Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/717693
tion in 1993, the undercurrent of animos- ity and hostility has remained, especially with the players and the Penn State fans who were present during the often turbu- lent years of the rivalry. The four-year renewal of the rivalry, beginning with a game on Sept. 10 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, has resurfaced much of the old-time antagonism from both sides. Pitt fans have been bragging since 2000 that they won the most recent game, 12-0, at the now-de- molished Three Rivers Stadium despite los- ing the three previous games from 1997 to '99. All a Penn State fan has to say, yell or scream is: 48-14! To fully appreciate what happened in 1981, one needs to review some of the Penn State angst of the past: • From 1903 until 1970, all but seven of the 66 games the teams played were in Pittsburgh. Penn State had sought the arrangement in the early 1900s to cater to the large segment of alumni living in western Pennsylvania, but by the mid- 1970s, playing almost annually in Pitts- burgh had become aggravating for Penn State. • During a 26-game stretch from 1913 through 1938, Pitt won all but three games, with a Penn State victory in 1919 and scoreless ties in 1920 and '21. This included a period, starting in 1928, when Penn State de-emphasized all sports primarily by eliminating scholarships and downgrading its schedule, at the same time that Pitt was among the elite in college football and winning or claim- ing five national championships (1929- 37). • In 1940 and '48, Pitt's upset victories over undefeated Penn State teams cost the Lions postseason bowl games (at a time when there were only four or five such games in existence). • In 1976 Pitt won the national champi- onship, including a 24-7 victory over the Lions, frustrating the Penn State nation, which at the time was still yearning for its QUICK ON THE DRAW With Pitt leading 14-7 late in the second quarter, Blackledge kept the ball on a quarterback draw and scored the tying touchdown. The Nittany Lions never trailed again in the game. Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics