1988 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1988 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Conference	Independent
1988 record	6-5
Head coach	Mike Gottfried (3rd year)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Dickens (2nd year)
Offensive scheme	Multiple Pro
Defensive coordinator	John Fox (3rd year)
Base defense	4-3
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium (Capacity: 56,500)
Seasons « 1987 1989 »

1988 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–				12	–	0	–	0
No. 2 Miami (FL)		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 West Virginia		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 13 Syracuse		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Army		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Louisville		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Northern Illinois		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Southwest Louisiana]]		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Akron		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Penn State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Tulane		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Louisiana Tech		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Temple		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Tulsa		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Boston College		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Navy		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1988 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1988 college football season.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
Sat. Sep. 3	7:00 p.m.	Northern Iowa		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 59–10	35,755
Sat. Sep. 17	7:00 p.m.	#18 Ohio State		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN	W 42–10	56,500
Sat. Sep. 24	12:00 p.m.	#11 West Virginia	#16	Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl)	JP Sports	L 10–31	55,978
Sat. Oct. 1	12:00 p.m.	at Boston College		Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA	JP Sports	L 31–34	32,000
Sat. Oct. 8	7:00 p.m.	#5 Notre Dame		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN	L 20–30	56,500
Sat. Oct. 15	1:30 p.m.	Temple		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 42–7	32,832
Sat. Oct. 22†	1:30 p.m.	Navy		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 52–6	34,230
Sat. Nov. 5	12:00 p.m.	Rutgers		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA	JP Sports	W 20–10	20,051
Sat. Nov. 12	3:30 p.m.	at Penn State		Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	ESPN	W 14–7	85,701
Sat. Nov. 19	1:00 p.m.	at North Carolina State		Carter-Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC	JP Sports	L 3–14	39,300
Sat. Dec. 3	4:30 p.m.	at #18 Syracuse		Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY	ESPN	L 7–14	49,860
*Non-Conference Game. †Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Coaching staff

1988 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
	Coaching Staff Mike Gottfried – Head Coach Jack Harbaugh – Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Mike Dickens – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks John Fox – Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Tommie Liggins – Run Coordinator/Running Backs Steve Coury – Wide Receivers Frank D'Alonzo – Defensive Line Bill Meyers – Offensive Line Scott O'Brien – Special Teams Sal Sunseri – Linebackers			Support Staff Alex Kramer – Administrative Assistant Bud Ratliff – Recruiting Coordinator Paul "Rocky" Alt – Graduate Assistant John Cervino – Graduate Assistant Bill D'Ottavio – Graduate Assistant Frank Gansz, Jr. – Graduate Assistant Skip Peete – Graduate Assistant			Strength and Conditioning Staff Buddy Morris – Strength Coordinator Ray Oliver – Conditioning

Team players drafted into in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Burt Grossman	Defensive End	1	8	San Diego Chargers
Tom Ricketts	Guard	1	24	Pittsburgh Steelers
Mark Stepnoski	Center	3	57	Dallas Cowboys
Vernon Kirk	Tight End	9	242	Los Angeles Rams
Cornell Holloway	Defensive Back	10	256	Cincinnati Bengals
Jerry Olsavsky	Linebacker	10	258	Pittsburgh Steelers