The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season and is recognized as a consensus national champion. Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the best Division I team in the East. The Panthers played their home games at Pitt Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
During the 1970s, the top-ranked team won its bowl game only three times: Pittsburgh joined
In the first game of the 1976 season, the Panthers faced off against Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. A year earlier, Tony Dorsett had finished with 303 yards rushing in Pitt's 34–20 victory over the Irish. "They even grew the grass high," said Carmen DeArdo, a diehard Pitt alumnus, "and everyone knew Tony would get the ball." "They didn't let that grass grow long enough," Dorsett said later. He darted 61 yards on his first run of the season and tacked on 120 more by the end of the 31–10 Pitt win.
The season continued with a 42–14 win at Georgia Tech and a 36–19 win over Miami. The Panthers traveled to Annapolis on October 23 to face Navy and Dorsett broke the NCAA career rushing record on a 32-yard touchdown run in the victory. Dorsett's achievement prompted a mid-game celebration in which even Navy saluted the feat with a cannon blast. Pitt won a tough, hard-fought battle against struggling rival Syracuse.
On November 6, the second-ranked Panthers hosted Army at Pitt Stadium and won handily, but the significant action was taking place several hundred miles west, in West Lafayette, Indiana, where the Purdue Boilermakers held off the top-ranked Michigan Wolverines 16–14 in the closing seconds. The Pitt Stadium crowd erupted in celebration when the stadium public address announcer dramatically gave the final score from Purdue. For the first time in the modern era, Panther fans could legitimately claim, "We're number one!" Pitt defended its ranking in a close Backyard Brawl against West Virginia to go 10–0 heading into the regular season finale on national television against instate rival
At a packed Three Rivers Stadium on the night after Thanksgiving, the Nittany Lions scored first and held Dorsett to 51 yards in the first half; the game was tied at seven at halftime. Majors adjusted for the second half by shifting Dorsett from tailback to fullback, enabling him to explode for an additional 173 yards as Pitt rolled to a victory to cap an undefeated regular season.
In December, Dorsett became the first (and remains the only) Pitt Panther to win the Heisman Trophy as the nation's best college football player. Dorsett also won the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and was named UPI Player of the Year. He led the nation in rushing with 1,948 yards and was selected as an All-American. Dorsett finished his college career with 6,082 total rushing yards, then an NCAA record for career rushing.
Schedule
Rankings
AP Poll 9 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
UPI Poll 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
Game summaries at No. 11 Notre Dame
Statistics PITT ND First downs 12 20 Total yards 277 287 Rushes/yards 53–191 50–112 Passing yards 87 175 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 6–13–0 13–38–4 Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh Passing Robert Haygood 5–12, 83 yards Rushing Tony Dorsett 22 carries, 181 yards, 1 TD Receiving Jim Corbett 4 receptions, 72 yardsNotre Dame Passing Rushing Receiving
at Georgia Tech
Robert Haygood tore knee ligaments in the victory.
Statistics PITT GT First downs Total yards Rushes/yards Passing yards Passing: Comp–Att–Int Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh Passing Rushing Tony Dorsett 27 carries, 113 yards, 3 TD Receiving Georgia Tech Passing Rushing Receiving
Temple
Statistics TU PITT First downs Total yards Rushes/yards Passing yards Passing: Comp–Att–Int Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsTemple Passing Rushing Receiving Pittsburgh Passing Rushing Receiving
at Duke
Statistics PITT DUKE First downs Total yards Rushes/yards Passing yards Passing: Comp–Att–Int Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh Passing Rushing Receiving Duke Passing Rushing Receiving
Louisville
Statistics LOU PITT First downs Total yards Rushes/yards Passing yards Passing: Comp–Att–Int Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsLouisville Passing Rushing Receiving Pittsburgh Passing Rushing Tony Dorsett 30 carries, 130 yards Receiving
Matt Cavanaugh sustained a hairline fracture in the left ankle during the first half.
Miami (FL)
Statistics MIAMI PITT First downs Total yards Rushes/yards Passing yards Passing: Comp–Att–Int Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsMiami (FL) Passing Rushing Receiving Pittsburgh Passing Rushing Tony Dorsett 35 carries, 227 yards, TD Receiving Tony Dorsett 1 reception, 40 yards, TD
at Navy
Statistics PITT NAVY First downs Total yards Rushes/yards Passing yards Passing: Comp–Att–Int Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh Passing Rushing Tony Dorsett 27 carries, 180 yards, 3 TD Receiving Navy Passing Rushing Receiving
Syracuse
Statistics SYR PITT First downs Total yards Rushes/yards Passing yards Passing: Comp–Att–Int Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsSyracuse Passing Rushing Receiving Pittsburgh Passing Rushing Receiving
Army
Statistics ARMY PITT First downs Total yards Rushes/yards Passing yards Passing: Comp–Att–Int Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsArmy Passing Rushing Receiving Pittsburgh Passing Rushing Receiving
West Virginia
Statistics WVU PITT First downs 15 25 Total yards 169 399 Rushes/yards 44–99 63–350 Passing yards 70 49 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 8–24–1 8–14–0 Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsWest Virginia Passing Dan Kendra 8–24, 70 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing Walt Easley 16 carries, 75 yards Receiving Steve Lewis 6 receptions, 74 yards, 2 TDPittsburgh Passing Matt Cavanaugh 8–14, 49 yards Rushing Tony Dorsett 38 carries, 199 yards, 3 TD Receiving Jim Corbett 4 receptions, 27 yards
vs. No. 16 Penn State
Statistics PITT PSU First downs 20 12 Total yards 419 241 Rushes/yards 65–278 41–106 Passing yards 141 135 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 8–17–2 9–19–4 Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh Passing Matt Cavanaugh 8–16, 141 yards, 2 INT Rushing Tony Dorsett 38 carries, 224 yards, 2 TD Receiving Gordon Jones 4 receptions, 111 yardsPenn State Passing Rushing Receiving
vs. No. 5 Georgia (Sugar Bowl)
The 11–0 Panthers accepted an invitation to the Sugar Bowl to face fifth-ranked Georgia. Pitt defeated the Bulldogs and was voted number one by both the Associated Press and Coaches polls, claiming their ninth national championship. This was Pitt's first undefeated national championship since 1937. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) named Majors the 1976 Coach of the Year. Following this historic season, Majors returned to his alma mater, the University of Tennessee, to take the head coaching job.
Statistics PITT UGA First downs 24 14 Total yards 480 181 Rushes/yards 66–288 40–135 Passing yards 192 46 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 10–18–0 3–22–4 Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh Passing Matt Cavanaugh 10–18, 192 yards, 1 TD Rushing Tony Dorsett 32 carries, 202 yards, 1 TD Receiving Willie Taylor 4 receptions, 72 yardsGeorgia Passing Rushing Receiving
Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups vs. Georgia (Sugar Bowl) Offense SE #24 Gordon Jones LT #64 John Hanhauser LG #77 Matt Carroll C #50 John Pelusi RG #67 Tom Brzoza RT #76 George Messich TE #81 James Corbett QB #12 Matt Cavanaugh TB #33 Tony Dorsett FB #44 Bob Hutton FL #29 Willie Taylor Defense LE #80 Ed Wilamowski LT #68 Don Parrish MG #91 Al Romano RT #70 Randy Holloway RE #60 Cecil Johnson LLB #59 Arnie Weatherton RLB #58 James Cramer MON #14 Jeff Delaney LHB #21 J.C. Wilson RHB #37 LeRoy Felder S #31 Bob Jury
Personnel Coaching staff 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff Coaching staff Johnny Majors – head coach Joe Madden – assistant head coach/defensive secondary Joe Avezzano – offensive coordinator/offensive line Bobby Roper – defensive coordinator/defensive line Bill Cox – quarterbacks/receivers Jim Dyar – defensive secondary Larry Holton – defensive ends Harry Jones – offensive backs Bob Matey – middle guards/junior varsity Support staff Henry Lee Parker – administrative assistant to the head coach Keith Schroeder – coordinator of computer scouting Ray Olsen – graduate assistant Dave Wannstedt – graduate assistant Strength and conditioning staff
Roster
Awards and honors Tony Dorsett, Heisman Trophy Tony Dorsett, Walter Camp Award Tony Dorsett, Maxwell Award Tony Dorsett, led the nation in rushing with 1,948 yards Tony Dorsett, All-America selection
Team players drafted into the NFL Tony Dorsett Running back1 2 Dallas CowboysLarry Swider Punter7 185 Denver BroncosJim Corbett Tight end7 194 Cincinnati BengalsAl Romano Defensive lineman11 289 Houston OilersCarson Long Kicker11 302 Los Angeles RamsDon Parrish Defensive end12 314 Atlanta Falcons
Media Radio WTAE–AM 1250 Bill Hillgrove John Sauer
References
Further information The Year the Panthers Roared. Francis J. Fitzgerald, ed., Louisville, Kentucky, AdCraft Sports, 1996, 1976 team where are they now? Pitt Magazine article