Ronald Ramon was playing in the NCAA with a torn labrum?

Pitt sophomore guard Ronald Ramon is scheduled to have surgery today at UPMC South Side Hospital for a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Ramon, whose shoulder was injured in the Big East tournament last month, is expected to be out 3-6 months. He should be ready for the start of the 2006-07 season.

It is unrelated to the right shoulder injury he suffered last year, and of course the torn ligaments in his right thumb for which he had surgery last fall.

Just noting from the Pitt basketball section that in the sidebar, they have links to sign-up for the Jamie Dixon Basketball Camp.

Jamie Dixon’s Summer Basketball Camp is open to boy’s ages 7-17. Space is limited in order to provide intensive individualized attention for each camper. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

It notes that Pitt basketball players will be among the counselors. I don’t see anything about the free t-shirt, though. You can’t have a 4-day camp, at $285 a pop and not have a free t-shirt.

There is also a link that provides photo galleries from games this season. Most of the home games and the two NCAA Tournament games.

Former walk-on, fan fave and really smart kid Charles Small has a new job.

Former Pitt men’s basketball student-athlete Charles Small has been hired to fill the Pitt Athletic Department’s Student Life & Compliance Assistant position. One of Small’s primary roles as the Student Life & Compliance Assistant will be to coordinate community service projects for student-athletes, such as the Children’s Hospital Honorary Captain’s program and the PAWS Saturday morning sports program, uniting Pitt student-athletes with children from the Oakland and local community. Following graduation, Small will begin his position in May.

“As a four-year member of the men’s basketball team, Charles brings his experience as student-athlete and an accomplished scholar to our administrative staff,” Athletic Director Jeff Long said. “He has earned the respect of student-athletes and coaches alike. Charles is a terrific young man who has a bright future in athletics administration, and I am pleased we are able to help him get his start.”

In addition, Small will be pursuing his graduate degree in social work (he graduates in April with his BA).

The West Point press release.

West Point superintendent, Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox Jr., said the entire community is heartbroken by her death.

“From the time Maggie arrived here, her enthusiastic ‘no limits’ approach earned her the respect and love of everyone,” he said. “She consistently displayed great leadership and served as an outstanding role model for those both on – and off – her team. She was a leader of character with a commitment to excellence who set the example in all she did.”

“Her joy in coaching these young women made them believe in themselves and depend on each other,” said Army Athletic Director Kevin Anderson. “Her guidance not only helped them excel here, it will help them become better, more compassionate leaders.”

That sentiment was echoed by one of Army’s star basketball players, guard Cara Enright.

“I just loved the energy that coach brought to practice every day and the way she never gave up on us, always believed in us,” Enright said. “She would tell us to ‘use what you’ve learned here at the academy and apply it to basketball.’

“Coach Dixon made us love the game even more and we played our hearts out every single time we stepped on the court,” Enright added. “She showed us how to be winners on the field and off.”

And that winning legacy will always be remembered, Lennox said.

“Maggie has been a credit to herself and to the mission of the U.S. Military Academy. Her presence here enriched the lives of everyone,” he added. “I will never forget the image of the cadets carrying her on their shoulders as they celebrated the team’s Patriot League championship.”

Last month when both Coach Dixons were getting their teams ready for the NCAAs, there was no shortage of feel-good stories about the siblings and the unique situation. Adrian Wojnarowski was one of the story writers for ESPN.com. Now he reflects on this.

At West Point, they’re used to young people dying young. It’s part of life there. Somehow, this hits differently. Her basketball team had become such an escape for the cadets at the Academy. It had become such a surprisingly special part of the winter.

In the short time that she was at West Point, the Academy became so fond of Maggie Dixon, so taken with the basketball team that came out of nowhere to meet Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament. How many coaches in the history of West Point had been afforded a standing ovation of 4,000 cadets in the dining hall? How many people had turned that most stone-sober place to such elation?

She brought magic to West Point, brought a touch and genuineness that endeared her and her team in a way that no one else in women’s sports history at the Academy had done in that male-dominated environment.

In his 30 years in the business, her top assistant, Dave Magarity, a Division I men’s head coach for 25 years, had never been so moved by a scene as that of witnessing the incredulity of Maggie’s face when the cadets picked her up and paraded her on the court after the Patriot League championship game in March. West Point finished 20-11, the best basketball season at West Point since Bob Knight was coaching there more than 30 years ago.

“She’s a special kid,” Magarity told me. He would catch himself calling her a “kid,” but hey, that — and coach — was what she was. “I know she isn’t a kid, but she is to me. But Maggie, she’s going to be a star.”
…
I was just going back through my notes, remembering our conversation for a column on the morning of the Big East championship game. She had interrupted our chat for a moment to wish her brother well before he left for the Garden, before the whole Dixon family eventually made it down courtside behind the Pitt bench.

Yes, this had been the best weekend of the family’s life, from the banks of the Hudson River at West Point all the way to Madison Square Garden. They thought it was going to be the beginning of years and years of these weekends, mother and father, brother and sister, chasing March championships into forever. Three weeks later, the Dixons were gathered again.

No warning, no justice. All of it, just so cruel.

And it will never make any sense.

Post-Gazette quickie blogosphere tour actually mentions this site.

…Finally, for stuff on Pitt, visit Pitt Sports Blather.

The first MSM mention.

Joe Starkey writes a very good piece on Marshall Goldberg, and his number being retired.

Soon after he became Pitt’s athletic director in 1996, Steve Pederson sat down with the school’s former director of football operations, Alex Kramer, to discuss the program’s history.

Pederson was surprised to learn that three Pitt football legends — Mike Ditka, Joe Schmidt and Marshall Goldberg — never had their jerseys retired.

“It did appear, at that time, that football started at the University of Pittsburgh in 1976,” Pederson said Thursday, three days after the 88-year-old Goldberg died at a Chicago nursing home. “I said to Alex, ‘The only time it’s too late to (address the situation) is when the people are gone.’ ”

So, Pederson addressed the situation.

Ditka, Schmidt and Goldberg all had their jerseys retired Sept. 18, 1997, at halftime of Pitt’s 21-17 victory over Miami. Goldberg had waited the longest. He hadn’t worn his old No. 42 in nearly 60 years.

They didn’t show the jersey retiring on ESPN. Of course I was getting totally blitzed in some bar in Youngstown that night while watching the game, so I could be wrong.

Pederson, now the athletic director at Nebraska, arranged more such occasions. On Nov. 13, 1999, for example, 20 minutes after Pitt stunned Notre Dame in the final game at Pitt Stadium, Goldberg was escorted to the middle of the field.

A wild celebration had just begun to subside when all eyes turned to Goldberg clutching an open wooden box. He took a moment to “capture the spirit of Pitt Stadium” then slowly shut the lid. The place erupted. He left, with the box, in a Brinks truck.

Along with many of the others, I joined fans on the field to rip up the turf celebrate. Everyone stopped the impromptu early destruction to focus on mid-field. No one ran up to him, or did anything stupid (okay, the cops not too far from him probably had something to do with that as well).

As many of the headlines, mention his passing went with his NFL and Pitt connections, I enjoyed seeing this headline in a brief obit.

Jewish football star dies

You expect the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, to lead with any other factoid. The obit only specifically mentions one hall of fame of which he is a part: The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. As you can imagine, it’s not an extensive list. When I visit the family for Passover next week, I’m going to have to try and find the book on great Jewish athletes to see if he’s in there.

The New York Times has a pretty good piece on Goldberg today.

Goldberg was born on Oct. 24, 1917, in Elkins, W.Va. His father owned the local movie theater. Goldberg was captain of his high school football, basketball and track teams, winning all-state honors in football. He was recruited by numerous colleges, including Notre Dame.

“In those days, a Goldberg at Notre Dame would have been a big thing,” he once said in an interview, alluding to his being Jewish and the university’s being Roman Catholic. He chose Pittsburgh.

At 5-11, 190 pounds, Goldberg was an explosive runner. As a sophomore, he was part of the 1936 team that beat Washington in the Rose Bowl, 21-0. In one game that season, against mighty Notre Dame, he ran for 131 yards. He also made first-team All-American at halfback in 1937.

In 1938, when the team was shorthanded at fullback, Goldberg volunteered to play the position. He went on to win All-American honors again, surprising even his coach, the legendary Jock Sutherland, and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.

Pitt is lucky to have him be a part of the school’s history.

Seton Hall may have found their coach, but that just may mean some other schools make their moves. Obviously Manhattan has an opening and Rohrssen makes sense to many.

Rohrssen, 45, a Brooklyn native regarded as one of the nation’s top New York City recruiters, is a logical choice.

“Barry would be a tremendous fit at Manhattan,” said ESPN analyst Dick Vitale, a Seton Hall alum. “It was Bobby’s time to take the step up, too. It was absolutely a tremendous hire for Seton Hall.”

Manhattan may have someone else in mind, though, and Rohrssen could still be heading elsewhere.

Manhattan is expected to pursue Louisville assistant Steve Masiello, a former Jaspers assistant, and DePaul assistant Gary DeCesare. Former Manhattan coach and current ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla and Pitt’s Rohrssen would appear to be logical candidates, but Fraschilla is a leading candidate for the SMU vacancy and Rohrssen just interviewed a second time at Fairfield yesterday.

Stay tuned.

This has not been a good week if you are connected to Pitt. This just does not seem right.

Maggie Dixon, the coach of the US Military Academy’s women’s basketball team and sister of Pitt Men’s Basketball Coach Jamie Dixon, has died.

She was 28.

The Westchester County, New York, medical examiner’s office confirms she died yesterday at the Westchester Medical Center.

Dixon was admitted in critical condition after suffering what’s described as an”arrhythmic episode to her heart.”

Just last month, Dixon led the West Point Black Knights to the NCAA women’s tournament. Maggie and Jamie are believed to have been the first brother and sister to have coached in the NCAA tournament in the same year.

Dixon says Maggie seemed fine when they had breakfast together Wednesday, but at a friend’s house at West Point that afternoon, she said she wasn’t felling well and collapsed.

An autopsy is scheduled for today.

All condolonces to the Dixon family. I can only imagine what they are going through, and selfishly, I hope that is all I can ever do.

And there is no easy way to transition to it, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward is back in intensive care.

Former NFL running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward remains in intensive care after Monday’s 11-hour brain operation at Emory University Hospital.

Heyward, 39, a former Falcons Pro Bowler, has been battling a recurring brain tumor called a chordoma.

A neurosurgeon and an ear, nose and throat specialist combined to remove as much of the chordoma as possible while successfully alleviating the pressure on his brain.

Some of the mass previously had intertwined with some of Heyward’s vital brain structure and could not be removed.

Heyward also could need therapy for nerves necessary for swallowing if they are later found to be damaged during surgery.
…
Heyward is expected to remain hospitalized for some time before considering options for treatment of the remaining mass, including strong radiation treatments or chemotherapy.

This was his third bout with the tumor.

Last year, a stroke left Heyward partially paralyzed on his left side and in need of a wheelchair. Since then, he has been unable to open his right eye after the chordoma wrapped around his optic nerve.

It’s Bobby Gonzalez from Manhattan.

Seton Hall has hired Manhattan’s Bobby Gonzalez as its new men’s basketball coach, an athletic department official said Thursday.

The official requested anonymity because Gonzalez won’t be officially introduced as the Pirates’ coach until a Friday afternoon news conference at the school.

Gonzalez coached Manhattan for the last seven years, leading the Jaspers to NCAA tournament appearances in 2003 and 2004. Manhattan lost to Old Dominion 70-66 in the second round of the NIT this year and finished with a 20-11 record.

Before taking over the Jaspers, Gonzalez was an assistant at Xavier, Providence and Virginia.

George Mason gave Seton Hall permission to speak with Jim Larranaga, but he didn’t want to bother with them (ouch!).

No word on who Manhattan hires, but don’t they have to at least take a look at Barry Rohrssen?

All hopes, prayers and best wishes to the Dixon family.

Army women’s basketball coach Maggie Dixon, who led the Black Knights to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth last month in her first season, suffered an arrhythmia heart episode Wednesday at West Point, N.Y., and is in critical condition at the Westchester Medical Center, her brother Pittsburgh men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon said Thursday.

In a statement that Dixon read to ESPN.com from the hospital, he said:

“Maggie and I had breakfast [Wednesday] and then she had a meeting with West Point athletic director Kevin Anderson. She then went to her house to meet friends for afternoon tea and said she wasn’t feeling well and collapsed.

“She was immediately taken to Keller Army Hospital and then transferred to Westchester Medical Center where she is presently in critical condition. She’s in the intensive care unit.

“Her mom, dad and sister Julie are here with her, too. Members of the Army women’s basketball team were with her [Wednesday] morning.

“At this point there’s no indication what caused the arrhythmia episode because by all accounts she was feeling well earlier in the day.

“Her family thanks everyone for their support and prayers and asks for continued respect and privacy.”

Former Pitt player Jeff Christy, the football version of the utility infielder, apparently retired from the NFL. He’s also just been inducted into the Armstrong County Hall of Fame.

Christy was a four-year letterman in football at the Pitt, where he played five positions — linebacker, fullback, punter, right guard and left tackle. Christy was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round in 1992. He played for three NFL teams before retiring.

Congratulations.

Tomorrow night is Pitt’s “practice” at another area High School.

The Pitt football team will take practice on the road for the second time this spring when it visits Thomas Jefferson High School on Friday, April 7. The Panthers will hold a two-hour workout from 7 to 9 p.m.

Practice attendance is free and open to the public. Thomas Jefferson is located on 310 Old Clairton Road in Clairton, Pa. In addition to getting a sneak peak of the 2006 Panthers, fans can purchase Pitt merchandise and season tickets. Concessions will also be available.

Directions to the high school are at the bottom of the press release.

I think I know why I have been having a hard time writing much about spring drills. There isn’t much to say. The same news stories keep getting rewritten. Sometimes with the same quotes.

Here’s an AP story on the backfield — again.

With apologies to Army’s Heisman Trophy-winning Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis, Conredge Collins and LaRod Stephens-Howling are Pitt’s not-as-famous Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside.

“He brings the speed and I bring the power,” Collins said. “The other backs, (Brandon) Mason, he’s real shifty on his feet. So, that brings an elusiveness to the backfield. And Shane Brooks, he’s powerful, too, and he runs real hard. So, we all bring something.”

Midway through Pitt’s spring practice sessions, Stephens-Howling and Collins are the starting tailback and fullback, respectively. Stephens-Howling led the Panthers in rushing with 434 yards last season while Collins had eight carries for 25 yards.

Both can expect increased workloads this season.

How many different ways can there be to talk about the running game?

Then there’s another story on the starting kicking competition, that thinks the “pressure” drill is the hook.

To inject a bit of fall flavor into spring drills, the special teams portion of each Pitt practice ends with a “pressure kick” field-goal attempt.

“The whole team gets around and starts yelling, trying to distract us,” kicker David Abdul said.

Abdul paused and laughed.

“I’m not sure why they do that, since, if we miss, they’ve got to do 15 up-downs.”

Maybe it’s also some healthy realism. The optimism and excitement that surrounded last year’s spring drills. Coach Wannstedt’s words got everyone juiced and fueled visions of cracking the top-10, and getting the BCS bid.

Then Pitt played the regular season.

Another way too early prediction for next season. From Greg Doyel at Sportsline.com:

10. Pittsburgh: Once center Aaron Gray decides it’s in his best interests to return, the Panthers will be a Top 10 team. Sophomore Levance Fields can step in for Carl Krauser, whose absence will allow Pitt’s young talent to expand their offensive impact. And defense will never be a problem for a Jamie Dixon team.

Other Big East teams listed include Georgetown (8), Syracuse (14), Villanova (17), Louisville (19) and UConn (22).

Carl Krauser had a pretty good game at the first day of the Portsmouth Invitational.

Carl Krauser posted a double-double Wednesday in his first game at the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational Tournament, scoring 11 points and handing out 12 assists for Norfolk Naval Shipyard in an 84-75 victory over Tidewater Sealants.

Krauser, a Pitt senior who led the Panthers in scoring and assists in his final college season, played 30 minutes. He shot 3 for 7 yesterday, including 1 for 1 from 3-point range, and he added two rebounds and one steal. He also committed four turnovers.

Chad Ford from ESPN.com (Insider Subs) thinks Krauser may be giving himself a chance, along with one other senior from the Big East.

Steve Novak, F,Marquette

One of the best shooting big men in college basketball . . . but when do guys like this ever pan out. He’s not a rebounder, isn’t a great athlete, and can’t defend his position. Still, if he shoots the lights out, he may compel someone to take him in the first round.

Carl Krauser, PG, Pittsburgh

Krauser was a shoot first, ask questions later type point guard at Pittsburgh the past few years. He has good size and athleticism for the point. If he can prove to scouts that he can run a team . . . he could make an impression. An 11-assist game on Wednesday night at Portsmouth sure didn’t hurt.

The talk always centers on the seniors who pass on the Tournament. Unless you are that sure of getting the Chicago Orlando invite, it seems like a bad risk to pass on another chance to get noticed. Especially borderline seniors.

Interesting move.

Tommie Campbell worked with the second-team defense Tuesday after being switched from safety to weak-side linebacker. Coach Dave Wannstedt made the move after Campbell turned in a solid effort in Saturday’s scrimmage.

Campbell’s position change is an indication that Wannstedt is more comfortable with converted safeties Shane Murray (a former quarterback) and Irvan Brown (a former cornerback).

With Mike Phillips coming back as well, there is also going to be some depth at Safety. Tommie Campbell is supposed to be quick, and given the need for speed on defense and lack of depth at linebacker this could work out very well.

Darrelle Revis is expected to be (yet another) leader in the secondary.

Revis’ leadership is important because the Panthers’ secondary is so young and inexperienced, particularly because veterans like safety Mike Phillips are sitting out drills with injuries.

Even though there are some experienced corners returning, the corner opposite Revis might ultimately be manned by either Jovani Chappel or Aaron Berry — both true freshmen. And the safety spots are wide open right now and almost every candidate would be a first-year starter. That includes Central Catholic graduate Shane Murray, who redshirted last year as a quarterback, then made the offseason switch to safety.

Revis said the secondary is a work in progress, but it is coming together at the right time. He also believes that the inexperience in the secondary won’t necessarily translate into teams throwing away from him because the Panthers have many good players.

“They might pick on the corner on the other side, but they might pick on me to see where my game is,” Revis said. “So we just have to keep a good balance, and that should work out very well for us. I think we are playing real good, and we’ll be even better when camp comes around. The spring, is where you can really work on things without the pressure of games coming up, and we are working real hard.”

I don’t think he’s going to see many balls come to his side for the first few games.

The same article also notes that Cedric McGee has been outplaying Oderick Turner at the WR position. Both are redshirt freshmen, but Turner is the more physically gifted and expected to be the favorite.

Turner came into spring practice ahead of McGee and was given several opportunities to move up to the first team.

But McGee has outperformed Turner most of the spring and passed him on the depth chart. In the scrimmage Saturday, McGee was excellent, but Turner struggled with consistency.

“Let me make it clear — it isn’t like we are lining up to play Virginia tomorrow, so there is a long way to go,” Wannstedt said. “And we are still taking a look at a lot of people.

“But, by the same token, there has to be a way to hold players accountable on a day-to-day basis, and now Cedric has earned a shot to run with the [first team] more. It is an opportunity for him. If a guy deserves to play with the first team, he’ll get that shot and right now Cedric is playing very well.”

Both don’t exactly come from bad blood lines. As previously mentioned, Turner’s father, Odessa played WR in the NFL for several years. McGee is the nephew of some guy named Michael Irvin. Apparently he was decent WR in the NFL for a while.

I have to admit, I’m following this because it is always funnier to watch someone elses school totally run in circles for a coaching search. It’s safe to say that Barry Rohrssen won’t be going to Seton Hall.

The thing is no one knows what is going on. Seton Hall now received permission to speak with George Mason Head Coach Jim Larranaga.

The Bronx native and Molloy graduate – in town last night for a ceremony to honor his former high school coach, Jack Curran, at the New York Athletic Club – will visit South Orange as early as today, according to a source.

Larranaga, however, also is scheduled to return today to Fairfax, Va., according to GMU sports information director Richard Coco.

Of course, NC State is also reportedly interested in him.

No one is exactly sure why they are interviewing him since it was figured that the coach interviews were done. Supposedly down to Tim O’Shea of Ohio or Bobby Gonzalez of Manhattan.

Tim O’Shea is not in Athens, Ohio and was rumored to be in New Jersey for another interview and possible announcement, but that appears incorrect.

“The truth is I am in Florida along with (assistant) coach (John) Rhodes recruiting, and we will return on Friday because we have some students visiting over the weekend,” O’Shea said. “Some of what has been reported in these articles is incredibly inaccurate.”

Maybe it’s true, maybe it isn’t. Either way, Bobby Gonzalez has been cooling his heels for the last week. Despite the apparent interview planned with Larranaga, Gonzalez is being reported to be the guy.

After 12 days, five interviews and countless rounds of speculation, Seton Hall University’s meandering, sometimes baffling search for a men’s basketball coach appears to be ending right where it started — with Bobby Gonzalez.

The Manhattan head coach, who has been mentioned as a potential successor to Louis Orr for nearly a year, once again is the leading candidate to get the job, sources close to the program said Wednesday night.

Maybe even today.

A decision on the new Seton Hall men’s basketball coach is expected today, according to sources close to the situation.

Or maybe not. Who knows any longer. Considering Seton Hall has no recruits and the signing period begins on Wednesday, you would think that getting somebody hired, pronto, would be important.

Marshall Goldberg, circa 1941 as a
member of the Chicago Cardinals

The AP write-up is in all the papers today.

From today’s Post-Gazette:

Mr. Goldberg died at a Chicago nursing home after spending several years battling the effects of brain injuries caused by numerous concussions during his playing days, his wife, Rita Goldberg, said yesterday..

Mr. Goldberg’s high point as a professional player came in 1947 when he intercepted a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles that clinched the Cardinals’ only NFL championship.

As a high school sophomore, Mr. Goldberg weighed just 110 pounds and was dubbed “Biggie” by his friends.

“Sports Illustrated’s Dan Jenkins, one of the greatest college football writers ever, once wrote an article looking back at all the Heisman Trophy winners and tried to figure out who should have won it each year,” said Beano Cook, a college football historian and former sports information director at Pitt. “He believes Marshall should have won it in 1937 [he finished third in the balloting] based on the season he had. But that tells you how great he was for his time and in comparison to players of his era.

“Tony Dorsett was Pitt’s greatest runner, but Marshall was one of the greatest football players because he played at a time where he played on both offense and defense, and he also threw the ball,” Mr. Cook said.

The Chicago Tribune:

The Cardinals won the NFL title in 1947, breaking the Bears’ stranglehold on the decade and increasing a city rivalry that lasted until Bears owner George Halas helped nudge the Cardinals out of town and to St. Louis after the 1959 season.

Former Chicago sport columnist Bill Gleason, who covered the Cardinals, said Goldberg would have been a cinch for the Hall of Fame had he played for Halas.

“A pro football Hall without Goldberg is absurd,” Gleason wrote.

Goldberg is a member of the college Hall of Fame and remains a legend at Pitt, where former quarterback Dan Marino recalls being told Goldberg was Pitt’s all-time best player.

“Marshall Goldberg?” Marino asked.

“Yeah, and after him Mike Ditka,” said the Pitt backer. “And then you’re third, Danny. And you ain’t never gonna be no better than third.”

Goldberg led Pitt to a national championship in 1937, was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1938 and amassed 1,957 rushing yards, a school record that stood until Tony Dorsett broke it in 1974.

Goldberg hosted a Cardinals TV sports show with Mike Wallace and after retirement settled in Chicago, where he owned a machine tool company.

He is survived by his wife; a son, Marshall; a daughter, Ellen Tullos; two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame never called.

No snark for this. Just condolences to the family:

Marshall Goldberg, one of the greatest running backs in college football history and a member of Pitt’s famed “Dream Backfield” of the 1930s, died Monday at the age of 88 in Chicago, where he made his home.

Goldberg played professional football for the Chicago Cardinals in 1939-42 and in 1946-48 and was named All-Pro six times, in a career that was interrupted while he served as a Navy Seal in World War II. His interception against the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the Cardinals’ only NFL championship in 1947. The Cardinals retired his No. 99.

During his storied career at Pitt, Goldberg gained 1,957 yards between 1936 and 1938, a school record that stood until Tony Dorsett broke it in 1974. Goldberg was a two-time All-American, third in the Heisman balloting in 1937, and runner-up for the Heisman in 1938. In 1958, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Playing under legendary coach Jock Sutherland, Goldberg led Pitt to a three-year record of 25-3-2 and national championships in 1936 and 1937.

“Marshall was a Pitt sports legend, a devoted member of the University’s Board of Trustees, and an outstanding human being,” said University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg. “We feel privileged to have played a role in Marshall’s life as he was learning, growing, and building the foundation for all of the good things that followed his many contributions to Pitt athletics. We are saddened by the loss of a good friend, and our deepest sympathies are with Marshall’s family.”

He’s one of only 8 retired numbers at Pitt.