Wisconsin upstages Pitt’s basketball game with a press conference to announce Paul Chryst as their new head coach? Fine, bring that knife. Pitt brought a gun.
Steve Pederson’s second tenure running the athletic department ended abruptly Wednesday when Chancellor Patrick Gallagher announced a “change” in leadership, according to a university news release.
The announcement was made at 7 p.m., precisely when Wisconsin was introducing Paul Chryst as its new football coach, officially ending his three-year run with the Panthers.
Pederson, 57, was let go with four years left on his contract. The buyout will cost Pitt more than $2 million. Pederson made $577,083 in 2013 before signing a five-year extension that June. In 2013, he was Pitt’s fourth-highest paid employee.
Pederson and Gallagher said the decision was “mutual.”
“With major decisions to be made about the future of football, I thought it was in the best interest of the University of Pittsburgh for Chancellor Gallagher to assemble his own team,” Pederson said in a statement.
And I have a bridge to sell you if you think this was mutual.
There was an undercurrent that Pederson was going to be sidelined for the coaching search to replace Chryst last week. The assumption was that he would be gently nudged aside to an “administrative support” role. That was in no small part because of his contract extension.
Something changed, though, and a clean break was made.
Let’s go conspiracy. Pederson went rouge.
No idea if that is true. I don’t know how much of it I believe. I know many will want to, because it is Steve Pederson and we want to believe the worst. Confirmation bias and all that. Still. Wow.
Here’s the official press release covering Chryst’s departure. Pederson out and what is next.
Chancellor Gallagher has appointed Dr. Randy P. Juhl, Vice Chancellor for Research Conduct and Compliance, to serve as Pitt’s acting athletic director effective immediately. A full national search for the next athletic director will begin immediately.
Joe Rudolph, the Panthers’ assistant head football coach and offensive coordinator, has been named interim head coach and will lead Pitt into its final game, the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl against Houston on January 2 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Really briefly. Filling the AD spot is a much longer process as a general rule. It is common for the gig to be open for at least 6 months. So, please. Just a little perspective if no one is hired before the New Year.
Oh, and please. PLEASE. No Dave Wannstedt for AD talk. I beg of you all.
As for replacing Chryst. Safe to say this pushes the decision back a bit.
Deep breath. And let’s hit pause for a moment.
Those guys are all terrible.. Collier, Smizik, Ron Cook..
Just old, whiney, obnoxious, blow hards with very little insite into anything… I refuse to read or listen to anything they have to say.
Dejan is a bit testy and opinionated at times… but at least he works for a living… I can respect that.
Really, the sports journalism and news coverage in Pittsburgh is atrocious… Given that it’s the 22 largest media market in the country… it’s downright pathetic.
Back during the fateful year of 12/10 to 12/11, the PG was almost always first and most complete in Pitt FB coverage.
Gallagher had no choice. A new CEO comes in – he brings with him his own leadership team. The BIG announcement which no one recognized was Jerry Cochran getting the boot. That was step 1. This was merely step 2 of a process.
New AD comes in – he will install his people. If I worked in the AD’s office I most certainly would be updating my LinkedIn profile.
Simple equation IN BUSINESS….IN ACADEMICS… IN ATHLETICS….
>>> follow the $$$ 😉
PITT has a chance to make this right again.
Just open the purse strings.
HAIL TO PITT !!!
I had a friend who got a severance package every time the company he worked for got bought out. He used to joke that his career was to collect such packages.
One thing we all should remember is that the PITT players who were on the roster were almost 100% in favor of the way Chryst and Rudolph handled the Rushel Shell situation and that kind of trust by the players goes a long way.
As far as the HC job for him goes I think he’d be fine but are we all 100% sure he’s not going to follow Chryst to Wisconsin the day after the bowl game? I’d say there was a 50/50 chance of that happening as my guess. Chryst is in no real rush to name any new assistants – remember he took his time back in 2012 here at PITT. His allowing Rudolph to stay and coach PITT in the bowl game, which would be a big plus for the players, is something that I think Paul Chryst would agree to specifically BECAUSE of the respect Chryst has for the PITT players.
That said – it may well be that the new Chancellor and the new interim or permanent AD might want to start with a completely clean slate and won’t retain any staff members just like happened back in 2010.
So, yeah. I’d like Rudolph but I also have to say that I am not really following the coaching search in detail because there are so many rumors and mis-info that no one knows until it actually is announced.
I’m also hoping, for a somewhat selfish reason that EJ Borghetti is retained – he’s been a fantastic friend to the PITT Blather in giving us guys access to the team and media passes. There is no guarantee at all a new AD will allow that.
Just like banner day contest at Pitt Stadium in 1985
Top of Banner ” Penn State Sucks”
Bottom of Banner “…but WVU s#$((*#s”
H2P
I do think Pitt needs to hire the AD first and then the Head Coach. We have gone through this before and we should remember that it led to our darkest moments. Jeff Long hired Dave Wannstedt. Jeff Long left for Arkansauce. New AD comes in and he and Wannstedt are at odds from day one. The program gets undermined. Pitt goes into a tailspin for years. Fast forward 4.5 years.
Get your AD first. As a placeholder, keep Rudolph for the next season. If he wins 8 games or more, than he becomes a candidate. If he doesn’t, the new AD brings in his own guy, thanks JR for stepping in and for his hard work. We don’t lose another recruiting class.
Please, before anyone says this class is terrible, look at it again. We have two studs and a lot of good potentials. We can’t lose these kids now.
Need two quick examples : Ohio State let Luke Fickel be the placeholder after Tressel while Gene Smith went to look for the “right hire”. Fickel was given a chance had he won 9-10 games. He didn’t. He was removed back to staff and Urban comes in. Transition well managed. Michigan fires AD and Coach. Interim AD flounders around and now makes a huge offer to Harbaugh in public. Mistake to make it public first (the agent may have done that too), but secondly, I continue to contend, as I did here 6 months ago that he wouldn’t go to Michigan for $6M per year. It is now over $8M per year and I still say he doesn’t do it because he can’t work things out with his ex-wife in California. The second point is that why would he commit to Michigan when he doesn’t know if he will get along with his boss yet (ala Wanny/Pederson). They still have interim AD and it has been nearly two months(?).
Let’s enjoy what just happened. We can go big, but we need to be strategic. I am all for a party too, but we should actually try to plan it ahead so that the out of towners have a chance to attend. Chas & Reed should devote a blog to that subject in January.
Happy belated Hanukah and a Merry Christmas to each of you and to our Chancellor!
I’ve got a few things to throw out there:
Anyone know anything about the guy that turned 1AA North Dakota State into a powerhouse? Would he be a good candidate?
We all like to post our thoughts here on the Blather… but we only know one another by the blog handles… I propose that to put our money where our mouths are we:
1. Meet up somewhere before the next home game and have a tail gate or something… and spread the word to everyone we come across so that we pack the stadium for that first game.
2. That we find a bar or someplace that we can meet up and watch the away games.
I’m up for it if you guys are!
If the Chancellor steps up then we should too.
There is one problem. Many if not all of the Assistants at Pitt will have the opportunity to follow Chryst to Wisconsin.
If Rudolph is hired right now, he’s going to need at least a TWO but probably a THREE Year Commitment to entice some of the Assistants to stay… those like Settle and Hueber who I see as a PRIORITY.
A Head Coach, especially a new one… stands no chance without GOOD Assistants.
See him as UN-touchable.
Holliday is interesting. Been there awhile
I would think it would be tough for him to have his HEART in Coaching Pitt.
Next…
That said, think out of the box. Give him a three year deal and after year one, if he doesn’t perform, the new AD puts him back as a positional coach on the offense. Most likely, he leaves on his own accord at that point, almost Fickel like, but he stayed. Rudolph is not a terrible football coach, just an unproven head coach. Three players at least(D Johnson, Chris James and Burger Jones Smith) are already endorsing him for HC.
That would be my thought process. I agree that Chryst won’t raid his staff if Rudolph gets appointed soon. RossK, Settle and Douglass are keepers.
Upitt, Dan and Emel want House to stay I heard…lol
And frankly if you compare Pitt Athletics in 1996 and where it is now you could say he did a great job there as well.
As far as donors…totally agree ok if they open the wallets to pay…but they never had paid enough in the past but still want to be AD.