Jovenitti: Remembering the best of Wannstedt

Dave Wannstedt didn’t quite bring the Panthers back to the national prominence fans sought,… Dave Wannstedt didn’t quite bring the Panthers back to the national prominence fans sought, but he was still the most successful Pitt coach since Jackie Sherrill (1977-81).

Here are some highlights from Wannstedt’s tenure with the Panthers.

Overall record: 42-31

Big East record: 19-16

Bowl record: 1-1

2005 (5-6, 4-3 Big East)

The Wannstedt era at Pitt began with a subpar season. But that was to be expected, as Wannstedt wasn’t left with much talent at his disposal after Walt Harris departed.

ESPN’s College GameDay came to Heinz Field for the much-hyped season opening game between Pitt and Notre Dame. It was the first game as head coach for both Wannstedt and Notre Dame’s Charlie Weiss. Weiss’ Irish won the game 42-21, but he would ultimately be fired in 2009.

2006 (6-6, 2-5 Big East)

Wannstedt began his second season 6-1 and it looked like the Panthers had a bowl berth locked up. But the team lost its final five games, and the .500 Panthers were left out of the postseason.

Yet the season will forever be remembered for the Darelle Revis 73-yard punt return against West Virginia. Not only did Revis juke and weave his way into the end zone for the score, but it was all made possible by a bone-crushing block from Pitt’s Derek Kinder that took out two Mountaineer defenders. The play was voted by ESPN as the 2006 College Football Play of the Year.

2007 (5-7, 3-4 Big East)

If there is one fond memory that all Panther fans will have of the Wannstedt era, it will be evoked simply by the phrase “13-9”.

That was the score of Pitt’s win over No. 2 West Virginia in the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl. It was supposed to be a cakewalk to the national championship for the Mountaineers, but instead, it will go down as Wannstedt’s biggest win as Pitt’s coach.

2008 (9-4, 5-2 Big East)

Wannstedt took the Panthers to their first bowl game since 2004 after posting a 9-3 regular-season record. The season included a marathon four-overtime win at Notre Dame and a 19-15 win over West Virginia at Heinz Field.

The Panthers would ultimately lose to Oregon State, 3-0, in one of the most boring bowl games in the history of bowl games, but at least the Panthers were back in the postseason.

2009 (10-3, 5-2 Big East)

The Panthers only lost three games and all three were by one touchdown or less — two of them were by less than a field goal. And Pitt again defeated rival Notre Dame in a primetime matchup late in the season.

Wannstedt capped it off with a 19-17 win over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The 10-win season was the first time the Panthers reached double digits in the win column since Sherill’s squad — which featured Dan Marino — reached 11 wins in 1981.

2010 (7-5, 5-2 Big East)

Wannstedt entered the season with the highest expectations of any Pitt squad in decades. The Panthers were ranked in the top 15 to start the season. The Big East coaches picked them to easily win the conference and earn a BCS bowl berth.

But after a season of underachievement where the Panthers lost all five of their nationally televised games to finish 7-5, the Panthers earned a bid to the obscure BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., against Kentucky.

After pressure from the media and six years of relative disappointment, Wannstedt announced his resignation. He will remain on staff as a special assistant to the athletic director.

So the Wannstedt era might not have been as victorious as fans hoped, but the man with the mustache certainly found some success. And that has to count for something.