What's
it going to be like when you receive your Pitt degree?
It will be better than any touchdown I've ever scoredbecause this has been a long five years
with a lot of hard work getting this degree. When I was in ninth grade I never
expected to be on a Division I scholarship. I'll be able to tell my kids
someday I played at Pitt and I have a degree from there.
What is your most memorable game at Pitt?
The Meineke Car Care Bowl we won in Charlotte. It was so fun the
entire game. It was one that truly felt like a team-effort win.
It's been awhile since Pitt has returned a punt for a touchdown.
Is that something you want to accomplish before you're done playing at Pitt?
It's not something I'm thinking about all the time but it's
definitely in the back of my mind. I want to get it done before I leave.
Do you remember any returns where you thought you could have gone
for a touchdown?
Oh yeah. There was one at Syracuse two years ago and one in that
Meineke Car Care Bowl. And there was one on the opening kickoff against NC
State that I really should have scored. I still go back and watch that one to
this day, which is kind of ridiculous.
You've obviously got an athletic family. Your
nephew DeJuan Blair is an NBA player while your other nephew Greg Blair plays
college football at Cincinnati. What's that like?
It's really cool because I get to cheer for everybody. It was especially
cool playing Greg earlier this season. He came out talking some trash, trying
to get into my head right from the start. I was thinking 'I'm family dude,' but
I figured out the game he was trying to play so about the third quarter we were
kind of on the same page. It was fun.
You played running back at Gateway. Do you miss having the ball in
your hands that often?
I do, but at the same time I'm a little guy and that would be a
pounding. These guys are huge. In high school it was easy. The middle linebacker
would be about 205 pounds.But now
every week I'm going against huge guys. My body couldn't take that beating so I
think I'm definitely in the right position.
What's it like to play at a school with some all-time great
receivers like Larry Fitzgerald?
It's so cool. Their pictures are all over the walls here. Larry
may be the best receiver in the game right now and to be able to say he went to
Pitt is kind of like bragging rights. It's really weird to think these guys
were in my shoes here at one point.
And your current receivers coach Bobby Engram was the first-ever
Biletnikoff Award winner. Did that bring him instant respect to the players?
Definitely. It's funny because we didn't know it at first. He
didn't really tell us. We knew who Coach Engram was of course, but he didn't
really let us know what was up with the real Bobby Engram. When we found out he
was the first-ever winner of that award we couldn't believe it. We couldn't
believe he didn't tell us.
The Oakland Zoo is teaming up with the Pitt basketball team this weekend for their first-ever 3-on-3 charity basketball tournament. Tipoff for the tournament is set for noon at the Petersen Events Center with all proceeds going to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Club of Greater Pittsburgh.
Head Coach Jamie Dixon and current Panther players will be present for the tournament, which will consist of 32 teams in a double elimination bracket format. The two teams advancing to the championship game will play in the title during halftime of a Pitt men's basketball game with the date still to be determined.
Doors open to the public (students and non-students) at 11 a.m. on Sunday. General admission for the event is $1 per ticket. All collected admission fees will be donated to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh. The Oakland Zoo will also be there to collect any other donations to the charity.
Come
out and support your Oakland Zoo and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater
Pittsburgh in this fun event. Additional details to be released on PittsburghPanthers.com later today.
If
anyone were to ask, I've always said that September 23, 2010 may have been my
worst day professionally.
There were quite a few other things that played into that being
the case, but the only one I still remember vividly is when promising Pitt
sophomore linebacker Dan Mason went down with a well-documented horrific knee
injury.
Injuries are obviously a part of the game, and when you've been in
the business a while you've seen more than your share of upsetting ones. Dan's
was different though. Looking in the eyes of the athletic trainers and doctors
postgame, this was more than just a season-ending injury. The concern was
evident and your heart breaks - not just for lost success on the field, but for
Dan, there was fear he wouldn't walk normally ever again.
I can't remember Dan feeling sorry for himself, or ever believing
his career was over. He just went about his rehabilitation, probably doing his
best to brush off the people he passed in the hall or on campus that felt pity
for him. There wasn't time for pity in his world. With surgery after surgery,
that's not how you get back on the field.
Instead, the light was still in his eyes and a smile on his face
as he hobbled around on crutches or with an obtrusive brace on his right knee.
He knew something we didn't.
I'm sure no one told Dan what his real prognosis was. Why crush
his spirit when that was all he had to keep himself going? He would figure it
out eventually anyway. Everyone involved in his rehabilitation just continued
working as if Dan were the one that was right.
It's funny what happens when you have faith and believe in
yourself though, isn't it?
Just one day shy of the two-year anniversary of his devastating
injury, Dan Mason made it back on the field for the Panthers. What a fun day
for all of us that witnessed the grueling two-year comeback. I can't begin to
imagine how it felt for Dan and his family.
Pitt Panthers Television brings you pre- and postgame shows on every Pitt home football gameday on Comcast (188/210). Below are broadcasts from Saturday's win over Gardner-Webb.
Simply because kickoff is less than 24 hours away, Pitt Live Wire again brings you the Pitt football intro video to get you ready for the game. Hail to Pitt!
Below are events and
details leading up to Saturday's 3:30 p.m. kickoff with Gardner-Webb and a list
of exciting activities surrounding the game.
Gameday activities will include:
Stage AE:12:30 p.m. Great Lawn Tailgate:12:30-3:30 p.m. World's Largest Family Tailgate:12:30-3:30 p.m. Panthers Pregame Headquarters (Hosted by the Pitt Young
Alumni Council and the Pitt Alumni Association at Stage AE) - All Fans Welcome: 1 p.m. Panthers Prowl:1:15 p.m. Pitt Band Pregame Concert(Gate A):1:30 p.m. March To Victory Parade:2:30 p.m. Pitt Panthers Television Pregame Show (Great Hall): 3 p.m.
Pitt introduced a simple to use new
digital ticketing system this year with a multitude of capabilities. One
important component is that fans are able to share their tickets if they are
unable to attend a game. Fans can share tickets with friends and family, sell
their tickets online, or donate to a charity. For more information, visit
the ticket center.
Be sure to visit the Let's Go Pitt Program for deals on dining, shopping and much more while you're in town
for the game.
Will
Call will open three hours prior to kickoff this season at Gate A. Walk-up
ticket sales will take place at Gate B.
Pitt fans are asked to arrive early to the
stadium due to enhanced security measures, which includes a handheld metal detector. The
detector will replace pat-downs. Express lanes will be available for fans that
are not carrying in additional permitted items into Heinz Field.
Your
gameday experience will be heightened this year once inside the stadium as
well. Upgrades to Heinz Field's scoreboard capabilities allow us to provide a
better fan experience including enhanced camera angles, more complete coverage
and more information to those in attendance. The upgrades make Heinz Field one
of the top technologically advanced stadiums in college athletics.
For
additional information on the game this weekend, visit Game Day Central.
Pitt's men's soccer team is off to one of the
program's best starts in school history. The Panthers earned a
NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I NCAA Northeast Region ranking of No. 10 on Tuesday, their first ranking since the 2000 season.
The Panthers, unbeaten
with a 5-0-2 mark, are winners of four-straight matches. Pitt, which is off to
its best seven-game start since 1986, boasts a squad of 17 underclassmen.
Several players have
grabbed individual honors this season with midfielder Nick Wysong the last to
earn an accolade. The freshman was named the Big East Rookie of the Week on
Monday after a hat trick - the first for a Pitt player in nine seasons - against
Northern Kentucky on Friday, Sept. 14.
Junior Nico Wrobel was
tabbed Big East Offensive Player of the Week and received the ECAC's weekly nod
on Sept. 10 and 11, respectively.
The
Panthers host rival Robert Morris on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m., before entering
conference play on Sat., Sept. 22 versus Cincinnati at home.
On Pitt Panthers Television's Pregame Show, broadcast 30 minutes prior to every home football game on Comcast 188 or 210, they highlight a former Pitt great. This week's featured player is Bobby Grier -- the first African-American to play in the Sugar Bowl (1956).
Below are some gameday
reminders for Saturday's noon kickoff with Virginia Tech and a list of exciting
activities surrounding the game. Prior to the game, make sure to visit legendary
former Pitt lineman Hugh Green, who will be signing autographs at Stage AE. Also, come out and
meet the 2012-13 men's and women's basketball teams on Art Rooney Ave.
Gameday activities will include:
Great Lawn Student Tailgate: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
World's Largest Family Tailgate: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Panthers Prowl: 9:45 a.m. Pitt Band Pregame
Concert (Gate
A): 10
a.m. Men's Basketball Team
Autograph Signing: 10:15-11:30 a.m. Interactive Games with
the Women's Basketball Team Hugh Green Autograph
Signing at Stage AE: 10:20-11:15 a.m. March To Victory Parade: 11 a.m.
Pitt's wrestling team and head coach Rande
Stottlemyer will be recognized during the game for their third consecutive
Eastern Wrestling League title and second consecutive EWL Tournament
championship.
Pitt introduced a new digital ticketing
system this year with a multitude of capabilities. One important component is
that fans are able to share their tickets if they are unable to attend a game.
Fans can share tickets with friends and family, sell their tickets online, or
donate to a charity. For more information, visit the ticket center.
Will
Call will open three hours prior to kickoff this season at Gate A. Walk-up
ticket sales will take place at Gate B.
Pitt fans are asked to arrive early to the
stadium due to enhanced security measures, which includes a handheld metal detector. The
detector will replace pat-downs. Express lanes will be available for fans that
are not carrying in additional permitted items into Heinz Field.
Your
gameday experience will be heightened this year once inside the stadium as
well. Upgrades to Heinz Field's scoreboard capabilities allow us to provide a
better fan experience including enhanced camera angles, more complete coverage
and more information to those in attendance. The upgrades make Heinz Field one
of the top technologically advanced stadiums in college athletics.
For
additional information on the game this weekend, visit Game Day Central.
The game has just begun here in Cincinnati. Meanwhile, students at the Petersen Events Center lawn are showing their support back home in Pittsburgh at the student game watch. Hail to Pitt!
Pitt women's basketball released their 2012-13 schedule today, which includes 14 contests against opponents who reached the postseason last year.
The women will join the men on Oct. 12 for an outdoor Midnight Madness to tipoff the season. The event will take place on a floor constructed on Bigelow Boulevard, located between the Cathedral of Learning and the William Pitt Union.
Kickoff for Pitt vs. Cincinnati is just hours away and Pitt Live Wire wants to get you ready. If you loved the new Pitt football intro last weekend on the video board at Heinz Field, see how it all came together.
Pitt's 2012-13 men's basketball schedule has been released and will feature home games against Connecticut, Syracuse, Notre Dame and Villanova in the program's final season in the Big East Conference.
The Panthers are also looking forward to tipping off the season with an outdoor Midnight Madness on Friday, Oct. 12 on an outdoor floor constructed on Bigelow Boulevard, located between the Cathedral of Learning and the William Pitt Union.
As the Pitt football team prepares to travel to Cincinnati for its Thursday night conference matchup, Pat Bostick looks at the mentality and outlook of the squad.
Pitt will host a student game watch on Thursday night for the
nationally-televised Cincinnati contest at the Petersen Events Center lawn.
In addition to being with a few thousand of your closest friends
to watch your Panthers' football team on ESPN, the athletic department, in
conjunction with its sponsors, will offer free soft drinks from
Pepsi, Silverstar hotdogs, Baconators and Frostys from Wendy's
and subs from Jimmy John's.
The Panthers Team Store will be open for students only from
6:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday evening and will offer a buy one, get one half off
special*.
Students will be allowed entry to the area beginning at 7 p.m.,
with the game starting at 8 p.m. You must show a valid Pitt I.D. to attend.
*The
discount will apply to the lesser price of the two items selected. A coupon
cannot be combined with any other offer or used on previously purchased
merchandise. The offer is not valid towards the purchase of gift cards or
special order jerseys. The offer expires at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6,
2012.
Head coach Paul Chryst met with the media today at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex to discuss Pitt's upcoming game at Cincinnati. Pitt Panthers Television presents the Paul Chryst Press Conference Show:
If you are unable to make it to Heinz Field this evening for Pitt's season-opener against Youngstown State, you can watch online and follow the Panthers through Twitter.
Pitt Panthers Television introduces episode 1 of Pitt Live Wire Extra, which runs weekly on Comcast (188/210). Check PittsburghPanthers.com for a complete listing.
Pitt Football Interviews
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