1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football
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
	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. 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:

• 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.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
Sat. Sep. 13	1:30 p.m.	Boston College	#3	Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA	ABC	W 14–6	44,820
Sat. Sep. 20	2:30 p.m.	at Kansas	#5	Memorial Stadium • Lawrence, 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 Stadium • Tallahassee, 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 Stadium • Knoxville, TN		W 30–6	94,008
Sat. Nov. 1	3:30 p.m.	at Syracuse	#11	Carrier Dome • Syracuse, 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 Stadium • West Point, NY		W 45–7	31,150
Sat. Nov. 22	1:00 p.m.	at #5 Penn State	#4	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	ABC	W 14–9	82,459
Mon. Dec. 29	9:00 p.m.	vs. #18 South Carolina	#3	Gator Bowl Stadium • Jacksonville, 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.

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

Awards and honors

• Hugh Green, Walter Camp Award
• Hugh Green, Lombardi Award
• Hugh Green, Maxwell Award
• Mark May, Outland Trophy