The Dark Side of My Pittsburgh Sports Fandom

With March Madness ending and the NBA and NHL playoffs approaching, I decided to reflect on my sports fandom, especially since none of my teams are competing in the playoffs this year (I left out 76ers moments since I covered them in a previous blog). Growing up in Pittsburgh and now attending Pitt, I have witnessed my fair share of winning. I’ve seen the Penguins win three Stanley Cups and have had the privilege of watching the entire career of Sidney Crosby, one of the best players of all time. I watched Ben Roethlisberger lead the Steelers to two Super Bowls, winning one, and experienced the excitement of the Killer B's offensive era. For Pitt sports, I saw Kenny Pickett become a Heisman finalist, lead Pitt to an ACC title, and throw to Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison. But along with all that success, I have also endured my fair share of misery, most of it coming from Pitt and the Steelers. In my opinion, these are the ten worst losses of my sports fandom.

Ennis at the Buzzer:

I would say Tyler Ennis and this buzzer-beater killed Pitt’s reputation as a basketball school. There will be another shot later on this list that ended Pitt’s status as a national powerhouse, but Ennis’ shot killed Pitt’s true relevance. It wasn’t just a top-25 matchup, Syracuse was ranked first in the country, and Pitt had put itself in the best possible position to win the game. That year as a whole was heartbreaking. They did win a tournament game as a 9-seed, but they lost to Syracuse twice and Virginia twice, all by one possession, with both teams ranked very high as well. That was one of Dixon’s final years at Pitt, and the fact that they were a half-court buzzer-beater away from a season-changing upset truly stings. Sadly, Pitt has not had a game of that meaning and caliber since that loss.

Kick from the One:

The Narduzzi era has seen its highest highs and lowest lows. A common theme in those lows has been Narduzzi living in his fears, and the 2019 game against State Penn highlights how in his head he can be at times. The 2019 Pitt team ended up winning eight games and ended UCF’s fake national title win streak. However, they could have won more, and the Week 3 game in Creepy Valley was one they gave away. That year for State Penn was like any other, a New Year's Six bowl game and a loss to Ohio State, but Pitt was the one that they stole.

That 2019 Pitt team was extremely underrated, especially on the defensive side of the ball, with players like Damar Hamlin, Dane Jackson, Paris Ford (he destroyed people, go watch his highlight tape), Patrick Jones II, and Jason Pinnock all NFL guys. That day was like so many others: they held a good offense under 20 points and gave the Pitt offense, led by a young Kenny Pickett, a chance. Pickett orchestrated a great game-tying drive down to the one-yard line. However, horrific play-calling ensued. After a failed play-action pass on third-and-goal, Narduzzi opted to kick a field goal instead of running the ball. If they had been stopped, they could have trusted the defense, but instead, he played it safe, and it backfired when the kick was shanked left. That moment flipped the game. Even though the defense got a stop, Pitt never got close to scoring again. It was yet another blunder in the Narduzzi era, where conservative decision-making, especially regarding kicking, cost them a game they deserved to win.

Steelers vs Browns:

I will say the 2020 season was a complete sham. Even though the Steelers started 12-0, every realist Steelers fan knew deep down that we were frauds. A mix of injuries and the overall weird state of the NFL due to COVID led the Steelers to a 13-4 record and an AFC North title. For the first time since 2016, we were hosting a playoff game, and it was against our division rival, the Cleveland Browns which made this loss hurt so bad.

Now, the Browns were a solid team, Baker Mayfield was finally playing with confidence, and Jarvis Landry was performing at an extremely high level. Meanwhile, the Steelers were more of a one-trick pony, especially on the defensive side of the ball. They got away with weaker linebackers, but they refused to adjust when facing teams with a dynamic slot receiver.

The game started about as badly as possible. On the opening snap, the ball sailed over Ben Roethlisberger’s head and into the end zone for a Browns touchdown. The offense looked anemic and could barely move the ball, leading to a 28-0 deficit. Eventually, the offense came to life, outscoring the Browns 37-20 the rest of the way.

However, the defense’s struggles against slot receivers proved costly. Jarvis Landry had a field day, finishing with just five catches but racking up 92 yards and a touchdown. Whether it was Robert Spillane or Vince Williams covering him, nobody could stop Landry, and the defense refused to adjust.

Losing hurt, but losing at home to the Browns made this loss especially painful. At the time, many thought this was Ben’s final game, which only made it feel like a gut punch. Even though he returned for one more season, the Steelers have never returned to being a 13-win division champion since.

Cardiac Kemba:

Now this 2011 season for Pitt basketball fans is truly memorable but for all the wrong reasons. As I said, the Ennis shot killed Pitt as a basketball school, but the 2011 season killed Pitt on a national level. A few spots above this, you'll hear me rant about the play that ended our season, but let’s talk about the legend of "Cardiac Kemba" a player loved by many but hated by a few, and I’m in that few.

To me, this was one of the best Big East seasons of all time. Pitt was at the top of both the conference and the country, while UConn, Syracuse, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Villanova were all ranked in the top 25. Now, a little backstory on these two teams. For UConn, Kemba Walker was their leader and heartbeat, averaging over 20 points per game and leading the team in scoring by a wide margin. That squad also featured dynamic freshmen Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier, who were extremely talented.

Pitt, on the other hand, was a more balanced team but still had a clear leader and go-to scorer in Ashton Gibbs. He came to Pitt as a sharpshooter but developed into a true scoring threat. Along with Brad Wanamaker, they led Pitt to a 15-3 conference record. Then came the second round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden—Pitt vs. UConn in a game that will be remembered by basketball fans forever but one Pittsburgh fans will try to forget.

With the game tied and time winding down, Kemba found himself in a mismatch against Pitt center Gary McGhee. What happened next became legendary. Kemba hit a nasty step-back, breaking McGhee’s ankles before drilling a mid-range jumper as the buzzer sounded, ending the game. That heartbreaking loss left a horrible taste in the mouths of Pitt players and fans—a feeling that would haunt them just a week later in another devastating game on this list.

The Jaguars:

Now, this game is as simple as it gets and is the most typical Tomlin-era game, marking the end of the Killer B's. The Steelers have lost some true heartbreakers in the playoffs against lesser quarterbacks Tim Tebow, of course, comes to mind, but this one sticks out even more, considering how good this Steelers team was offensively.

The defense was horrible, especially the secondary, led by Artie Burns, Cody Sensabaugh, and Ross Cockrell comedically bad players. However, that offense was special. Of course, you had the Killer B's, but you also had rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant, who, for once, wasn’t high on weed.

The reason this loss hurt so much is how well the Steelers had played against the Patriots, whom they would have faced in the AFC Championship if they had won this game. The Steelers had practically beaten the Patriots in the regular season if not for the infamous Jesse James catch that was overturned in the final minute. Had that call stood, the Steelers would have been playing the Titans instead, but that’s a whole different story.

As for the Jaguars, they barely snuck into the playoffs, benefiting from a weak division, but they had some talent, especially on defense with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. However, it was Leonard Fournette and Blake Bortles who stole the game in Pittsburgh. Even though the Steelers’ offense started slow, the defense quite literally could not have stopped a high school team that day. If your offense scores 42 points, you expect to win especially against Blake Bortles. But nope, Tomlin’s defense gave up 45 points.

As a Steelers fan, I always wonder how many Super Bowls we could have won if we had the Killer B’s offense paired with the defense we have now. But all I can do is wonder. Sadly, the Steelers never truly recovered from that loss and have yet to even make it back to the divisional round since.

3-1 Lead:

Since the turn of the decade, the Penguins haven't been a great hockey team. Old age and poor management have led to them missing the playoffs three years in a row. But I’d be lying if I said I was angry about it. This is one of the only teams in Pittsburgh that’s actually won titles in recent years, and they’ve just always been fun to watch. Even between 2009 and 2016, they consistently put the best team in the league on the ice, making them a true joy to watch. The 2022 series, though, is one I’ll never forget, especially because I got to attend Game 6. The Penguins limped into the playoffs that year as the three-seed in the Metro Division and had to face a red-hot Rangers team. Even though they were division rivals and had played each other often, it never really felt like a rivalry until that year. That was all thanks to Igor Shesterkin, the Russian goalie who taunted the Penguins after shutting them out in a March regular-season game.

The Pens battled through a ton in that series. They were down to their third-string goalie, Louis Domingue, due to injuries, but that team was fun. They won a triple-overtime thriller in Game 1, which I’ll never forget, staying up until 1 a.m. to see it end. Then they came back to Pittsburgh and won two more, taking a 3-1 series lead.

But then Jacob Trouba, who is a complete scumbag, delivered a two-handed hit to Crosby’s head late in Game 5, concussing him and knocking him out for Game 6. The Pens had a chance to close it out at home in what turned out to be the most heartbreaking game I’ve ever attended.

They roared out to a 2-0 lead, with “Igor” chants echoing through the arena. Then, some dumb penalties and poor play allowed the Rangers to score three straight. Even without Sid, Malkin stepped up, scoring a spectacular breakaway goal to tie it at three. The third period was a slugfest, and it looked like the game was headed for overtime. But with just a minute left, Chris Kreider fired a meaningless dump-in slapshot that hit Domingue in the shoulder, popped over his head, and into the net. No joke a high school goalie could’ve stopped that puck. Kreider wasn’t even trying to score.

Game 7 was over before it started. That Game 6 loss killed the momentum. Even with Sid back and Jarry in the net, the Rangers won in overtime in a game where the Pens out-skated them the whole way. That loss forced the team into making trades under the false belief that they were “so close” to competing. It led to bringing in Erik Karlsson, re-signing Jeff Carter long-term, and losing the speed in the bottom six that had made them so effective. Now, we’re stuck with a top-heavy team, horrific goaltending, and a blue line that can’t hold. And here we are, just waiting for Kyle Dubas to somehow save us from cap hell.

90 Feet Away:

Now, I talked about Cardiac Kemba and if you thought that was a hard way to lose a game, boy do I have something to tell you. I already mentioned how good that Pitt team was, and they entered the tournament as a one-seed with a pretty favorable path to the Elite Eight, outside of Butler, who honestly is a scary team. I mean, Brad Stevens is an excellent coach.

For Pitt fans, there’s always a debate about which loss was worse: this one or the Scotty Reynolds dagger. Personally, I lean toward the Reynolds game because I think that Pitt team was better and truly had a shot to win the national title. But this one still hurts. Pitt down one had, two free throws with under five seconds left in a tie game. Gilbert Brown, who had been having a great game, steps to the line and hits the first. Then he misses the second... and what happens next is almost impossible to comprehend or describe. So here’s the video, capturing a moment I that is true sports fandom pain.

Scottie Reynolds:

If you polled Pitt fans on what the greatest Pitt team of all time is, the 2009 team would likely be at the top of many lists, especially among the younger generation who were either not alive or too young to remember the 1980s. That 2009 team was filled with legends like LeVance Fields, DeJuan Blair, and Sam Young. Pitt won 31 games that season, including a sweep of UConn, who were ranked number one for most of the year, as well as a dominant victory over a highly-ranked Syracuse team.

Although Pitt’s Big East tournament run ended disappointingly with a first-round loss to WVU, it didn’t matter much, as a national title seemed well within reach for that team. Looking ahead, the only team that truly posed a challenge to Pitt was the Tyler Hansbrough-led Carolina Tar Heels. If you asked neutral analysts, they would agree that Pitt not only had a chance to beat Carolina, but they realistically could have done it.

Pitt’s region was winnable, with Villanova being their biggest threat. For some reason, despite running through the entire Big East, Pitt struggled against Villanova. Even though they were the 3-seed, Villanova posed the biggest challenge before the Final Four. As expected, the game was tight and high-scoring by Pitt’s standards during that era.

With 5 seconds left in a 76-74 game, LeVance Fields had free throws to give Pitt a chance to tie the game. He made both to tie the game at 76, but what happened next is still questioned by Pitt fans to this day. Why did Jamie Dixon press in a tied game with 5 seconds left? To this day, no one really knows, and that was the moment Pitt’s best chance at a national championship disappeared out the window. Scottie Reynolds, the name Pitt fans will never forget, ended what was one of the most dominant seasons we've ever seen from a Pitt team.

Aaron Rodgers is Lucky:

Sadly, I was too young for the Cardinals' Super Bowl, but I still have some memories of it. Even worse, the Super Bowl I remember more clearly is the loss to the Packers in 2011. What people may not remember about that Super Bowl is how lucky Rodgers was to get a ring.

The Steelers started the game as poorly as possible, falling behind 21-3. But they rallied, scoring 14 straight points. With momentum completely in their favor and down by just four, the Steelers were driving deep into Green Bay territory, likely on their way to taking the lead, when Rashard Mendenhall fumbled. The turnover killed all the momentum.

The Packers ended up scoring a touchdown and were able to maintain the lead for the rest of the game. The Steelers did have a chance for a game-winning drive but turned the ball over on downs. Rodgers won his only Super Bowl, but barely considering the Steelers played their "C" game with missed field goals, interceptions, and the key fumble that completely changed the outcome of the game. So, if Rodgers ever signs with Pittsburgh, he should personally thank Mendenhall for his ring.

Capitals Finally Got One:

The Pittsburgh Penguins are my favorite professional sports team, and yes, that’s mostly because I grew up playing hockey for 15 years. However, it’s also because they’re so easy to root for with players like Crosby, Geno, and Letang. They were incredibly fun to watch. In 2009, they won the franchise's third Stanley Cup and looked like they would be unstoppable in the years to come with such young stars.

Injuries almost ruined Crosby’s career, but thankfully he was able to bounce back and play like the best player in the world for pretty much the entire 2010s. The Pens consistently fielded great teams and performed well in the regular season, but in the playoffs, they struggled. In 2012, Fleury had a meltdown and choked against the Flyers. Then, they blew a 3-1 series lead against the Rangers (a different Rangers team than earlier in this list). Finally, in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, they were swept by the Bruins. Coaching was a huge issue during those years, and after Dan Bylsma was fired, followed by the failed hire of Mike Johnston, the Penguins brought in their current coach, Mike Sullivan. Along with some great GM moves, such as acquiring Phil Kessel and promoting young talent, the Pens went on to win back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017.

In 2018, another great year for the Pens saw them finish second in their division. They dominated their rival Flyers in the first round to meet the Capitals in the playoffs for the third year in a row and the fourth time since 2009. The Penguins had dominated those series, winning twice in seven games and once in six, while truly being the commanding team in all three matchups. The Pens and Caps split home ice, with each team winning and losing on the road. Going into Game 5, tied 2-2, the Caps put it on the Pens 6-3 to take a 3-2 series lead.

In an elimination game, the Pens had the chance to defend home ice, and that game is the reason it’s number one on my list of losses. The way they lost still stings. Both teams’ goalies were playing at a world-class level, and the game entered overtime at 1-1. Early in the overtime period, an unlikely hero, Tom Kuhnhackl, had the chance to end the game but hit the post. The ringing sound still echoes in the minds of Pens fans at PPG Paints Arena. After pure domination from the Pens for the last two years, the Capitals finally beat their boogeyman, with Evgeny Kuznetsov scoring the game-winning breakaway goal.

To make things worse, the Caps breezed through the rest of the playoffs and won the Cup. To me, if the Pens win that series, they end up three-peating, making history, and Ovi never gets his Cup. That also marked the last time the Pens made it to the second round of the playoffs, and it remains the closest we've been to a Cup since.