1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

The 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Despite losing one game, the Panthers were named national champion by NCAA-designated major selectors DeVold System, Football Research, and The New York Times), while also named co-national champion by Rothman (FACT) and Sagarin.[1] The university does not claim a national championship 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.

1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football
National champion (DeVold, FR, The New York Times)
Co-national champion (FACT, Sagarin)
Gator Bowl champion
Eastern champion
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
1980 record11–1
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorWally English (2nd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple pro-style
Defensive coordinatorFoge Fazio (2nd season)
Base defenseMultiple front
Home stadiumPitt Stadium
(Capacity: 56,500)
1980 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 2 Pittsburgh   –  –   11 –1 –0
No. 5 Florida State   –  –   10 –2 –0
No. 8 Penn State   –  –   10 –2 –0
No. 9 Notre Dame   –  –   9 –2 –1
No. 18 Miami (FL)   –  –   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 State   –  –   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 State   –  –   2 –9 –0
William & Mary   –  –   2 –9 –0
Georgia Tech   –  –   1 –9 –1
Rankings from AP Poll

The team is noteworthy for featuring three future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Linebacker Rickey Jackson, Center Russ Grimm, and quarterback Dan Marino. Several other players on the team, including Jimbo Covert, Mark May, Hugh Green, would go on to be Pro Bowl NFL stars.

Championship selections

Selectors that named Pitt the 1980 national champion:[2]

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 131:30 p.m.Boston CollegeNo. 3
ABCW 14–644,820
September 202:30 p.m.at KansasNo. 5
W 18–341,300
September 271:30 p.m.TempleNo. 6
  • Pitt Stadium
  • Pittsburgh, PA
W 36–247,071
October 41:30 p.m.MarylandNo. 6
  • Pitt Stadium
  • Pittsburgh, PA
W 38–947,409
October 117:00 p.m.at No. 11 Florida StateNo. 4
L 22–3652,894
October 181:30 p.m.West VirginiaNo. 11
W 42–1455,130
October 252:00 p.m.at TennesseeNo. 12
W 30–694,008
November 14:00 p.m.at SyracuseNo. 11
ABCW 43–650,243
November 81:30 p.m.LouisvilleNo. 9
  • Pitt Stadium
  • Pittsburgh, PA
W 41–2347,280
November 151:30 p.m.at ArmyNo. 8
W 45–731,150
November 281:00 p.m.at No. 5 Penn StateNo. 4
ABCW 14–982,459
December 299:00 p.m.vs. No. 18 South CarolinaNo. 3
ABCW 37–972,297

Roster
1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
G 70 Emil Boures Jr
T 75 Jimbo Covert So
C 56 Russ Grimm Sr
QB 13 Dan Marino So
T 73 Mark May Sr
RB 40 Randy McMillan Sr
TE 84 Benjie Pryor Sr
G 77 Ron Sams So
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DT 68 Jerry Boyarsky Sr
DB 5 Tom Flynn Fr
DE 99 Hugh Green Sr
DE 87 Rickey Jackson Sr
DB 26 Tim Lewis So
DT 71 Bill Maas Fr
DT 86 Greg Meisner Sr
DT 76 Bill Neill Sr
CB 3 Lynn Thomas Sr
SS 48 Carlton Williamson Sr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 1 David Trout Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

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

Season summary

Boston College
See also: 1980 Boston College Eagles football team
Boston College Eagles at #3 Pittsburgh Panthers
1 2 34Total
Boston College 0 0 606
#3 Pittsburgh 0 8 6014

at Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA

  • Date: September 13
  • Game time: 1:30 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 44,820
  • TV: ABC
Game information

at Kansas
See also: 1980 Kansas Jayhawks football team
#5 Pittsburgh Panthers at Kansas Jayhawks
1 2 34Total
#5 Pittsburgh 0 10 6218
Kansas 3 0 003

at Memorial Stadium • Lawrence, KS

  • Date: September 20
  • Game time: 2:30 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 41,300
Game information

Temple
See also: 1980 Temple Owls football team
Temple Owls at #6 Pittsburgh Panthers
1 2 34Total
Temple 2 0 002
#6 Pittsburgh 13 13 3736

at Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA

  • Date: September 27
  • Game time: 1:30 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 47,071
Game information

Maryland
See also: 1980 Maryland Terrapins football team
Maryland Terrapins at #6 Pittsburgh Panthers
1 2 34Total
Maryland 0 3 609
#6 Pittsburgh 14 7 31438

at Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA

  • Date: October 4
  • Game time: 1:30 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 47,409
Game information

at #11 Florida State
See also: 1980 Florida State Seminoles football team
#4 Pittsburgh Panthers at #11 Florida State Seminoles
1 2 34Total
#4 Pittsburgh 7 0 15022
#11 Florida State 3 20 6736

at Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL

  • Date: October 11
  • Game time: 7:00 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 52,894
Game information

West Virginia
See also: 1980 West Virginia Mountaineers football team and Backyard Brawl
West Virginia Mountaineers at #11 Pittsburgh Panthers
1 2 34Total
West Virginia 7 0 7014
#11 Pittsburgh 7 28 0742

at Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA

  • Date: October 18
  • Game time: 1:30 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 55,130
  • [3]
Game information

Starting free safety Rick Trocano moved over to offense in the second quarter to replace the injured Dan Marino. Previously the starter at QB in 1978, Trocano led Pitt to four second-quarter touchdowns during the Panthers’ win at Pitt Stadium.[4]

at Tennessee
See also: 1980 Tennessee Volunteers football team
#12 Pittsburgh Panthers at Tennessee Volunteers
1 2 34Total
#12 Pittsburgh 3 13 01430
Tennessee 6 0 006

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN

  • Date: October 25
  • Game time: 2:00 PM EDT
  • Game attendance: 94,008
Game information

at Syracuse
See also: 1980 Syracuse Orangemen football team and Pittsburgh–Syracuse football rivalry
#11 Pittsburgh Panthers at Syracuse Orangemen
1 2 34Total
#11 Pittsburgh 12 14 31443
Syracuse 0 6 006

at Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY

Game information

Louisville
See also: 1980 Louisville Cardinals football team
Louisville Cardinals at #9 Pittsburgh Panthers
1 2 34Total
Louisville 0 9 01423
#9 Pittsburgh 0 20 21041

at Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 8
  • Game time: 1:30 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 47,280
Game information

at Army
See also: 1980 Army Cadets football team
#8 Pittsburgh Panthers at Army Cadets
1 2 34Total
#8 Pittsburgh 28 7 3745
Army 0 7 007

at Michie Stadium • West Point, NY

  • Date: November 15
  • Game time: 1:30 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 31,150
Game information

at #5 Penn State
See also: 1980 Penn State Nittany Lions football team and Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry
#4 Pittsburgh Panthers at #5 Penn State Nittany Lions
1 2 34Total
#4 Pittsburgh 0 7 7014
#5 Penn State 3 0 609

at Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA

  • Date: November 28
  • Game time: 1:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 82,459
  • TV: ABC
Game information

vs. #18 South Carolina (Gator Bowl)
See also: 1980 South Carolina Gamecocks football team and 1980 Gator Bowl
1980 Gator Bowl: #3 Pittsburgh Panthers vs. #18 South Carolina Gamecocks
1 2 34Total
#3 Pittsburgh 10 7 17337
#18 South Carolina 0 3 069

at Gator Bowl Stadium • Jacksonville, FL

Game information

Team players drafted into the NFL
PlayerPositionRoundPickNFL Club
Hugh GreenDefensive End17Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Randy McMillanRunning Back112Baltimore Colts
Mark MayTackle120Washington Redskins
Rickey JacksonLinebacker251New Orleans Saints
Greg MeisnerDefensive Tackle363Los Angeles Rams
Carlton WilliamsonDefensive Back365San Francisco 49ers
Russ GrimmCenter369Washington Redskins
Bill NeillDefensive Tackle5115New York Giants
Benjie PryorTight End5120Cincinnati Bengals
Lynn ThomasDefensive Back5121San Francisco 49ers
Jerry BoyarskyDefensive Tackle5128New Orleans Saints
Rick TrocanoQuarterback11292Pittsburgh Steelers

[5]

/Dan Marino/Quarterback/1/27/Miami Dolphins

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

Media

Radio
Flagship station Play-by-play Color commentator Sideline reporter Studio host
WTAE–AM 1250Bill HillgroveJohn Sauer

References
  1. 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. p. 114. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  2. College Football Data Warehouse: Yearly National Championship Selections, accessdate=2009-01-29
  3. Gadsden Times. 1980 Oct 19. Retrieved 2018-Dec-16.
  4. http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2007/12/the-backyard-brawl-100-years-of-wvu-and-pitt-football/
  5. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1981.htm
  6. http://football.about.com/cs/history/a/waltercampaward.htm
  7. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/awards?awardId=19
  8. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/awards?awardId=14
  9. http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/awards/outland/winners.html
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