Pitt fraternity runs football from Pitt to WVU

Before the Backyard Brawl comes the Backyard Run.

This Saturday, the brothers of Pitt’s… Before the Backyard Brawl comes the Backyard Run.

This Saturday, the brothers of Pitt’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity will spend nearly all day playing football. But for them, the field does not stretch the standard 100 yards. Instead these players will run 139,040 yards — from the Cathedral of Learning to the Mountaineers’ stadium in Morgantown, W.Va.

Phi Delta Theta will hold its fifth annual Backyard Run, a spin-off of the legendary Backyard Brawl football game between Pitt and West Virginia, to raise money for the chapter’s philanthropy, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The 79-mile relay will be split up into three-mile increments, one of which that each brother will run while carrying a football. Cars filled with runners will drop them off at different predetermined checkpoints across the two states, exchanging exhausted runners for fresh ones.

Last year, the fraternity participants began their run from Morgantown at 1 a.m. Saturday and reached the Cathedral of Learning that afternoon. This year, the football carry will reverse because WVU is hosting the Thanksgiving-break football game. The football will start in Pittsburgh as the brothers “bring the game” to Morgantown, said Peter Hopkins, the chairman for Backyard Run.

Behind the unique event that combines college rivalry, brotherhood and athleticism is a fraternity goal to help people who suffer from cystic fibrosis, including one of its chapter’s own members, Nicholas Dell’Omo. The Pitt 2009 alumnus and former president of Pitt’s Phi Delta Theta chapter was a member of the fraternity in 2007, the year the run started.

“We wanted to start some kind of philanthropy event that we could do every year and eventually grow and build a name for ourselves with,” Dell’Omo said. “I was really flattered and excited.”

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, cystic fibrosis is a disease passed down through families that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs, digestive tract and other areas of the body. It’s one of the most common chronic lung diseases in children and young adults. It’s a life-threatening disorder.

Last year, the chapter raised $8,900 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, more than three times the amount it raised since the first Backyard Run. This year the fraternity has raked in a little more than $2,000 in donations thus far by contacting local businesses, family members, friends and alumni. They plan to continue to raise money throughout the rest of the year.

“Our initial goal [for this year] was to raise twice what we raised last year,” said Hopkins, a sophomore neuroscience major. “But some of the people that were really involved with it last year aren’t here this year, so that’s kind of an obstacle that we’re trying to get over.”

Vincent Mattiola, a sophomore studying neuroscience and philosophy and brother of Phi Delta Theta, said the brothers go into the event without any training. He began the race last year at West Virginia’s stadium.

“It was more of ‘run as far as you can before you fall over and die,’” he said. “I started at 1 in the morning since I was the first leg. I made it like four and a half miles. Some guys ran like three miles, some guys ran like six miles. As a fraternity, we relied on each other to make it to the end.”

As a safety precaution, some of the brothers will drive behind each of the runners along the course, most of which takes place along Route 19 and on rural roads. The runners will also wear reflective vests to increase their visibility in the dark. Despite all safety precautions taken, the runners anticipate encounters with WVU fans, which they experienced last year.

“The greatest part [from last year’s run] was running through West Virginia and getting a lot of crap from those WVU kids, ’cause we’re obviously from Pitt, and we’ve obviously been yelling at them on the way down [to the stadium] and stuff,” Mattiola said. “It was cool to see the strong rivalry, and we got a really good reception.”

Along with the football, the brothers of Phi Delta Theta will carry a sense of tradition and pride as they run each of the 79 miles to Morgantown.

“It’s just something fun,” Mattiola said. “We turn a fun event into something that we can raise awareness for cystic fibrosis and donate a huge amount of money to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and we’re really proud of that.”