Tag: University of Pittsburg

October 25, 1918: Athlete Biggie Goldberg Born

Athlete Marshall “Biggie” Goldberg was born in Elkins on October 25, 1918. He was an all-state football and basketball player at Elkins High School. After graduating, he became a two-time All-American at the University of Pittsburgh and led Pitt to the 1937 national football championship.

As a senior, Goldberg asked to switch from tailback to fullback. Pitt’s coach tried to discourage him, but Goldberg made the move and repeated as an All-American.

In the National Football League, “Biggie” Goldberg played for the Chicago Cardinals. He missed two seasons while serving in the military during World War II. After the war, he returned to lead the Cardinals to the NFL championship in 1947.

In 1958, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and later inducted into the West Virginia Sports Writers and National Jewish Sports halls of fame. After his playing days ended, he ran a successful machine parts business outside of Chicago. Marshall “Biggie” Goldberg died in 2006 at age 87. After Goldberg’s death, his widow and daughter helped set up a fund in his name to focus attention on brain injuries in football.

October 8, 1921: WVU vs. Pitt Marks First Live Football Radio Broadcast

October 8, 1921, marked the first ever live radio broadcast of a football game. The contest pitted West Virginia University against the University of Pittsburgh at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. It was aired on KDKA, the nation’s first radio station.

In this 17th meeting of the Backyard Brawl, WVU lost, 21 to 13. It was during a rough stretch for the Mountaineers, who had lost 10 of their last 11 to Pitt, with one tie. WVU turned the tide with wins the next two seasons but once again hit on hard times. Between 1904 and 1951, WVU won only four times against Pitt, while losing 29 and tying once. The rivalry didn’t become really competitive until the 1950s.

Despite WVU’s loss in 1921, the game helped launch a new era in sports. The first live radio broadcast of a baseball game, also on KDKA, had occurred only two months earlier, and the first airing of a World Series game took place only three days before.

Radio turned college football and other sports into a national obsession, which has continued to build in popularity from the 1920s to today.

October 25, 1918: Athlete Biggie Goldberg Born

Athlete Marshall “Biggie” Goldberg was born in Elkins on October 25, 1918. He was an all-state football and basketball player at Elkins High School. After graduating, he became a two-time All-American at the University of Pittsburgh and led Pitt to the 1937 national football championship.

As a senior, Goldberg asked to switch from tailback to fullback. Pitt’s coach tried to discourage him, but Goldberg made the move and repeated as an All-American.

In the National Football League, “Biggie” Goldberg played for the Chicago Cardinals. He missed two seasons while serving in the military during World War II. After the war, he returned to lead the Cardinals to the NFL championship in 1947.

In 1958, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and later inducted into the West Virginia Sports Writers and National Jewish Sports halls of fame. After his playing days ended, he ran a successful machine parts business outside of Chicago. Marshall “Biggie” Goldberg died in 2006 at age 87. After Goldberg’s death, his widow and daughter helped set up a fund in his name to focus attention on brain injuries in football.

Pitt and West Virginia to Resume 'Backyard Brawl' in 2022

The Backyard Brawl is back on. Pittsburgh and West Virginia have agreed to renew one of the oldest rivalries in college football.

The former Big East schools separated by 80 miles will meet four times beginning in 2022, when the Mountaineers visit Heinz Field to face the Panthers.

Pitt will host West Virginia in 2022 and 2024, with the Panthers traveling south in 2023 and 2025.

The two teams met 104 times between 1895 and 2011 before Pitt’s move to the Atlantic Coast Conference and West Virginia’s switch to the Big 12. The Panthers lead the all-time series 61-40-3, including a 13-9 upset in 2007 that ruined the Mountaineers’ shot at playing in the BCS title game.

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