Inside The Panthers

WATCH: Jon Gruden Receives Package From Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi

Jon Gruden posted a video on social media opening a care package from Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi.
Kevin Sinclair|
Aug 18, 2021; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden reacts during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Aug 18, 2021; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden reacts during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh Panthers

On Sunday morning, former Pitt assistant coach and Super Bowl champion head coach Jon Gruden took to social media to unveil his Pitt Panthers care package. 

It was a large box stuffed with goodies via Pat Narduzzi. 

During his storied coaching tenure that began with a grad assistant gig in 1987 at Tennessee through his final stint as head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2018 through 2021 (that followed a 10-year break from the game), Gruden served as the receivers coach in Pittsburgh back in 1991. 

“This is a real exciting day,” Gruden said in the video. “A box from the University of Pittsburgh, the Pitt Panthers. I used to coach for the Pitt Panthers way back in the day. Paul Hackett was the head coach. Little Jon Gruden.”

As always when a football team is the topic of conversation, Gruden began rattling off notable names out of Pittsburgh. 

“We even had Marvin Lewis on that staff,” Gruden said, pointing to a 1991 team photo. “This is where Johnny Majors won a national title with Tony Dorsett. This is where Dan Marino played college football. Aaron Donald. Larry Fitzgerald.”

“You've got Pat Narduzzi, the head coach of the Panthers,” Gruden continued. “Thank you, coach, for sending this box.”

As Gruden began to pull out various Pitt apparel, he continued to cite big names from Pittsburgh football history. 

“This is awesome. This is Pitt football right here,” Gruden said. “This is where Mike Ditka went to college. This is where Chris Doleman, the gold jacket, defensive end of the Vikings went.

“This is unbelievable. This is like Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills, would wear this. You know what? Think about the greatest Pitt Panther corner, the Darrelle Revis wearing this. You know what kind of alumni they have?”

After continuing to dig through the box, Gruden came to the bottom where a letter was waiting for him.

“There's a letter in here from Coach Narduzzi,” Gruden exclaimed. 

“He says, 'Coach Gruden, on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh football program, please accept this box of Panther gear. May you wear it with great pride and the best of health. We want to make some of you remember your time in the Steel City when you were at Pitt as the wide receiver coach.'”

“Freaking Coach Narduzzi. Holy cow! A real Pitt Panther helmet. This is freaking insane! Unbelievable! I love their uniforms. This is incredible.”

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Kevin Sinclair
KEVIN SINCLAIR

Kevin Sinclair writes coverage of the Pitt Panthers along with the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans for On SI. Previously, he was a recruiting reporter and managing editor at Irish Illustrated, the privately-owned Notre Dame site within the 247Sports Network, for over seven-and-a-half years. Kevin studied multimedia journalism and has been a sports writer for nearly a decade.

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