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Pitt Football
| The 10 Greatest Combos in Pitt History |  |
Pitt boasts some of the most accomplished individual players to ever step on a college football field. But in addition to decorated individuals, the Panthers can also claim some outstanding "combos" throughout their history. We're talking about one-two backfield punches, potent pass-catch tandems or crushing combinations on defense. Submitted for your approval (or arguments): "The 10 Greatest Combos in Pitt History." We're certain you have your own opinions and we want to hear them. What Pitt combos would make your Top 10 list? Share them with us on the Pitt Facebook page or @GoPittFootball on Twitter!
| #10 Carson Long and Larry Swider |
Pitt's 1976 national championship team burst at the seams with talent. That included the kicking game. Placekicker Carson Long and punter Larry Swider, known as "Butch and Sundance" to their teammates, were an underrated key to Pitt's undefeated season. Long accounted for 90 points, finishing 12th in the country in scoring. Swider averaged 44.8 yards per punt to rank fifth nationally. Thirty-eight years following their final season, they remain Pitt's most productive kicker-punter duo ever.
| #9 Pete Gonzalez, Jake Hoffart and Terry Murphy |
This quarterback-receiver tandem was together for just one season but they helped relaunch Pitt football with a stirring 1997 campaign. Much like the Panthers themselves, QB Pete Gonzalez entered 1997 undistinguished on the field. That would change as he threw for more than 2,800 yards and a Big East-record 31 touchdown passes. His top two targets, Jake Hoffart and Terry Murphy, were both transplants from California. The trio powered the Big East's top passing game as Hoffart totaled 69 catches for 852 yards and nine TDs, while Murphy had 48 for 891 and a Big East-record 13 TD grabs. Their lasting legacy: Pitt's three-overtime win at West Virginia. Facing a 4th-and-17 in the final OT, Gonzalez threw a 20-yard strike to Hoffart to keep Pitt alive. Two plays later, Gonzalez connected with Murphy on a 12-yard TD pass to give Pitt a 41-38 win and its first bowl game in eight years.
| #8 Pitt's "Pac-Men": Dave Puzzuoli, J.C. Pelusi and Bill Maas |
When Pitt's legendary 1980 defense disassembled for the NFL ranks, many expected a drop off in tenacity and production on that side of the ball in 1981. It didn't happen. The interior front--comprised of nose guard J.C. Pelusi and tackles Dave Puzzuoli and Bill Maas--was the reason why. Nicknamed the Pac-Men, this trio helped Pitt lead the nation in total defense in 1981 and rank third in that category in 1982. Their finest hour came in the 1982 Sugar Bowl when, before Dan Marino's last-minute heroics, they helped limit Georgia's Herschel Walker to just 84 yards on 25 carries in the 24-20 win.
| #7 Antonio Bryant and Latef Grim |
Antonio Bryant and Latef Grim provided the spark that fueled Pitt's rising reputation in the early 2000s as "Wide Receiver U." Their first season together was in 1999 and the duo caught the nation's attention by torching Virginia Tech's vaunted defense with a combined 25 catches for 403 yards. Before the 2000 season, Lindy's Sports declared Bryant and Grim the best receiving corps in the country, calling them "a pair of playmakers Dan Marino would have been proud to throw to." Bryant then went out and won the Biletnikoff Award, leading the nation with 130.2 receiving yards per game. Grim, playing his final collegiate season, would finish as Pitt's career leader with 178 catches, a record that stood until 2013 when Devin Street surpassed it.
| #6 Jeff Delaney and Bob Jury |
In 1976 and 1977, defensive backs Jeff Delaney and Bob Jury formed a virtual black hole in the Pitt secondary by combining for 27 interceptions. Not coincidentally, the Panthers went 21-2-1, the best record in major college football during that two-year span. During the 1976 national title year, Jury intercepted 10 passes--still a Pitt single-season record--while Delaney picked off seven. In 1977, Jury had eight interceptions and was a consensus All-American. Jury remains Pitt's career leader with 21 INTs, while Delaney ranks second with 16.
| #5 Tony Dorsett, Elliott Walker and Robert Haygood |
With the explosive one-two backfield punch of Tony Dorsett and Elliott Walker, plus speedy quarterback Robert Haygood, Pitt actually had three running backs in its 1975 offense under Coach John Majors. The '75 season became known as the "Year of the Veer" as the Panthers rode a veer option attack to a school-record 3,301 rushing yards. Dorsett piled up 1,686 yards on the season, while Walker had 903. Pitt closed the year with all three players rushing for 100 yards (Dorsett with 142, Walker with 123 and Haygood with 101) in a 33-19 Sun Bowl victory over Kansas.
| #4 Jim Covert and Bill Fralic |
As Pitt's starting offensive tackles during the 1981-82 seasons, Jim Covert and Bill Fralic helped form an impenetrable fortress of protection for quarterback Dan Marino. "There were games when my uniform never got dirty," Marino said. "There were games when I never hit the ground. That's incredible." Covert was a first team All-American as a junior and senior. Fralic, who started from day one upon arriving at Pitt in 1981, would finish as a three-time All-American. Both men went on to receive enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame and had exceptional NFL careers.
| #3 Larry Fitzgerald and Rod Rutherford |
Quarterback Rod Rutherford and receiver Larry Fitzgerald teamed up during the 2002-03 seasons and during that time made the fade pattern an art form. Former Pitt receiver Billy Osborn, the Panthers' radio analyst in those years, described the Rutherford-Fitz fade pass this way: "You know it's coming but you can't stop it." They were unstoppable on virtually all the other routes as well, especially in '03. That season Rutherford threw for a Pitt-record 3,679 yards and tied Dan Marino's mark with 37 touchdowns. Fitzgerald was on the receiving end of 92 of those passes for 1,672 yards and 22 TDs, all Pitt records. Rutherford was a unanimous All-Big East selection, while Fitz won the 2003 Walter Camp and Biletnikoff awards.
| #2 The Dream Backfield |
Coach Jock Sutherland's "Dream Backfield" of 1938--featuring Marshall Goldberg, Dick Cassiano, Curly Stebbins and John Chickerneo--earned status as the best backfield in the country in 1938. One opposing coach, a highly credible one at that, took it a step further and said Pitt's quartet was the finest to ever play the game. Fordham coach Jimmy Crowley, a member of Notre Dame's legendary Four Horsemen in 1924, said Pitt's backfield was better than the famed Irish tandem. "We lacked the physical advantages...and consequently the power...of the four phenomenal Panthers," Crowley said.
| #1 Hugh Green and Rickey Jackson |
Arguably the most devastating defensive end tandem in college football history, Hugh Green and Rickey Jackson ran roughshod over opponents during the 1979 and 1980 seasons. In Hollywood movie terms, this was the equivalent of having Darth Vader and the Predator on the same defense--there was simply no escape. As seniors in '80, the pair spearheaded the nation's No. 1 defense and combined for an incredible 260 tackles, 29 sacks and eight fumble recoveries.
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