University Times

“It’s good to be home,” said alumnus Dave Wannstedt, who last month was named the 34th head football coach in Pitt’s history.

Wannstedt replaces Walt Harris, a California native who resigned to take the head coaching job at Stanford University after eight years leading the Panthers.

Wannstedt was a captain of the 1973 football team, a graduate assistant in 1975 and 1976 and an assistant coach in 1977 and 1978. He returns to Pitt with 30 years of coaching experience in the college and professional ranks, including stints as head coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins.

“This opportunity is something I have dreamed about since my early coaching days at Pitt,” said Wannstedt, who is a native of Baldwin.

“It’s been way too long since we’ve won a national championship at the University of Pittsburgh. Nobody needs to tell me about the tradition here, about nine national championships, because I’ve lived it. I experienced it and I understand it. It is easy to sell something you are passionate about,” he added, referring to recruiting players.

Over three decades of coaching, Wannstedt has been a part of 20 winning teams, 10 bowl teams, six National Football League playoff teams, two college national champions (Pitt in 1976 and the University of Miami in 1987) and one Super Bowl champion (Dallas Cowboys in 1992).

His 14 years of collegiate coaching experience include 11 winning seasons and a 112-48-4 record. His four years on the Panthers’ staff witnessed three top 15 national rankings, a combined 37-10-1 record and bowl invitations following each season.

He rejoins the college ranks after spending the last 16 years in the NFL. Eleven of those years were as a head coach, including six with Chicago (1993-1998) and five with Miami (2000-2004).

Wannstedt earned his bachelor’s degree at Pitt in 1974. An offensive lineman, he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in ’74 but his professional career was ended by a neck injury. Wannstedt returned to Pitt and earned his master’s degree in 1976.

The Pitt Letter Club in 1999 named him an Awardee of Distinction for his professional and personal accomplishments.

According to Pitt Athletics media relations, Wannstedt signed a five-year contract. A Pitt spokesperson declined to give salary details.

Harris departs the Pitt program with a 52-44 record, including six bowl game appearances. He was twice named Big East coach of the year, and this year led the Panthers to a share of the Big East championship.

Harris coached his final game at Pitt Jan. 1 in the Fiesta Bowl – the school’s first appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game as the Big East conference representative – where the Panthers lost to the No. 6 ranked Utah Utes 35-7. He had two years remaining on his Pitt contract, but the deal was voided upon his acceptance of the Stanford job.

-Peter Hart