Inside The Panthers

Pitt's Kevin Stallings Hire Ranked Among Worst of Century

The Pitt Panthers' decision to hire Kevin Stallings had a lasting impact.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt's Kevin Stallings Hire Ranked Among Worst of Century
Pitt's Kevin Stallings Hire Ranked Among Worst of Century /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers made a devastatingly poor decision to succeed Jamie Dixon with Kevin Stallings as their head men's basketball coach in 2016, the effects of which lasted long after he was fired. 

Jeff Goodman ranked the 20 worst head coaching hires in college basketball over the last 23 years and Pitt's hiring of Stallings checked in at sixth, just head of Eddie Jordan at Rutgers and behind Jeff Bzdelik at Wake Forest. 

"Stallings was a baffling hire of then-AD Scott Barnes (with the help of search firm Todd Turner) as Jamie Dixon’s replacement," Goodman wrote. "Dixon went to the NCAA tourney in 11 of his 13 years at the helm, and Stallings went 16-17 in his first season and 4-14 in ACC play. However, Year 2 was beyond anything anyone could have expected: 8-24 overall and winless in 18 league contests. Stallings didn’t make it to Year 3. He was let go and replaced by Jeff Capel." 

Stallings was considered an underwhelming option for a proud program at the time and public opinion only got worse as time went on and the Panthers began to lose like they never had before. 

After enjoying some success at Vanderbilt - 16 seasons that included seven NCAA Tournament appearances and an SEC Conference Tournament title - Stallings' tenure at Pitt was an abject disaster. He amassed a 24-41 record over two seasons and led his team to an infamous 0-18 ACC record during the 2017-18 campaign. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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