Pitt’s football legacy got another national spotlight as seven Panthers were named to Sporting News All-Decade All-America teams during the publication’s 140th-anniversary celebration.
The group stretches across five decades, a reminder of how many eras Pitt has produced stars who stood out on the biggest college football stages. Fred Cox and Mike Ditka made the 1960s team, Tony Dorsett landed on the 1970s squad, Bill Fralic and Hugh Green were honored for the 1980s, Larry Fitzgerald was picked for the 2000s, and Aaron Donald represented the 2010s.
Sporting News began naming All-Decade teams with the 1960s and uses those selections as part of its role among the five organizations the NCAA relies on to determine consensus All-America status each season.
Ditka’s place on the 1960s team fits the arc of a career that started at Pitt from 1958-60, where he earned consensus first-team All-America honors as a senior. He later became a member of both the College Football and Pro Football halls of fame and helped redefine the tight end position before moving into an accomplished NFL playing and coaching career.
Cox, who played at Pitt from 1960-62, went on to spend 15 years in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. The source describes him as one of the most accomplished kickers in professional football history.
Dorsett’s selection brings in one of college football’s defining runs. In 1976, he rushed for more than 2,000 yards, powered Pitt to a 12-0 record and the national championship, and won the Heisman Trophy.
He finished his college career as the sport’s all-time leading rusher and became the first player in major college football history to post at least 1,000 rushing yards in four straight seasons. He was a four-time All-American and is in both the College Football and Pro Football halls of fame.
The 1980s team includes Fralic and Green, two players whose Pitt careers left a serious imprint. Fralic was a three-time first-team All-American from 1982-84 and twice placed in the top 10 in Heisman Trophy voting, rare company for an offensive lineman. His level of play was so imposing it inspired the term "Fralic Rule," tied to a penalty created to keep offensive linemen from driving defenders downfield.
Green was also a three-time consensus first-team All-American and finished second in the 1980 Heisman Trophy voting, one of the highest finishes ever by a defensive player. He closed his Pitt career with 460 tackles and 53 sacks.
Fitzgerald earned his spot at wide receiver on the 2000s team after a 2003 season that remains one of the best ever by a college receiver. He caught 92 passes for 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns that year, finished second in Heisman voting, and won both the Walter Camp Award and the Biletnikoff Award.
In just two seasons at Pitt, he piled up 161 receptions, 2,677 yards and 34 touchdowns. He later was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame after a decorated career with the Arizona Cardinals and is set to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend.
The 2010s honor went to Donald.
In Other News...
Pat Narduzzi Sends Pitt Fans A Clear Early Camp Message
The first day of training camp gave Pat Narduzzi a chance to set the tone, and the Pitt coach used it to underline how different this group feels from a year ago. He pointed to Mason Heintschel as the clear starter at quarterback, praised the offenses progress under coordinator Kade Bell, and said the receiver room looks deeper and faster. Narduzzi also noted that the roster is healthier than it was last season, which gives the Panthers a better base to build on as camp gets underway.
On defense, the transition to new coordinator Cory Sanders is one of the bigger moving parts, but Narduzzi said the programs standards remain the same even with the change in voice. For Pitt fans, the early message was hard to miss: the quarterback pecking order is settled, the supporting cast appears more dynamic, and the staff believes the pieces are in place for a smoother August than the one that came before it. The real test, of course, is how quickly all of that shows up once the practices start stacking. [Read more 🡒]