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Oct. 5, 2007
When Pitt and Navy renew their football rivalry October 10 at Heinz Field, each team will have a Heisman Trophy legend as its honorary team captain.
Pitt's Tony Dorsett and Navy's Roger Staubach, Heisman winners and former Dallas Cowboys teammates, will be in attendance for the game, which kicks off at 8 p.m. next Wednesday.
Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy in 1976, the same season he led Pitt to the national championship with a 12-0 mark. He set the NCAA's career rushing record that year, ultimately finishing with 6,082 yards. Dorsett actually broke the NCAA rushing mark in Annapolis, Md., on a 32-yard touchdown run in Pitt's 45-0 victory over Navy.
Dorsett starred for the Panthers from 1973-76 before going on to an equally exceptional NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys (1977-87) and Denver Broncos (1988-89).
Staubach, a Navy quarterback from 1962-64, was the 1963 Heisman winner. He gave Pitt its only loss of the '63 season, 24-12, in Annapolis. The Panthers finished 9-1 that year and ranked No. 3 in the country. Navy went 9-2 and ranked second nationally at year's end. After a tour in Vietnam, Staubach moved on to the NFL, where he spent his entire professional career (1969-79) with the Cowboys.
As Dallas teammates, Dorsett and Staubach played in two Super Bowls together, winning Super Bowl XII (defeating Denver, 27-10) and losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII (35-31). They are Hall of Fame inductees on both the collegiate and pro levels.
This year's Pitt-Navy game will also feature a "Patriotic Celebration" that includes the Pitt Band and Navy Drum & Bugle Corps, the world's largest American Flag and a fireworks display. Members of each military branch will participate in Pitt's "March to Victory" parade outside the stadium at 7 p.m., as well as the Pitt Band's pregame show.
As previously announced, Pitt will also honor Curtis Martin, a Pittsburgh native and star tailback for the Panthers from 1991-94, with a halftime ceremony. Martin recently retired from professional football after a Hall-of-Fame caliber career that spanned 11 active seasons.
Source: PittsburghPanthers.com.
When Pitt and Navy renew their football rivalry October 10 at Heinz Field, each team will have a Heisman Trophy legend as its honorary team captain.
Pitt's Tony Dorsett and Navy's Roger Staubach, Heisman winners and former Dallas Cowboys teammates, will be in attendance for the game, which kicks off at 8 p.m. next Wednesday.
Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy in 1976, the same season he led Pitt to the national championship with a 12-0 mark. He set the NCAA's career rushing record that year, ultimately finishing with 6,082 yards. Dorsett actually broke the NCAA rushing mark in Annapolis, Md., on a 32-yard touchdown run in Pitt's 45-0 victory over Navy.
Dorsett starred for the Panthers from 1973-76 before going on to an equally exceptional NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys (1977-87) and Denver Broncos (1988-89).
Staubach, a Navy quarterback from 1962-64, was the 1963 Heisman winner. He gave Pitt its only loss of the '63 season, 24-12, in Annapolis. The Panthers finished 9-1 that year and ranked No. 3 in the country. Navy went 9-2 and ranked second nationally at year's end. After a tour in Vietnam, Staubach moved on to the NFL, where he spent his entire professional career (1969-79) with the Cowboys.
As Dallas teammates, Dorsett and Staubach played in two Super Bowls together, winning Super Bowl XII (defeating Denver, 27-10) and losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII (35-31). They are Hall of Fame inductees on both the collegiate and pro levels.
This year's Pitt-Navy game will also feature a "Patriotic Celebration" that includes the Pitt Band and Navy Drum & Bugle Corps, the world's largest American Flag and a fireworks display. Members of each military branch will participate in Pitt's "March to Victory" parade outside the stadium at 7 p.m., as well as the Pitt Band's pregame show.
As previously announced, Pitt will also honor Curtis Martin, a Pittsburgh native and star tailback for the Panthers from 1991-94, with a halftime ceremony. Martin recently retired from professional football after a Hall-of-Fame caliber career that spanned 11 active seasons.
Source: PittsburghPanthers.com.
