PITT/PSU (2016)


Many of you know that I played football at the University of Pittsburgh before a foot injury ended my career. Playing football at Pitt is something of a family tradition. My father played there with Mike Ditka, and two of my uncles played there as well. In the storied history of Pitt football (nine national championships and counting), more Kuzneski's have played at Pitt than any other family.

Our biggest rival is Penn State. I was taught to hate them at a very early age, and they are easy to dislike considering their recent child-molestation scandal and their decision to end the annual football game between the two schools after the 2000 season. (A game Pitt won 12-0.)

After a 16-year absence, PSU finally relented and agreed to play us this past weekend, and I attended the game at Heinz Field. In a thrilling classic, Pitt prevailed 42-39 in front of the largest crowd to ever witness a sporting event in the city of Pittsburgh. Because of the victory, we'll have bragging rights for another year. That's the seventeenth year in a row, if you're counting. Needless to say, I left the stadium ecstatic!

The day before the game I stopped by the Pitt campus to relive some fond memories, buy some new gear, and see all the changes that have been made to my alma mater in recent years. I also snapped some pictures along the way. I hope you like them!

Click on any photo to scroll through the hi-res images:

Panther statue on the University of Pittsburgh campus
Panther statue on the University of Pittsburgh campus
Panther statue on the University of Pittsburgh campus
Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh campus
Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh campus
Outside Heinz Field before the game
Inside Heinz Field after the Pitt victory
I bumped into legendary Pitt coach Johnny Majors at the Pittsburgh Airport