1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Tangerine Bowl, L 17–30 vs. NC State
ConferenceIndependent
Record8–4
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDon Boyce (1st season)
Offensive schemeSplit backs
Defensive coordinatorJimmy Johnson (2nd season)
Base defense5–2
Home stadiumPitt Stadium
Seasons
← 1977
1979 →
1978 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Penn State   –   –   11 – 1 – 0
North Texas State   –   –   9 – 2 – 0
East Carolina   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
Navy   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
No. 7 Notre Dame   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
Rutgers   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
Florida State   –   –   8 – 3 – 0
Tennessee State   –   –   8 – 3 – 0
Temple   –   –   7 – 3 – 1
Pittsburgh   –   –   8 – 4 – 0
Holy Cross   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Louisville   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
UNLV   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Southern Miss   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Northeast Louisiana   –   –   6 – 4 – 1
Georgia Tech   –   –   7 – 5 – 0
Hawaii   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Miami (FL)   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
South Carolina   –   –   5 – 5 – 1
William & Mary   –   –   5 – 5 – 1
Cincinnati   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Villanova   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Army   –   –   4 – 6 – 1
Memphis State   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Tulane   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Virginia Tech   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Air Force   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Colgate   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Richmond   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Syracuse   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Illinois State   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
West Virginia   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Boston College   –   –   0 – 11 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Panthers competed in the 1978 Tangerine Bowl.

Coach Jackie Sherrill stated in the pre-season that he expected to have "another outstanding football team".[1]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 168:30 p.m.at TulaneNo. 14
W 24–632,658[2]
September 231:30 p.m.TempleNo. 11
W 20–1243,445[3]
September 301:30 p.m.North CarolinaNo. 9
  • Pitt Stadium
  • Pittsburgh, PA
ABCW 20–1650,439[4]
October 71:30 p.m.at Boston CollegeNo. 9
W 32–1521,673[5]
October 1412:30 p.m.at Notre DameNo. 9
ABCL 17–2659,075[6]
October 211:30 p.m.Florida StatedaggerNo. 15
  • Pitt Stadium
  • Pittsburgh, PA
W 7–355,104[7]
October 282:00 p.m.at 18 NavyNo. 15
L 11–2132,909[8]
November 41:00 p.m.at SyracuseNo. 19
W 18–1726,037[9]
November 111:30 p.m.West VirginiaNo. 20
W 52–753,074[10]
November 181:30 p.m.ArmyNo. 18
  • Pitt Stadium
  • Pittsburgh, PA
W 35–1745,297[11]
November 251:30 p.m.at 1 Penn StateNo. 15
ABCL 10–1777,465[12]
December 238:00 p.m.vs. NC StateNo. 16
MizlouL 17–3031,356[13]

[14]

Coaching staff

1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
Coaching staff   Support staff
  • Alex Kramer – Executive Assistant
  • Bob Matey – Scouting coordinator
  • Kevin Dickey – Graduate assistant
  • Gary Davis – Graduate assistant
  • Tony Wise – Graduate assistant
   Strength and conditioning staff
  • Bob Matey – Weight Program

[15]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Gordon Jones Wide receiver 2 34 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Walt Brown Center 5 131 Detroit Lions
Jeff Delaney Defensive back 7 190 Los Angeles Rams
Al Chesley Linebacker 11 296 Philadelphia Eagles
David Logan Nose Tackle 12 307 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

[16]

References

  1. ^ Pitt Strong Again; Lions Up in Air, web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved March 13, 2023
  2. ^ "Panthers rough up Tulane, 24–6". The Pittsburgh Press. September 17, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Pitt rallies by Temple". The State. September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Jacobs, Trocano rally Pitt 20–16". The Palm Beach Post. October 1, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Pitt Thumps Boston College, 32–15". The Pittsburgh Press. October 8, 1978. pp. D1, D2 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Irish overcome Pittsburgh". The Montana Standard. October 15, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Jacobs' jaunt jolts Seminoles for Pitt". Daily Press. October 22, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Navy impressive in defeating Pitt, 21–11". The Hartford Courant. October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Pittsburgh clips Syracuse, 18–17". The Indianapolis Star. November 5, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Pitt attack finally erupts, crushes West Va., 52–7". The Pittsburgh Press. November 12, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Pitt rolls to 35–17 conquest of Cadets". The Patriot-News. November 19, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Paterno takes gamble, keeps Penn St. No. 1". The Miami Herald. November 26, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Wolfpack rips Panthers, in Tangerine Bowl upset". The Tampa Tribune. December 24, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "1978 Pitt Panthers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  15. ^ "Coaches Biographies". 1978 Pitt Football. University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics. 1978. pp. 19–24. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  16. ^ "1979 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.


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