.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_04: So um I remember I think it was Bryant made a one-handed catch on a flea flicker play.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_04: Uh and um I also remember after he scored like one touchdown, Bryant like ran in front of they had like I think like 300 former players in like legends, like from Pitt, and like he just ran in front of all those guys and like was like just they everybody was just going nuts after he scored that touchdown.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_04: I think that gave Pitt the lead.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_04: Um John Terman played uh most of the game at quarterback, he had 231 yards passing, and then the big play of the game was uh Kevin Barlow.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_04: He he scored two touchdowns, and the the late one he scored a late touchdown to um seal the game and the win.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_04: And then uh I one thing I remember too was I screamed at like an end and Notre Dame player.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_04: They were like on the desperation drive, they had like one last desperation drive, which they would have to score and then recover an onside kick, which against Pitt isn't totally out of the question, but I just remember he like one of the Notre Dame players got injured and I thought he was faking, but then when I've watched that game, like going back, like that guy really was hurt, so I mean I guess I wasn't I was just being a fan at that point.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_04: Um, that was actually that was Pitt's first victory over Notre Dame since 1987, believe it or not.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, that was what 13 years, 12 years?
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_04: Wow.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_04: Uh fans rushed the field and tore down the goalpost.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_04: They also ripped up like the turf.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_04: I remember some of the fans tried to like steal like one of the benches.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_04: They had like the old-fashioned metal benches that the players would sit on.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_04: And like all they did was like they had like all the security just stand at like the exits.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_04: It was like, okay, run around and tear stuff up.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_04: You're not gonna be able to like if it's like something really big, you weren't be able to get it out of the stadium.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_04: So it was just like fans just being fans, and they brought in like the county police on horses, and like that kind of ended everything quickly.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_04: Like nobody messes with the county pol the mounted county police.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_04: So I guess that's why they have them.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_04: So it uh why it was special.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_04: Well, I remember uh me and you, we both did attend this game, Tim.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_04: Was there did they who else went with us?
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_04: Do you remember?
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: I it was my it was my brother and our producer, Dave.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_04: So Dave was there.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_04: I thought Dave went to that game too, yeah.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: And he and um he brought his camera back then you didn't have like the digital cameras.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: I mean you mean maybe you did, but they weren't very good.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: And uh he brought like his actual like good camera, and I still have pictures he took from that game, just got some really good pictures, especially of that kind of that melee that you described with the police horses and everything.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it was it it was just fun, it was just a fun game, and like I and Pitt Stadium, like a lot of games, there wasn't the greatest of atmospheres because Pitt was so bad.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_04: But this game just had an incredible atmosphere.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_04: It's probably one of the the like biggest games I've ever gone to as far as Pitt, and just like everybody being psyched up, and then the Notre Dame fans were definitely there, and then there's of course there's your faction of Pitt fans that are also Notre Dame fans, which just makes everything really weird.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_04: Because like you always have like those pit fans of like, I hope Pitt goes 11-1 every year because they're really like Notre Dame fans.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_04: I guess it's like a Catholic thing.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_04: I I don't know.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_04: Whatever, whatever.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um like I've been going to Pitt Stadium since I was a kid.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_04: It was probably still my favorite place to watch a football game.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I'd watched a lot of bad football there.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_04: One of these other podcasts we'll have to do like on like stadiums that aren't there that we've attended anymore.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_04: And we could I go on for like a half an hour just about Pitt Stadium, but I'll save that for another podcast.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I watched a lot of bad football there.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_04: Uh the 28 to nothing BC game in a rain in the rain was pretty horrible.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_04: Uh 54-14 at home to Ohio State, which it really felt like a game like in Columbus, like there were so many Ohio State fans game.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_04: That that stupid botch snap that I talked about against Syracuse that year, and of course that horrible loss to WVU in like 92 or 93.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_04: So, and I'd really like kind of fallen out of like like really following pit football by that point.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_04: I'd kind of given up on them, I think.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_04: I just had better things going on in my life than to watch like really disappointing football.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_04: And uh this game kind of brought me back, like it got you know, kind of like the Michael Corleone.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_04: Just when I thought I was out, they get me back.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_04: So but I mean you were there, Tim.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_04: What was what was it like for you?
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so totally, totally agree with what you said there after watching I mean I too sat through many horrible, horrible losses in that stadium.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: So it was fun to be there for the last game, and it was really fun to close it out with a win.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, Notre Dame wasn't like powerhouse Notre Dame that year, but they were still Notre Dame, and it was still a big win to beat them in the final game of the season, in the final game at that stadium.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: The the two things I remember about the end, one was like they definitely anticipated everybody rushing the field because they picked up everything little, they picked up with like three minutes left, like all the cones, like the end zone pylons, like they literally picked all those up even while the game was still going on, just because they they knew people were going to be rushing the field.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and then I also remember the PA announcer really trying to get because everybody rushed the field was about eight seconds left.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: I mean Pitt had taken over on the game.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_04: The game never officially ended.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_04: They should have taken one more knee, but they just they just gave up with eight seconds.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: They just said, you know what, it yeah, yeah, it's over.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: We don't need to run one last play to take a knee.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh but then the PA announcer still kept trying to get everybody off the field because that what would that win made Pitt something like five and five, and they still had one game left.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: It was the game at Morgantown, and if and if they would have won that, they would have been bull eligible.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: And so the PA announcer is very calmly like, fans, please get off the field because we might still need to practice for a bowl game on the field.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: I remember and and then finally after like the eighth time, he's like, get off the field.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: He's like yelling over the PA system because nobody, I mean, it was just it was pointless at that at that point.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, everybody just wanted to to tear down the field goal posts and and have fun and try to carry off their benches unsuccessfully.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I don't I don't think it was too, it wasn't like a full-blown riot.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think anybody got hurt that I can remember, hopefully.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_04: No, no, it wasn't.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_04: So it wasn't like malicious.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it wasn't like a malicious crowd.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_04: They were just like, we it's over, let's get some souvenirs.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_04: And the best, the most part, and I forgot to put this in my notes, the most part pit of pit part of the story.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_04: Like you said, one bowl in West Virginia wasn't that great either that year.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_04: And do you remember the score of that game?
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_04: The West Virginia wasn't close.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_04: It wasn't 55.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it was 55 to 21 that lost.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, they did not go to a bowl game that year.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: But but that was fun.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly, again, the the highlight of that year was definitely the end of the stadium.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: And and that's the thing.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, if they could have beaten West Virginia and won the, you know, the the uh of uh 3M Scotch Cape Bowl or whatever, but it wouldn't have mattered.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that that win was the biggest thing.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_04: Maybe the tire.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_04: I'm not sure if the tire bowl was around back there, back then, but hopefully it was because I heard Walt Harris needed a free set of snow tires, yeah.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_04: But yeah, that that was uh that was a really fun game, and it's one of those things I always remember.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_04: And I actually have a picture of it.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_04: I don't have any place to hang it in my house.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_04: It just kind of I can see it from where I'm sitting.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_04: It just kind of sits there.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_04: It's like as a picture of Pitt last game at Pitt Stadium.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_04: It's like I always try and look for myself because it's like a blimp shot.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_04: It's like, oh, I know I'm sitting kind of over here.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: You're in there somewhere.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_04: But uh, I think Bennett wasn't Bettis, I think Bettis was on the game of Irish.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: I remember he he waved to the crowd and everybody booed him.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: Well, because he was on the Notre Dame sideline because he was in Notre Dame a lot.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_04: It's like the first time he ever got booed in Pittsburgh.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_04: But uh that but that was a good time.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_04: That was a really fun game.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um, here's a game that nobody probably remembers besides myself.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Rutgers, it was Pitt versus Furz in 1986.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_04: It took me a while to even find a score of this game, but I know it was this year because I was in third grade and that was 1986.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_04: And so Pitt had four wins heading into this game.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, they had lost the number one Miami, I think, the week before, 37 to 10.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_04: So they had that going for them.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_04: Their head coach was Mike Gottfried.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_04: The defensive coordinator was John Fox, who would later go on to Coach Carolina in Chicago.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_04: Uh John Kajemi was the quarterback, and Bill Osborne, who I knew more of the for the color coordinator for the radio broadcast, was on this team.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_04: Uh hey um Craig Hayward, Ironhead, Cam Hayward's father was on this team.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_04: So it really was kind of a forgettable year.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Pitt Pitt uh the the result was was Pitt won against a really crappy Rutgers team.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_04: I think both teams ended up being five and five, or pit was five, five, and one, actually.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_04: And they'd really sunk completely into mediocrity.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_04: The the only reason the only thing I remember was I remember a long pass being completed, and I don't remember much else except for like what really stuck out this game was it was my first college football game, and it and like I went with my father and my grandfather, and um I just remember I went and I had nachos, and it was just like all these crazy pit fans were there, and for some reason, like that always happens at Pit Game.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I don't understand, like I still understand the mentality.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_04: I guess I mean there's a lot to do in Pittsburgh.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_04: Why would a Penn State fan attend a Pit game when it's not Penn State?
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_04: I don't quite understand.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_04: And number two, why would you wear like your Penn State gear to a pit game when like Penn State isn't even involved?
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_04: Like, well, I guess you know, for a non-rival team, huh?
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_04: You know, I'm st I don't know of like people from Ohio, like you never see like Ohio State fans or like Miami fans like at Pit Games, you know, or like pick another random, like, you know, random school that Pitt plays every once in a while.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_04: So it's just you know, for not being a rivalry, their fans sure, you know, didn't think so.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_04: But I remember there were Penn State fans there and like the Pitt fans cussing at them and throwing stuff at them.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_04: It was uh quite quite a classy environment.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_04: I learned a lot of new words that day, and like people were like really, really like drinking, like because back then, like they didn't serve alcohol at the games, but you could like back in the 80s, like did they even I don't even remember like getting padded down or anything.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_04: You just gave the person your ticket and walked in pretty much.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: So uh at the Steeler games back then.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: I I remember being a kid going to the Steeler games, and that's the first time I learned what a flask was.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: I remember asking my dad what what's that thing that what's that thing that they're all passing around and drinking out of?
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: And my dad's like, oh, it's you know, juice.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and you could bring your own food.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_04: Like I remember bringing your own food in and sandwiches and stuff.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, it was a whole different world back then.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_04: Like we grew up, like I can't, I mean, I don't think like I mean I guess 40, yeah, I don't know, 44.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_04: I I mean I didn't think it was that old, but like you think of the world we grew up in back then, just like stuff like that.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_04: Like you could never do that today.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_04: Like you're lucky if you could bring a bottle of water into PNC Park.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_04: Like you couldn't bring a bottle of water into Heinz Field, they would never let you.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_04: You're lucky you can bring like your cell phone and your wallet in anymore.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_04: Well, they wouldn't let you leave your wallet because they want you to spend money.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_04: You know what I mean.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, everything goes through a metal detector.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's it's it's just a really really post-9-11.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I I'd say post-9-11 than also just um the the realization that like you're losing money if you let people bring their own food in.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_04: So Yeah, yeah, that's more the bigger reason.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_04: And so the big reason that one is special is because like I said, I was with my father, my grandfather, and like it was like you know, three generations together just enjoying a game.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_04: And it made it really fun because my grandfather was a Penn State fan now.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_04: He didn't wear his Penn State gear, so at least he was smart enough to do that.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_04: But my my grandfather lived in Harrisburg most of the time, and so he was just out to visit us, and we decided to go to a college because my grandfather's a huge college football fan, like my dad and I are, and so it always made it fun when Pitt would play Penn State, although this wasn't that.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_04: And I remember my grandfather wanted to go to a Penn State game.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_04: My dad was like, no, he wouldn't go, which I think was wise, like because this is just like they're playing Rutgers and they were fighting the Penn State fans.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_04: I couldn't imagine playing Penn State, you know.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_04: What well I I only know that from like later on, and people aren't even that rowdy anymore.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_04: At least I don't know.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_04: Maybe they are, I don't know.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_04: I don't see it as much lately.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_04: But that would that was just like I'm sure everybody has that like moments like that with your father or your you know your mother or whatever, who whatever family member got you into sports.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_04: So that's just always a special one, and it's really just such a nondescript game, you know.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_04: Uh this is more of a moment.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know when the pirates decided to do this in all their wisdom, but I don't know what game it was.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_04: But it was before the game.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_04: The pirates had a home run hitting contest.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_04: So this had to be like early 80s.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_04: I was like in second grade, maybe.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_04: So you're talking 81, 82.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_04: So the pirates at that time actually had like a talented roster of people that could hit home runs, namely Jason Thompson, Bill Madlock, Mike Easler, and the wrap it all up pops Willie Stargil.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_04: So you had like four guys there to get out.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_04: absolutely crushed the the ball and so the pirates decided let's have a home run hitting contest before the game and I remember this like they literally like if i uh three river stadium had the like the allegheny club and they were like club level seats and remember they had glass on the front of them and like I guess nobody had the bright idea to make them like baseball proof or shatter proof like they broke the windows in the Allegheny club so and the best yeah the best part we got I mean Mike Easler could rip man and I said and and Stargil Stargil could hit some home runs that were in the upper deck of Three River Stadium so the best the best part of this is and this is really where this is all leading to is this story.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_04: So my family if you remember I don't remember some people probably too young to remember three of the stadium there were these red seats out in right field so there was the home run fence and then probably like what would you say like 30 40 feet and then the red seats right so well actually they were your probably your football seats they might have been your old because you sat in the red seats for football but you might have been on left field though not right field we we would have been in left field and in foul territory a little bit yeah so we were in right field in fair territory but same level of seats and underneath the roof so I think it was Mike Easler absolutely crushes a ball and I can still remember it like it it was coming towards us and so we're in the red seats like not in the front row we're probably like 15 rows back of the red seats underneath the roof and he hits a line drive that is coming over like a sea of hands of fans and I was young I remember I can still see it in my head coming over these hands and apparently it was headed for my mother's face so my dad reacted and put out his hand and it hit off my dad's hand and so it was like my dad was all the way inside then my mom then me then my sister was on the end of the row.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_04: So it hits off it's like a line a screaming line drive though even though it was like probably went 400 feet I don't they didn't have you know the advanced stats for launch angle and you know exit velocity but I'm sure it was going over a hundred miles per hour when it came off the bat so it hits off my dad's hand and the beer vendor who was coming down the aisle at the same time it hits the beer vendor who promptly dumps a whole like what would you call it case or whatever tray of beer on my sister who is like 12 years old at the time like all over her and for insult to injury keeps the home run ball it was the 80s you get doused in beer and don't get a home run ball out of it that built that's how we built character back when I was a kid so the punchline to this whole story is my sister has never been to a baseball game after this incident which I can you blame her she walked around like and this is before the game so she literally walked around smelling like beer twice people are like thinking she's like been drinking the whole game like she just literally got doused with yeah and didn't even get the home run ball out of it.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: You know it's like that's that's that's really interesting that they decided to have a home run contest before the game.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah you would think it's they always well it was the 80s too and like you figure players are probably cool with it.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_04: You know like nowadays we're like it'll mess up I was going to say like that's a big deal now they there's players that won't even participate in the all-star game version because they've or they're afraid of it messing up their swing and yeah you're right just a different era yeah and they probably just they probably just didn't even have batting practice they probably or shortened a batting practice for the pirates they're like hey you guys don't have to take batting practice just come out here and like hit some dinger you know it's like literally that that Simpsons who wants to see me hit some dingers yay and they hit some dingers some dingers were hit but yeah I can't imagine if the pirates tried to do that today it'd be like we're gonna move the fence a little but I mean that was the 80s that's uh like I said like a lot of this stuff like you just think back of it's like I grew up in such a different time like I can't believe I'm this old and saying this it's just like the world I grew up in is not the world that exists now.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_04: And that's just I guess it's just times change and people's attitudes change and such.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_04: So well moving on the next is a much more recent memory and we've gone over this in a whole podcast we did this Super Bowl 40 um it's still one of my favorite games of all time um the Steelers hadn't won a championship since the 1970s they had been close a lot in the 90s and 2000s um the result of the game was uh 21 to 10 uh the Steelers won they pulled off an all-time run through the playoffs they knocked off Cincy they beat Indianapolis and Denver in Denver and um they don't play their best game in the Super Bowl but they play well enough to win the big plays were definitely Will Willie Parker's 75 run yard run Ike Taylor with that huge interception in the second half and of course the iconic play from that Super Bowl was Antoine Randle's intercept uh trick pass play to Heinz Ward.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_04: So I mean it was just such a great you know moment.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_04: I remember cheering and going crazy.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_04: And other riots special was because like we said in the other podcast my generation hadn't seen a championship for the Steelers.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_04: So this was kind of like our championship it was almost like our first one with the Steelers and we'd been way like at least me I'd been a Steelers fan since 91 and I know that's not as long as maybe some of the Cubs or you know other people that have gone 30 or 40 years but you know it'd been 10 or 15 years.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_04: It'd been a while and we'd been so close so many times and been short you know so it was just that just made it special and also like getting to watch the game with my parents and my wife and my kids it was so much fun and just you know going over their house and we had a Super Bowl party and just just experiencing it with all you know all my family was fun.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_04: And of course I remember after the game I actually called Tim and we actually talked about the game like what like 15 20 minutes and just and that was just another great thing experiencing with Tim you know getting we got to share that because you know we've both been well you've been Sealer fan since you were a little kid and you've been going to games since your dad you know started taking you so I'm sure it just is special that game has to be just as special I'm sure if it doesn't mean more to you than even me you know just yeah for sure that was that's you know gotta be I I don't know if that'll ever clear off of like the top three you know sports memories just because of like you said how long we all had to wait and you know and then also just we to and I won't go into this in detail because we did talk about it in the episode we did but how you know you and I just grew up with the shadow of the 70s the 70s oh the steel curtain and me and Joe Green and Terry Bradshaw and and that's all anyone talked about ever.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: And then meanwhile we missed all that just barely I mean we were born in the 70s but we like just barely missed all that and that's all you heard about and that's all they talked about steel you know every broadcast of a Steel game they'd show like an old clip and I just it was like this was one for our generation and I think that's what made it so special.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_04: For sure and it just yeah it just I don't care how many people bash this Super Bowl we won it fair and square it's my win the 43 was just like the icing on the cake for me because after that I was like I can't believe we finally won one so I could imagine that's the way like Red Sox and Cubs fans felt you know so uh on to hockey uh the pay I haven't kind of listed as the Pens win the cup in 91 but more I remember that eight nothing win over Minnesota in game six so the background kind of leading up to that game was um the Pens had sucked I mean they'd been found in 67 and they really hadn't they hadn't even made it had they made it out of the second round of any of the playoffs ever Tim no I don't think so right because they lost to St.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_04: Louis a couple times right in the island or was the Islanders in the first round or that might have been the they had definitely never made it to a conference final before that year for sure.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah but the Penguins did not it's just part of the Penguins just sucking losing blowing a three games and none lead all not having a very big fan base so in 84 obviously Mario comes to town and even after that they didn't even make the playoffs until 89.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_04: In 89 they got eliminated in the first or second round every year.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_04: So in 91 they finally break through and um a part of it was because in the middle of that season they they made a big trade um they traded for um Larry Murphy and they got um Ron Francis off Samuson and Grant Jennings they trade John Cullen I think for those three guys John Cullen and I think Zarley Zelopsky or somebody like that.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_04: So I don't know whatever and John Cullen and Zarley Zelopski are doing other things now but definitely they're not the Hall of Famers that Larry Murphy or you know Ron Francis is but and it's obvious that Grant Jennings was the real guy that you know Craig Patrick was after that whole time you know but um uh the fit uh they finished uh I think third third in the Patrick division and fourth in the conference and um of course what else happened in that the playoffs they had the big save by backup goalie Frank Peterangelo in that game against the Devils and um and then when they got to the final they have this unbelievable goal by Mario and it's become like now this is like more of your iconic moment and that was in game two where Mario gets the puck and basically skates through the whole Minnesota's defense and Minnesota had been red hot going up to that game if I remember correctly to that series so the results in game six the penguins uh need to eliminate them and they they just literally just spanked Minnesota I knew the game was over when uh Jim Pack uh scored a goal you you knew that they weren't coming back um why was it special this was the first time I've ever experienced anybody winning a championship in Pittsburgh like I was way too young for the Steelers and Pirates so and I mean I guess it only been 11 years since the Steelers had won Super Bowl ten so but you know they they just and the and the penguins too like we were all kind of new to hockey you know like the eh they're they're my best Canadian new to hockey eh so we really didn't you know I think as like hockey fans we really didn't know like what was going on at least I didn't too I was like kind of I was in junior high so but um I I even like got like a Wales conference champion tank top it was like probably the most 90s thing ever and also the scene at the the scene at the airport when the penguins came back was crazy like 2000 people showed up at the airport to like greet them.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_01: Imagine like another like let's put this a character category of things you could not do today you know show up at the airport and wait for the uh team to come back so um hey um what else do you remember from this Tim well I think I think like you said it was the first time the 80s were a long decade for Pittsburgh sports like nobody was good and it was a little different we just talked about how Super Bowl 40 you said how the Steelers were close so many times in the 90s and and early 2000 but the 80s no one was close to anything that decade like literally nobody won anything nobody made a deep playoff run it was just all bad sports every year.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_01: And then for us to to have a championship there at the beginning of the 90s and like for for people like us who were too young for the 70s that was that was really cool.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_04: And and like you said the whole city just lit up and and like you said the the airport thing yeah you couldn't do that today but boy that was that was quite a scene if you go back and watch that on YouTube it's it's quite a scene all those people at the airport in the middle of the night um how how awesome yeah and I remember the second when they won the next year against Chicago like Bob Ary was like on TV like if you watch some of the postgame he's like yeah we'll see you at the airport and like I think it's Paul Stagerwald's interview he's like no no don't go to the airport I guess the next year the county was like no please don't go to the airport we don't have one because like like you said it's like they barely could make it through the hallways at like and this was like before the new terminal so I remember like the old terminal at the airport boy we're we're getting old Tim like I'm this is like really Yinzer we're getting like seven levels deep in Yinzer territory here but you do you remember the old terminal you're a little bit younger than me vaguely I mean I it was like almost just a building that you got like like the new terminal has like wings and stuff it was almost just like a maze of like building you know it didn't have like official like you know feeling like you're in an airport.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_04: Like every airport's kind of the same now like you have like those little like what would you call like hallways you go down or whatever they call that wings like it wasn't built like that the old terminal or like where you would take a tram from one side like the old terminal wasn't like that so it was really crowded and stuff but get to learn a little bit about the old airport too in our our podcast um switching back to the Steelers now this I mean some people probably a lot of people remember this game but I this is one of still one of my favorite outside of the Super Bowl wins this is just I I just love this game.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_04: I love this win and just it's become more and more meaningful as the years go on especially as certain people that are involved in it have had more success than I probably would have been comfortable with them so uh it was Steelers Cleveland in the um divisional round in 1994.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_04: The background was the Steelers had returned to being good again like Tim said in the 80s they they stunk.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_04: So in 92 they had had home field and lost to Buffalo in the first round and then the next year they lost to Kansas City in Joe Montana if I remember correctly in the wild card but they had gone nine and seven but they gone they really had a good year that year.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_04: They were 12 and four Barry Foster had a great season and uh they had already beaten the Browns twice that season and uh the Browns had some guy coaching them Belach something or other yes Bill Belichick I don't even remember yeah I whatever happened to him I don't know he wore a hoodie or yeah he had like a really 90s starter hoodie on but uh no no the Bill Belichick was the coach of the Browns back then and he famously cut Bernie Kozar which ticked everybody off in Cleveland but you know more famously Art Modell kind of screwed that whole thing up because boy that's kind of scary Tim like if Art Modell like just think of this let's you know we didn't do this in alternate timelines because it doesn't involve Pittsburgh but how about an alternate Cleveland Browns timeline where Cleveland pays for his new stadium Art Modell stays in Cleveland keeps that coaching staff that had Nick Saban uh the guy who coached with the Lions for a couple years and Bill Belichick and you know they had a couple executives that were pretty good and they draft like Tom Brady in 99 or like you know or stick with a quarterback you could be looking at like your six time Super Bowl champion Cleveland Browns very easily you could make the case actually because Ozzie Newsom Ozzie Newsom was in their front office and he's the one that's right that's right you could you could actually make the argument that that amazing like all-time Ravens defense might have had Tom Brady at quarterback if they would have kept Belichick like that literally was a real possibility with Belichick coordinating with Ray Lewis you know at linebacker and like all those other Ed Reed and all those other great talent they had yeah I don't even want to think like Belichick was really good with like some mediocre talent in New England.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_04: I can't imagine what he would have done with that in Cleveland but oh well Art Model moved the team so boohoo on them um I mean you really can't be that mad at Baltimore I mean they've won two Super Bowls so geez really um the Browns uh they the Steelers had beaten the Browns actually twice that season and uh they would have to uh the Browns won their wildcard game setting up a third match against the Steelers and actually do you remember who the Browns won their wild card game against the week before that would be the New England Patriots and Drew Bledsoe oddly enough yes and I guess that was Parcell's yeah Parcell's so that would have been the uh mentor versus the teacher kind of matchup huh yep wow so uh we're going seven level deep on the NFL now but uh but um this like I said the Steelers hadn't won a playoff game since 1989 and I just remember all the hype I mean this game was so hype that whole week and it was like no you can't beat a team three times in one season and the Steelers don't have a chance and Cleveland's gonna come in here and blah blah blah well guess what happened the Steelers blew the doors off of the Cleveland Browns and I mean it's probably unfair like people always think Vinnie Testaverdi sucks I don't think Vinnie Testaverdi was bad as people think he was he just did bad against the Steelers and even that game if you go watch that game like he was the victim of their one wide receiver Derek Alexander he dropped like at least three passes where he was wide open they beat the blitz like if they complete those passes it's probably at least a closer game I'm not saying Cleveland would have won but I think Cleveland would have been in the game because what happens is the Steelers drive down and they get a field goal early and then they get an Eric Green touchdown and it's like 10 to 3.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_04: Then John L.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_04: Williams scores like a 24 yard touchdown rushing touchdown which was unbelievable because John L.
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_04: Williams was like really old by that point and kind of slow and like it just caught you know Bill Belichick you know the greatest defensive mind of our time off off guard I guess but him and Nick Saban couldn't figure it out.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_04: So but John L John L.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_04: Williams is like he was more of a pass catcher and like I said he was kind of a veteran guy.
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_04: Yancy Thinkman had a touchdown and it was 24 I think he had 24 points before the half.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_04: So the Steelers really were up 24 to three and the game was kind of over.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_04: See at that point you couldn't just score like 21 points at the drop of a hat you actually had to like you know kind of earn it yeah we they played a lot more defense back in the 90s.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_04: The Steelers added a uh safety in the second half um but then Testaverde just stunk it up in the second half and probably just because the game was so far out of hand and he had to pass every time and uh another great fun fact was the Browns wouldn't win a playoff game for another 20 years.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_01: Gee I wonder wonder who that was against that that one's not gonna make your list I'm guessing.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_04: No favorite memories yeah yeah maybe not so favorite memories.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_04: I just remember why it was special this is like my first big rivalry game and as a fan and I guess the first time the team that I was like on the other side of the rivalry actually won.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_04: Like all those years like Pit Notre Dame, Pit Penn State, it was like pitchers would get crushed or like you know and like you said the Steelers really hadn't won a big game in a long time.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_04: And but I don't know Tim if I could have lived myself if we had lost a playoff game to Cleveland.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_04: I I don't know how I would uh live with myself.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah imagine living in that world yeah I mean how would you ever live with yourself losing a playoff game like getting blown out in the playoffs by Cleveland jeez
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 44:01
  SPEAKER_01: Well and and and that was really the that was honestly pro I mean because the Cleveland uh Pittsburgh rivalry, you know, I don't I don't know that everybody remembers because it it hasn't been really the same since.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_01: That was that was huge all through the 70s, all through the 80s.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, even when the Steel Wars were bad in the 80s, they still had that streak going where the Browns could never win at the River Stadium.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it was such a big rivalry, and that was the absolute height of it, to play them in a divisional playoff game.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_01: And then the next year they're gone.
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_01: And then when they came back, it really was another 20 years before there was even relevance again.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, honestly, it was probably it was probably that game and the Miles Garrett hitting our quarterback over the head with his own helmet.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_01: That was those that is probably the gap between when that series was relevant.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_04: Wild the wild card game, too, where he had the big comeback.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I forgot about that.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_01: The Tommy Maddox comeback.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_01: But that was that was almost like a blip in the radar because Yeah, it was a one-off.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_04: Because they weren't really they were good that one year and then they weren't really good again till yeah, this last play, until the Miles Garrett thing.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and that's what you know, going forward with the Steelers, that's what kind of scares me is like that's a cathartic win for Cleveland.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_04: That coming here and beating us and beating us like they did.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I don't know.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_04: Like I sometimes a team wins a game like that, and it kind of flips the flips the script or flips the mojo to their favor, where maybe they don't win every game, but then they dominate the series for a while.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_01: So they are Cleveland, so I'm sure they'll find a way to Cleveland it up somehow.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_01: But time will tell, like you said.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, time will tell.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um going back to another like totally nondescript uh Pitt game, um, this is uh Boston College versus Pitt, and this was in 2002.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_04: Um the background of this game was uh Pitt was 6-2 and 3-0 in the Big East.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Boston College was four and three and oh and three in the Big East, and um probably the most notable thing about the players on this team was it's it was the battle of future backup Steeler quarterbacks, one being uh Rod Rutherford and the other Brian St.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_04: Pierre, both of which I think ended up getting Super Bowl rings with the Steelers.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_04: So go figure.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna see two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in this game.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_04: Can't say that in the SEC, can you?
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_04: But that was such as Big East football in 2002.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_04: So uh it was a low-scoring game.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_04: It was kind of a more defensive game.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um Pitt took a lead into the half 13-6 on a Rod Rutherford passing touchdown.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_04: Also, Larry Fitzgerald played in this game, so I shouldn't show Larry Fitzgerald short.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_04: He was very good.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_04: So um uh Brian St.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_04: Pierre uh threw a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give BC the lead 16 to 13.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_04: And um I do remember like it was kind of midway through the fourth quarter, and Pitt kind of like had a drive that stalled out.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_04: I can't remember, I think they went for it on fourth down.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_04: I haven't punting, but I'm pretty sure they went for it.
• 47:18
  SPEAKER_04: And it was either like on their side of the 50 or like around the 50, maybe like the 40.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_04: And Pitt gives the ball back to them, and Boston College has like maybe three minutes left, but uh Pitt still had all three of its timeouts left, which under Walt Harris was kind of rare because you know he or maybe it was Todd, Todd Graham, too.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_04: Like they they love to use up their timeouts in the first half, so but nevertheless, it really came in.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I remember all the fans like started to leave like when that fourth down happened.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_04: I was like, this is crazy.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_04: I would I wouldn't leave because there's still like three minutes left, and Pitt has all its timeouts.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_04: So Pitt's defense comes through, and it really Pitt's defense didn't play that bad of a game, and they held they held um Boston College and Boston College punt, and Pitt gets the ball back with like two minutes left, and you know, Rod Rutherford drives him down the field and gets him close enough to where um David Abdul, who was the kicker at the time, he hits a 30-yard field goal with like seconds left to send it into overtime.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_04: I remember like not being so nervous before that because I was like such a pit fan and just like how are they gonna screw this up, you know?
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_04: And just like watching through like my half-closed fingers, and then they nail it.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_04: Because like I wasn't we didn't have season tickets that year, I we just went to a couple different games, and I was actually sitting in the visitors section, so we're on the opening.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_04: It was into the I mean, and that was Hinesfield in 2002 in the open end, like a 30-yard field goal in college in the open end of that stadium at that time was definitely a risky proposition.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_04: So in the overtime, Pitts offense literally does not gain one yard.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_04: And in college, you start at the 25.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_04: So they literally started at the 25, went three and out, and like kicked the ball.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_04: Like they had to kick their field goal from the 25.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_04: But David Abdul, it wasn't pretty, but it went through and it was 42 yards, and he just he he got it through, and that's all that matters.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_04: It like I remember it didn't clear, like it wasn't like that was wide left or right, it just barely made it over the cross crossbar, and it was like, okay, still counts for three.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_04: So, not to be outdone, the pit defense once again kind of comes through again.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_04: They really didn't hold BC.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_04: I think they actually BC actually lost yardage.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_04: They were kicking from the 28, if I remember correctly.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_04: And the and Pitt, and when they kicked it, the guy kicked it low for Boston College.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_04: I did not waste the time looking up who was the Boston College kicker.
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_04: It could have been, I don't know, Doug Flutie, I don't know.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_04: But uh maybe not.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_04: Uh probably not it hit uh yeah, probably not in 2002.
• 50:16
  SPEAKER_04: He was playing for the Bills or something.
• 50:20
  SPEAKER_04: But uh yeah, it hit off uh one of the defensive linemen for Pitt's helmet, and it didn't even it wasn't even close, and Pitt wins.
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_04: So um Pitt wins, Pitt wins, it's party in the stands.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_04: And uh uh what happened after that?
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Pitt went on to win the Insight Bowl, and there's an amazing highlight of Larry Fitzgerald catching an early touchdown, and uh BC went on to Oblivion and the ACC, which I think it's really the same thing when you go to the ACC, you just enter Oblivion as Pitt is finding out for itself right now.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_04: So at least in football.
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_04: Um, why is this game special, Steve?
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_04: Why is a game that like really didn't mean that much in a game like Pitt finished?
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_04: I think Pitt finished with nine wins that year.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_04: Um I just one thing I remember, remember I said all the fans left like with three minutes.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_04: Well, I don't know if they just stood out in like the Great Hall and watched it on the TV.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_04: It was funny because after Abdul hit that kick to send it to overtime, everybody flooded back into the stadium.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_04: It was like absolutely hilarious.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_04: It was like, where were all you people like a minute ago?
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_04: You know, so somehow they must have not left through the gates because at Hinesfield, at least, they don't let you come back after you there's no re-entry.
• 51:38
  SPEAKER_04: So I remember my dad being totally confused by the college uh overtime rules and format.
• 51:44
  SPEAKER_04: He's like, now what happens?
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_04: I was like, like, well, so what does Boston College have to do?
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, they have to score.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_04: If they don't score, I should have I didn't explain this.
• 51:51
  SPEAKER_04: I tried to break it down like if they miss a field goal or they throw an interception, the game's over.
• 51:55
  SPEAKER_04: It's like I just say if you don't score and Pitts scores, you lose.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_04: That's the easiest way to explain college overtime.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_04: If one team scores and the other doesn't, the game's over.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_04: If it's tied, you keep going.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_04: Uh we actually sat in the visitor section that just because, like I said, we were just kind of picking games we wanted to go to.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_04: And all the Boston College fans actually were really classic, and they were nice.
• 52:20
  SPEAKER_04: I remember like after like the the field goal, the missed field goal, I hugged my dad, you know, and it was just like one of those father-son bonding moments.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_04: So it was just, you know, it was just a lot of fun, and just you know, it's kind of a nondescript game.
• 52:35
  SPEAKER_04: I'm sure Tim remembers this game clearly, right?
• 52:37
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, Boston College 2002.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_01: I do, I do remember the game, yes.
• 52:44
  SPEAKER_04: Do you really?
• 52:45
  SPEAKER_04: Wow, I'm impressed.
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_04: Like you're pretty good with stuff, so I figured if anybody remember it besides me, it'd probably be you.
• 52:52
  SPEAKER_04: Do you remember anything, even anything?
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_04: Did you were you guys did you guys have I don't think you guys had season tickets yet by that point.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_04: Um season tickets to pitch.
• 53:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think we actually did, but I I I do not remember if I was there or not.
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_01: So you got me on that one.
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 53:07
  SPEAKER_01: But I I remember the I remember the field goals in overtime.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_01: And um, they they actually there was a game two years later where they went to overtime against Boston College at Hindstead, also.
• 53:19
  unknown: Yeah.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, but they fumbled on a pass.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's how that game ended.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_04: And the Revis, that's another great game.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_04: Darrell Revis makes an uh as a freshman, that was 2004, makes an unbelievable tackle.
• 53:31
  SPEAKER_04: And to like save a touchdown.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_01: I actually, yeah, I actually remember that game more probably than the than the O2 game.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh but but yeah, sounds like a nice, a nice moment there with your dad.
• 53:44
  unknown: Yeah.
• 53:45
  SPEAKER_04: So um another another uh fine moment we get in.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_04: I I've gone to a lot more, probably pit because I had pit season tickets for so long.
• 53:54
  SPEAKER_04: So uh Pitt was suffering through a four-win season.
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_04: This is Pitt Miami in 2017.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_04: Uh they they didn't really have a starting quarterback because Nathan Peterman had left the year before.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_04: So they brought in a guy named Max Brown.
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_04: He had been the top recruit way back out of high school.
• 54:12
  SPEAKER_04: He kind of flamed out at USC.
• 54:14
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but then he he wasn't bad.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_04: He was just kind of tall and he had an okay arm, but he got hurt in the Syracuse game.
• 54:22
  SPEAKER_04: So they tried to bring in Ben Denucci.
• 54:26
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and he really you can just tell like Ben Denucci just wasn't I mean, I don't mean to be rude to the guy.
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_04: He wasn't he just wasn't a division.
• 54:37
  SPEAKER_04: I never got the feeling that Ben Denucci was a division one starting quarterback.
• 54:42
  SPEAKER_04: But uh I just from watching what I saw of him.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_04: And so eventually, after like kind of going back and forth, they just settled on Kenny Pickett, who's still the quarterback, you believe it or not.
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_04: Um Pitt had three really bad blowout losses.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_04: They had uh Penn State at home and Oklahoma State on the on the infamous free drink game uh where they're getting blowed out.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_04: Uh NC State at home too.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_04: I remember going to that game and they lost.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_04: That was another Ben Denucci game.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_04: Um then late in the season, the offense got somewhat better with as as I think Pickett settled in, and the defense kind of settled in or maybe played teams that weren't as good on offense.
• 55:30
  SPEAKER_04: Um they actually the week before they played Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and Pitt always plays Virginia Tech tough, if not beats them.
• 55:37
  SPEAKER_04: And Pitt got stuffed on a fourth, fourth goal, fourth and goal play where they could have won it at the end, but they got stuffed.
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_04: Um this was the last game of the season, and it was against Miami in November in Heinz Field.
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Miami was undefeated going into that game, and um Pitt had not beaten Miami since 2014, and that was actually in Miami, and that is the first time, the first and the last times Pitt won in Miami since like the Johnson administration.
• 56:09
  SPEAKER_04: And I don't um not Andrew Johnson, but uh Lyndon Johnson, so I just I mean it wasn't you know post it wasn't Reconstruction period, it was at least you know the civil rights period.
• 56:21
  SPEAKER_04: So we got that going for us, but um uh and also Pitt had not beaten Miami at home since the 1996 game in Pitt Stadium, which that was yeah, that was uh the year they went to the Liberty Bowl.
• 56:36
  SPEAKER_04: So uh the biggest thing that Pitt had going for him was Miami was ranked number two.
• 56:51
  SPEAKER_04: There you go.
• 56:52
  SPEAKER_04: Miami's really scared now.
• 56:53
  SPEAKER_04: They've heard them they're the ominous music and they're ranked number two.
• 56:58
  SPEAKER_04: So uh on to the game, what happened in the game here?
• 57:02
  SPEAKER_04: Um the current the hurricanes, they had a good defense, but its weakness was it relied on the turnover, and sometimes when you do that and you don't get turnovers, it doesn't work out for you.
• 57:13
  SPEAKER_04: So whenever they would get a turnover, Miami would have this turnover chain, which was like a necklace they would wear.
• 57:20
  SPEAKER_04: So um what happened was um onto the game, um Pitt actually pulls the upset 24 to 14.
• 57:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um Pitt had an unforced turnover on a high snap that Miami turned into points to take a 7-3 lead.
• 57:34
  SPEAKER_04: And then Pitt turned the ball over in a fumble, which was really like Miami's defense kind of doing the thing that they had done the whole year.
• 57:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um they they hit Chris Clark, the tight end, really hard and he fumbled.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_04: Um, the defense um they stood tall even after that turnover and first Miami to punt.
• 57:52
  SPEAKER_04: So the defense really stepped up, and Pitt's defensive line dominated the Miami offensive line for the whole game.
• 58:01
  SPEAKER_04: Um Pitt was able to get pressure with um just four guys most of the game, which is pretty impressive.
• 58:08
  SPEAKER_04: Um Pitt took a I remember Pitt took a lead on a nice scramble by Kenny Pickett.
• 58:13
  SPEAKER_04: I remember that.
• 58:14
  SPEAKER_04: That was in uh the end zone I was in.
• 58:15
  SPEAKER_04: He literally like ran well, he kind of bounced off, but he ran over a safety.
• 58:20
  SPEAKER_04: Like the safety room Miami tried to hit him, and he just kind of bounced off him and went into the end zone.
• 58:25
  SPEAKER_04: So Kenny Pickett, he's always been kind of a tough guy.
• 58:28
  SPEAKER_04: It's been pretty fun to watch him play.
• 58:31
  SPEAKER_04: Um so Pitt goes into the half leading 10-7 when this happens.
• 58:37
  SPEAKER_04: Pat Narduzzi is giving his uh his uh post or his uh what would you call halftime interview, and here's what he said.
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, they really haven't stopped our offense yet.
• 58:51
  SPEAKER_00: We've stopped ourselves with drop passes.
• 58:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we turned it over once, which was at Gimme, which I told you before the game.
• 58:57
  SPEAKER_00: They did earn one on a big hit on uh Chris Clark.
• 59:00
  SPEAKER_00: The great thing is our defense stepped up in the sudden change situation, went three and out.
• 59:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh our kids are playing hard.
• 59:04
  SPEAKER_00: We've got to finish it.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_00: There's 30 minutes to go.
• 59:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh there's still a lot of football to be played.
• 59:08
  SPEAKER_00: What was your message about finishing it in these final 30 minutes?
• 59:11
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, it happened in it happened in West Virginia where we knocked off number two.
• 59:14
  SPEAKER_00: It happened in South Carolina, and it's happening in Pittsburgh today.
• 59:19
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 59:21
  SPEAKER_04: Who doesn't want to play for that guy?
• 59:25
  SPEAKER_04: So hopefully, you know, we're we're hoping that you know Pat Narduzie isn't like, you know, cashing checks that is writing checks that his team can't cash, right?
• 59:38
  SPEAKER_04: So we go in the second half, and not a lot of coaches would have said that, right?
• 59:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 59:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he yeah, no, I mean they had a not a great season that year, and I think he just had nothing to lose.
• 59:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like that was the end of the season.
• 59:53
  SPEAKER_01: And man, if they could just get that that big win, that would be a great way to end things.
• 59:59
  SPEAKER_04: It basically became their de facto bowl game.
• 1:00:03
  SPEAKER_04: Like, that's really what it ended up being.
• 1:00:07
  SPEAKER_04: And like too, like I I mean I love how he takes like credit for like West Virginia too.
• 1:00:13
  SPEAKER_04: It's like, dude, you weren't the coach of that team.
• 1:00:15
  SPEAKER_04: Hey, whatever.
• 1:00:16
  SPEAKER_04: I I I love I love I love I love the passion, you know.
• 1:00:20
  SPEAKER_01: Remember when we beat number two ranked army back in 27?
• 1:00:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:00:27
  SPEAKER_04: But um, nevertheless, uh Pitt gets another Dwayne Hendrix sack early in the second half, so Pitt's just like, oh man, they're just killing them.
• 1:00:36
  SPEAKER_04: They're killing Miami on the offensive line.
• 1:00:39
  SPEAKER_04: Um, quadri Allison, it's very important to get your quad your quadries uh straight on this team because there's two of them.
• 1:00:47
  SPEAKER_04: And they both play key parts in this game, actually.
• 1:00:49
  SPEAKER_04: So makes it fun.
• 1:00:51
  SPEAKER_04: But um, he scores on the shovel pass late in the third.
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I think that like this play, Sean Watson just like found it laying around in Matt Candida's playbook that maybe he forgot to take with him when he went to LSU.
• 1:01:01
  SPEAKER_04: He was like, oh hey, look, shovel pass play.
• 1:01:03
  SPEAKER_04: Ah, worked against Clemson last year.
• 1:01:05
  SPEAKER_04: Let's try it again.
• 1:01:07
  SPEAKER_04: But um in the fourth quarter, Miami decides that they're going to change quarterbacks from Mike Rogier, I think Mike Rogier, and they go to I can't remember the guys, the their backup quarterback's name, but um it didn't really matter because unfortunately they didn't change their offensive line.
• 1:01:26
  SPEAKER_04: So the quarterback really wasn't the problem with with their offense that day.
• 1:01:32
  SPEAKER_04: And now and and what even is better is like Pitt is now starting to blitz.
• 1:01:38
  SPEAKER_04: So if you couldn't stop a four-man rush, what are you gonna do when like five and six people are coming?
• 1:01:43
  SPEAKER_04: You're really so now and uh the the backup quarterback gets sacked by Avante Maddox.
• 1:01:49
  SPEAKER_04: So it's really really uh pretty pretty total domination at this point.
• 1:01:55
  SPEAKER_04: Halfway through the fourth quarter on a third and nine, Kenny Pickett almost makes a freshman mistake.
• 1:02:02
  SPEAKER_04: Um, the Miami defender is literally standing right there, and Pickett throws it high, but it wasn't high enough.
• 1:02:08
  SPEAKER_04: And it literally, I remember when this play happened, I said, I can't believe this was an interception.
• 1:02:13
  SPEAKER_04: And I guess just when it's your day, it's your day kind of thing.
• 1:02:17
  SPEAKER_04: And it goes through and like quadri Henderson, the receiver, is behind him like 10 yards up the field, and he catches the ball for like a big third down of third down conversion, and it was like just unreal that like that should have been an interception that probably would have totally changed the game because he probably like the Miami defender probably scores there.
• 1:02:40
  SPEAKER_04: But um, up 10 points with three minutes to go.
• 1:02:44
  SPEAKER_04: Pitt has a fourth and five at the Miami 22-yard line.
• 1:02:49
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Narduzzi, like, like you said, has nothing to lose, so he makes a gutsy call, and um he he goes for it, like instead of just kicking a field goal that would have only put them up 13 points.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_04: So it really, you know, even if you only get the first down, you know, with three minutes to go, you could at least run Miami out of timeouts, you know.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_04: So and they call a fake handoff, like it's a pretty safe play, too.
• 1:03:17
  SPEAKER_04: And he fakes the handoff to I guess Allison and he sneaks around the edge.
• 1:03:23
  SPEAKER_04: And when he does, Miami's defense is kind of like an oh it was a great call too, because Miami was an over-aggressive turnover base defense, so they chase the running back instead of like staying home and playing you know solid defense.
• 1:03:37
  SPEAKER_04: So Kenny Pickett only gets the first down, he's like wide open and he runs for like 20 yards, and they almost catch him at the goal line, but he dives and he hits the pylon, and it's it's like a great highlight.
• 1:03:48
  SPEAKER_04: And now they have a uh 24 to 7 lead or no 20.
• 1:03:54
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 1:03:55
  SPEAKER_04: So they're up they're up by a couple touchdowns with only two minutes and 40 seconds to go.
• 1:03:59
  SPEAKER_04: And of course, Pitt being Pitt, they can't just close us out.
• 1:04:03
  SPEAKER_04: They gave up a quick touchdown to Miami with 216 left.
• 1:04:08
  SPEAKER_04: And then Miami recovers the onside kick, which is only Pitt would give up that.
• 1:04:14
  SPEAKER_04: And I I still think on that onside kick, I remember seeing it live.
• 1:04:18
  SPEAKER_04: I couldn't believe like that the player from Miami recovered that inbounds because it looked like he was out of bounds.
• 1:04:25
  SPEAKER_04: But so now with a 10-point lead and two minutes to go, the defense steps up, and then on third and uh three, Avante Maddox again makes a big play.
• 1:04:35
  SPEAKER_04: He strips the ball from Rosier, the starting quarterback who is now back to the game, and the defense recovers, and the game's basically over.
• 1:04:43
  SPEAKER_04: Not even Pick could screw that one up.
• 1:04:46
  SPEAKER_04: So um it was a great game.
• 1:04:48
  SPEAKER_04: Avante Maddox after the game wears a turnover chain with a Panther logo on it.
• 1:04:53
  SPEAKER_04: Um, some fan had made it at home and handed it to him.
• 1:04:57
  SPEAKER_04: Um Pitt goes into the offseason with an amazing five and seven record and an inexplicable win over the undefeated number two ranked team in the country.
• 1:05:08
  SPEAKER_04: Which I think Miami did not win a game the rest of the year after that.
• 1:05:12
  SPEAKER_04: They went to the ACC championship game and lost.
• 1:05:16
  SPEAKER_04: So um it's still probably the uh biggest win of Kenny Pickett's college career.
• 1:05:22
  SPEAKER_04: Uh yeah, that quick lane bowl win in 2019 over Eastern Michigan just I mean it was a comeback, but just not that.
• 1:05:30
  SPEAKER_04: Um besides losing their undefeated season, this was really was a meaningless loss.
• 1:05:35
  SPEAKER_04: Miami still, you know, went to the championship game and they lost by thirty five points to Clemson, and then they lost to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl.
• 1:05:44
  SPEAKER_04: So I guess, you know, after losing the pit, it was just all downhill for them.
• 1:05:49
  SPEAKER_04: So um Mark Rick, actually the coach of Miami, retired retired after the next season.
• 1:05:55
  SPEAKER_04: I guess he had enough of underachieving programs after Georgia and Miami.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Ben Danucci uh transferred to James Madison, a lower FCS school.
• 1:06:06
  SPEAKER_04: So and he actually played in a couple of national championship games for James Madison.
• 1:06:11
  SPEAKER_04: He was a D he was a D good quarterback at that level.
• 1:06:14
  SPEAKER_04: And then for some reason, I still don't understand how this happened or why this happened.
• 1:06:20
  SPEAKER_04: He, out of all the quarterbacks that have played for Pitt, who were so much better than Ben Denucci, he started a NFL game for the Dallas Cowboys.
• 1:06:34
  SPEAKER_04: I do not know what Max Brown was way better than him, and he didn't even get a sniff at the NFL.
• 1:06:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I I any expla any any guesses on why, like I mean, he he definitely he definitely started because Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton both had both got hurt.
• 1:06:52
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, so it wasn't like but but still to your point he was in the NFL and he started and he almost started the game uh last year against the Steelers because they played the Steelers in Dallas, remember?
• 1:07:04
  SPEAKER_01: And at one point they thought he might be able to do that.
• 1:07:06
  SPEAKER_04: I wish he would have, because I would have bet the house on the Steelers on Allen.
• 1:07:10
  SPEAKER_04: There's no way.
• 1:07:11
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, Ben Denucci is not, you know.
• 1:07:14
  SPEAKER_01: I remember when that happened, I was like, is that like a different Ben Denucci?
• 1:07:18
  SPEAKER_01: Because that's not a very common name.
• 1:07:21
  SPEAKER_04: Well, I remember him playing.
• 1:07:23
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I remember I watched one of the lower the FCS championship game and I saw him play, and he was okay.
• 1:07:28
  SPEAKER_04: Like, like when I saw him play, I was like, ah, he's good at this level, but I didn't think he was like so good.
• 1:07:32
  SPEAKER_04: I was like, oh man, I can't believe Pitt lost this guy.
• 1:07:35
  SPEAKER_04: I was kind of like, yeah, he's just not you know up the snuff of like you know, this level of quarterbacking, which I whatever.
• 1:07:44
  SPEAKER_04: And and like why Max Brown, who was like way better and like way taller and like had just as good his arm, if not better, than him.
• 1:07:53
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I don't know.
• 1:07:54
  SPEAKER_04: I think it's just too like um who's the coach of the Cowboys now?
• 1:07:59
  SPEAKER_04: Um uh the guy from Greenfield, Mike uh McCarthy.
• 1:08:03
  SPEAKER_04: I care.
• 1:08:04
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, Mike McCarthy.
• 1:08:05
  SPEAKER_04: I think I remember I think he knew De Nucci from like when he was in high school or something.
• 1:08:11
  SPEAKER_04: So I it's just like weird how the NFL works.
• 1:08:14
  SPEAKER_04: Sometimes it's like kind of like a lot in life, like it's like not what you know, it's to you know.
• 1:08:19
  SPEAKER_04: So uh also Kenny Pickett, yes, he's still he's like in his 16th year as pick quarterback.
• 1:08:26
  SPEAKER_04: No, that honestly in 2021, this is his sixth in final year in 21.
• 1:08:32
  SPEAKER_04: I mean so I mean, unless he goes for like a PhD, which how much longer does a PhD take to get and they let him play for another two or three years, but uh but I I think this is it for Kenny Pickett, but um but that's still his greatest win, unless you know he pulls off something amazing this upcoming season, which you never know, you never know.
• 1:08:52
  SPEAKER_04: Um why this game is special.
• 1:08:54
  SPEAKER_04: Well, like I said, and I've said a couple times throughout this podcast, is my dad had been going my dad and I have been going to pit football games since 1987, and we had season tickets in the 90s for like a season or two, and then we had season tickets at Heinz Field since 2002 until 2019, but 2017 my my dad's health just he couldn't his knees got real bad, and his health just couldn't permit him to go to the games anymore.
• 1:09:22
  SPEAKER_04: So this was the last game.
• 1:09:24
  SPEAKER_04: My dad had kind of told me halfway through the season this was gonna be the last game, the last season he would go to.
• 1:09:29
  SPEAKER_04: So that was the last game that me and my father have attended, and it was just it was a great way.
• 1:09:35
  SPEAKER_04: It was it was just it was just a great, like a number two ranked team, of course, and Pitts sent them out, sent out my dad a winner, and just just one of those games that I'm gonna have, you know, for as long as I have my memory, you know.
• 1:09:49
  SPEAKER_04: But um, yeah, it was just just a lot of fun and a great game.
• 1:09:52
  SPEAKER_04: And you've got anything you remember about that besides yeah my getting upset.
• 1:09:59
  SPEAKER_04: It really it wasn't a close game either.
• 1:10:02
  SPEAKER_04: It really wasn't.
• 1:10:03
  SPEAKER_04: Pitt dominated them the whole game.
• 1:10:05
  SPEAKER_01: That's actually what I was gonna say, is that's that's actually what I remember is I just kept waiting the whole time for okay, Miami's gonna come back, maybe, maybe Pitt can hold the lead.
• 1:10:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then they just like never did.
• 1:10:16
  SPEAKER_01: And it just was like it was like not even close.
• 1:10:19
  SPEAKER_01: It was it was weird.
• 1:10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Because those other games that that uh that Narduzzi talked about, West Virginia and and Clemson, where they beat the number two team, those were you know down to the wire finishes, nail biters, and this was just like, oh yeah, or winning by two scores like the whole game, which was very odd because the 17 team was not that good, and Miami was undefeated.
• 1:10:44
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, I think I think they were one of those games teams that got better as the season went on, especially quarterback because he was so young.
• 1:10:51
  SPEAKER_04: And once he got a little better, you know, and they probably should have beat Virginia Tech, you know, it just I think they actually ran that shovel pass that went for a touchdown.
• 1:11:02
  SPEAKER_04: They ran against Virginia Tech, if I remember correctly, and it Virginia Tech was ready for it.
• 1:11:08
  SPEAKER_04: So I mean it is what it is.
• 1:11:11
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Miami's always a lot of a lot of fun to play.
• 1:11:14
  SPEAKER_04: Pitt really doesn't ever beat them hardly, ever.
• 1:11:17
  SPEAKER_04: So um so uh moving on and sticking with the pit theme.
• 1:11:23
  SPEAKER_04: I know this is pit heavy, but hey, it's it's my list and they're my favorite game, so boo, you know.
• 1:11:31
  SPEAKER_04: Um Pitt versus um the University of Central Florida in 2019.
• 1:11:37
  SPEAKER_04: And um I had mentioned a little bit about this game in our Traditions podcast a couple podcasts ago, but we'll go over this a little bit more in depth.
• 1:11:46
  SPEAKER_04: Um, the background of this game was uh Pitt had um played uh the University of Central Florida the year before and lost 14 to 45.
• 1:11:56
  SPEAKER_04: It was really embarrassing, not just losing to a non-power five team, but and this was like they're in this AAC conference, which is really uh an amalgam of old big east in conference USA schools that they kind of you know reform together, you know.
• 1:12:14
  SPEAKER_04: Um, also like another embarrassing part was like because UCF runs like that up tempo offense where they try and run a lot of plays, like Oregon does, players were like faking injuries during the games to slow down because it was in Florida and it was like really hot, and they're like, Oh, my knee, I'm hurt.
• 1:12:32
  SPEAKER_04: So it didn't really help.
• 1:12:34
  SPEAKER_04: And it was kind of like you know, what happened against the Oklahoma State the year before?
• 1:12:39
  SPEAKER_04: It's probably like one of the more embarrassing losses in Pat Narjuzi's coaching tenure.
• 1:12:43
  SPEAKER_04: And what happened to like yo brave Pat Narduzzi making predictions at halftime and you know go for it on fourth and five at you instead of kicking the field goal.
• 1:12:54
  SPEAKER_04: Then he does like that stuff like against Penn State like a year or two later.
• 1:12:58
  SPEAKER_04: I don't I don't understand that at all, but I guess that's that's I don't know.
• 1:13:05
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway, well Pitts uh UCF uh is now coming to return to favor and is coming to Heinz Field in 2019.
• 1:13:14
  SPEAKER_04: UCF is ranked 15th and is trying to make a strong case for the college football playoffs.
• 1:13:20
  SPEAKER_04: Um Pitts still has Penny Kenny Pickett, of course, and its defense is improving, maybe it couldn't be much worse than it was the year before, right?
• 1:13:30
  SPEAKER_04: So um Pitts defense starts off strong, they pick off the the Central Florida quarterback a couple of times, and they also score on offense a couple of T's and they block a punt for a TD and they go up 28 to nothing, and they're actually leading at uh 21 to 7 going into the half, but UCF goes on an epic scoring run, including that seven before the half, they actually score 31 points on in a row, which I'm not sure if that's a record or what, but you know, it's kind of like clerks 31 points in a row, but uh with and they even have like their own punt return for a TD in the middle of this.
• 1:14:12
  SPEAKER_04: This is a pretty crazy game, quite honestly.
• 1:14:15
  SPEAKER_04: So while the defense is melting down, the offense is struggling because Kenny Pickett is hurt and he had to come back.
• 1:14:22
  SPEAKER_04: So uh with the ball inside the 10-yard line of uh Central Florida and Pitts on offense, backup quarterback Nick Patty comes in and he scrambles around and he throws a TD to make a score 34 to 28.
• 1:14:35
  SPEAKER_04: So Pitt's kind of back of the game.
• 1:14:37
  SPEAKER_04: So late in the game, Pitt gets the ball back again, and Kenny Pickett leads Pitt on a drive late in the fourth quarter.
• 1:14:46
  SPEAKER_04: He picked he hits some big passes down the field, and the drive stalls at the UCF four yard line.
• 1:14:54
  SPEAKER_04: So with under a minute left to go, Pitt goes for it on fourth and three.
• 1:15:01
  SPEAKER_04: So it's the big moment.
• 1:15:02
  SPEAKER_04: Pitt's got to score here or get a first down to keep the game.
• 1:15:06
  SPEAKER_04: It's fourth and three from I think the UCF like six or five or something.
• 1:15:10
  SPEAKER_04: I think they could have got a first down and not scored a touchdown.
• 1:15:13
  SPEAKER_04: But what they did do was they ran a trick play, and this is uh Mark Whipple, whose offensive coordinator skill, I would say like he doesn't run necessarily like a coherent playbook, it's just kind of a collection of plays that are called.
• 1:15:30
  SPEAKER_04: I'm not sure like what's going on sometimes.
• 1:15:34
  SPEAKER_04: So they run a play, they with uh Shane Matthews, who's a running back, he gets this direct snap, and then he hands the ball to a wide receiver or no, A.G.
• 1:15:48
  SPEAKER_04: Davis is the running back who gets the snap.
• 1:15:50
  SPEAKER_04: He hands the ball on a wide receiver's like coming in motion, Shane Matthews, who throws a pass to Keddy Pickett, who is in the end zone, and it's a touchdown.
• 1:16:00
  SPEAKER_04: And it looks exactly like the play from, I guess, was the super was that the Super Bowl that year, the Philly, the Philly special.
• 1:16:07
  SPEAKER_04: So, and I think that it just happened.
• 1:16:10
  SPEAKER_04: So Pitts totally stole play from Philly, so um, the running back AJ Davis, if you watch the replay, they fumble the shotgun snap a little bit.
• 1:16:20
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Matthews doesn't throw the greatest pass in the world.
• 1:16:23
  SPEAKER_04: It's a little low, but Pickett makes a nice catch, and uh it's the go-ahead TD.
• 1:16:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and of course, Pitt, this being Pitt, they made the all-important extra point and they go ahead 34-35.
• 1:16:36
  SPEAKER_04: And the defense holds this time.
• 1:16:38
  SPEAKER_04: Central Florida has a fourth and 22 with under 20 seconds left, and the Pitt defense makes the tackle.
• 1:16:45
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Pitt would go on to make an appearance in the quick lane bowl, and they and they made a comeback to win that game against Eastern Michigan.
• 1:16:55
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, Central Florida learned a very important lesson.
• 1:16:58
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it's not whether you win and lose, it's what lessons you've learned along the way.
• 1:17:02
  SPEAKER_04: And the Central Florida learned that you know you should not play Pitt when you're a program needing a transformational win because it really hasn't really worked out well for most of those teams involved.
• 1:17:15
  SPEAKER_04: Really, the only team that's ever been able to play it, pull that off is probably Cincinnati in 2009.
• 1:17:20
  SPEAKER_04: So uh that that that it West Virginia and uh uh Miami and Clemson, and although it really didn't hurt Miami or Clemson that much, but definitely hurt West Virginia and Central Florida a lot.
• 1:17:34
  SPEAKER_04: So why was it special?
• 1:17:37
  SPEAKER_04: Well, here's the reasons I mentioned another podcast was um I had to watch I had to re-watch the highlights of this game because I only really remembered the Pitt special play, and um there's a good reason for that.
• 1:17:50
  SPEAKER_04: I I at the time I I was in the hospital and I was a little under the weather, and I I was probably on some very good drugs at the time.
• 1:17:58
  SPEAKER_04: So so um I I I was also very sick when this game happened, but it was just fun to watch uh Pitt win, and it was a distraction from you know all the all the troubles, and that's what sports really is sometimes.
• 1:18:11
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it can lift your spirits and distract you from you know what's going on in real life for a couple hours.
• 1:18:16
  SPEAKER_04: And it really just like I said in the other the pit traditions, that's why I just like whenever they can turn on the cathedral lights of the you know, the lights in the cathedral learning in that tradition when they have a big win in football or basketball, that's always just you know makes me smile and always like gives me a little bit of you know, just feeds my soul.
• 1:18:35
  SPEAKER_04: And I just remember that because I would I was in the hospital and for my room I could see the cathedral and I saw the lights on.
• 1:18:41
  SPEAKER_04: It was just just a special moment for me and just just made me feel a little better.
• 1:18:46
  SPEAKER_04: And just, you know, it wasn't I I mean it really wasn't that memorable of a season, and you know, it was just kind of like one of those nondescript, oh Pitt beat a ranked team that they had no business beating again.
• 1:18:59
  SPEAKER_04: Uh well, you know, that's kind of Pitt does that every year for no apparent reason.
• 1:19:03
  SPEAKER_04: So but um anything, uh any what are your uh thoughts on that game there, Tim?
• 1:19:10
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I you know, like you said, Steve, it's that's that's what's great about sports, right?
• 1:19:16
  SPEAKER_01: That um, you know, i i that was that was a big win.
• 1:19:20
  SPEAKER_01: And and for me personally, you you mentioned the Penn State gaffe.
• 1:19:25
  SPEAKER_01: That had actually happened the week before where Narduzi kicked a field goal down by seven on on the one-yard line.
• 1:19:31
  SPEAKER_03: Was that the same season?
• 1:19:33
  SPEAKER_01: That was the week before.
• 1:19:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:19:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so I had I had sworn off pit forever.
• 1:19:38
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I was like, I'm done.
• 1:19:40
  SPEAKER_01: I I I I was seriously, I was like, I I can't do this anymore.
• 1:19:43
  SPEAKER_01: This has been my whole life of this team just finding ungodly ways to lose games.
• 1:19:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I was at my brother's house, and he was probably even more angry about the Penn State game than I was, and we didn't even watch it, and we decided to turn it on at the end because we kind of looked at our phone, saw the score was close, and so we kind of saw that last drive.
• 1:20:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember before the the f the the Philly special play, we're like, there's no, there's no way they're gonna convert this, and sure enough they do, and then you know, all of a sudden you kind of like make up with pit, right?
• 1:20:15
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what I remember.
• 1:20:16
  SPEAKER_01: That was my makeup with pit game.
• 1:20:17
  SPEAKER_01: But but to your point, you know, about just uh that that's that is what's great about sports, right?
• 1:20:23
  SPEAKER_01: It yes, it gets you angry or or heartbroken, but then you have those moments where you know maybe something not as fun is happening in your life, and that's a bright spot and a nice memory.
• 1:20:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I I love I think that's the favorite thing, my favorite thing about your whole list here is just all these nice kind of personal memories, right?
• 1:20:42
  SPEAKER_01: And and again, that's why we watch sports, it's why we root for our teams, so we can have those memories.
• 1:20:49
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and it's just it's why like so many people were into like yo, the Steelers, or you know, there's people that live all over the country that are into the Steelers just because oh, that's my dad's team, and then you get into it, and then you're invested, and then maybe your kids get into it, and it's just it's just great.
• 1:21:08
  SPEAKER_04: So thank you for tuning in.
• 1:21:10
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, feel free to visit us at Pittsburgh Sports Memories.
• 1:21:13
  SPEAKER_04: Weavely dot com.
• 1:21:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I hope you enjoyed our podcast, and uh, we'll see you next time on this.