Senator Renews Call to Resume Pitt-Penn State Football Rivalry
State Sen. John N. Wozniak today renewed his annual call to help mediate an agreement for Pitt and Penn State to resume their century old football rivalry.
“I think the time has come for both school’s administrators and athletic directors to spare us the excuses and get this game back on the schedule,” Wozniak said. “Again this year, I will offer to facilitate discussions leading to resuming this once-great football rivalry.”
He said the Pitt-Penn State game was once one of the greatest college football rivalries in the nation, generating sell-out crowds, national television coverage and intense, good-natured interest from alumni and football fans statewide.
He said Penn State officials claim they don’t have room for Pitt on the school’s 12-game schedule, but Penn State will open its season with Akron, and later play Eastern Illinois and former eastern foe Syracuse.
“If you ask most Penn State students and fans, they will tell you they would rather see Pitt on Penn State’s schedule than these teams and nearly all of the Lions’ Big 10 opponents.
Wozniak said Pitt’s non-conference football schedule is equally lacking with teams such as Youngstown State and Buffalo generating only tepid interest.
“While Pitt is mixing it up with Buffalo and Penn State is doing battle with Illinois State, other states will be treated to rivalry games such as Miami-Florida State, Georgia Tech-Georgia, West Virginia-Marshall, Iowa-Iowa State, Clemson-South Carolina, Purdue-Notre Dame and Kentucky-Louisville,” Wozniak said.
The Cambria County lawmaker said many people have urged him to recommend that the state legislature step in and mandate that the schools resume their annual game. He said fans point to West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin who called in athletic directors from Marshall and West Virginia into his office for a full day in 2005 to hammer out details of the football rivalry between those two schools. But Wozniak said he believes that other than encouraging the schools to work their differences out, Pennsylvania’s legislature and governor have more important things to do.
“Pennsylvania’s budget is nearly eight weeks late and this impasse threatens to devastate important government services statewide,” Wozniak said. “I am in no way saying that this football rivalry issue deserves to be a government priority or become a legislative issue.
“But that doesn’t excuse Penn State and Pitt from refusing to give Pennsylvania its football rivalry back,” Wozniak said.
The schools first met in 1893. They last played in 2000.
“I think the time has come for both school’s administrators and athletic directors to spare us the excuses and get this game back on the schedule,” Wozniak said. “Again this year, I will offer to facilitate discussions leading to resuming this once-great football rivalry.”
He said the Pitt-Penn State game was once one of the greatest college football rivalries in the nation, generating sell-out crowds, national television coverage and intense, good-natured interest from alumni and football fans statewide.
He said Penn State officials claim they don’t have room for Pitt on the school’s 12-game schedule, but Penn State will open its season with Akron, and later play Eastern Illinois and former eastern foe Syracuse.
“If you ask most Penn State students and fans, they will tell you they would rather see Pitt on Penn State’s schedule than these teams and nearly all of the Lions’ Big 10 opponents.
Wozniak said Pitt’s non-conference football schedule is equally lacking with teams such as Youngstown State and Buffalo generating only tepid interest.
“While Pitt is mixing it up with Buffalo and Penn State is doing battle with Illinois State, other states will be treated to rivalry games such as Miami-Florida State, Georgia Tech-Georgia, West Virginia-Marshall, Iowa-Iowa State, Clemson-South Carolina, Purdue-Notre Dame and Kentucky-Louisville,” Wozniak said.
The Cambria County lawmaker said many people have urged him to recommend that the state legislature step in and mandate that the schools resume their annual game. He said fans point to West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin who called in athletic directors from Marshall and West Virginia into his office for a full day in 2005 to hammer out details of the football rivalry between those two schools. But Wozniak said he believes that other than encouraging the schools to work their differences out, Pennsylvania’s legislature and governor have more important things to do.
“Pennsylvania’s budget is nearly eight weeks late and this impasse threatens to devastate important government services statewide,” Wozniak said. “I am in no way saying that this football rivalry issue deserves to be a government priority or become a legislative issue.
“But that doesn’t excuse Penn State and Pitt from refusing to give Pennsylvania its football rivalry back,” Wozniak said.
The schools first met in 1893. They last played in 2000.
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