1986 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1986 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Conference	Independent
1986 record	5–5–1
Head coach	Mike Gottfried (1st year)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Solari (1st year)
Offensive scheme	Multiple pro-style
Defensive coordinator	John Fox (1st year)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium (Capacity: 56,500)

1986 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#1 Penn State		–		–				12	–	0	–	0
#2 Miami (FL)		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
#20 Virginia Tech		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
#19 Boston College		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Tulsa		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Florida State		–		–				7	–	4	–	1
Army		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Rutgers		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				3	–	6	–	2
Tulane		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Louisville		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Navy		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Wichita State		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Northern Illinois		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Memphis		–		–				1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1986 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the sport of American football during the 1986 college football season.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
Mon. Sep. 1	8:00 p.m.	Maryland		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN	L 7–10	48,120
Sat. Sep. 13	7:00 p.m.	at NC State		Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC		T 14–14	47,200
Sat Sep. 20	12:30 p.m.	at Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	TNT	W 41–26	55,621
Sat. Sep. 27	12:00 p.m.	West Virginia		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl)	T.E.N.	W 48–16	55,129
Sat. Oct. 4	7:00 p.m.	Temple		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		L 13–19	40,136
Sat. Oct. 11	12:30 p.m.	at Notre Dame		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Rivalry)	USA	W 10–9	59,075
Sat. Oct. 25	1:30 p.m.	Navy		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 56–14	45,345
Sat. Nov. 1	12:00 p.m.	at Syracuse		Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY (Rivalry)	T.V.E.N.	L 20–24	34,114
Sat. Nov. 8	3:30 p.m.	#1 Miami (FL)		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA	ABC	L 10–37	55,338
Sat. Nov. 15	1:30 p.m.	Rutgers		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 20–6	34,922
Sat. Nov. 22	12:00 p.m.	at #2 Penn State		Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (Rivalry)	USA	L 14–34	85,722
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Coaching staff

1986 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
	Coaching Staff Mike Gottfried – Head Coach Chuck Klausing – Assistant Head Coach/Outside Linebackers John Fox – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backfield Mike Solari – Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Carl Angelo – Defensive Line Steve Coury – Wide Receivers Frank D'Alonzo – Defensive Ends Mike Dickens – Quarterbacks Tommie Liggins – Running Backs Sal Sunseri – Linebackers			Support Staff Alex Kramer – Administrative Assistant Bud Ratliff – Recruiting Coordinator John Brown – Graduate Assistant Rick Denstorff – Graduate Assistant John Kukalis – Graduate Assistant Larry Petroff – Graduate Assistant			Strength and Conditioning Staff Buddy Morris – Weight Training Coordinator Ray Oliver – Assistant Strength

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Tony Woods	Defensive End	1	18	Seattle Seahawks
Randy Dixon	Guard	4	85	Indianapolis Colts
Lorenzo Freeman	Nose Tackle	4	89	Green Bay Packers
Tom Brown	Running Back	7	182	Miami Dolphins