Pitt Legend on ESPN's Best Athletes List

A Former Pitt football Legend made ESPN's list of the Top 100 Professional Athletes since 2000.

Dominic Campbell | Jul 16, 2024

Aug 4, 2023; Canton, OH, USA; New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs former cornerback Darrelle Revis reacts during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Gold Jacket dinner at Canton Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers legendary defensive back Darrelle Revis made it onto another list, demarcating the greatest athletes this century.

ESPN released their list of the top 100 professional athletes since 2000, placing Revis at No. 96 overall.

Rich Cimini, New York Jets reporter for ESPN, wrote a blurb praising his time with the franchise and his impact during the 2009 season, one of the best ever for a cornerback.

"Revis took man-to-man coverage to a new level in 2009, when the Jets' coaching staff made the unconventional decision to put him on the opponents' top receiver with no safety help," Cimini wrote.

"He was on his own island, so to speak, spawning the "Revis Island" moniker. The result was one of the best cornerback seasons in history. Revis held Andre Johnson, Randy Moss (twice) and Terrell Owens (twice) -- all Hall of Famers -- under 35 receiving yards. He did the same to Torry Holt, Steve Smith Sr., Reggie Wayne and Chad Ochocinco. He finished with six interceptions and a staggering 31 passes defensed, earning the first of four first-team All-Pro selections."

Revis had a stellar career across all three levels of football. He led Aliquippa (2000-03) to two WPIAL Class 2A Titles in 2000 and 2003 and then won the PIAA Class 2A Title in 2003 to cap it off, scoring five touchdowns himself in the game.

At Pitt (2004-06), he played as a cornerback and punt returner, earning first-team All-American Freshman honors in 2004, placing on the first-team All-Big East in both 2005 and 2006 and making it as a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, honoring the best defensive back in the country, in 2006.

One of his best highlights at Pitt was his famous punt return against West Virginia in the 2006 Backyard Brawl. He broke a number of tackles for one of the most impressive punt returns in Pitt history, despite the 45-27 loss to a bitter rival.

With 55 days remaining until the Backyard Brawl resumes, let’s remember Derek Kinder, 2006.

WR Kinder took out two West Virginia defenders with a punishing block on a 73-yard Darrelle Revis punt return touchdown, which ESPN named “College Football Play of the Year.” pic.twitter.com/vo2fyzI4my
— Amanda Godsey (@AmandaFGodsey) July 8, 2022

The Jets selected him as the 14th overall player in the 2007 NFL Draft and he spent eight total seasons with the team (2007-12, 2015-16) earning a spot in their Ring of Honor. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013 and won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2014.

Revis made 496 tackles (411 solo), nine tackles for loss, 29 interceptions, three returned for touchdowns, 139 pass breakups, six forced fumbles and recovered 12 over his career. He made seven Pro Bowls, placed on the first-team All-Pro four times and is a part of the NFL 2010s All-Decade team.

He is one of 10 Pitt players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with offensive lineman Jimbo Covert and Russ Grimm, tight end Mike Ditka, defensive lineman Chris Doleman, running backs Tony Dorsett and Curtis Martin, quarterback Dan Marino, and linebackers Rickey Jackson and Joe Schmidt.

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Published Jul 16, 2024

DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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