Brush Up on the Backyard Brawl

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Zach McMasters

On August 5th 2022, Pitt officially announced the selling out of the 2022 Backyard Brawl. Although college sports matchups between the West Virginia Mountaineers and Pittsburgh Panthers was a mainstay, it’ll be the first one played in newly-named Acrisure Stadium. A home field that is only about 80 miles from the home of “the flying WV”. But the close proximity of the two teams isn’t the only factor turning this meeting into a rivalry. Let’s take a look at the history behind these games and some of the moments that stood out the most.

In 1895, the West Virginia University Mountaineers went on a tear, outscoring opponents by a combined 58 to 10. That year on October 26th they defeated the Western University of Pennsylvania who would later become the University of Pittsburgh Panthers we’d know today. WVU would win the next two meetings before 1901 when W.U.P. would give the Mountaineers a taste of their own medicine. The Pennsylvania based team would come out on top in all but one game from 1904 to 1921 including a win at Forbes Field which was the first college football game broadcast on the radio. In 1952, the Pitt Panthers led by Coach “Red” Dawson were ranked 18th in the nation when WVU defeated them by 16 points. This was the first time the Mountaineers chalked up a victory over a ranked opponent. Later, in 1965 the two battled to one of the highest scores in a college football game (63-48). In 1975 West Virginia celebrated a victory cemented in the last seconds by a field goal made by walk-on Bill McKenzie. Pitt’s only Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett was ejected at the end of 1976’s Backyard Brawl after literally brawling with WVU players. They went on to win the National Championship that year. Tony was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft and passed 1,000 rushing yards in 8 out of his first 9 seasons.

It would take until 1983 for the Mountaineers to avenge themselves. This time with the help of Coach Don Nahlen, who ended up the 17th winningest coach in college football history. A Pittsburgh native turned Mountaineer named Marc Bulger fought a losing effort in 1997’s Brawl but tallied a great 348 passing yards. That man would go on to spend 11 seasons in the NFL and make the Pro Bowl twice. The 21st Century brought no shortage of exciting action. A 2002 matchup between Pitt and WVU drew 66,731 attendees, the most Heinz Field had seen at the time. Perhaps the pinnacle of Backyard Brawl memories came in 2007 during the 100th edition of the Brawl. Pitt, a 28.5 underdog upset WVU in Morgantown, West Virginia and knocked them out of National Championship contention. Pat McAfee, the Mountaineer’s kicker missed two crucial field goals and the Panthers were able to walk away with a 13-9 victory. The Backyard Brawl’s future was in jeopardy in 2011 when West Virginia and Pittsburgh separated to the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conferences respectively. These teams leaving the Big East broke a 68-consecutive meeting streak. However, in September 2015 both universities agreed on 8 more Backyard Brawls through 2032.     

The West Virginia Mountaineers travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers this Thursday. I’ll be one of many watching this college sports staple. Will Pitt be able to better their 61-40-3 record against WVU? Or will the Mountaineers turn their recent luck around against the 21’ ACC Champs? One thing is for sure, there will be no underdogs in a contest so close to home for fans it’s been named The Backyard Brawl.