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GREG GATTUSO has made invaluable contributions to the Pitt football program since joining Dave Wannstedt's original staff in 2005. As a result, Gattuso was promoted to assistant head coach this past offseason, expanding his duties beyond the playing and practice fields. Gattuso enters his fourth season with the Panthers and his third coaching the defensive line. A former All-East defensive lineman himself at Penn State during the early 1980s, he helped mold one of Pitt's best defensive fronts in recent memory last year. Gattuso's line was a vital part of the Panthers' nationally rated defense. Pitt ranked fifth nationally and first in the Big East in total defense, yielding just 297.67 yards per game. The Panthers also earned lofty national rankings in pass defense (third, 167.25 yards/game), sacks (20th, 2.92 sacks/game), pass efficiency defense (26th, 113.96 rating) and rush defense (33rd, 130.42 yards/game). Defensive end Joe Clermond flourished under Gattuso's guidance, twice earning All-Big East and compiling 16 sacks and 29.5 tackles for losses over his junior and senior seasons. Clermond played in the East-West Shrine Game and went on to sign with the Chicago Bears. At the other defensive end spot, Greg Romeus established himself as one of the country's top young players. As a redshirt freshman last year, Romeus ranked second only to Clermond in TFLs (11.5) and sacks (four) on the team and earned Freshman All-America honors. Gattuso originally joined the Pitt staff as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator in 2005. In his first season, he helped the Panthers sign a recruiting class rated the nation's 10th best by Scout.com. A Western Pennsylvania native, Gattuso brings to Pitt a winning resume as a coach and player on both the collegiate and high school levels. Before joining Pitt, Gattuso spent 12 years building neighboring Duquesne University into one of the elite I-AA football programs in the country. The winningest coach in school history, the Dukes went 97-32 (.752) under his direction, won eight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) titles, made five bowl appearances and captured the 2003 consensus Mid-Major Division I-AA national championship. Gattuso was twice named the national Mid-Major I-AA Coach of the Year and was a seven-time MAAC Coach of the Year. The Dukes dominated the MAAC during his tenure, going 66-7 (.904) in league play, including a 33-game winning streak. Gattuso was an assistant coach at Duquesne in 1992 before taking over the head coaching post the following year. He previously served as head coach at his high school alma mater, Seton-LaSalle, from 1989-91. Taking over a team that went 6-34 during the four seasons prior to his arrival, Gattuso led the Rebels to a 28-10-1 mark (.731), including three WPIAL playoff berths, a WPIAL championship and Parkway Conference title. A 1980 graduate of Seton-LaSalle High, Gattuso was named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Class AA Player of the Year his senior season and went on to a standout career at Penn State, where he was a two-time All-East defensive lineman and a member of the Lions' 1982 national title team. Gattuso is a 1983 graduate of Penn State with a bachelor's degree in administration and criminal justice. Personal Information Born: 5/18/62 Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa. Alma Mater: Penn State, '83 Family: Gattuso and his wife Colleen have two daughters, Jacqueline (21) and Kaitlin (15). Coaching Experience College: Penn State, 1984, graduate assistant. Duquesne, 1987, assistant coach; 1992, assistant coach; 1993-2004, head coach. Pittsburgh, 2005, tight ends & recruiting coordinator; 2006-present, defensive line; 2008, assistant head coach. High School: Seton-LaSalle (Pa.), 1985, junior varsity coach; 1989-91, head coach. Center Township (Pa.), 1986, defensive coordinator. |
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