Backyard Brawl

Last updated

The Backyard Brawl
Backyard Brawl Logo.png
Football History
First MeetingOctober 26, 1895
First Meeting ResultWest Virginia 8, W.U.P. 0
Last MeetingSeptember 16, 2023
Last ResultWest Virginia 17, Pittsburgh 6
Number of Meetings106
All-Time Series PITT: 62–41–3 [1]
Largest VictoryPITT: 53–0 (11/08/1904)
Current StreakWVU: Won 1
Longest PITT Win Streak15 (1929–46)
Longest WVU Win Streak5 (1992–96)
Last Ten Games WVU: 6–4
Men's Basketball History
First MeetingFebruary 17, 1906
First Meeting ResultW.U.P. 30, West Virginia 25
Last MeetingDecember 6, 2023
Last Result Pitt: 80-63
Next Meeting2024
Number of Meetings190
All-Time SeriesWVU: 101–89
Largest victoryWVU: 103–63 (February 14, 1966)
Current StreakPitt (Won 1)
Longest PITT Win Streak9 (1/17/1931-1/26/1935)
Longest WVU Win Streak13 (1/8/1957-2/2/1963)
Last Ten GamesWVU: 6–4

The Backyard Brawl is an American college football rivalry between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers. The term "Backyard Brawl" has also been used to refer to college basketball games played annually or semi-annually and may also be used to refer to other athletic competitions between the two schools. It is a registered trademark for both universities, [2] and refers to the close proximity of the two universities, separated by 75 miles (105 km) along Interstate 79.

Contents

The football rivalry is the 14th oldest in the United States and is typically shown on national television. In the past, the Backyard Brawl has been seen on ABC, CBS, ESPN, and ESPN2. Through the 106 games played between these two schools, Pitt leads the series 62–41–3. [1]

History

The Backyard Brawl

School University of Pittsburgh West Virginia University
Location Pittsburgh, PA Morgantown, WV
Conference ACC Big 12
Enrollment28,76629,616
School ColorsBlue & GoldOld Gold & Blue
Nickname Panthers Mountaineers
Mascot "Roc" the Panther The Mountaineer
Football Stadium Acrisure Stadium Mountaineer Field
Basketball Arena Petersen Events Center WVU Coliseum

The football series was first played in 1895, and the game has historically been one of the more intense rivalries in the eastern United States. The rivalry between the two schools is due mainly to proximity. WVU's campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, is only about 70 miles south of Pittsburgh (via Interstate 79), and the two schools often compete for the same recruits.

The 1921 edition of the Backyard Brawl was the first college football game broadcast on the radio when Harold W. Arlin announced the 21–13 Pittsburgh victory on KDKA. [3]

From 1962 to 2011, the series alternated between Pittsburgh and Morgantown on a yearly basis. Before that, the games were held in Pittsburgh on an almost regular basis, with Morgantown occasionally hosting the game. At one point, Pittsburgh hosted the game 11 years in a row (1919–29) and also hosted eight straight contests between 1938 and 1948. (There were no matchups from 1940 to 1942.) In contrast, the most consecutive games West Virginia has hosted were four in a row from 1895 to 1901, with one of those games held in Fairmont, West Virginia, now the home to Fairmont State University, and one in Wheeling, West Virginia. The most consecutive games played in Morgantown, three, were held from 1932 to 1934.

West Virginia started out the series leading, 5–1. Pittsburgh won four games in a row from 1904 to 1908 (there was no game played in 1905) to tie the series at 5–5. In 1909, the teams played to a 0–0 tie, making the series 5–5–1. The following year, Pittsburgh won 38–0, taking a 6–5–1 lead in the series, and has led ever since. Since the series began interchanging annually between Morgantown and Pittsburgh in 1963, the Mountaineers have held a 25–22–2 advantage over the Panthers.

Starting in 1904, the schools were considered as part of the "tri-state district Big Three" alongside Penn State and competed for the "district Big Three championship" annually, a distinction earned by attaining the best record against the other two. [4] [5] This became an annual round-robin and in 1951 the Old Ironsides Trophy was introduced and awarded to the champion of the three. [6] The trio played annually until West Virginia won its second outright title in 1984 and Penn State was unable to locate the trophy. With the loss of the trophy and deregionalization of college football, the three-team rivalry increasingly became three distinct head-to-head matchups with little to no connection.

On November 25, 2004, the Backyard Brawl series saw its 97th game, surpassing the 96–game Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry as Pittsburgh's most–played rivalry game. Pittsburgh celebrated the event with a 16–13 win at Heinz Field.

On December 1, 2007, the 100th Backyard Brawl took place. Pittsburgh upset WVU by a score of 13–9. Coming into the game, WVU was ranked first in the Coaches' Poll and second in both the BCS and AP Poll. With the loss, WVU's BCS National Championship Game chances were lowered.

The Mountaineers and the Panthers wore Nike Pro Combat System of Dress, uniforms designed to pay respect to Pittsburgh's steel industry and West Virginia's coal mining industry, for the 2010 Backyard Brawl. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, West Virginia wore a shade of white "that looks as if it has a fine layer of dust on the jersey" and has accents in university gold that "references the canaries used long ago to test toxicity in mines." The helmet has a thin yellow line, designed to look like "the beam of light emitted by a miner's headlamp." Meanwhile, Pitt wore smoky college navy and black jerseys and pants with metallic team gold numerals "to represent the brilliant glow of a blast furnace," according to a Nike website, and matching helmets with a gold stripe and logo "evocative of steel I-beams" and resembling a hard hat. [7] West Virginia won the game in Pittsburgh 35–10.

On September 18, 2011, Pittsburgh announced its departure from the Big East and was introduced as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). [8] A month later, on October 28, West Virginia accepted an invitation to join the Big 12. [9] With both universities now in different conferences, the Backyard Brawl was put on hiatus. The 2012 college football season marked the first time since 1943 that the rivalry was not played in football, breaking a streak of 68 consecutive meetings. [10]

In September 2015, both universities agreed to a four-game series running from 2022 to 2025. [11] [12] In April 2022, both universities announced the addition of four more games from 2029 to 2032. [13]

During the playing of the song Sweet Caroline somewhere during or before the game, West Virginia fans are known to chant "Eat Shit, Pitt" during the main chorus of the song, building the fury of the rivalry.

Football

Location

The 1908 edition of the Backyard Brawl at Exposition Park PittWVUatExpoPark1908.jpg
The 1908 edition of the Backyard Brawl at Exposition Park
Ticket stub for the game on October 3, 1936, at Pitt Stadium October 3, 1936 ticket stub for the Pitt versus West Virginia football game.jpg
Ticket stub for the game on October 3, 1936, at Pitt Stadium

The location of the Backyard Brawl has varied much throughout its history. The very first football game took place in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1895. The next meeting, in 1898, was held in Fairmont, a short distance south of Morgantown. The third and fourth contests were held in Morgantown. The year 1902 marked the first time the game was held in Pittsburgh, at Exposition Park, the North Shore home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. 1910 was the first time the Backyard Brawl was held on the Pittsburgh campus, at brand-new Forbes Field. The series was held here for eight of the next nine years, until the opening of Pitt Stadium in 1925 on the opposite end of the University of Pittsburgh campus. Pitt Stadium hosted 5 straight games, until in 1930, the Backyard Brawl found itself at yet another new location, Mountaineer Field, which had opened in 1924 on the campus of West Virginia University. Another change in location occurred in 1981, when the game was played at a new Mountaineer Field in Morgantown. In 1998 and 2000, the game was played at Three Rivers Stadium. The most recent change took place in 2002, when the Backyard Brawl was played for the first time at Heinz Field (now called Acrisure Stadium), the new, full-time home of the Panthers, a year after it was opened.

Notable games

Game results

1927 official program from Pitt Stadium Official Souvenir Football Program for the October 8, 1927 Pitt versus West Virginia game.jpg
1927 official program from Pitt Stadium
1928 official souvenir football program 1928 Official Souvenir Football Program for Pitt versus West Virginia game.jpg
1928 official souvenir football program
1933 official program from Old Mountaineer Field October 7, 1933 program for the Pitt versus West Virginia football game.jpg
1933 official program from Old Mountaineer Field
1936 Backyard Brawl official program October 3, 1936 official football program for the Pitt versus West Virginia game.jpg
1936 Backyard Brawl official program
1982 Backyard Brawl Backyard Brawl 1982.jpg
1982 Backyard Brawl
Pittsburgh victoriesWest Virginia victories

See also

Basketball

The Backyard Brawl moniker is also used for the basketball rivalry between the two schools, [23] [24] which dates to February 17, 1905. The teams began competing annually since 1918, and played each season continually until 2012. [25] Through the first 100 meetings, the teams were evenly matched both winning 50 games. [26]

Pitt began playing basketball in the Big East Conference in 1982–83, with the Mountaineers joining in 1995–96. The basketball rivalry has heated up over the last several years as each team has been among the best in the country and the games have taken on added significance. On February 9, 2006, for the first time in the history of the series, in the 169th edition, Pitt and WVU were both nationally ranked as they squared off in Pitt's Petersen Events Center. Pitt won, but a few weeks later, the two ranked teams played at WVU Coliseum with the Mountaineers winning. In the 2008–09 season, the Panthers swept both games during the regular season and came into the tournament ranked No. 2, but were upset by the Mountaineers in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.

The 2011 women's Backyard Brawl in Pittsburgh. PittWomenVsWVU 2-2011.jpg
The 2011 women's Backyard Brawl in Pittsburgh.

During a February 2010 game when Pittsburgh visited West Virginia, several times during the course of the game, West Virginia fans threw objects at the Pittsburgh team. A Pittsburgh assistant coach was injured when an object was thrown at him. The actions received widespread attention. During the second half of the game, coach Bob Huggins used a microphone to address the fans. West Virginia University President Jim Clements issued an apology to the University of Pittsburgh community. Additionally, West Virginia vowed to address security, as the incident closing followed similar occurrences in games against Syracuse and Ohio State. [27] [28] [29] This game was followed with a rematch nine days later in Pittsburgh, and while there were no off-court incidents, [30] the game proved to be one of the most memorable in the history of the series as the 25th ranked Panthers upset the fourth ranked Mountaineers 98–95 in the first triple overtime basketball game to be played between the two schools. [31] [32]

The 2011–12 season marked the end of the Brawl within Big East conference play. Pitt and WVU traded road wins, with Pitt winning in Morgantown 72–66, and WVU winning at the Petersen Events Center for only the second time ever 66–48. The rivalry was dormant for a few years as WVU began playing in the Big 12 in 2012, while Pitt moved to the ACC in 2013. However, the series renewed in non-conference play beginning in 2017, with WVU winning the last four recent matchups. In 2021, West Virginia sold out the WVU Coliseum for the first time ever in the month of November when it hosted the matchup, on its way to reaching 100 wins in the series. [33]

In women's basketball, West Virginia leads the modern series, begun in 1975, 25–18.

Pittsburgh victoriesWest Virginia victories

Soccer

Men's soccer

Pittsburgh victoriesWest Virginia victoriesTie games

Lacrosse

Because neither school has an NCAA lacrosse program, the teams have had to compete annually at the club level. Despite that, they continue to play under the Backyard Brawl moniker.

From their team's respective foundlings (1971 for West Virginia, [34] 1982 for Pittsburgh [35] ) until 1990, they competed as independents. In 1990 both teams joined the National College Lacrosse League, [36] where they played in the Allegheny Division. In 2006, the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association was founded, which both teams join. West Virginia competed in the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC), while Pittsburgh competed in the Continental Lacrosse Conference (CLC). In 2021, West Virginia left the SELC to become a founding member of the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC), they were followed by Pittsburgh in 2022.

Due to their independent club status, many of the early games' scores were not documented.

Pittsburgh victoriesWest Virginia victoriesTie games

Score Sources: [36] [37] [35]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Panthers</span> Athletic teams of the University of Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, faculty, and students. Pitt fields 19 university-sponsored varsity teams at the highest level of competitive collegiate athletics in the United States: the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for American football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Tech–West Virginia football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Virginia Tech–West Virginia football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Virginia Tech Hokies and West Virginia Mountaineers. The teams met 53 times between 1912 and 2021, every year from 1973 to 2005, and as conference foes from 1991 to 2003 as members of the Big East Conference. The winner of the game receives the Black Diamond Trophy sponsored by Rish Equipment Company, headquartered in Bluefield, West Virginia. It was introduced in 1997 and was meant to symbolize the Appalachian region's rich coal heritage

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat White (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1986)

Patrick Christian White is an American football coach and former player who is an offensive assistant for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played professionally as a quarterback on the NFL and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friends of Coal Bowl</span> American college football rivalry

The Friends of Coal Bowl is the name given to the Marshall–West Virginia football rivalry. It is an American college football rivalry game played by the Marshall Thundering Herd football team of Marshall University and the West Virginia Mountaineers football team of the West Virginia University. The game was sponsored by the Friends of Coal, a coal industry trade group. Planned to be a seven-year series, the Friends of Coal Bowl was organized by the West Virginia Coal Association at the urging of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Virginia Mountaineers football</span> American college football team

The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. West Virginia plays its home games at Milan Puskar Stadium on the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers have won or shared a total of 15 conference championships, including eight Southern Conference titles and seven Big East Conference titles. The Mountaineers compete in the Big 12 Conference and are led by head coach Neal Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Panthers football</span> Football team representing the University of Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Panthers football program is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football competition, now termed the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, since the beginning of the school's official sponsorship of the sport in 1890. Pitt competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team began play on September 1, 2007. The team was coached by Rich Rodriguez until he announced on December 16, 2007, that he was leaving West Virginia to coach the Michigan Wolverines. The head coaching position remained vacant after his announcement, with assistant head coach Bill Stewart serving as interim head coach. Stewart was then named head coach on January 3, 2008, after leading the Mountaineers to victory in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl over the #3 Oklahoma Sooners. West Virginia played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball</span> Basketball team of the University of Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's basketball team competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and plays their home games in the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers were retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA tournament national champion twice by the Helms Athletic Foundation and once by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Pitt has reached one Final Four, received 15 First Team All-American selections, appeared in 27 NCAA tournaments through the 2022–23 season, and has recorded 1,674 victories against 1,232 losses since their inaugural season of 1905–06.

The 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 96th overall season and they competed as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his ninth year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of eleven wins and one loss, and a loss against No. 1 Notre Dame in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl for the national championship.

The 1982 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 90th overall season and they competed as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his third year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of nine wins and three losses and with a loss against Florida State in the Gator Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Stewart (American football)</span> American football coach (1952–2012)

William L. Stewart, nicknamed "Stew", was an American football coach. He was named interim head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan in December 2007. After leading the Mountaineers to a 48–28 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl, he was named the school's 32nd head football coach on January 3, 2008. Stewart resigned in the summer of 2011. He was previously the head coach of Virginia Military Institute for three seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball</span> University basketball team

The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. WVU has won 13 conference tournament championships, and has 31 appearances in the NCAA tournament, including two Final Fours, most recently in 2010. The Mountaineers have also appeared in 16 National Invitation Tournaments (NIT), and have won the tournament twice, in 1942 and 2007. The 1942 NIT Championship is claimed by West Virginia as a National Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State–West Virginia football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Penn State–West Virginia football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Penn State Nittany Lions and West Virginia Mountaineers. Penn State leads the series 49–9–2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland–West Virginia football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Maryland–West Virginia football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Maryland Terrapins and West Virginia Mountaineers. The two schools are strong rivals due to several factors, including similar recruiting areas and the relatively short distance between each other, approximately 210 miles (340 km) apart. The two teams first played in 1919 and the series ran uninterrupted from 1980 to 2007. West Virginia leads the series 28–23–2. The two teams met for the Gator Bowl for a rematch at the end of the 2003 season. Until the series lapsed in 2007, the game was the longest continuously running non-conference game for both schools. The two teams met again in Morgantown in 2015 and in College Park in 2021, with West Virginia and Maryland winning respectively.

The 2009 West Virginia Mountaineer football team represented West Virginia University in the college football season of 2009. The Mountaineers were led by head coach Bill Stewart and played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers finished the season 9–4 and lost in the Gator Bowl 33–21 to Florida State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake Energy Capital Classic</span> American college basketball rivalry

The Chesapeake Energy Capital Classic is the name of the in-state rivalry between the Marshall University and West Virginia University basketball teams, the Marshall Thundering Herd and West Virginia Mountaineers. Chesapeake Energy is the title sponsor of the game. The game was last played during the 2015–2016 season and no further games are currently scheduled.

The 2010 West Virginia Mountaineer football team represented West Virginia University in the college football season of 2010. The Mountaineers were led by head coach Bill Stewart and played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. They were members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 9–4, 5–2 in Big East play to share the conference title with Connecticut and Pittsburgh. They were invited to the Champ Sports Bowl where they were defeated by North Carolina State 7–23.

The 2011 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the Big East Conference. The Mountaineers were led by Dana Holgorsen, who was in his first season as head coach. West Virginia played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season 10–3, 5–2 in Big East play to earn a share of the Big East Conference championship with Cincinnati and Louisville. The Mountaineers, in their final season in the Big East before moving to the Big 12 the following season, earned the league's automatic berth in the BCS due to being the highest ranked of the Big East champions in the final BCS rankings. They were invited to the Orange Bowl for the first time ever where they defeated Clemson 70–33. This was the third victory for West Virginia in three BCS games played in the BCS era, while the 70 points in the Orange Bowl set a record for most points scored in a bowl game.

The 1989 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 97th overall season and they competed as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his tenth year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of eight wins, three losses and one tie, and earned a Gator Bowl berth against No. 14 Clemson, where they were defeated 27–7.

The 2007 Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia football game was a college football game held in Morgantown, West Virginia that marked the 100th Backyard Brawl. Unranked and 4–7 Pitt, a 28½ point underdog, pulled the upset over archrival WVU who, coming into the game, was ranked second in the BCS and AP Poll and first in the Coaches' Poll. By upsetting West Virginia in the Mountaineers' regular season and home finale, the Panthers knocked WVU out of what had been assured to be their first appearance in a BCS National Championship Game and a shot at their first ever National Championship. The game was one of the most important Backyard Brawls in the series history, one of the biggest upsets in both Pittsburgh and West Virginia history, one of the biggest upsets of the season, and was voted as the "Game of the Year" by ESPNU.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Winsipedia - Pittsburgh Panthers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers football series history".
  2. "Backyard Brawl serial number 77745437". Alexandria, VA: US Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  3. Sciullo, Sam Jr., ed. (1991). 1991 Pitt Football: University of Pittsburgh Football Media Guide. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Sports Information Office. p. 116.
  4. Smith, Chester L. (October 27, 1951). "State Renews Old Feud with West Virginia". The Pittsburgh Press . p. 6. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  5. "Wash-Jeff Meets West Virginians". The Pittsburgh Press . February 17, 1921. p. 23. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  6. "Panthers To Get Old Ironsides". Beaver Valley Times. October 23, 1952. p. 21. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  7. Gorman, Kevin (September 2, 2010). "Pitt-WVU Backyard Brawl to feature Nike Pro Combat uniforms". Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Archived from the original on September 5, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
  8. "ACC addition of Syracuse, Pittsburgh fuels concerns over future of Big East". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  9. Thamel, Pete (October 28, 2011). "West Virginia Wants Out, but Big East Won't Let Go". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  10. Register-Herald, Mickey FurfariFor The (August 17, 2012). "Reviving the Backyard Brawl". Beckley Register-Herald. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  11. "Lyons Announces Return of Backyard Brawl". WVU Athletics. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  12. "Pitt, West Virginia renew Backyard Brawl for 2022–2025". FB Schedules. September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  13. "Pitt, West Virginia add four games to Backyard Brawl football series". FB Schedules. April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Most memorable 'Backyard Brawl' moments". WTAE . September 10, 2015.
  15. 1 2 Scuillo, Sam (December 1, 2007). "Tales from the Backyard Brawl".
  16. 1 2 3 Antonik, John (November 18, 2005). "The Best Brawl of All?". Mountaineer Sports Network.
  17. Furfari, Mickey (November 22, 2005). "'Garbage Game' of '61 recalled days before Backyard Brawl". The Beckley Register-Herald.
  18. "100th Backyard Brawl Voted "Game of the Year" by ESPNU Fans - University of Pittsburgh". University of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on March 22, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
  19. 1 2 "Bitancurt's leg fuels West Virginia's upset of No. 9 Pittsburgh". Associated Press. November 28, 2009.
  20. "West Virginia batters Pittsburgh, remains in chase for automatic BCS berth". Associated Press. November 25, 2011.
  21. "Backyard Brawl sets Pittsburgh sports attendance record".
  22. "West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh - Game Summary - September 1, 2022 - ESPN".
  23. Vingle, Mitch (December 8, 2017). "No. 18 WVU, Pitt return to 'Backyard' for rivalry clash". USA Today. AP. The "Backyard Brawl" memories are well worn and familiar to Bob Huggins. They stretch back decades, the highs and the lows of West Virginia's longtime rivalry with Pittsburgh coming back to him in a rush.
  24. "Pitt, No. 17 West Virginia renew Backyard Brawl". Charleston Gazette-Mail.
  25. "Greg Hotchkiss, 2008–2009 Pitt Men's Basketball Media Guide, University of Pittsburgh Athletic Media Relations Office, pg. 178, access-date-2008-12-02" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  26. Nespor, Cody (November 11, 2019). "Huggins' History in The Backyard Brawl During the Big East Era".
  27. "WVUToday Archive | News | University Relations". wvutoday.wvu.edu. West Virginia University.
  28. "Mountaineer Basketball Fan Chants "Embarrassed" WVU - WBOY-TV - WBOY.com". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  29. Rodgers, Ann (February 6, 2010). "West Virginia hastens to improve security at basketball games". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  30. Smizik, Bob (February 13, 2010). "Hail to Pitt fans!". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  31. Fittipaldo, Ray (February 13, 2010). "Pitt defeats West Virginia, 98–95, in triple overtime". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  32. Associated Press (February 12, 2010). "Pitt avenges Morgantown loss, fights off West Virginia in three OTs". ESPN. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  33. Bock, Ethan (November 12, 2021). "Five Things to Know Before WVU vs. Pitt".
  34. "The First Game West Virginia University Lacrosse Club". www.lacrosseinwestvirginia.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  35. 1 2 "Pittsburgh Panthers - Schedule - MCLA". mcla.us. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  36. 1 2 "WVU Lacrosse". www.lacrosseinwestvirginia.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  37. "USLIA / MDIA Archive Project". www.uslia.net. Retrieved April 18, 2023.