Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi has helped make program consistent winner
The Pittsburgh football program has been in good hands with head coach Pat Narduzzi, who is in his eighth year at the helm of the Pittsburgh program.
Narduzzi's record is 61-41 heading into Friday's Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Friday against UCLA. Forty one of those have been in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the second most in league play behind Clemson's 60 victories, and his 61 overall wins rank second in school history.
Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Frank Bates, who is in his fifth year with the program, said consistency within the program has been crucial.
"We like to think consistency is our motto," Bates said. "Our staff does as good a job as any with the development of players. We're one of the better developmental schools in the country."
Added Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.: "Our kids come to work great energy, coach Narduzzi has built a great culture and a great program."
Speaking of Cignetti, the longtime coach owns more than three decades of experience at both the collegiate and professional levels and this marks Cignetti’s third appointment at Pitt. He began his coaching career as a Panthers graduate assistant on Mike Gottfried’s staff in 1989. From 2009-10, Cignetti was Pitt’s offensive coordinator under Dave Wannstedt.
He's been a part of previous Pitt teams in the Sun Bowl, he grew up in Pittsburgh and his father, College Football Hall of Fame inductee Frank Sr., was a Pitt assistant from 1966-68 and later the head coach at both West Virginia (1976-79) and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1986-2005). His brother, Curt, also was a Pitt assistant (1983-84 and 1993-99) and now is the head coach at James Madison University.
"I have many great memories of Pittsburgh and it's great to be back with the Pittsburgh program," Cignetti said. "I grew up watching some of the greats in this program, which has a long history of great players, players such as Tony Dorsett and Hugh Green. "I've had great memories of the Sun Bowl. When I was at Fresno State we played UTEP and I remember the 1989 Sun Bowl win against Texas A&M in a great game."
Texas native big for Pitt
Pittsburgh free safety Erick Hallett hails from Cypress, Texas, and is one of the team's top playmakers on defense. He has 47 tackles, three tackles for a loss, nine pass breakups and three fumble recoveries.
He's also a Football Writers Association of America All-American selection on the second team and is an Atlantic Coast Conference second-team selection.
Offensive line key for Pitt
The offensive line will be a key component in Friday's game. The members of the offensive line have started a combine 211 games, led by guard Marcus Minor, who has 42 career starts.
More: WR steps for Pittsburgh Pittsburgh offense leans heavily on veteran WR Jared Wayne
Felix F. Chavez may be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com and @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi helped make program consistent winner
