The Panther Chronicles: The Stache

Remembering THE STACHE

I remember when Dave Wannstedt took over as coach for the Panthers. I remember him arriving with such bravado and such promise of how Pitt was going to win a Big East championship. Ironically enough I believe I am the only one who realizes that Dave Wannstedt actually did win a Big East championship. I know that he didnt advance to the BCS and that Uconn got the bid but he did what he said he was going to do. Dave Wannstedt engraved Pitt's name on the Big East championship trophy and the players got Big East championship rings.


With that being said I'll be the first to say that I was expecting Wanny to win more while he was at Pitt. Who knows maybe he would have advanced to the BCS this year if he was around but obviously we will never know. His first 3 seasons he led Pitt to records 5-7, 6-6, and 5-7 again. Talk about disappointing. The thing is though a coach generally needs 2-3 seasons of rebuilding and recruiting to get players that fit his system. I gave Wanny the benefit of the doubt and so did Steve Pederson which is why he gave him an extension on his contract.  The 13-9 game was when Wanny and his program finally turned the corner and that was the last game of his third year. So In a way I kind of erased the previous 3 seasons from my mind and started to judge him and his team the following year.

The following 3 seasons he had made bowl games and had records of 9-4, 10-3, and 7-5 (with a Big East title).  That is not bad for a program who had just turned the corner three years ago.  But loses to Ohio, and Bowling Green lingered over his résumé.  The nail in the coffin for most Pitt fans was the loss to Cincinnati in the Big East Championship game in 2009. It was a game in which the Panthers had complete control and a 21 point lead and found a way to lose.Wannstedt lost most of his fan support that game and thus his tenure on the hot seat started.



2010 was Wannstedt's last year and he finished 7-5. It was also a year in which many players on Wannstedts team had gotten arrested. That did not help him in terms of getting off the hot seat. Reports said that Steve Pederson made up his mind to fire Wannstedt when Pitt got embarrassed at home to West Virginia and lost basically all hope of winning the Big East title out right. Pederson waited till after the final game of the 2010 season to fire Wannstedt. The funny thing is that Pitt won their last game against Cincinnati to clinch a share of the Big East championship. Even though Pitt was co-champions and it took 6 years, Coach Wannstedt was able to live up to his word and win a Big East championship.

Among Wannstedt's accomplishments are the following:

1. 2010 Big East Champions
2. Going 42-31 in six seasons, including a 26-12 mark from 2008-10. That is Pitt's best for a three-season stretch since 1981-83.
3. Top 10 recruiting classes that included Blue Chip prospects
4.  Produced NFL players such as: Lesean Mccoy, Darrelle Revis and Jon Baldwin.
5. 3 Bowl trips in his final 3 years as head coach.
6. Led Pitt to a top 10 ranking for the first time since 1982.
7. Led Pitt to a 10 win season for the first time since 1981.
8. Most importantly he brought Pitt nation  13-9.

So all in all Coach Wannstedt was a success for the Pitt football program. And for that I salute coach Wannstedt and his accomplishments at the University of Pittsburgh. Hopefully one day he can come back to Pitt in some fashion. How great would it be that he came back to replace Steve Pederson as Athletic Director? The odds of that happening are slim to none but like I said I leave the Stache with a salute and hope that one day he returns to his alma mater that he loves and adores.