Inside The Panthers

Pitt Announces Honorary Captain vs. North Carolina

The Pitt Panthers announced their honorary captain vs. North Carolina Tar Heels.

Dominic Campbell

Jul 20, 2014; Greensboro, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Ray Vinopal addresses the media during the ACC football media day at the Grandover Resort. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images
Jul 20, 2014; Greensboro, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Ray Vinopal addresses the media during the ACC football media day at the Grandover Resort. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers announced their honorary captain for their ACC opener on the road vs. the North Carolina Tar Heels in former defensive back Ray Vinopal.

Vinopal played for Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio and excelled at defensive back, with 84 tackles, 16 pass breakups, four interceptions, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries and also at running back, as he rushed for 970 yards and scored 10 touchdowns as a senior in 2009.

He also won the Ohio Division III state championship that season, finishing with a 15-0 record and earned first team Associated Press Division III All-Ohio, first team Northeast Lakes All-District and SuperPrep All-Midwest Team honors for his play.

Vinopal chose to commit to Michigan and played in 13 games as a freshman with six starts in 2010. He made 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and one interception on the season.

He would decided to transfer from Michigan and landed at Pitt, where he would sit out the 2011 season, due to NCAA guidelines at the time.

Vinopal played in all 13 games for the Panthers in the 2012 season, making just one start and accruing 14 tackles and 1.5 sacks as a redshirt sophomore.

He would start all 13 games for Pitt as a redshirt junior in 2013, the first season in the ACC. He led Pitt with three interceptions, finished second on the team with both 83 tackles and six pass breakups, plus forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble, made three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He earned an ACC Honorable Mention for his performance.

His best game that season came against then ranked No. 24 Notre Dame on Nov. 9, where he made two interceptions and forced a fumble, earning ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors in the 28-21 upset win at home.

Vinopal started all 13 games in 2014 and served as the defesnive captain for the Panthers that season. He finished with 68 tackles, two tackles for loss, five pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

He went undrafted in 2014, but spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers organizations.

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Dominic Campbell
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