Harris, Athletics reveal new slogan, “strive to be mediocre”

Change is in the air on the South Side of Pittsburgh, and it’s not for the better or the… Change is in the air on the South Side of Pittsburgh, and it’s not for the better or the worse.

It’s to stay the same.

On Wednesday, Pitt football head coach Walt Harris announced that there will be a change to his team’s philosophy for the upcoming 2004 season.

No longer will the team slogan be “Commitment. Teamwork. Pride.” Instead, Harris decided to use something that better fits the performance of his team over the last four years.

“We’ve been to four consecutive no-name bowls, and that’s a tremendous accomplishment for our program,” Harris said. “Since we can’t seem to improve on that, I’ve decided to change our team motto to ‘Commitment to Mediocrity.'”

The change comes with complete support from Pitt administration and the athletics department.

“We support this change 100 percent,” said athletics director Jeff Long. “Walt Harris is a tremendous coach and a tremendous recruiter. He has brought this program to a successful level of mediocrity and we stand behind him.”

In his seven years at Pitt, Harris has compiled a very mediocre record of 44-40, including a 2-3 record in bowl games. Included in that win total is a 9-1 record against teams from the Mid-American Conference and wins over Division I-AA schools like Villanova and East Tennessee State, not to mention three consecutive wins over an overrated Virginia Tech team.

“Year in and year out, we usually beat the teams that we’re supposed to,” Harris said. “Sometimes we don’t, and that’s probably my fault. But every once in a while, we go out and win tremendous football games.”

In a related story, Harris’ entire staff has decided to leave Pitt, citing the change in team philosophy as the reason.

“You play to win the games,” said former Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads. “Our time at Pitt has been tremendous, but it really is time to move on.”

While there is no definite destination for Harris’ former coaches, it is rumored that they will all become coaches at Nebraska.

Harris, though, said he thinks the changes will help Pitt accomplish its new goal.

“Calling plays is real hard with those guys,” he said. “Without them, we’ll be mediocre for sure.”