Pitt Ranks Top of College Football Mount Rushmore

The Pitt Panthers ranked on top of College Football's Mount Rushmore with the four best players of any school.

Dec 4, 2021; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers former player Dan Marino is honored before the ACC championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have had an incredible amount of great players throughout its history, with 25 College Football Hall of Famers and 10 Pro Football Hall of Famers.

Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports ranked Pitt as having the No. 1 Mount Rushmore of any college football program. He based his ranking on each program's most successful NFL players, as well as individual career records, inclusion in the Hall of Fame/NFL 100 All-Time Team and lasting impact on the game. 

He placed quarterback Dan Marino, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and running back Tony Dorsett as the four players on Pitt's Mount Rushmore.

DeArdo cut great players off the list, including cornerback Darrelle Revis, tight end Mike Ditka, offensive linemen Jimbo Covert and Russ Grimm, linebacker Ricky Jackson, running back Curtis Martin, linebacker Joe Schmidt and defensive lineman Chris Doleman.

"Marino and Donald were slam-dunk choices to make Pitt's Mount Rushmore, with Fitzgerald being a fairly easy choice, too," DeArdo wrote. "It was a tough call, however, when it came to choosing the final spot that came down to Ditka, Dorsett and Doleman. 

"All three players have compelling cases. Ditka was a record-setting tight end who led the Bears to the 1963 NFL title. Doleman enjoyed an incredible 15-year career that included eight Pro Bowl nods, 150.5 sacks and a jaw-dropping 44 forced fumbles. 

"Dorsett's sparkling career, however, was impossible to ignore. The first player to win a national title, Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl over a two-year span, Dorsett compiled a whopping 16,293 total yards and 90 touchdowns during his Hall of Fame career. He forever etched his name in the history books when he ran for a 99-yard touchdown run in 1983 (Derrick Henry tied his record in 2018)."

DeArdo ranked Pitt ahead of other top schools, including USC, Miami, Alabama and Syracuse, who ranked No. 2-5, respectively. Florida State, SMU, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State ranked No. 6-10, respectively, Georgia, Grambling State, South Carolina State, UCLA, and Jackson State ranked No. 11-15, respectively and Michigan, Purdue, LSU, Stanford and Oregon ranked No. 16-20, respectively.

It isn't suprising to see Pitt so high up this list, as Marino, Dorsett, Revis, Ditka, Martin, Doleman, Covert, Jackson, Schmidt and Grimm are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Pitt also ranks tied for the fourth most Pro Football Hall of Famers of any college program, along with Ohio State, who also has 10 inductees. Notre Dame and USC rank tied for the top spot with 14 inductees, Michigan comes in third with 11 inductees.

Fitzgerald and Donald aren't eligible yet to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as individuals must have five years separtated from their retirement. Fitzgerald is eligible for the Class of 2026 and Donald, who just retired, will have his chance starting with the Class of 2029.

It is highly likely that Fitzgerald and Donald will join the Pro Football Hall of Fame as first-ballot inductees, improving Pitt's standing amongst the rest of college football programs when it comes to fomrer players excelling at the NFL level.

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