Classic 'Burgh , livre ebook

Classic ’Burgh
CLASSIC SPORTS
J ONATHAN K NIGHT , Series Editor
Classic Bucs: The 50 Greatest Games in Pittsburgh Pirates History
D AVID F INOLI
Classic Steelers: The 50 Greatest Games in Pittsburgh Steelers History
D AVID F INOLI
Classic Browns: The 50 Greatest Games in Cleveland Browns History Second Edition, Revised and Updated
J ONATHAN K NIGHT
Classic Cavs: The 50 Greatest Games in Cleveland Cavaliers History Second Edition, Revised and Updated
J ONATHAN K NIGHT
Classic Pens: The 50 Greatest Games in Pittsburgh Penguins History Second Edition, Revised and Updated
D AVID F INOLI
Classic Bengals: The 50 Greatest Games in Cincinnati Bengals History
S TEVE W ATKINS AND D ICK M ALONEY
Classic ’Burgh: The 50 Greatest Collegiate Games in Pittsburgh Sports History
D AVID F INOLI
Classic ’Burgh
THE 50 GREATEST COLLEGIATE GAMES IN PITTSBURGH SPORTS HISTORY
David Finoli
BLACK SQUIRREL BOOKS ®
Kent, Ohio
BLACK SQUIRREL BOOKS ®
Frisky, industrious black squirrels are a familiar sight on the Kent State University campus and the inspiration for Black Squirrel Books ® , a trade imprint of The Kent State University Press. www.KentStateUniversityPress.com .
Copyright © 2019 by The Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio 44242
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-1-60635-363-9
Manufactured in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced, in any manner whatsoever, without written permission from the Publisher, except in the case of short quotations in critical reviews or articles.
Cataloging information for this title is available at the Library of Congress.
23 22 21 20 19 5 4 3 2 1
For my parents, Domenic and Eleanor, who taught me three things in life: be kind to others, give back as much as you can, and take care of your family. They were lessons well taught. You are both missed.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
#50 To Go Where No One Has Gone Before (Women’s Hockey) Mercyhurst Lakers vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers, March 20, 2009
#49 Snatching Victory from Defeat (Men’s Basketball) Community College of Beaver County Titans vs. Penn Valley Community College Scouts, March 22, 1997
#48 The Basketball Haven (Men’s Basketball) IUP Crimson Hawks vs. St. Cloud State Huskies, March 25, 2010
#47 The Last Time (Men’s Basketball) Duquesne Dukes vs. Villanova Wildcats, March 5, 1977
#46 Unfinished Business (Men’s Football) Duquesne Dukes vs. Monmouth Hawks, November 22, 2003
#45 Tangerine (Men’s Football) St. Vincent Bearcats vs. Emory & Henry Wasps, January 2, 1950
#44 Maurice! (Men’s Basketball) St. Francis Red Flash vs. Duquesne Dukes, January 8, 1955
#43 And Justice for All (Men’s Basketball) Duquesne Dukes vs. Tennessee Volunteers, December 23, 1946
#42 Goliath Goes Down (Men’s Football) Carnegie Mellon Tartans vs. Dayton Flyers, November 18, 1978
#41 The 16-Year Wait (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions, September 10, 2016
#40 The Dunk (Men’s Basketball) Pitt Panthers vs. Providence Friars, January 25, 1988
#39 The Breakthrough (Men’s Hockey) Robert Morris Colonials vs. Miami (OH) Redhawks, January 8, 2010
#38 Bowl Bound, or Something Like It (Men’s Football) Duquesne Dukes vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes, January 1, 1934
#37 Our House (Men’s Basketball) Robert Morris Colonials vs. Kentucky Wildcats, March 19, 2013
#36 False Hope (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Texas A&M Aggies, December 30, 1989
#35 One for the Ages (Men’s Football) Waynesburg Yellow Jackets vs. Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks, December 10, 1966
#34 On Top of the Big East Mountain (Men’s Basketball) Pitt Panthers vs. Connecticut Huskies, March 15, 2003
#33 Never Too Late (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers, September 30, 1989
#32 The Last of Its Kind (Men’s Football) Allegheny Gators vs. Lycoming Warriors, December 8, 1990
#31 On to the Final Four (Men’s Basketball) Pitt Panthers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels, March 21, 1941
#30 The Real Heisman Trophy Winner (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, December 29, 1980
#29 Setting the Table (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Kansas Jayhawks, December 26, 1975
#28 Redemption (Men’s Basketball) Duquesne Dukes vs. St. Bonaventure Bonnies, March 1, 1961
#27 Now We Believe (Men’s Football) Carnegie Tech Tartans vs. Pitt Panthers, November 5, 1938
#26 Sweet Sixteen Celebration (Men’s Basketball) Pitt Panthers vs. Xavier Musketeers, March 26, 2009
#25 Number 44 (Women’s Basketball) California (PA) Vulcans vs. California Baptist Lancers, March 27, 2015
#24 Knute’s Albatross (Men’s Football) Carnegie Tech Tartans vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, November 17, 1928
#23 A Comeback of Epic Proportions (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers, October 17, 1970
#22 A New Experience (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions, November 26, 1976
#21 Ringing in the New Year (Men’s Basketball) Duquesne Dukes vs. La Salle Explorers, December 31, 1954
#20 Pickett’s Charge (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes, November 24, 2017
#19 A New Sheriff in Town (Men’s Football) Duquesne Dukes vs. Pitt Panthers, October 17, 1936
#18 Changing of the Guard (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, September 11, 1976
#17 Crushed Hopes (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers, December 1, 2007
#16 A Tragic Victory (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions, December 7, 1963
#15 The Blemish (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Clemson Tigers, November 12, 2016
#14 The Storck Delivers (Women’s Basketball) California (PA) Vulcans vs. Drury Panthers, March 27, 2004
#13 303 (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, November 15, 1975
#12 Double Duty (Men’s Basketball) Duquesne Dukes vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, March 22, 1940
#11 Vengeance Is Ours (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. USC Trojans, October 13, 1934
#10 Hefferle’s Folly (Men’s Football) Duquesne Dukes vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs, January 1, 1937
#9 A Fruitless Venture (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Fordham Rams, October 16, 1937
#8 No Respect (Men’s Football) Carnegie Tech Tartans vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, November 28, 1926
#7 A Legend Is Born (Men’s Basketball) Pitt Panthers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, February 18, 1928
#6 The Undisputed Champion (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Georgia Tech Golden Tornado, November 23, 1918
#5 California Dreamin’ (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Washington Huskies, January 1, 1937
#4 The Scoreless Victory (Men’s Football) Washington & Jefferson Presidents vs. California Golden Bears, January 2, 1922
#3 The Phoenix (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Georgia Bulldogs, January 1, 1977
#2 A Two-Man Show (Men’s Basketball) Duquesne Dukes vs. Dayton Flyers, March 19, 1955
#1 The Last Waltz (Men’s Football) Pitt Panthers vs. Georgia Bulldogs, January 1, 1982
Notes
Acknowledgments
Every project I begin is the extension of a dream I’ve had since I was young: writing about the history of sports in a place I’ve always treasured. It’s the extension of a dream I was inspired to pursue by my parents, Dom and Eleanor; by my grandparents, Inez, Tom, Maria, and Angelo; by my aunts and uncles, Vince, Betty, Maryanne, Louise, Norma, Jeannie, Libby, Mary, and Evie; and by my cousins, Tom Aikens and Eddie DiLello. It’s a dream I am inspired to continue to pursue, thanks to my loving wife, Viv; my children, Cara, Matt, and Tony; my brother, Jamie, and his wife, Cindy; my nieces, Brianna and Marissa; my sister, Mary, and her husband, Matthew; my other cousins, Fran, Luci, Flo, Beth, Tom, Gary, Linda, Amy, Amanda, Claudia, Ginny Lynn, Pam, Debbie, Diane, Vince, and Richard; and, last but not least, my in-laws, Vivian and Salvatore Pansino.
There is my roundtable of Pittsburgh sports experts who provide insight into the teams of today as well as those of the past, a group that I call on to bounce ideas off when needed. They include Chris Fletcher, Bill Ranier, Dan Russell, Rich Boyer, Gary Kinn, Tom Rooney, Shawn Christen, Matt O’Brotka, Don Lavell, Gary Degnan, Robert Healy III, David Laza, Mark Franz, Frank Katz, Joe Magnu, Dave Pevarnik, and Mark Richard.
To get a project to reach its potential, you need a good publisher, and in this case I have one of the best. A press that I’ve had the honor to work with on five books. The fine people at The Kent State University Press include Will Underwood, Jonathan Knight, Rebekah Cotton, and Mary Young.
Finally, a thank-you to those whose generous help in securing the photos for this book were most essential in completing the project: Dave Saba from Duquesne; E. J. Borghetti from the University of Pittsburgh; Allegheny College’s Jim Berger; Taylor Powers from St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania; Matt Kifer of the California University of Pennsylvania; and those who helped with some essential research such as Craig Britcher at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.
Introduction
Most of my books have been about the national pastime and my favorite professional team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, so it comes as no surprise that many think it’s my favorite sport. I certainly do love baseball as well as the Bucs, but, truth be told, my dirty little secret is that college football has always been my first love, and with it the trials and tribulations of the University of Pittsburgh football team, which has been my main sports passion.
There’s just something special about college football, as well as collegiate sports in general. The unbridled excitement by those on the field of play just isn’t replicated in professional sports. In college football, with only four teams in the playoff for the national championship, every game from Labor Day on is like a season-long elimination tournament. Every game counts. College basketball brings us a tournament un