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Backyard Brawl

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Backyard Brawl
Logo for the 2022 football game
SportMultiple
First meeting1895 (football)
Locations of Pittsburgh and West Virginia

The Backyard Brawl is an American college sports rivalry between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers. While historically a rivalry between the two schools' football programs, 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,[1] and refers to the close proximity of the two universities, separated by 75 miles (105 km) along Interstate 79.

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 107 games played between these two schools, Pitt leads the series 63–41–3.[2]

History

[edit]

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 consecutive years (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 consecutive 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 consecutive games 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. The loss cost WVU a chance to play for a national title in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game.

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]

Football

[edit]
Pittsburgh–West Virginia football rivalry
Teams
First meetingOctober 26, 1895
West Virginia, 8–0
Latest meetingSeptember 14, 2024
Pittsburgh, 38–34
Next meetingSeptember 13, 2025
Statistics
Meetings total107
All-time recordPittsburgh leads, 63–41–3
Largest victoryNovember 8, 1904
Pittsburgh, 53–0
Longest win streakPittsburgh, 15 (1929–1946)
Current win streakPittsburgh, 1 (2024–present)

Location

[edit]
The 1908 edition of the Backyard Brawl at Exposition Park
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

[edit]
  • 1895: In the schools' first meeting, West Virginia beat then-Western University of Pennsylvania, 8–0. Western had yet to become the University of Pittsburgh. Of West Virginia's four "home" games that season, it was the only one played in Morgantown. The others were played in Parkersburg, Wheeling and Charleston.[14]
  • 1921: 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.[15]
  • 1952: West Virginia recorded its first-ever victory over a ranked team when the unranked Mountaineers knocked off 18th-rated Pitt in Pittsburgh.[15]
  • 1955: West Virginia was an undefeated 7-0 going into the game, but Pitt never trailed after an early touchdown catch by Joe Walton, who later coached the New York Jets. Pitt's win is credited with knocking WVU out of contention for the Sugar Bowl.[16]
  • 1961: West Virginia's victory at Pitt in 1961 became known as the “Garbage Game” because one of the Panther players referred to West Virginia, which was winless in 1960, as rebuilding its program with “Western Pennsylvania garbage.”[17]
  • 1965: At the time, the 1965 contest was one of the highest-scoring major college games ever played. Teletype operators across the country kept messaging the Mountaineer Field press box, wondering if the score was real, as West Virginia beat Pitt 63–48. The loss began a stretch of six losses in seven games for Pitt that included a 69–13 loss to Notre Dame.[14]
  • 1970: West Virginia led 35–8 at halftime, but Pitt switched to a Power-I offense and rallied with four touchdowns in the second half to upset the Mountaineers. Afterward, West Virginia fans beat on the dressing room door, screaming in anger at then-rookie head coach Bobby Bowden. Bowden, who went on to set coaching records and win multiple national titles at Florida State, later referred to the game as his “darkest day in coaching.”[16]
  • 1975: Walk-on kicker Bill McKenzie's game-winning field goal in the closing seconds led to one of the longest postgame celebrations ever at old Mountaineer Field as West Virginia beat Pitt 17–14. Led by Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, Pitt would rebound to win the 1976 national championship and 67 of its next 77 regular-season games.[14]
  • 1982: Pitt spent much of the season at No. 1 while starting 7–0, but held on to beat West Virginia 16–13 only when kicker Paul Woodside's long field goal attempt hit the crossbar.[14]
  • 1983: Jeff Hostetler drove the Mountaineers 90 yards in the final two minutes for West Virginia to overcome Pitt, 24–21. It was WVU's first victory over Pitt since 1975, and future College Football Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen's first in four tries as the Mountaineers head coach.[16]
  • 1997: In Pitt coach Walt Harris' first season, Pitt beat WVU 41–38 in 3OT. This win propelled the Panthers into their first bowl game in eight years and began the school's turnaround following six losing seasons in seven years. West Virginia's Marc Bulger passed for 348 yards in the losing effort.[14]
  • 2002: West Virginia Quarterback Rasheed Marshall, a Brashear High School graduate, gets his first win against former City League rival Rod Rutherford, who played quarterback at Perry Traditional Academy. A sellout crowd of 66,731 was the largest ever for a game at Heinz Field at the time.[14]
  • 2007: On Saturday, December 1, 2007, the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl took place at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. The 4–7 Panthers upset the 2nd–ranked Mountaineers 13–9, knocking West Virginia out of the BCS National Championship Game. The game was one of the most important Backyard Brawls, one of the biggest upsets for the Pittsburgh Panthers, one of the biggest upsets of the season, and was voted as the "Game of the Year" by ESPNU.[18] The contest was also the final game for Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez, who infamously left WVU to become the head coach at Michigan after the game.[19]
  • 2009: Despite suffering back-to-back losses in 2007 and 2008, WVU got revenge when the series returned to Morgantown in 2009. The unranked Mountaineers upset the No. 8 Panthers 19–16 on a game-ending field goal. The 2009 Backyard Brawl was one of the most watched games in the history of ESPN2. Although Pitt lost to WVU and No. 5 Cincinnati the following week, Pitt finished the season with ten wins for the first time since 1981.[19]
  • 2011: As the final Backyard Brawl with both schools as a member of the Big East Conference, West Virginia overcame a ten-point deficit to beat Pitt, 21–20. Late in the regular season, the win was critical for the Mountaineers' then "slim hopes" to win a share of the conference title and "for earning the league's automatic BCS berth." West Virginia went on to beat South Florida the next week, win a share of the conference title, and secure a BCS bid to the program's first ever Orange Bowl appearance, where they beat Clemson.[20]
  • 2022: The first meeting between the two teams since 2011 took place during Week 1 of the 2022 season. The game set a Pittsburgh city record for attendance at a sporting event at 70,622.[21] The game was back and forth, featuring 7 lead changes with Pitt overcoming a 4th quarter deficit and taking the lead on a 56-yard M.J. Devonshire Pick Six with 2:58 remaining in the game. Pitt would then stop a promising West Virginia drive to win the game 38–31.[22]

Game results

[edit]
1927 official program from Pitt Stadium
1928 official souvenir football program
1933 official program from Old Mountaineer Field
1936 Backyard Brawl official program
1982 Backyard Brawl
Pittsburgh victoriesWest Virginia victories
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 October 26, 1895 Morgantown West Virginia 8–0
2 November 4, 1898 Fairmont, West Virginia West Virginia 6–0
3 October 6, 1900 Morgantown West Virginia 6–5
4 October 5, 1901 Morgantown W.U.P. 12–0
5 October 22, 1902 Exposition Park West Virginia 23–6
6 October 3, 1903 Morgantown West Virginia 24–6
7 November 8, 1904 Exposition Park W.U.P. 53–0
8 November 10, 1906 Exposition Park W.U.P. 17–0
9 November 9, 1907 Exposition Park W.U.P. 10–0
10 November 7, 1908 Exposition Park W.U.P. 11–0
11 November 6, 1909 Morgantown Tie0–0
12 November 5, 1910 Forbes Field Pittsburgh 38–0
13 October 11, 1913 Forbes Field Pittsburgh 40–0
14 September 29, 1917 Morgantown Pittsburgh 14–9
15 October 11, 1919 Forbes Field Pittsburgh 26–0
16 October 9, 1920 Forbes Field Pittsburgh 34–13
17 October 8, 1921 Forbes Field Pittsburgh 21–13
18 October 14, 1922 Forbes Field West Virginia 9–6
19 October 13, 1923 Forbes Field West Virginia 13–7
20 October 11, 1924 Forbes Field Pittsburgh 14–7
21 October 10, 1925 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 15–7
22 November 6, 1926 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 17–7
23 October 8, 1927 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 40–0
24 October 13, 1928 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 9–6
25 October 8, 1929 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 27–7
26 October 4, 1930 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 16–0
27 October 10, 1931 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 34–0
28 October 1, 1932 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 40–0
29 October 7, 1933 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 21–0
30 October 6, 1934 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 27–6
31 October 12, 1935 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 24–6
32 October 3, 1936 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 34–0
33 October 2, 1937 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 20–0
34 September 24, 1938 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 19–0
35 October 7, 1939 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 20–0
36 October 9, 1943 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 20–0
37 September 23, 1944 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 26–13
38 September 29, 1945 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 30–0
39 September 28, 1946 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 33–7
40 November 29, 1947 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 17–2
41 October 9, 1948 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 16–6
42 October 8, 1949 Mountaineer Field No. 19 Pittsburgh 20–7
43 November 4, 1950 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 21–7
44 November 17, 1951 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 32–12
45 October 25, 1952 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 16–0
46 September 26, 1953 Pitt Stadium No. 16 West Virginia 17–7
47 October 30, 1954 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 13–10
48 November 12, 1955 Pitt Stadium No. 17 Pittsburgh 26–7
49 September 22, 1956 Mountaineer Field No. 10 Pittsburgh 14–13
50 November 9, 1957 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 7–6
51 October 18, 1958 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 15–8
52 October 17, 1959 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 23–15
53 October 15, 1960 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 42–0
54 October 14, 1961 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 20–6
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
55 October 13, 1962 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 15–8
56 October 19, 1963 Mountaineer Field No. 3 Pittsburgh 13–10
57 October 10, 1964 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 14–0
58 October 2, 1965 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 63–48
59 October 8, 1966 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 17–14
60 October 7, 1967 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 15–0
61 September 28, 1968 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 38–15
62 October 25, 1969 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 49–18
63 October 17, 1970 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 36–35
64 October 2, 1971 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 20–9
65 November 4, 1972 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 38–20
66 October 13, 1973 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 35–7
67 October 12, 1974 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 31–14
68 November 8, 1975 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 17–14
69 November 13, 1976 Pitt Stadium No. 1 Pittsburgh 24–16
70 November 5, 1977 Mountaineer Field No. 12 Pittsburgh 44–3
71 November 11, 1978 Pitt Stadium No. 20 Pittsburgh 52–7
72 November 10, 1979 Mountaineer Field No. 12 Pittsburgh 24–17
73 October 18, 1980 Pitt Stadium No. 11 Pittsburgh 42–14
74 October 10, 1981 Mountaineer Field No. 4 Pittsburgh 17–0
75 October 2, 1982 Pitt Stadium No. 2 Pittsburgh 16–13
76 October 1, 1983 Mountaineer Field No. 7 West Virginia 24–21
77 September 29, 1984 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 28–10
78 September 28, 1985 Mountaineer Field Tie10–10
79 September 27, 1986 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh 48–16
80 September 26, 1987 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 6–3
81 September 24, 1988 Pitt Stadium No. 12 West Virginia 31–10
82 September 30, 1989 Mountaineer Field Tie31–31
83 September 29, 1990 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 38–24
84 August 31, 1991 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 34–3
85 September 12, 1992 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 44–6
86 October 23, 1993 Mountaineer Field No. 18 West Virginia 42–21
87 October 15, 1994 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 47–41
88 November 24, 1995 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 21–0
89 August 31, 1996 Pitt Stadium West Virginia 34–0
90 November 28, 1997 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 41–38
91 November 27, 1998 Three Rivers Stadium West Virginia 52–14
92 November 27, 1999 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 52–21
93 November 24, 2000 Three Rivers Stadium Pittsburgh 38–28
94 November 24, 2001 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 23–17
95 November 30, 2002 Heinz Field No. 24 West Virginia 24–17
96 November 15, 2003 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 52–31
97 November 25, 2004 Heinz Field Pittsburgh 16–13
98 November 24, 2005 Mountaineer Field No. 12 West Virginia 45–13
99 November 16, 2006 Heinz Field No. 8 West Virginia 45–27
100 December 1, 2007 Mountaineer Field Pittsburgh 13–9
101 November 28, 2008 Heinz Field Pittsburgh 19–15
102 November 27, 2009 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 19–16
103 November 26, 2010 Heinz Field West Virginia 35–10
104 November 25, 2011 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 21–20
105 September 1, 2022 Acrisure Stadium No. 17 Pittsburgh 38–31
106 September 16, 2023 Mountaineer Field West Virginia 17–6
107 September 14, 2024 Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh38–34
Series: Pittsburgh leads 63–41–3[2]

See also

[edit]

Basketball

[edit]
Pittsburgh–West Virginia men's basketball rivalry
Teams
First meetingFebruary 17, 1906
Pittsburgh, 30–25
Latest meetingNovember 15, 2024
Pittsburgh, 86–62
Next meeting2025
Statistics
Meetings total191
All-time recordWest Virginia leads, 101–90
Largest victoryFebruary 14, 1966
West Virginia, 103–63
Longest win streakWest Virginia, 13 (1957–1963)
Current win streakPittsburgh, 2 (2023–present)

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.

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, 26–18.

Pittsburgh victoriesWest Virginia victories
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 February 17, 1906 Pittsburgh, PA W.U.P. 30–25
2 February 14, 1907 Pittsburgh, PA W.U.P. 44–14
3 March 2, 1907 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 26–20
4 January 18, 1908 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 58–20
5 March 7, 1908 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 20–19
6 January 29, 1915 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 42–18
7 January 10, 1918 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 30–20
8 January 25, 1918 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 36–24
9 January 16, 1919 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 35–29
10 March 1, 1919 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 33–30
11 January 15, 1920 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 38–27
12 January 31, 1920 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 28–26
13 March 6, 1920 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 33–24
14 February 17, 1921 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 45–32
15 March 12, 1921 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 43–24
16 January 20, 1922 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 37–27
17 March 11, 1922 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 31–26
18 January 18, 1923 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 26–21
19 March 3, 1923 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 33–28
20 January 17, 1924 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 25–23
21 March 1, 1924 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 28–14
22 January 16, 1925 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 30–22
23 February 28, 1925 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 35–25
24 January 22, 1926 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 38–23
25 February 26, 1926 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 37–30
26 January 20, 1927 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 29–23
27 March 3, 1927 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 43–33
28 January 20, 1928 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 51–26
29 March 3, 1928 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 45–42
30 January 18, 1929 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 40–35
31 March 2, 1929 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 41–19
32 February 22, 1930 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 21–19
33 March 8, 1930 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 33–25
34 January 17, 1931 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 17–15
35 March 11, 1931 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 24–22
36 January 29, 1932 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 33–27
37 March 8, 1932 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 22–19
38 January 28, 1933 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 42–20
39 March 11, 1933 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 45–35
40 January 27, 1934 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 42–21
41 March 10, 1934 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 27–26
42 January 26, 1935 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 35–34
43 March 13, 1935 Morgantown, WV #21 West Virginia 43–26
44 March 18, 1935 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 35–22
45 January 25, 1936 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 41–26
46 March 11, 1936 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 43–42
47 January 30, 1937 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 44–36
48 March 13, 1937 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 48–42
49 January 29, 1938 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 43–40
50 March 12, 1938 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 38–35
51 February 18, 1939 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 45–42
52 March 11, 1939 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 49–43
53 February 20, 1940 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 68–49
54 March 9, 1940 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 42–35
55 February 11, 1941 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 56–45
56 February 4, 1942 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 66–47
57 January 9, 1943 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 48–33
58 February 27, 1943 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 82–64
59 February 16, 1944 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 59–55
60 February 26, 1944 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 60–57
61 February 21, 1945 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 55–34
62 February 24, 1945 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 50–47
63 February 13, 1946 Pittsburgh, PA #7 West Virginia 61–41
64 March 2, 1946 Morgantown, WV #7 West Virginia 81–61
65 February 8, 1947 Pittsburgh, PA #12 West Virginia 52–41
66 March 1, 1947 Morgantown, WV #12 West Virginia 72–59
67 February 20, 1948 Pittsburgh, PA #12 West Virginia 70–59
68 March 6, 1948 Morgantown, WV #12 West Virginia 52–36
69 February 16, 1949 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 54–51
70 March 5, 1949 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 34–32
71 February 25, 1950 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 55–53
72 March 4, 1950 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 59–53
73 February 17, 1951 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 56–52
74 February 26, 1951 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 74–72
75 January 12, 1952 Morgantown, WV #11 West Virginia 79–60
76 January 30, 1952 Pittsburgh, PA #10 West Virginia 67–47
77 January 20, 1953 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 95–70
78 February 12, 1953 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 67–65
79 January 16, 1954 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 70–59
80 February 16, 1954 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 83–64
81 January 29, 1955 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 88–74
82 February 16, 1955 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 93–86
83 January 18, 1956 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 84–70
84 February 25, 1956 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 94–77
85 January 8, 1957 Pittsburgh, PA #18 West Virginia 89–86
86 February 23, 1957 Morgantown, WV #14 West Virginia 107–93
87 January 15, 1958 Pittsburgh, PA #1 West Virginia 71–64
88 February 22, 1958 Morgantown, WV #3 West Virginia 99–86
89 February 3, 1959 Morgantown, WV #10 West Virginia 73–64
90 February 18, 1959 Pittsburgh, PA #11 West Virginia 90–69
91 January 27, 1960 Pittsburgh, PA #4 West Virginia 76–66
92 February 20, 1960 Morgantown, WV #5 West Virginia 89–75
93 January 18, 1961 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 73–68
94 February 18, 1961 Morgantown, WV #10 West Virginia 92–84
95 January 20, 1962 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 88–78
96 February 7, 1962 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 80–76
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
97 February 2, 1963 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 68–67
98 February 13, 1963 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 69–68
99 January 18, 1964 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 92–76
100 February 12, 1964 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 86–84
101 January 11, 1965 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 86–72
102 January 26, 1965 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 76–75
103 January 25, 1966 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 90–79
104 February 14, 1966 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 103–63
105 January 18, 1967 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 102–78
106 February 6, 1967 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 81–62
107 January 17, 1968 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 90–64
108 February 21, 1968 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 87–76
109 January 28, 1969 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 90–87
110 February 12, 1969 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 89–69
111 January 14, 1970 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 67–66
112 March 3, 1970 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 92–87
113 February 3, 1971 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 95–91
114 March 3, 1971 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 66–64
115 January 10, 1972 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 91–76
116 March 4, 1972 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 104–90
117 February 5, 1973 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 77–64
118 February 27, 1973 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 59–58
119 December 1, 1973 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 82–78
120 March 2, 1974 Pittsburgh, PA #11 Pittsburgh 83–78
121 December 3, 1974 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 82–78
122 February 12, 1975 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 83–77
123 March 7, 1975 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 75–73
124 January 7, 1976 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 70–61
125 February 11, 1976 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 85–72
126 January 3, 1977 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 100–91
127 February 9, 1977 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 90–69
128 March 2, 1977 Philadelphia, PA West Virginia 66–54
129 January 4, 1978 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 71–66
130 February 8, 1978 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 87–76
131 January 20, 1979 Wheeling, WV West Virginia 93–92
132 February 3, 1979 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 72–57
133 February 2, 1980 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 68–66
134 February 16, 1980 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 67–66
135 January 31, 1981 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 76–63
136 February 21, 1981 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 81–64
137 January 29, 1982 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 48–45
138 February 24, 1982 Morgantown, WV #6 West Virginia 82–77
139 March 6, 1982 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 79–72
140 January 15, 1983 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 81–67
141 December 17, 1983 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 56–53
142 December 15, 1984 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 84–65
143 December 14, 1985 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 74–63
144 December 13, 1986 Pittsburgh, PA #17 Pittsburgh 78–57
145 December 12, 1987 Morgantown, WV #2 Pittsburgh 70–64
146 December 10, 1988 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 84–81
147 December 9, 1989 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 97–93
148 December 8, 1990 Pittsburgh, PA #11 Pittsburgh 96–87
149 December 14, 1991 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 86–85
150 December 12, 1992 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 82–78
151 December 11, 1993 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 99–91
152 December 10, 1994 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 84–80
153 January 6, 1996 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 84–83
154 February 29, 1996 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 83–63
155 February 1, 1997 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 74–59
156 January 28, 1998 Pittsburgh, PA #17 West Virginia 76–72
157 February 3, 1998 Morgantown, WV #15 West Virginia 90–72
158 February 17, 1999 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 69–67
159 February 10, 2000 Charleston, WV West Virginia 62–58
160 January 31, 2001 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 63–46
161 February 8, 2001 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 69–68
162 February 16, 2002 Morgantown, WV #14 Pittsburgh 85–75
163 March 2, 2002 Pittsburgh, PA #10 Pittsburgh 92–65
164 January 14, 2003 Morgantown, WV #3 Pittsburgh 80–61
165 February 12, 2003 Pittsburgh, PA #7 Pittsburgh 82–46
166 February 21, 2004 Morgantown, WV #5 Pittsburgh 67–58
167 February 5, 2005 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 83–78
168 February 23, 2005 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 70–66
169 February 9, 2006 Pittsburgh, PA #14 Pittsburgh 57–53
170 February 27, 2006 Morgantown, WV #18 West Virginia 67–62
171 March 9, 2006 New York, NY #19 Pittsburgh 68–57
172 February 7, 2007 Morgantown, WV #7 Pittsburgh 60–47
173 February 27, 2007 Pittsburgh, PA #12 Pittsburgh 80–66
174 February 7, 2008 Pittsburgh, PA #21 Pittsburgh 55–54
175 March 3, 2008 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 76–62
176 January 25, 2009 Morgantown, WV #4 Pittsburgh 79–67
177 February 9, 2009 Pittsburgh, PA #4 Pittsburgh 70–59
178 March 12, 2009 New York, NY West Virginia 74–60
179 February 3, 2010 Morgantown, WV #6 West Virginia 70–51
180 February 12, 2010 Pittsburgh, PA #25 Pittsburgh 98–95
181 February 7, 2011 Morgantown, WV #4 Pittsburgh 71–66
182 February 24, 2011 Pittsburgh, PA #4 Pittsburgh 71–58
183 January 30, 2012 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 72–66
184 February 16, 2012 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 66–48
185 December 9, 2017 Pittsburgh, PA #18 West Virginia 69–60
186 December 8, 2018 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 69–59
187 November 15, 2019 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 68–53
188 November 12, 2021 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 74–59
189 November 11, 2022 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 81–56
190 December 6, 2023 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 80–63
191 November 15, 2024 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 86–62
Series: West Virginia leads 101–90

Soccer

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Men's soccer

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Pittsburgh victoriesWest Virginia victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 October 13, 1962 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 5–1
2 October 19, 1963 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 4–0
3 October 10, 1964 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 3–1
4 October 30, 1965 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 3–1
5 October 29, 1966 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 1–0
6 October 21, 1967 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 5–1
7 October 25, 1968 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 3–0
8 October 24, 1969 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 1–0
9 November 7, 1970 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 1–0
10 November 6, 1971 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 1–0
11 November 3, 1972 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 1–0
12 October 13, 1973 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 2–0
13 October 22, 1974 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 2–0
14 November 8, 1975 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 1–0
15 November 5, 1976 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 2–0
16 November 1, 1977 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 3–2
17 November 10, 1978 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 3–0
18 November 7, 1979 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 3–0
19 October 25, 1980 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 4–0
20 November 5, 1981 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 6–1
21 November 3, 1982 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 2–1
22 October 1, 1983 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 2–1
23 October 13, 1984 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 1–0
24 October 11, 1985 Morgantown, WV Tie0–0
25 October 8, 1986 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 2–0
26 September 22, 1987 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 2–0
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
27 September 21, 1988 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 3–1
28 September 20, 1989 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 2–0
29 September 19, 1990 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 4–2
30 October 16, 1991 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 1–0
31 October 26, 1994 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 4–1
32 November 1, 1995 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 4–1
33 October 9, 1996 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 2–1
34 September 10, 1997 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 3–2
35 September 30, 1998 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 3–0
36 September 8, 1999 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 3–1
37 October 4, 2000 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 1–0
38 September 19, 2001 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 2–0
39 October 2, 2002 Pittsburgh, PA Tie0–0
40 October 21, 2003 Morgantown, WV Tie3–3
41 October 27, 2004 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 2–1
42 October 5, 2005 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 2–0
43 October 10, 2007 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 3–1
44 October 8, 2008 Morgantown, WV Tie1–1
45 October 6, 2009 Pittsburgh, PA Tie0–0
46 October 13, 2010 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 2–0
47 October 12, 2011 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 2–0
48 September 26, 2017 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 7–0
49 October 23, 2018 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 2–1
50 August 29, 2022 Pittsburgh, PA #7 Pittsburgh 3–0
Series: West Virginia leads 34–11–5

Lacrosse

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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 joined. 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
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 March 19, 1983 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 21–5
2 April 23, 1983 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 17–8
3 April 11, 1996 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 9–8
4 April 12, 1997 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 9–6
5 March 24, 1999 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 13–8
6 April 8, 2000 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 8–3
7 March 18, 2001 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 9–5
8 April 21, 2001 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 14–8
9 April 7, 2002 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 9–6
10 April 3, 2005 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 21–3
11 April 16, 2006 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 12–11OT
12 April 15, 2007 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 20–8
13 April 4, 2008 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 13–12
14 February 21, 2009 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 21–4
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
15 April 23, 2010 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 13–11
16 April 15, 2011 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 16–7
17 April 11, 2012 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 12–10
18 April 9, 2014 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 13–9
19 April 2, 2015 McMurray, PA West Virginia 14–9
20 April 14, 2016 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 26–5
21 April 13, 2017 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 20–4
22 April 12, 2018 Morgantown, WV Pittsburgh 15–7
23 April 11, 2019 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 12–11OT
24 April 13, 2022 Canonsburg, PA Pittsburgh 14–8
25 April 24, 2022 Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh 16–8
26 April 12, 2023 Morgantown, WV West Virginia 18–4
27 April 6, 2024 Pittsburgh, PA West Virginia 12–11
Series: Pittsburgh leads 19–8

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

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Backyard Brawl serial number 77745437". Alexandria, VA: US Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Winsipedia - Pittsburgh Panthers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers football series history".
  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. ^ a b c d e f "Most memorable 'Backyard Brawl' moments". WTAE. September 10, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Scuillo, Sam (December 1, 2007). "Tales from the Backyard Brawl".
  16. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b "Bitancurt's leg fuels West Virginia's upset of No. 9 Pittsburgh". Associated Press. November 28, 2009.[dead link]
  20. ^ "West Virginia batters Pittsburgh, remains in chase for automatic BCS berth". Associated Press. November 25, 2011. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019.
  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. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. 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. ^ a b "Pittsburgh Panthers - Schedule - MCLA". mcla.us. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  36. ^ a b "WVU Lacrosse". www.lacrosseinwestvirginia.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  37. ^ "USLIA / MDIA Archive Project". www.uslia.net. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
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