Pitt’s football legacy showed up in a big way in ESPN’s ranking of the best college football players of all time by jersey number, with four Panthers landing at the top of their respective lists.
Larry Fitzgerald Jr., Tony Dorsett, Aaron Donald and Hugh Green each earned the distinction for the numbers they wore at Pitt. The group gives the Panthers a strong footprint across the board, from offense to defense and from different eras of the program.
Fitzgerald Jr. took No. 1 after a two-year Pitt run that bordered on absurd. From 2002-03, he hauled in 161 catches for 2,677 yards and 34 touchdowns.
His 2003 season brought the Biletnikoff Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year honor, along with unanimous All-American status and a second-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting. His streak of 18 straight games with a touchdown catch still stands as an NCAA record.
At No. 33, Dorsett got the call after a Pitt career that ended with the 1976 Heisman Trophy and a national championship.
He was a three-time first-team All-American and piled up 6,082 rushing yards, an NCAA record that lasted 22 years. His senior year helped push Pitt to a perfect 12-0 mark and the program’s ninth national title.
Donald claimed No. 97 after a senior season in 2013 that was as overpowering as they come. He swept the major defensive awards, winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Rotary Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy. Donald led the nation with 28.5 tackles for loss and finished his Pitt career with a school-record 66 TFLs.
Green was ESPN’s pick at No. 99, adding another decorated name to Pitt’s showing. A three-time All-American, he won the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award and Rotary Lombardi Award in 1980. He also finished second in the 1980 Heisman Trophy voting, the highest finish ever by a strictly defensive player.
Pitt showed up again in ESPN’s additional selections, with Dan Marino listed among the top players to wear No. 13, Mark May among No.
73, Jimbo Covert among No. 75, Bill Fralic among No.
79, Antonio Bryant among No. 80, Mike Ditka among No. 89 and Joe Schmidt among No.