Pitt Stars Who Deserve Jersey Retirement

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers retired Aaron Donald's jersey on Sept. 22. He joined Larry Fitzgerald, Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett, Marshall Goldberg, Joe Schmidt, Mark May, Jimbo Covert, Bill Fralic, Mike Ditka and Hugh Green.

There have been plenty of Pitt greats over the years, and not all of them have their numbers retired. Donald is now the most recent former Pitt player to receive the honor, but who else could join him in the future?

Retiring 11 jerseys is already a lot, and adding four more to the list may make it difficult for current and future players to choose a number, especially with a roster limit of 105 players.

Nonetheless, here is a list of former Pitt players that should have their numbers retired, along with two honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions

No. 25 LeSean McCoy rushed for 2,816 yards, 112.6 per game. and 35 touchdowns in his two seasons at Pitt. Had he played all four years, he was on pace to rival Tony Dorsett's numbers.

McCoy was on track to have 5,600 yards and 70 rushing touchdowns in four seasons. Dorsett had 6,082 yards and 55 touchdowns in his four years as a Panther. If only McCoy had worn a different number or perhaps stayed at Pitt a year longer, he could've made this list.

No. 56 Russ Grimm was inducted into the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022. Grimm was the Panthers' starting center from 1977-80 and was the heart of one of the best offensive lines in the country at that time. He helped lead Pitt to a 22-2 record, along with two top 10 finishes, in his final two seasons.

Grimm was a third-round pick by the Washington Redskins in 1981 and was a founding member of the "Hogs" offensive line. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and contributed to four Super Bowl appearances and three victories. After playing in the NFL, Grimm was an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers and won another Super Bowl in 2006.

Similar to McCoy, had Grimm worn a different number, he would've made this list.

No. 87 Rickey Jackson

Rickey Jackson played at Pitt from 1977-80. He was one of the most disruptive defensive players in college football during his time with the Panthers and ended up being one of the most disruptive pass rushers in NFL history.

Jackson finished his college career with 290 tackles (166 solo), 21 sacks, four pass breakups and three interceptions. He was also named second-team All-America and first-team All-Big East in his senior year and was part of one of the nation's top defenses that year.

For comparison, Aaron Donald had 181 tackles (115 solo), 29.5 sacks and 10 passes defended during his Pitt career.

Jackson was drafted in the second round, 51st overall, by the New Orleans Saints and played 15 seasons in the NFL — 13 with the Saints and two with the San Fransico 49ers.

Jackson had 1,180 total tackles, 128 sacks, 41 forced fumbles, 28 fumble recoveries, and, maybe most impressively, he missed only two games in his NFL career.

It's also worth noting that Jackson had eight sacks in his rookie season in 1981. However, those do not count towards his career sack total because sacks were not recognized as an official statistic until 1982.

Dec 9, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; New Orleans Saints former linebacker and National Football League Hall of Fame member Rickey Jackson watches warm ups before a game between the Saints and the Tamp Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

At the time of Jackson's retirement in 1995, his sacks total ranked third all-time, his fumble recoveries were second all-time and his forced fumbles were fourth all-time. Today, his sacks total is now the 17th-most, his forced fumbles are the 10th-most and his fumble recoveries are the third-most.

Jackson also led the NFL in forced fumbles four times, made six Pro Bowls, earned five second-team All-Pro honors and won one Super Bowl. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022, the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor. Yet, Pitt has never retired his jersey.

No. 56 Chris Doleman

Chris Doleman was another stellar Pitt pass rusher. He played for the Panthers from 1981-84 and finished third in his Pitt career with 25 sacks. That total now ranks eighth in Pitt history.

Doleman also played in the Sugar, Cotton and Fiesta bowls and helped Pitt make three top 20 finishes. He was named a Pitt tri-captain along with Pitt jersey retiree, Bill Fralic.

The Minnesota Vikings drafted Doleman fourth overall in 1985 and played 15 seasons in the NFL. He played 10 seasons with the Vikings in two stints, two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and three seasons with the San Fransico 49ers.

Aug 4, 2012; Canton, OH, USA; Chris Doleman poses with his bust at the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images | Tim Fuller-Imagn Images

Doleman had 975 tackles, 150.5 sacks, 44 forced fumbles and 24 fumble recoveries. His sack total was fourth all-time when he retired in 1999 and is now fifth all-time, over a quarter century later. He also had eight team sack titles and had eight seasons with 10 or more sacks — tied for sixth-most all-time.

Doleman collected a slew of accolades in his NFL career, including making eight Pro Bowls, being named to four All-Pro teams and two All-Pro first teams and the 1985 All-Rookie Team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023 — three years after his passing at 58 years old.

No. 25 Darrelle Revis

Darrelle Revis, the founder of "Revis Island," played at Pitt from 2004-06. He earned Freshman All-American honors in his first season and helped the Panthers reach a Big East title and the Fiesta Bowl.

Revis played in all 35 games and made 34 starts during his time at Pitt. He had eight career interceptions, three pick-sixes and was an All-Big East cornerback twice. He also dazzled as the team's punt returner with two touchdowns, including a 73-yard score against West Virginia in 2006.

Revis was drafted 14th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He went on to have an 11-year NFL career and played eight seasons for the Jets and one season with Tampa Bay, New England and Kansas City.

Sep 18, 2004; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers cornerback Darrelle Revis (25) in action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

He finished his career with 496 tackles, nine for a loss, 29 interceptions, three pick-sixes, six forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries and two sacks. Revis also made seven Pro Bowls, was named first team All-Pro four times and won a Super Bowl.

Revis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023 and into the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024. Pitt has never retired a defensive back's jersey, and Revis would be a great choice to make him the first.

No. 8 Kenny Pickett

Kenny Pickett is too recent a player to have the professional accolades of some of the other former players on this list. He hasn't had the NFL career these other players did either, but he did have the greatest season of any Pitt quarterback to ever wear the uniform.

The only other Pitt quarterback to have his jersey retired is Dan Marino. Marino broke every major passing record in his four years at Pitt. He had 8,597 yards, 693 completions, 79 passing touchdowns and 37 in a season. Care to guess who broke all of those records?

In his five seasons at Pitt, Pickett shattered all of Marino's records with 12,303 yards, 1,045 completions, 81 passing touchdowns and 42 in one season. He also has the most 300-yard passing games and the most 400-yard passing games in Pitt history. Marino also had 64 interceptions while with the Panthers and Pickett had just 32.

Although Pickett played one more year than Marino, he barely played in that season. Pickett went 39-for-66 for 509 yards, one touchdown and one interception as a true freshman. He still holds every record, even if you remove that first year.

Dec 4, 2021; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) holds up the championship trophy after winning the ACC championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Pickett finished as the winningest starting quarterback in Pitt history with 32 wins in 49 starts. He also won an ACC Championship and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. He has other accolades like the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, being named to the Walter Camp All-America first team, the Associated Press All-America second team and being named the ACC Player of the Year.

Like Marino, Pickett went on to be a first-round pick in the NFL. However, Pickett has struggled to solidify himself as a starter in the NFL. He likely won't be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame like the other players on this list and like Marino. He also likely won't win MVP, be an All-Pro or make a Pro Bowl.

Pickett is now on his fourth team in his fifth season in the NFL. Even though his professional career hasn't panned out, that shouldn't stain what he accomplished at Pitt. He's statistically the greatest Pitt quarterback in the history of the program and should be remembered as such by retiring his jersey.

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