A Few University of Pittsburgh Football Greats

Mike Ditka (1958-1960)

Mike Ditka is a well known commodity in the football scene. Ditka grew up not far from his college alma mater. He didn't have far to travel to get to his college destination. The Pittsburgh campus was only about 20 miles away. He was recruited by 3 schools coming out of high school. The other two schools were Notre Dame & Penn State.

He played tight end(TE) all 3 of his seasons spent at Pitt. Not only did he play tight end, he was also the team's punter. He is considered to be one of the greatest tight ends to play college football. He was voted to the College Football All-America Team for his senior season. He is also voted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

After leaving college Ditka went on to have a stellar NFL playing & coaching career. He played for the Bears, Eagles, & Cowboys. He was a 5 time Pro Bowl selection. 3 time Super Bowl champion. He was the very first tight end ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His success didn't stop at playing. He was head coach of both the Chicago Bears & New Orleans Saints.

He led the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl XX championship. This victory was highlighted around the world with a "Super Bowl Shuffle" video & song that featured Ditka in it. As a head coach, he was known for his antics during post-game press conferences. He often would lose his cool & lash out out at the media. Ditka currently works for ESPN as a football analyst.

Tony Dorsett (1973-1976)

Tony Dorsett was one of the finest running backs to ever play college football. He led Pittsburgh to a nation title in 1976. During this season Dorsett picked up numerous awards. He won the Heisman. He won the Maxwell Award given to the best college football player in America. He also won the the Walter Camp Award for college football Player of the Year.

He led the nation in rushing in 1976. His total was a whopping 1948 yards. He was first team All-American 3 out of 4 seasons at Pitt. He finished on the 2nd team All-America squad his other season. Dorsett ranks #2 all-time in college football for rushing yards trailing only Ricky Williams.

He had two games to well remember in college. Both games were against the mighty Irish. He rushed for 303 yards in 1975 & he totaled 290 rushing yards in 1976. People even said that Notre Dame let the field grass grow high to try & help slow this great running back down.

Dorsett went on to have a great NFL career as well. He played 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys & one with the Denver Broncos. He holds honors as being the only player to ever win a college national title one year & a Super Bowl championship the next. He helped lead the Cowboys to Super Bowl XXII win. During that Super Bowl winning season Dorsett was voted Rookie of the Year in the NFL. He has been voted into both the College Football & Pro Football Hall of Fame. Both were done in 1994.

Dan Marino (1979-1982)

Probably the greatest QB in Pitt history & quite possibly in NFL history. Dan Marino played college football for the very program that he grew up around. It's not often you see a guy playing for his hometown in college.

He had a great college career but his Heisman & national championship hype going into his senior season failed. Marino was the favorite for the Heisman heading into his senior campaign but it didn't work out for him. Pitt lost to SMU in the 1983 Cotton Bowl with the "Pony Express" by his side. This was in reference to players Eric Dickerson & Craig James.

Due to his subpar senior season, Marino wasn't drafted as high as expected. There were 5 other QB's drafted before him in the 1983 NFL Draft. Well, The teams that passed on him wished they hadn't. Miami was the team that picked him & the rest is literally "history".

He spent his entire NFL career in Miami. Playing 17 seasons in the NFL & setting numerous passing records. He was voted NFL MVP in 1984. He was a 9-time Pro Bowl selection. He never won a Super Bowl title though with the Dolphins. His jersey number has been officially retired by Miami. He was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

 

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The Golfing Greats - Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer has said "Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character." His sense of fairness, kindness toward everyone, and dry sense of humor have made him one of the most popular golfers to ever play the game. And he was pretty darned good at the game, too!

As a world-famous golfer, Arnold Palmer won a majority of his 92 championships on the U.S. PGA tour. The only "major" he never won was the PGA Championship, although he finished second in three of them. Probably most noted for being the first pro to win four Masters Tournaments, it's not surprising to find that he started playing golf at the ripe old age of four. He worked hard at developing his golf game throughout most of his life, and it shows with some of the prestigious awards he's won including: the 1960 Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year, the 1960 Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year, and even Athlete of the Decade for the 1960s in a national Associated Press poll. The awards culminated in 2004 when President Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House.

His professional career began in 1954, just a few months after he won the U.S. Amateur Championship. The leading money winner in three of the four years spanning his biggest period from 1960 to 1963, Palmer twice represented the U.S. in the international Ryder Cup Match.

But Palmer never let all that prestige and status go to his head. He unfailingly maintained a dry and subtle sense of humor. After succumbing to bad luck on the 18th hole at the Rancho Park L.A. Open in 1961, a newsman asked how he had managed to make 12 on the par 5 hole. His reply: "I missed my putt for an 11."

Rancho Park became his home golf course for many years. The 20th Century Fox Studios were right across the street, and many times you'd find Hollywood stars mixing with the regular golfing crowd. It's said that after Palmer once played a round with Frank Sinatra - the famed singer rumored to have been involved with the Italian Mafia - Sinatra asked him, "How do you like my game?" Palmer responded with a straight face, "I prefer golf."

Palmer even got along with members of the media, laughing at the statement made by one television commentator who noted during a live broadcast that Palmer "seems to be having trouble with his long putt. However he has no trouble dropping his shorts." That same kindness, understanding and sense of fairness have carried through his life and led to the unofficial creation of Arnie's Army, a dedicated group of fans that has numbered in the thousands.

The honor and unceasing dedication those fans offer Palmer is well-warranted. His philanthropic efforts, while never highly publicized, have earned him recognition with those who count - the people who know him. For two decades, Palmer served as honorary national chairman of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and has played major roles in fund-raising drives for hospitals in both Orlando, Florida, and Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the town in which he was born.

Now in semi-permanent retirement, Palmer splits his time between Latrobe and La Quinta, California. He has numerous business interests around the world and still keeps his hand in his first passion, golf, serving as a consultant to The Golf Channel, designing golf courses around the country, and owning several golf courses, including being part owner of the renowned Pebble Beach course in California.

Famed golf pro, down-to-earth father and family man, quiet philanthropist - all can be used to describe Arnold Palmer. His life in golf has mirrored his life in general. Speaking of golf, he once noted, "I've always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn't have a chance to win." It seems, however, that it has been those who know him that have been the real winners in this game.