Football: Siblings enjoying time together as Panthers

When talking about each other, football players often say, “He’s like a brother to me.” Eight Panthers have both “brothers” and actual siblings on the team.

Four sets of brothers play football for Pitt, and many said that having family on the team helps push them harder and gives them a slight advantage. The Pitt News took a look at many of these pairs… When talking about each other, football players often say, “He’s like a brother to me.” Eight Panthers  have both “brothers” and actual siblings on the team.

Four sets of brothers play football for Pitt, and many said that having family on the team helps push them harder and gives them a slight advantage. The Pitt News took a look at many of these pairs.

Andrew and Jon Taglianetti

The name Taglianetti already has a place in Pittsburgh sports history. When Andrew and Jon were just toddlers, their father, Peter, won two Stanley Cups as a defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

But now the redshirt sophomore twins are ready to make a space for their own names in Pittsburgh sports lore. If there is one thing that will help them accomplish that, it’s one another.

“It just seems normal, you know,” Andrew said of playing with his brother. “We’re always with each other. We live together, too. We didn’t play with each other in high school, but now I always have someone on my side here.”

The brothers from Bridgeville went to different high schools. Jon stayed at South Fayette High School while Andrew went to Central Catholic in Oakland.

“I just wanted to do something else,” Andrew said. “The all-boy Catholic education, I thought, would be very beneficial. It just worked out well, and they had a good football team.”

Andrew, along with Pitt’s starting quarterback Tino Sunseri, won a PIAA state championship at Central Catholic his senior year, while Jon quarterbacked South Fayette and rushed for 898 yards his senior season.

So when the twins started training camp together in 2008, it was the first time in four years that they had played organized football together.

“I think it brings us closer together,” Jon said. “We see each other every day. I like being around him and having someone there that understands and someone I can talk to whenever I need to.”

“Having a family member here is a big help with what you go through every day,” he said.

But the on-field reunion almost didn’t happen.

“I wasn’t really sure about playing college football,” Jon said. “I have [an equipment management] job with the Penguins that I take pretty seriously, and it’s something that I want to get into. I was leaning toward working more and going to school, but not really playing football.”

“But being close to home and playing sports isn’t something I couldn’t really turn down,” he said.

Andrew was still deciding which school he wanted to attend, but when Jon committed to Pitt, he easily made up his mind.

Andrew starred on special teams in 2008 as a true freshman and blocked three punts. But last year he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game of the year after starting at safety.

Jon redshirted his freshman year and saw limited action in three games last year. He is expected to see playing time at linebacker or on special teams this season.

The twins played hockey until ninth grade, as Their father’s hockey history gave them a lot of access to the NHL. Although they were very young when their father was playing for the Penguins, they often hear stories that help them remember what it was like.

“Going through the locker room now and just seeing some of those guys, they always tell us stories,” Andrew said. “Jaromír Jágr used to chase us around in the locker room when we were kids.”

“One I remember is that dad got in a fight [during a game] and my mom tells a story like we were scared of him after,” Jon said.

But the twins’ parents swayed them away from hockey and toward football.

“Our parents kind of just said we gotta start to choose one,” Jon said. “In western PA there’s not many places you can skate, whereas people up in Boston and Minnesota have a rink every five miles.

“They never gave us the ‘you can’t play,’ but you know, especially with [my dad’s knowledge], and what he thought was good for us, we chose football,” he said.

That led them to a few more sets of brothers.

Dom and Brock DeCicco

The DeCicco brothers have been playing football together their entire lives, although they were sometimes playing at different levels because Dom is three years older than Brock. The two said it’s always nice to have each other around.

“Whenever there’s something going on, or just for some advice, it’s always nice to have him here,” said Brock, a redshirt freshman.

“It’s a cool experience,” Dom, now a senior, said. “Not even just on the football field going against him, but off the football field getting to hang out with him and introducing him to the college life.”

Dom said he didn’t have to try very hard to get his little brother to join him at Pitt after Brock saw how successful Dom was and how well he was treated by the University.

“[Dom] definitely liked it here so that definitely helped me toward coming here knowing that he’s been here and liked it,” Brock said.

Dom has become a successful starter at strong safety for the Panthers. He had 88 tackles, three interceptions and forced a fumble last year. Brock redshirted last year and is expected to see action at tight end this year, which means he will sometimes have to go up against his brother at practice.

“This year, we went up against each other a lot more,” Dom said. “They haven’t thrown the ball yet at him when I was covering him, though. He’s had to try blocking me and it’s been fun.”

Dom said the two make each other work a little harder.

“You can’t let the little brother ever get the best of you,” he said.

Despite their occasional head-to-head match-ups,Brock said he hasn’t really talked trash with his brother, yet.

“I talk more trash with Nate on the end.”

The DeCiccos went to Thomas Jefferson High School in Jefferson Hills with Nate Nix, who has a brother of his own and just so happens to be a Panther, as well.

Lucas and Nate Nix

Thomas Jefferson is a high school football powerhouse, and it frequently plays in the WPIAL championship game at Heinz Field every November. It isn’t uncommon for TJ to have many players go on to the next level.

So when Nate Nix committed to Pitt in 2005 and Dom DeCicco committed in 2006, Lucas Nix admitted that it influenced his decision.

“My family and Dom’s family were close so we grew up together and were friends since first grade,” said Lucas, a junior. “We all played football together and it just kind of fell into place where we all had the chance to come to the same school.”

“We pretty much all have been playing football together since we were 6 years old, and we won a lot of championships,” Dom said. “It was just natural playing with each other.”

“It’s basically like high school,” Nate, a redshirt senior, said. “It just brings the camaraderie that comes with us.”

The Nix brothers said their relationship is a lot like those of the other sets of brothers on the team — they push each other.

“It keeps me motivated. I see him working hard every day and I have to work a little harder to try to show him up. We kind of just feed off each other,” Lucas said.

Nate is entering his final season as a Panther and moved to defensive end last year after playing his first two years as linebacker.

He notched 20 tackles  — two for losses — and contributed on special teams. He blocked a punt in the Cincinnati game, which was eventually turned into a touchdown. Lucas is a junior starter at right tackle.

Naturally, with Nate being on the defensive side of the ball, he often lines up against his brother.

“I’ve been getting my fair share of my brother this year,” Lucas said.

“It’s kind of neat,” Nate said. “Back in high school we were always on the same side of the ball. If we were on offense, we both were. If we were on defense, we both were.”

“Now I get to release some energy and frustrations on him,” he said. “But he’s a good player and hopefully I’m making him better, and at the same time he’s making me better.”

In addition to the Nix, DeCicco and Taglianetti siblings, Pitt got a fourth set of brothers this year when running back Derrick Burns joined the team as a freshman. His brother, redshirt sophomore Chris Burns, is also a running back for the Panthers. Derrick was injured, though, and did not participate in camp this year and could not play collegiate football with his brother yet.

None of them could think of many disadvantages of having a brother on the team.

The only thing Lucas Nix could think of was that the coaches automatically come to him if his brother is late.

“That gets on my nerves a bit,” he said.

But they all have the same goal for this year: “Win a national championship,” Nate said.

Sports Editor Alex Oltmanns contributed to this report.