Uninvited: The 1963 Pitt Panthers. David Finoli & Gary Kinn.

It seems hard to believe that a team with only one loss could be left out of a post season in any sport.    However, that is exactly what happened to the University of Pittsburgh’s football team upon the completion of the 1963 season.     Pittsburgh writer and sports authority David Finoli and his co-author Gary Kinn wrote about this underrated team and their surprising success through what was not only challenge in western PA but also took place during a turbulent time throughout the nation.   

Finoli and Kinn go through each game of the season explaining the important details of each contest, even including the box score and statistics.    We like that they provided key plays but did not overwork the explanation in each chapter.    The authors mostly kept to the facts at hand without offering personal opinions about the quality of play and performance.   Instead, they let the quotes from head coach John Micheloson do the talking as well as citing local media types and sources covering the panthers that season.   It likely would not take long for an avid football fan to realize how different the game in the 1960’s is different from what we see today.    One notable example was how many field goals and extra points were missed throughout the season.     In today’s game the extra points are virtually automatic, and the field goal percentage is much higher, otherwise the kicker will not last long in the lineup.    Of course, the obvious passing and rushing yards accumulated in those games were generally smaller than what we might see in today’s college football games.   From this one might surmise that Pitt, although a good team for that season, may have been lucky to win as many games as they did.      

This book was not all about football, though.   In fact, the authors devoted one chapter and various sections discussing topics and events that reflected the mood and attitudes in that era.    Chapter 13, titled A Day Like No Other, reveals some encouraging moments but also explained the perpetual consternation brewing around the country as well in the early 1960’s.  The authors explained how the space program was making progress with President Kennedy declaring that America would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade—which did happen.    On the other hand, the authors also pointed out how tensions were rising about the conflict in Vietnam, even though the US had NOT officially entered the war.   Then there were also discussions about the civil rights movement transcending the nation but especially impacting the south.     Finally, as history buffs know that in late November of 1963 President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas Texas, an event that shook the nation impacting the lives of many including the college football landscape in particular.   This unexpected national tragedy took place the day before Pitt was to host in-state rival Penn State.   The game was postponed until December.    That result, according to the authors, very likely impacted the post-season opportunities for the Pitt football team. The authors took a neutral stance regarding this decision by Athletic Director Frank Carver.   

It was noted often through the chapters how many of the players were locally born and played their prep ball in western Pennsylvania.   In addition, the authors were direct to point out how many of the members of the team were student athletes in the truest sense.   Several players went on to dental school, medical school or became successful business leaders in their communities.    Pictures of players, coaches, and administrators were adorned throughout various sections of the book including Chancellor Litchfield, who seemingly supported athletics and expected success on the field.    The authors explained how the Chancellor may have vacillated about dismissing coach Micheloson after watching a lackluster season in both 61’ and 62’ but in the end decided to retain him, a decision that seemed fortuitous at least for that season.     

The authors also provided a fair amount of insight regarding the teams Pitt faced that year along with comments about some legendary coaches and players that were part of the 1963 football story.     The Panthers finished third in the UPI/coaches poll and 4^th in the writers’ poll defeating highly rated teams such Washington, Penn State, Syracuse and Army.  The only loss of the season was suffered in Annapolis, Maryland to the Roger Stuabach led Navy Midshipmen, who ended up taking from Pitt a potential spot for a bowl invitation that year.   Hall of fame coaches such as Wayne Hardin at Navy, Rip Engle at Penn State and Marv Levy at California are discussed in their respective sections of the book adding to the astonishment for Pitt’s success that year. 

This book of two hundred and fifty pages contains the spirit and ethos of a university while watching a rare successful season unfold in front of them as well as the nation.    The manuscript is directly about a specific university football program but also clearly captured the zeitgeist of that era. One need not be a Pittsburgh football fan or graduate to enjoy this underrated and surprisingly unknown tale from both a local and national perspective.    In what was mostly a forgettable era of college football for the University of Pittsburgh, the1963 season’s mostly unexpected success is still a story worth exploring and reading.  Even if Finoli and associates limit editorializing in their writings they are well within their wheelhouse to produce a quality publication pertaining to this topic.            

 

Some discussion questions to ponder:

1.     Did the Pitt administration do the right thing by passing on playing PSU the day after the Kennedy assassination in 1963?

2.     What more could the Pitt administration have done to help secure a bowl berth for the football team towards the end of the 1963 season?  

3.     How could a team that wins 90% of their regular season games be left out of a playoff or bowl game in today’s college football landscape?

4.     What made the 1963 Pitt Panthers so successful that season?

5.     What were the challenges that student athletes faced in the 1960’s that do not exist now?

 

·       You might like to read this book if you are a Pitt Panther football fan.

·       You might like to read this book if you seek to read about University of Pittsburgh football and history.

·       You might like to read this book if you are a fan of football teams found in Pennsylvania.

·       You might like to read this book if you like to read about Pennsylvania history and football tales.

·       You might like to read this book if you are a new, mature, young or venerable college football fan.   

Find out more about the authors publications:    https://www.21-66books.com/books