Blue White Illustrated

One can argue that the 27-23 score that gave Penn State its first national cham- pionship in 1982 in the Sugar Bowl and the 14-10 final that clinched the national title in 1986 in the Fiesta Bowl were more momentous because of the overall ac- complishments. But the 48-14 score in the upset victory over traditional rival Pitt on Nov. 28, 1981, is more memorable and consequential because of who the opponent was, the historical background of the teams' previous games, the site of this specific game and the most crucial elements: the intriguing season-long drama and the bizarre sequence of events on the field that day. That all cul- minated in the most gratifying of Penn State football achievements and one that the Nittany Lion nation will gloat about forever. "I thought it was the defining moment in the history of Penn State football," Chet Parlavecchio said in a recent tele- phone conversation. Parlavecchio, then a senior linebacker, was the central protag- onist in the pregame controversy and on- field hostility. "Before that game, Penn State was not considered a dynasty type of program. We were an independent, and despite our undefeated teams [in 1968, '69 and '73], a lot of people were saying we didn't play anyone. Game by game that year, we played the toughest sched- ule in the country. After blowing out No. 1 Pitt and then USC in the bowl game and winning the national championship the next year, we truly became a national power. That was the relevance of that game." In 1981 the Pitt-Penn State rivalry was one of the best and fiercest in college ath- letics. The intensity of the rivalry went beyond the football field to other varsity sports, and for several years it even in- cluded a rough and tumble "touch" foot- ball game between the student newspapers of the two schools. What started in 1893 as an amiable competition between two young Penn- sylvania colleges on a central Pennsylva- nia field where cows had once grazed had developed into a bitter, rancorous series of football games that often strained fam- ily and friend loyalties. And even though the two teams have played only four times since Penn State began Big Ten competi- | GAME THRONES H I S T O R Y In 1981 Penn State ended Pitt's title hopes with an upset for the ages – and set the stage for a championship season of its own It may be the most memorable and consequential final score in the 130-year history of Penn State football. 48-14 OF

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