1973 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

The 1973 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. The Panthers competed in the Fiesta Bowl.

1973 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Fiesta Bowl, L 7–28 Arizona State
Conference	Independent
Record	6–5–1
Head coach	Johnny Majors (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	George Haffner (1st season)
Offensive scheme	I formation, Split backs
Defensive coordinator	Jackie Sherrill (1st season)
Base defense	4–4
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium
Seasons ← 1972 1974 →

1973 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame			–					11	–	0	–	0
No. 5 Penn State			–					12	–	0	–	0
No. 9 Houston			–					11	–	1	–	0
Temple			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 20 Tulane			–					9	–	3	–	0
Memphis State			–					8	–	3	–	0
Tampa			–					8	–	3	–	0
Boston College			–					7	–	4	–	0
South Carolina			–					7	–	4	–	0
Utah State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Air Force			–					6	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss			–					6	–	4	–	1
Northern Illinois			–					6	–	5	–	0
Rutgers			–					6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia			–					6	–	5	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					6	–	5	–	1
Colgate			–					5	–	5	–	0
Dayton			–					5	–	5	–	1
Xavier			–					5	–	5	–	1
Georgia Tech			–					5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross			–					5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					5	–	6	–	0
Cincinnati			–					4	–	7	–	0
Marshall			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	7	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					3	–	7	–	1
Villanova			–					3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse			–					2	–	9	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					2	–	9	–	0
Army			–					0	–	10	–	0
Florida State			–					0	–	11	–	0
Lamar			–					5	–	5	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					3	–	7	–	1
Texas-Arlington			–					4	–	6	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	2:00 p.m.	at Georgia		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA		T 7–7	52,005	[1]
September 22	1:30 p.m.	Baylor		Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		L 14–20	28,332
September 29	2:30 p.m.	at Northwestern		Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL		W 21–14	24,462
October 6	1:30 p.m.	Tulane		Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		L 6–24	25,054	[2]
October 13	1:30 p.m.	at West Virginia		Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl)		W 35–7	37,000	[3]
October 20	1:30 p.m.	at Boston College		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA		W 28–14	23,219
October 27	1:30 p.m.	Navy		Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 22–17	33,136
November 3	1:30 p.m.	Syracuse		Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)		W 28–14	24,932
November 10	1:30 p.m.	No. 5 Notre Dame	No. 20	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)		L 10–31	56,593
November 17	1:30 p.m.	at Army		Michie Stadium West Point, NY		W 34–0	33,264
November 24	1:30 p.m.	at No. 6 Penn State	No. 20	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)		L 13–35	56,600
December 21	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 10 Arizona State		Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	Mizlou	L 7–28	50,878	[4]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Personnel

Roster

1973 Pittsburgh Panthers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class OT 76 Dave Wannstedt Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT Gary Burley Jr DT 75 Glenn Hyde Sr DE 85 Tom Perko So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Johnny Majors Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Coaching staff

1973 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
	Coaching staff Johnny Majors – Head coach Jackie Sherrill – Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator George Haffner – Offensive coordinator Joe Avezzano – Offensive line Jim Dyar – Defensive line Larry Holton – Defense Harry Jones – Offensive backs Bob Leahy – Head Freshman Coach Joe Madden – Defensive secondary Bob Roper – Receivers Bob Matey – Freshman Defensive Line Keith Schroeder – Scouting			Support staff Albert Smith – Executive Assistant Director of Athletics

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Rod Kirby	Linebacker	11	278	Buffalo Bills
Jim Buckmon	Defensive end	12	295	New Orleans Saints
Dave Wannstedt	Tackle	15	376	Green Bay Packers

^[5]

References

1. "New-look Pitt ties Georgia, 7–7". The Pittsburgh Press. September 16, 1973. Retrieved October 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Pitt burned by 'big play' Tulane, 24–6". The Pittsburgh Press. October 7, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Pitt crushes W. Virginia, 35–7". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 14, 1973. Retrieved January 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Fiesta time a big disappointment". The Pittsburgh Press. December 22, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "1974 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.