Jackie Sherrill (2020) - Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame

Jackie Sherrill

Induction:
2020

As the Panthers’ head coach from 1977-81, Sherrill cemented Pitt’s stature as a national football powerhouse. A former top lieutenant to John Majors, Sherrill took the reins of a Pitt program fresh off the 1976 national championship. He would build upon that success by fashioning a 50-9-1 mark from 1977-81, including a 4-1 bowl record and four Top 10 finishes. Sherrill’s .842 winning percentage as Pitt’s head coach is the highest in the football program’s history. Over his final three seasons (1979-81), Pitt went a combined 33-3, finished among the nation’s top 6 each year and went a combined 5-1 against rivals West Virginia and Penn State. Under Sherrill, the Panthers claimed victories in the 1977 Gator Bowl, 1979 Fiesta Bowl, 1980 Gator Bowl and 1982 Sugar Bowl. His 1980 squad, deemed by some to be Pitt’s best ever, went 11-1, finished second in both polls and was selected the nation’s No. 1 team by The New York Times. Sherrill’s last Pitt team in 1981 went 11-1, including a dramatic Sugar Bowl 24-20 victory over Georgia, and ranked as high as No. 2 in the final polls.