Pat Narduzzi Officially Takes Over As Pittsburgh Head Coach

Pat Narduzzi has officially taken over as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Panthers just days after the school announced that they were close to a deal with their next coach.

Prior to his job at Pittsburgh, Narduzzi was the defensive coordinator at Michigan State. Along with head coach Mark Dantonio, he was able to revive the depleted Michigan State defense to a ranking in the top five in the nation in 2011.

The Spartans have been in the top ten in the nation as a team for the past two seasons, and won the Rose Bowl in 2014. They are set to play Baylor in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day, and only suffered two losses on the year to Oregon and Ohio State, both in the college playoff.

Whether Pat Narduzzi will be able to have similar success with Pittsburgh will be determined in the coming years, but the new coach is excited to be on board with the team, and intends to bring his aggressive play style along with him.

In addition to being the defensive coordinator for Michigan State, he has also served as the defensive coordinator for Cincinnati Bearcats and the Miami Hurricanes.

In 2013, he was awarded the Broyles awarded, recognizing the best assistant coach in the country. He will be the fifth head coach that the Pittsburgh Panthers have had in the past five years.

The Pittsburgh Panthers once had a strong team, and have won nine national championships, although the last time that feat was accomplished was nearly 40 years ago. Their famous graduates include Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino, who both had successful careers in the NFL.

Pittsburgh is going to need a lot of help from coach Pat Narduzzi to turn their program around after ending their 2014 season with a record of 6-6, and had a .500 record for the fourth year in a row. Pittsburgh will face Houston in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Jan. 2.

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Pat Narduzzi Officially Takes Over As Pittsburgh Head Coach