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1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football
PittPanthers
Eastern Champions
Gator Bowl Champions
Gator Bowl, Win, 37-9, South Carolina Gamecocks
Conference Independent
Ranking
Coaches #2
AP #2
1980 record 11-1
Head coach Jackie Sherrill (4th year)
Offensive coordinator Wally English (2nd year)
Offensive scheme Multiple Pro
Defensive coordinator Foge Fazio (2nd year)
Base defense Multiple Front
Home stadium Pitt Stadium
(Capacity: 56,500)
Seasons
« 1979 1981 »
1980 Division I-A independents football standings
v · d · e Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#2 Pittsburgh           11 1 0
#5 Florida State           10 2 0
#8 Penn State           10 2 0
#9 Notre Dame           9 2 1
#18 Miami           9 3 0
Southern Miss           9 3 0
Navy           8 4 0
South Carolina           8 4 0
Virginia Tech           8 4 0
Boston College           7 4 0
Northeast Louisiana           7 4 0
Rutgers           7 4 0
UNLV           7 4 0
Tulane           7 5 0
Colgate           5 4 1
North Texas           6 5 0
Villanova           6 5 0
West Virginia           6 6 0
Louisville           5 6 0
Richmond           5 6 0
Syracuse           5 6 0
East Carolina           4 7 0
Illinois State           4 7 0
Temple           4 7 0
Army           3 7 1
Holy Cross           3 8 0
Cincinnati           2 9 0
Memphis           2 9 0
William & Mary           2 9 0
Georgia Tech           1 9 1
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980 college football season. Despite losing one game, the Panthers were named National Champions by several selectors of national championships including the College Football Researchers Association, the New York Times computer poll, and the Sagarin Ratings, among others.[1] The university does not claim a national championships for this season, nor are the Panthers popularly recognized for winning that year's national championship. Pitt was awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East.

Championship selections[]

Selectors that named Pitt the 1980 National Champion:[2]

  • 1st-N-Goal
  • Angelo Louisa
  • ARGH Power Ratings
  • College Football Researchers Association
  • Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments
  • Harry DeVold
  • James Howell
  • Jeff Self
  • New York Times
  • Quality Champions
  • Sagarin Ratings
  • Steve Eck
  • The Fleming System

Schedule[]

  • In the Backyard Brawl, Pittsburgh beat West Virginia by a 42-14 score. Starting free safety Rick Trocano moved over to offense in the second quarter to replace the injured Dan Marino. Trocano led Pitt to four second-quarter touchdowns during the Panthers’ win at Pitt Stadium.[3]

Schedule[]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
Sat. Sep. 13 1:30 p.m. Boston College #3 Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA ABC W 14–6   44,820
Sat. Sep. 20 2:30 p.m. at Kansas #5 Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS W 18–3   41,300
Sat. Sep. 27 1:30 p.m. Temple #6 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 36–2   47,071
Sat. Oct. 4 1:30 p.m. Maryland #6 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 38–9   47,409
Sat. Oct. 11 7:00 p.m. at #11 Florida State #4 Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL L 22–36   52,894
Sat. Oct. 18† 1:30 p.m. West Virginia #11 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl) W 42–14   55,130
Sat. Oct. 25 2:00 p.m. at Tennessee #12 Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN W 30–6   94,008
Sat. Nov. 1 3:30 p.m. at Syracuse #11 Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY ABC W 43–6   50,243
Sat. Nov. 8 1:30 p.m. Louisville #9 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 41–23   47,280
Sat. Nov. 15 1:30 p.m. at Army #8 Michie StadiumWest Point, NY W 45–7   31,150
Sat. Nov. 22 1:00 p.m. at #5 Penn State #4 Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA ABC W 14–9   82,459
Mon. Dec. 29 9:00 p.m. vs. #18 South Carolina #3 Gator Bowl StadiumJacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl) ABC W 37–9   72,297
*Non-Conference Game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

[4]

Coaching staff[]

1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
Coaching Staff
  • Jackie Sherrill – Head Coach
  • Foge Fazio – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
  • Wally English - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
  • Joe Daniels – Running Backs
  • Ron Dickerson - Defensive Backs
  • Bob Matey – Defensive Line
  • Joe Moore - Offensive Line
  • Joe Naunchik - Receivers
  • Ray Zingler – Defensive Ends
  Support Staff
  • Alex Kramer – Administrative Assistant
  • Kevin Dickey – Recruiting Coordinator
  • Nick Rapone - Part-Time Assistant
  • Bob Davie - Part-Time Assistant
  • Kirk Ferentz - Part-Time Assistant
  Strength and Conditioning Staff
  • Buddy Morris - Weight Training Coordinator

Team players drafted into in the NFL[]

Player Position Round Pick NFL Club
Hugh Green Defensive End 1 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Randy McMillan Running Back 1 12 Baltimore Colts
Mark May Tackle 1 20 Washington Redskins
Rickey Jackson Linebacker 2 51 New Orleans Saints
Greg Meisner Defensive Tackle 3 63 Los Angeles Rams
Carlton Williamson Defensive Back 3 65 San Francisco 49ers
Russ Grimm Center 3 69 Washington Redskins
Bill Neill Defensive Tackle 5 115 New York Giants
Benjie Pryor Tight End 5 120 Cincinnati Bengals
Lynn Thomas Defensive Back 5 121 San Francisco 49ers
Jerry Boyarsky Defensive Tackle 5 128 New Orleans Saints
Rick Trocano Quarterback 11 292 Pittsburgh Steelers

[5]

Awards and honors[]

  • Hugh Green, Walter Camp Award[6]
  • Hugh Green, Lombardi Award[7]
  • Hugh Green, Maxwell Award[8]
  • Mark May, Outland Trophy[9]

References[]

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