rank school....... average
1. Ohio State...........8
2. West Virginia..... 12.5
3. Brigham Young... 17
4. PITT................ 17.5
5. Wisconsin.......... 20
6. Georgia Tech..... 20.5*
2. West Virginia..... 12.5
3. Brigham Young... 17
4. PITT................ 17.5
5. Wisconsin.......... 20
6. Georgia Tech..... 20.5*
No other schools had both teams finish ranked even in "Others Receiving Votes".
*Georgia Tech finished in a hypothetical 28th place in basketball if rankings were extended into the "Others Receiving Votes".
*Georgia Tech finished in a hypothetical 28th place in basketball if rankings were extended into the "Others Receiving Votes".
If you were to include the final coaches' FCS football rankings, it would end up like this:
1. Ohio State..........8
1. Villanova............8
3. West Virginia.....12.5
4. Butler................15.5*
4. Northern Iowa....15.5
6. Brigham Young..17
7. PITT.................17.5
8. Wisconsin..........20
9. Georgia Tech.....20.5**
10. Dayton.............34***
* Butler in ORV in FCS football
** Georgia Tech in ORV in basketball
*** Dayton in ORV in both sports
That led to the eventual question, has Pitt football and basketball ever been this competitive at the same time. The answer is, of course, Yes. Here's a look at the best periods of combined football and basketball competitiveness.
2002-2004
In 2002-03, Pitt finished 18th in football and 8th in basketball including winning the Big East Tournament and Regular Season Championships. The following academic year Pitt cracked the top ten in football and had the Heisman runner-up. However, Pitt fell out of the rankings in late November and failed to return to the rankings after losing its bowl game. Pitt finished the 2003-04 basketball season ranked 7th along and added another regular season Big East Championship and a second consecutive Sweet 16. If you go through the end of the 2004 calendar year, you can add to that a share of the BE Championship in football, a Fiesta Bowl appearance, and a #25 AP ranking for football. 2002-2004 seems to be the high water mark in recent (i.e. 21st Century) Pitt athletic history, although that can (and hopefully will) change depending on the outcome of 2010-11 and beyond.
1987-1991
It could be said Pitt was competitive in both sports in the late 80s with probably the best combined year coming in 1987-88 with the football team finishing just out of the top 20 after losing to Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl (the AP Poll only ranked the top 20 and Pitt dropped into the Others Receiving Votes listing at what would have been number 23). That spring the basketball team won a regular season Big East Championship and finished 8th in the final (pre-tournament) AP poll, although it was infamously upset as a two seed in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Both sports were competitive, but they never put it together in the same years as they have done in the 2000s.
It could be said Pitt was competitive in both sports in the late 80s with probably the best combined year coming in 1987-88 with the football team finishing just out of the top 20 after losing to Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl (the AP Poll only ranked the top 20 and Pitt dropped into the Others Receiving Votes listing at what would have been number 23). That spring the basketball team won a regular season Big East Championship and finished 8th in the final (pre-tournament) AP poll, although it was infamously upset as a two seed in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Both sports were competitive, but they never put it together in the same years as they have done in the 2000s.
1973-1983
Pitt was also strong on both sides from 1973-1983, although it was not nearly as nationally relevant in basketball as now. In 1974 Pitt went to the Elite Eight and finish ranked. Later, Pitt won Eastern Eight basketball tournament titles in '81 and '82 thus earning appearances in the NCAA tournament those seasons. Football's exploits are well known during this period, including a National Championship and six top ten finishes. There weren't combined final rankings to be had in the same seasons: Basketball only finished ranked in '74, and although football did crack the top 20 earlier that fall, it did not appear in the final rankings. However, football was so good that it helped to make up for basketball's lack of national notoriety.
1955-1964
1955-1964
Another period where both sports was competitive was 1955-1964. Although basketball only cracked the national rankings for one week early in the 1959 season, they made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in '57 (Sweet 16) and '58 on the shoulders of Consensus All-American Don Hennon. Pitt had another NCAA appearance in '63 and an NIT appearance in '64. Meanwhile the football team finished 11th/11th in 1955, 12th/13th in 1956, and 19th/20th in 1959, and 3rd/4th in the famous "no-bowl" year of 1963.
1927-1938
Undisputedly, the "Golden Era" and pinnacle of Pitt Athletics was from 1927-28 to 1937-38. Consider these achievements during that 11-year period:
Football:
4 X National Championships as determined by NCAA listed "major selectors in 1929, 1931, 1936, and 1937
7 X Eastern Championships in 1927, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, and 1937
9 X One-loss or fewer seasons in 1927, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1937
4X Rose Bowl appearances following the 1927, 1929, 1932, and 1936 seasons (not counting the one Pitt turned down in 1937...remember, this was the only bowl until 1935)
21X First Team All-American selections
0.844 Overall winning percentage, zero losing seasons
Basketball:
2X Helms Foundation National Champions in 1928 and 1930
2X "National Championship Game" appearances in 1930 and 1935
4X Eastern Intercollegiate Conference Champions in 1933, 1934, 1935, and 1937
2X Scoring Champion and 1930 National Player of the Year
7X First Team All-American selections
0.761 Overall winning percentage, one losing season
Think about those achievements! That is sticking strictly to those eleven academic years and not extending it to the 1941 Final Four or the 1925 Eastern Football Championship. In any case, very few schools can claim such a dominant era.
The thing to keep in mind, though, is that today we have long term stability seemingly ensured with supportive leadership in the university administration as well as both the football and basketball coaches wrapped up with long-term contracts. Both sports will follow their performance this season by entering the 2010-11 season ranked in the top 20 and among the favorites to win the Big East Conference. Things are definitely trending upwards and it is a very exciting time to be a Panther!
Undisputedly, the "Golden Era" and pinnacle of Pitt Athletics was from 1927-28 to 1937-38. Consider these achievements during that 11-year period:
Football:
4 X National Championships as determined by NCAA listed "major selectors in 1929, 1931, 1936, and 1937
7 X Eastern Championships in 1927, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, and 1937
9 X One-loss or fewer seasons in 1927, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1937
4X Rose Bowl appearances following the 1927, 1929, 1932, and 1936 seasons (not counting the one Pitt turned down in 1937...remember, this was the only bowl until 1935)
21X First Team All-American selections
0.844 Overall winning percentage, zero losing seasons
Basketball:
2X Helms Foundation National Champions in 1928 and 1930
2X "National Championship Game" appearances in 1930 and 1935
4X Eastern Intercollegiate Conference Champions in 1933, 1934, 1935, and 1937
2X Scoring Champion and 1930 National Player of the Year
7X First Team All-American selections
0.761 Overall winning percentage, one losing season
Think about those achievements! That is sticking strictly to those eleven academic years and not extending it to the 1941 Final Four or the 1925 Eastern Football Championship. In any case, very few schools can claim such a dominant era.
The thing to keep in mind, though, is that today we have long term stability seemingly ensured with supportive leadership in the university administration as well as both the football and basketball coaches wrapped up with long-term contracts. Both sports will follow their performance this season by entering the 2010-11 season ranked in the top 20 and among the favorites to win the Big East Conference. Things are definitely trending upwards and it is a very exciting time to be a Panther!
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