Pitt's Harris: 'Our future is still very bright'

[Apis Bull]

Harris: 'Our future is still very bright'

By Joe Bendel

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Pitt's football coach assesses his program's progress.

Coach Walt Harris enters his eighth season at Pitt with all eyes on his program.

His career with the Panthers has been one of jubilation (five bowl appearances with a once-dying program) and success stories (a near-Heisman winner in Larry Fitzgerald). It has also been one of frustration (not meeting expectations in 2003) and disappointments (the loss of two key local recruits last April).

He opens training camp at the UPMC Sports Complex on the South Side today with the least experienced team in the Big East Conference.

Unlike last season, his Panthers are nowhere to be found in the preseason Top 25 polls. Media members picked them to finish third in the watered-down Big East.

Harris took a moment the other day to reflect on the program's progress during his tenure.

"We haven't won seven national championships, so I'm sure everyone wishes we were further ahead," said Harris, who looks much younger than a man who turns 58 in November. "But I think we've been competitive, and I'm confident that the people I work for know that we're doing this with class. I think we've been competitive, and I think our future is still very bright."

Harris is signed through the 2006 season, thanks to an extension in March 2000. Most coaches prefer to have five years remaining on their contracts because it indicates they'll be there for a recruit's entire career. Harris, though, said he wouldn't concern himself with that topic.

"I'm confident that our administration knows what it is doing," he said.

The Panthers, who finished 7-5 in 2003, enter the season with only 10 returning starters, including three on offense. Harris must find a new quarterback, tailback, wide receiver, tight end, three offensive linemen and a more aggressive defensive unit.

Perhaps the addition of strength coach Mike Kent will benefit a team that got pushed around, particularly on defense, last fall. Kent replaced Dave Kennedy, who was renowned for helping big-name players improve but might have lacked in getting mid-level players built up significantly.

By the time Kennedy departed for Nebraska, he was not seeing eye-to-eye with all of the players -- or all the coaches, for that matter. Time will tell if Kent's strength program better serves a Pitt team that is looking to become more physical across the lines.

Harris, in the meantime, will take on added responsibilities as offensive coordinator. Former coordinator J.D. Brookhart left to take the coaching job at Akron. He was instrumental in designing plays and preparing scripts for games.

"I'll have to be more involved from a task standpoint," Harris said. "As time went on, J.D. became more and more versed in a number of key areas. I'll be doing more of that now."

Harris will need to have his team ready for a treacherous stretch that has the Panthers opening on Labor Day and playing five games in 25 days. That relatively short period could go a long way in determining how the 2004 season unfolds.

Joe Bendel can be reached at joecbendel@aol.com or (412) 320-7811.

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[smazza]

not if they lose to USF

he might get fired before plane touches down in PA