Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 121
Senior offensive linemen Michal Menet, Will Fries don’t second-guess decision to return to PSU
When school was in session, Michal Menet’s days were structured almost like he was back on Penn State’s campus. “You can roll out of bed, make some breakfast, sit down and do your class,” the Nittany Lions’ fifth-year senior center said Wednesday. But the semester has ended, exams are finished,...
Pitt coaches, AD Heather Lyke tackle pandemic, other issues on FacebookVideo
When four Pitt coaches and athletic director Heather Lyke got together Tuesday night on Facebook Live — with KDKA Radio morning host Larry Richert playing traffic cop — the conversation zoomed. From protective masks (and why aren’t some Pitt football players wearing them?) to Michael Jordan (and, no, Jeff Capel...
The night Pitt coach Jeff Capel met Michael Jordan
Jeff Capel has kept busy in recent months rebuilding his team with a five-man freshman class. But when Pitt’s basketball coach is off the clock, he makes sure not to miss “The Last Dance,” the ESPN documentary about Michael Jordan. It brought to his mind the night in the summer...
Jackie Sherrill, Curtis Martin among 13 inductees into the 2020 Pitt Hall of FameVideo
The third class of the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame includes a bevy of achievers, including a Pro Football Hall of Famer, two from the College Football Hall of Fame, the fifth-leading rusher in school history, a Monroeville native who played and managed across 12 MLBseasons, one of the great...
Penn State, Duquesne, WVU and Pitt teams recognized for academic progress
A total of 16 collegiate athletic teams from four local universities earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for their Academic Progress Rates (APR). The awards are presented annually by the NCAA to teams finishing among the top 10 percent in their sport over four academic years (2015/16-2018/19). APR is determined by...
Grad transfer OT Keldrick Wilson signs with Pitt
Like many coaches, Pat Narduzzi makes a habit of regularly checking the NCAA transfer portal. When Pitt’s coach saw graduate transfer Keldrick Wilson’s name appear, he acted promptly. Pitt immediately began recruiting Wilson, an offensive tackle from Hampton (Va.) University, and he signed a letter of intent Tuesday. He’ll compete...
6 Penn State players sign undrafted free agent contracts in NFL
Six undrafted Penn State players have signed with NFL teams, giving the Nittany Lions a total of 11 preparing for professional football camps this summer. The undrafted players include: • Tight end Nick Bowers, a Kittanning graduate (Las Vegas Raiders), a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. • Wide receiver Dan...
Duquesne’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse won’t be ready in time for start of winter sports seasonsVideo
After sitting through a nearly two-month construction delay on Duquesne University’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, athletic director Dave Harper said Monday that the $45 million facility won’t be ready for at least the first part volleyball season nor the start of the basketball season in November. “That’s not going to happen,”...
Robert Morris athletics cancels summer camps, clinics
Robert Morris University has canceled all camps and clinics scheduled for this summer because of concerns over the covid-19 pandemic. That includes day and residential camps. Meanwhile, school officials will continue to monitor guidelines regarding events and gatherings implemented by Robert Morris University, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Center for Disease...
Mock NFL draft, 2021: Pitt’s Patrick Jones No. 9 to the Falcons, Jaylen Twyman No. 26 to the Vikings
While Pat Narduzzi continues building his 2021 recruiting class, expectations for Pitt’s 2020 season continue to increase. Taking into serious consideration that it’s nearly a full year before the real thing, two Pitt players are projected to be selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, according to...
Pitt snares commitments from three players; class of 2021 ranked 21st in the nation
Pat Narduzzi made arrangements for Pitt’s present and future over a busy Mother’s Day weekend that raised the program’s national profile — at least on paper. Pitt’s coach received three verbal commitments from three-star prospects Sunday, pushing its 12-man class of 2021 to No. 21 in the nation, according to...
Pitt lands fourth graduate transfer offensive lineman in four years
When he can’t find everything he needs on his roster, Pat Narduzzi is never afraid to look elsewhere to improve his team. Pitt’s coach continued what has become an annual event when he nailed down an experienced graduate transfer for his offensive line, getting a verbal commitment Saturday night from...
New Jersey center verbally commits to Duquesne
Duquesne received a verbal commitment Friday from 6-foot-11 center Mounir Hima of St. Benedict’s Prepatory School in Newark, N.J. After he signs a letter of intent, Hima will be the only center in Duquesne’s 2020 recruiting class. The Dukes have signed six players — all guards and forwards. Hima, a...
Kiski Area grad Christian Hartford helping train Olympic beach volleyball teams
The trip consumed five days and more than 2,000 highway miles between Indianapolis and California. It could have been interminably boring, but only if you fail to consider the conversations inside the car. Christian Hartford, a former Kiski Area quarterback (Class of 2008), had just accepted what he describes as...
Pitt, Duquesne, Robert Morris coaches band together in attempt to bounce covid-19
Keith Dambrot is serious when he says people need to practice social distancing as one of the best ways to fight covid-19. “Our daughter (Alysse) works in a physical therapy facility,” Duquesne’s men’s basketball coach said, “and we told her, ‘Don’t come (to visit).’ “We love our daughter, but we...
Penn State’s James Franklin ‘confident … hopeful’ season of some sort will occurVideo
James Franklin has heard all the possible scenarios for how to safely begin and maintain the college football season in this year of the global pandemic. They include a shortened season, delayed season, full season with fans or full season with partial fans. Almost anything is up for discussion. “I’m...
Pitt coaches donate $500,000 for covid-19 vaccine research; Pirates, Penguins, Steelers add pledge of $300,000
Three Pitt coaches, athletic director Heather Lyke and their families are leading an effort to pledge $800,000 in support of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Vaccine Research, which is attempting to create a vaccine for the virus that causes covid-19. Coaches Pat Narduzzi (football), Jeff Capel (men’s basketball) and...
Big Ten extends suspension of athletics through June 1
After previously canceling all organized team activities, including spring sports, through the end of the academic year, the Big Ten Conference on Monday extended the suspension through June 1. The conference said in a statement it will re-evaluate at that time. “The Big Ten Conference will continue to use this...
Penn State’s 2021 class ranked 12th after defensive end Rodney McGraw’s commitment
Penn State’s 2021 recruiting class was ranked 12th in the nation — fifth in the Big Ten — on Sunday after defensive end Rodney McGraw promised to enroll next year. McGraw’s commitment gives the Nittany Lions 11 verbals, with more than seven months remaining before national signing day. Thank you...
Almost a straight-A student, Clint Hurdle could have gone to Harvard
Clint Hurdle never went to college, but he was offered an academic scholarship to Harvard. “I was deeply intrigued about what it would be like to go to an Ivy League school and be a student,” Hurdle said. Hurdle, who managed the Pittsburgh Pirates for nine years, was a coveted...
Surrounded by family, Clint Hurdle goes back to school while embracing new life
He rises every morning around 6:30, just in time to watch the sun rise over Anna Maria Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida. “Sunrises are pretty magnificent here,” Clint Hurdle said. Life isn’t bad, either, for the only manager in 27 years to bring playoff baseball back to Pittsburgh....
Josh Gibson’s legacy part of rich history of Negro Leagues, which turn 100 this year
Although legend says there are 800 home runs to back him up, Josh Gibson Jr. never claimed his father and namesake was the greatest baseball player of all-time. “He thought there was no need for him to do that,” Sean Gibson said. Sean Gibson is the great-grandson of Negro League...
Pitt gets commitments from 2021 quarterback, offensive linemanVideo
Pitt reached nine verbal commitments for its class of 2021 during a busy day of recruiting Thursday. After failing to snare a quarterback in the most recent cycle that concluded in February, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi resumed the quest and found one — Nate Yarnell of Lake Travis High School...
Nittany Lions defensive line coach John Scott walked long road to Penn StateVideo
Not long after John Scott Jr. graduated from Western Carolina in 1999, he had a difficult time separating from football. Penn State’s first-year defensive line coach tried the indoor version of the game, spending one season playing for the soon-to-be defunct Greensboro (N.C.) Prowlers of AF2. He also crossed the...
West Virginia coach Neal Brown seeks normalcy in abnormal situationVideo
Neal Brown prefers sitting in his office among staff and players, perhaps barking out instructions on the practice field while preparing for the upcoming West Virginia football season. Although that’s impossible under current pandemic conditions, the Mountaineers coach has found positive light in his sixth week of quarantine. Anyone in...
