That didn’t take long. On the heels of being the only new coach in a major conference to improve upon the previous season’s work, football Head Coach Pat Narduzzi has received a contract extension.
Two years will be added to Narduzzi’s original five-year agreement, ensuring he will remain the Panthers’ head coach through at least the 2021 season. Financial terms and other contractual details were not disclosed.
“Pat Narduzzi has adrenalized Pitt football on and off the field,” Barnes said. “We are proud of what our program has accomplished this season. Moreover, we’re excited about what our student-athletes can continue to achieve–on the field, in the classroom and in the community–under Pat’s long-term leadership.”
“I’m greatly appreciative and humbled by the support and faith that Scott Barnes and Chancellor Patrick Gallagher have shown me,” Narduzzi said. “The University of Pittsburgh is an incredible place with incredible people. My family and I plan to make Pittsburgh our home for a very long time and we’re glad the leadership at Pitt feels the same way. It is an honor to serve as Pitt’s head football coach and I’m continuously energized by what we can, and will, accomplish here.”
Yes, yes, we all know. These contracts mean nothing as far as really keeping a coach if a bigger school wants to unload the dump truck of cash. Yada, yada.
It still matters.
It’s making sure that the commitment is known. To the fans. To recruits. To other programs that might want to come calling. Pitt will do what it takes to keep this coach.
As the press release indicates, financial terms not disclosed — stupid state loophole in this sort of thing.
Almost certainly Narduzzi will get a bump in salary, but I expect that the bigger thing will be a further boost to the assistant coaches salary pool. That has always been the biggest issue with the athletic department at Pitt — regardless of the AD — being willing to also pay for good assistants.
@TX This is the same sort of craziness that led to the construction of multi-purpose stadiums in the sixties and seventies. 30 years later and everybody is building special purpose stadiums. Who the F wants to go to an 80K seat venue and watch a jumbotron more than once? I went to Consol for The City Game last week and longed for my seats at The Pete. Damn near the same location relative to the court, just 50 feet farther back.
Pitt needs to make Heinz more their own and improve the access for the students. Period.
Heinz is easier ingress and egress than The Pete. I am a bball season tickets holder and attend every game. I know.
I am a football season ticket holder. If you’re not an ST holder, and it’s not primarily because of the stadium, just shut up.
The Steel Mills and pollution are gone too. Some used to think they were coming back.
Notice the grade school P’s in the endzone. lol
Back on topic: Love that Pat got an extension. My thought is that PN took this job: 1.) because it is close to home (one year ago, we were all saying that we couldn’t blame a coach for wanting to go back home. Now we’re worried that OUR coach who came home would want to leave???WTF?) 2.) It’s THE job where he thinks he can win a championship(s)! If 1.) and 2.) are true, why would we think he would ever want to leave? He knows he’s good for several million/year here (in a few years). And I think he knows there is more to his line of work than $$.
He’s got an administration that few have; within Pa and 2 adjacent states, he’s got all the recruit potential a coach could dream about; he’s got recruiters on staff from the most fertile areas of the East Coast. AND, he’s got his primary competitive in-state rival coach screwing up so bad, that top notch recruits are/will be begging to come to Pitt!!
There’s not another coaching position in the country with all this going for it. How much more could a coach ask for??
Hail to Patt!!
Expand the Pete! Engineer a way to add another 30,000 seats. Put a retractable dome on it. Great location! Problem solved!
Face it guys, Pitt has way too many commuters and not enough loyal alumni to fill a stadium consistently when not playing top opponents.
Put tarps over the upper tier end zone seats with great looking script logo.
BTW, did everyone notice that the cheapskate Steelers have now replaced the crappy stripping in the endzone with PITTSBURGH and STEELERS now that Pitt season is over. Bares, spend some cash and make the 50 yard line and endzones look good for the Pitt games there’s got to be a way to do it.
Love to see HCPN get some love for the great job he’s done so far. Win #9, finalize a strong recruiting class and complete a truly great 1st year on the job. H2P!!
He is also an Air Force veteran and he got word that I was taking his daughter to Annapolis for the bowl game. He follows the three academy football teams.
His comment to me was priceless: “you know, Navy should have gotten placed in a much better bowl?” With a straight face and as serious as he could be. Wow – my comeback was “well Pitt can definitely say the same thing”. But it did feel like his point had a stronger argument and much more TRUTH to it.
Then my 79 year old mother-in-law asks out of the blue “what is a TaxSlayer?” In reference to the pedos bowl game and then looks at me and says “you know Franklin is not going to make it”.
Again, Priceless – HTP!
why the hate? just because people favor an ocs, and you don’t, you tell them the shut up and call the it idiocy?? cmon, your better than that..
OCS solves that issue.
Even the guys in Texas would be happy. A virtual OCS with no traffic problems. You would have to make your own Primanti sandwich though. LOL