Pederson Returns to Pitt
Former NU athletic director excited to lead Panthers
by Samuel McKewon
November 30, 2007
Steve Pederson finally gets to enjoy Dave Wannstedt as his football coach. At least for one game.
Just 45 days after University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman fired him as Nebraska's athletic director - and Perlman gave him a $2.2 million severance package - Pederson is returning to the same role at Pittsburgh, where he served as AD from 1996-2002.
His re-hiring was announced Friday at a press conference. He replaces Jeff Long, who left Pitt to take the same job at Arkansas.
"I am excited about the potential successes we can have at Pittsburgh," Pederson said, looking emotional, and spending much of his press conference pointing the Pitt staffers he knew and remembered. "I know we have very fine coaches, a very fine staff...we are going to work extremely hard to earn the respect of everybody.
"The athletic department is an outstanding athletic department. But we feel there is still more to be done."
Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg called Pederson "the best or one of the best athletic directors in America."
On his stint at Nebraska, Pederson touted the successes - the facility upgrades, the national champion volleyball team, the Cotton Bowl berth for the NU football team.
"I'm proud of what we accomplished there," Pederson said.
One of Pederson's first tasks might be - you guessed it - evaluating a football coach. Wannstedt's Panthers are 4-7 this season, and are likely headed for a thorough pounding Saturday night at No. 2 West Virginia, which should secure a birth in the BCS National Championship game with a comfortable victory.
Wannstedt was a target during Pederson's search for a new NU coach in 2004, after Pederson fired Frank Solich. Wannstedt was awarded another season to coach the NFL's Miami Dolphins before he was fired. But since he's taken over at Pitt, Wannstedt has a 16-19 record, hasn't taken the Panthers to a bowl game, and hasn't been remotely close to beating West Virginia, Pitt's "Backyard Brawl" rival.
If Pederson axed Wannstedt, one of the leading contenders for the job would have to be Bill Callahan, recently deposed as NU's football coach.
"Dave is a good friend," Pederson said in reference to Wannstedt. "I'm anxious to work with him."
Pederson may also decide to rip the "PITT" logo off all of the Panthers' uniforms. During his tenure, he was not fond of the nickname; in his first go-round out in the Steel City, he clashed with mainline boosters about how to brand the teams, eventually settling on "Pittsburgh." Pederson commissioned a triangular logo of a panther that, at a distance, resembled a pit bull, or a bust of George Washington. This logo is not found on the front page of Pitt's athletic Web site and has not been used since 2005.
It was the first question asked of Pederson during his press conference.
His answer? "This is Pitt," he said. "We've had enough logo changes around here. I like our uniforms and I like the way we look."
Pederson worked what many considered to be "small miracles" at Pittsburgh. He tore down Pitt Stadium and moved the team to Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Where Pitt Stadium was once, he built the Petersen Events Center, one of the nation's best basketball arenas. Nordenberg said Pederson led an "exciting and demanding" time in his first stint at Pitt.
Perlman fired Pederson Oct. 15, citing concerns about his management style. Former football coach Tom Osborne was named the interim replacement. One of Osborne's first jobs was to take photos of Husker All-Americans out of the closet and hang them up in the halls of NU's athletic department. Osborne also made it easier for former players to stand on the sideline during home football games and roam around the "Gattaca"-style Osborne Athletic Complex.
Also on Oct. 15, Nordenberg said he called Pederson to "compare notes" between the struggling Huskers and Panthers. "Ironically," Nordenberg said "that was the same time" Pederson was going to his meeting with Perlman.
One day later, Nordenberg called Pederson. He mentioned that Pitt had an open job. Thus began a deliberate march toward Pederson taking the job, including a six-hour "face to face" conversation at an "undisclosed location." Nordenberg said he checked with Pitt coaches and athletic department staff; all were on board.
"Coming back is the easiest decision we've ever made," Pederson said.
Pederson Returns to Pitt
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