2003 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

2003 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Continental Tire Bowl, Loss, 16–23, Virginia Cavaliers
Conference	Big East
2003 record	8–5 (5–2 Big East)
Head coach	Walt Harris (7th year)
Offensive coordinator	J. D. Brookhart (4th year)
Offensive scheme	Pro Offense
Defensive coordinator	Paul Rhoads (4th year)
Base defense	Multiple 8–Man Front
Home stadium	Heinz Field (Capacity: 64,450)

2003 Big East football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#5 Miami (FL) $+		6	–	1					11	–	2
West Virginia +		6	–	1					8	–	5
Pittsburgh		5	–	2					8	–	5
Virginia Tech		4	–	3					8	–	5
Boston College		3	–	4					8	–	5
Syracuse		2	–	5					6	–	6
Rutgers		2	–	5					5	–	7
Temple		0	–	7					1	–	11
$ – BCS representative as conference champion + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2003 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2003 college football season.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
Sat. Sep. 6	7:00 p.m.	Kent State*	#10	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA		W 43–3	56,531
Sat. Sep. 13	12:30 p.m.	Ball State*	#11	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA		W 42–21	44,117
Sat. Sep. 20	7:00 p.m.	at Toledo*	#9	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH		L 31–35	31,711
Sat. Sep. 27	3:30 p.m.	at Texas A&M*	#17	Kyle Field • College Station, TX	ABC	W 37–26	79,116
Sat. Oct. 11	6:00 p.m.	Notre Dame*	#15	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA (Rivalry)	ESPN	L 14–20	66,421
Sat. Oct. 18	1:30 p.m.	at Rutgers		Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ		W 42–32	28,101
Sat. Oct. 25	12:00 p.m.	Syracuse		Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA (Rivalry)	ESPN+	W 34–14	61,421
Sat. Nov. 1	1:00 p.m.	at Boston College	#25	Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA		W 24–13	41,983
Sat. Nov. 8	7:45 p.m.	#5 Virginia Tech	#25	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN	W 31–28	66,207
Sat. Nov. 15	7:00 p.m.	at West Virginia	#16	Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl)	ESPN2	L 31–52	67,715
Sat. Nov. 22	1:30 p.m.	at Temple	#21	Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA		W 30–16	22,934
Sat. Nov. 29	8:00 p.m.	#10 Miami (FL)	#20	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA	ABC	L 14–28	60,486
Sat. Dec. 27	11:00 a.m.	vs. Virginia*		Ericsson Stadium • Charlotte, NC (Continental Tire Bowl)	ESPN	L 16–23	51,236
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Coaching staff

2003 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
	Coaching Staff Walt Harris – Head Coach Bob Junko – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Tackles J.D. Brookhart – Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Paul Rhoads – Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Dino Babers – Running Backs Curtis Bray – Linebackers Bryan Deal – Recruiting Coordinator/Specialists/Quarterbacks Tom Freeman – Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator Bob Ligashesky – Tight Ends/Special Teams Charlie Partridge – Defensive Ends			Support Staff Chris LaSala – Assistant Athletic Director/Football Operations Matt Williamson – Recruiting Assistant Scott McCurley – Graduate Assistant Ben McAdoo – Graduate Assistant			Strength and Conditioning Staff Dave Kennedy – Strength and Conditioning Coach Dave Langworthy – Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach

Team Players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Larry Fitzgerald	Wide Receiver	1	3	Arizona Cardinals
Shawntae Spencer	Defensive Back	2	58	San Francisco 49ers
Kris Wilson	Tight End	2	61	Kansas City Chiefs
Claude Harriott	Defensive End	5	147	Chicago Bears
Andy Lee	Punter	6	188	San Francisco 49ers
Brandon Miree	Running Back	7	247	Denver Broncos

Awards and honors

• Larry Fitzgerald: Fred Biletnikoff Award, Walter Camp Award