Steve Pederson employed four football coaches in a five-year span at Pitt. — PITT ATHLETICS
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
News: Steve Pederson is out as Pitt’s athletic director. New Chancellor Patrick Gallagher has appointed Dr. Randy P. Juhl, Vice Chancellor for research conduct and compliance, to serve as acting athletic director pending a national search for a replacement.
Views: Wow. Give me a minute here. Did not see that coming.
UPDATE 7:23 p.m.: OK, well again … wow. And I say wow from the standpoint of sublime timing on the part of the university administration, coordinating the timing of this — 7:04 p.m. — with the formal announcement from Madison that Paul Chryst is Wisconsin’s new head coach.
I’ve written it countless times, and I repeated it tonight on the radio: Pederson had no business conducting this coaching search. None. Not after Mike Haywood, Todd Graham and now Chryst leaving after only three years and a 19-19 record.
And when your AD has no business conducing a coaching search, he has no business being AD.
So let’s hear it for the new chancellor on this front. Given the tightness of the relationship between Pederson and the previous chancellor, Mark Nordenberg, I very seriously doubt this move gets made if not for the initial change at the very top. Even so, full marks to Gallagher for presumably having done the legwork on Pederson’s history in this regard, as well as correctly gauging that the Pitt community at large had lost faith in this AD. Especially on the football end.
Ousting Pederson is a start. I’m no fan of kicking people on the way out the door with some fresh level of invective. Pederson deserves his share of credit for the move to the ACC when Pitt could have been left without a chair, as well as his share for basketball and keeping Jamie Dixon. The baseball and wrestling programs also are performing well, and the hire of Suzie McConnell-Serio will lift women’s hoops before long. But overall, any AD at a major college will be measured by football, and that grade is an unmitigated F.
Maybe losing Chryst is a blessing, too, independent of its effect on Pederson. It’s not as if Chryst, though a fine man and dedicated worker, was about to inspire the masses even if the program were to take off. If you think about it, he had, in back-to-back years, the best defensive player in college football in Aaron Donald and now one of the best offensive players in college football in James Conner, and he still couldn’t get more than a few thousand to show up for Senior Day against Syracuse.
I don’t blame the students or alumni for that. And I sure don’t blame silly sideshow issues like the stadium or the script logo. I blame the quality of the football overall and the resultant lack of passion it fuels.
The best chance to make the best football hire was to oust Pederson.
Done.
The best chance to afford the above happening was for Chryst to leave.
Done.
Your move again, Chancellor. You’re off to an inspired start.
Matt's Stats: Tale of the playoff tape
12:30 am 
Penguins tired? That story's getting old
12:20 am 
'Underrated' Robinson leads Pitt to victory
11:23 pm Wednesday
December 17, 2014
News/views: Pederson out as Pitt AD
by Dejan Kovacevic • Coverage • Pitt
Steve Pederson employed four football coaches in a five-year span at Pitt. — PITT ATHLETICS
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
News: Steve Pederson is out as Pitt’s athletic director. New Chancellor Patrick Gallagher has appointed Dr. Randy P. Juhl, Vice Chancellor for research conduct and compliance, to serve as acting athletic director pending a national search for a replacement.
Views: Wow. Give me a minute here. Did not see that coming.
UPDATE 7:23 p.m.: OK, well again … wow. And I say wow from the standpoint of sublime timing on the part of the university administration, coordinating the timing of this — 7:04 p.m. — with the formal announcement from Madison that Paul Chryst is Wisconsin’s new head coach.
I’ve written it countless times, and I repeated it tonight on the radio: Pederson had no business conducting this coaching search. None. Not after Mike Haywood, Todd Graham and now Chryst leaving after only three years and a 19-19 record.
And when your AD has no business conducing a coaching search, he has no business being AD.
So let’s hear it for the new chancellor on this front. Given the tightness of the relationship between Pederson and the previous chancellor, Mark Nordenberg, I very seriously doubt this move gets made if not for the initial change at the very top. Even so, full marks to Gallagher for presumably having done the legwork on Pederson’s history in this regard, as well as correctly gauging that the Pitt community at large had lost faith in this AD. Especially on the football end.
Ousting Pederson is a start. I’m no fan of kicking people on the way out the door with some fresh level of invective. Pederson deserves his share of credit for the move to the ACC when Pitt could have been left without a chair, as well as his share for basketball and keeping Jamie Dixon. The baseball and wrestling programs also are performing well, and the hire of Suzie McConnell-Serio will lift women’s hoops before long. But overall, any AD at a major college will be measured by football, and that grade is an unmitigated F.
Maybe losing Chryst is a blessing, too, independent of its effect on Pederson. It’s not as if Chryst, though a fine man and dedicated worker, was about to inspire the masses even if the program were to take off. If you think about it, he had, in back-to-back years, the best defensive player in college football in Aaron Donald and now one of the best offensive players in college football in James Conner, and he still couldn’t get more than a few thousand to show up for Senior Day against Syracuse.
I don’t blame the students or alumni for that. And I sure don’t blame silly sideshow issues like the stadium or the script logo. I blame the quality of the football overall and the resultant lack of passion it fuels.
The best chance to make the best football hire was to oust Pederson.
Done.
The best chance to afford the above happening was for Chryst to leave.
Done.
Your move again, Chancellor. You’re off to an inspired start.