1889 — The Western University of Pennsylvania's first-ever football team was organized by Bert Smyers and John Scott. Anson Harrold was WUP's first coach.
1890 — WUP defeats Geneva, 10-4, in the University's first gridiron victory.
1908 — Pittsburgh's players wear numbered jerseys for the first time. It is believed that Pitt was the first college football team to so outfit their players.
1911 — The Panthers' 22-game shutout streak is snapped in a 17-0 loss to Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indians.
1915 — Legendary sideline general Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner is named head coach.
1921 — When KDKA's Harold Arlin describes the action in the Panthers' 21-13 victory over West Virginia, it marks the first commercial radio broadcast of a college football game.
1928 — Pitt's appearance in the Rose Bowl marks the first bowl game in school history.
1937 — A crowd of 87,136 witnesses the Panthers' first bowl victory, a 21-0 Rose Bowl win over the University of Washington.
1939 — The Panthers become the first college football team to travel to an away game by plane. The Panthers journey to Seattle, where they beat the Washington Huskies, 27-6.
1951 — Panthers football makes its first nationally televised appearance, versus Duke University, in the Rose Bowl.
1956 — Pitt's Bobby Grier becomes the first African-American to play in the Sugar Bowl.
1960 — Tight end Mike Ditka is named an All-American and captains the College All Stars against the defending NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles. Ditka goes on to be named to the Professional Football Hall of Fame after a stellar 12-year pro career. In addition to winning NFL titles with the Chicago Bears in 1963 and the Dallas Cowboys in 1972, Ditka also coaches the Chicago Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX.
1963 — The Panthers post a sparkling 9-1 regular season mark but fail to earn an invitation to postseason play. The 1963 squad is thus stamped "The No-Bowl Team." Instead of a January bowl victory, the highlight of the season is the victory in the season finale versus Penn State. The Panthers defeat the Nittany Lions 22-21 on a 17-yard touchdown run by QB Fred Mazurek with 2:33 left to play.
1973 — In their first bowl appearance since 1956, the Panthers fall to Arizona State, 28-7, in the Fiesta Bowl.
1976 — Tony Dorsett becomes the NCAA's all-time rushing yardage leader on a TD run in the Panthers' 45-0 win at Navy.
1976 — Jackie Sherrill is named Pitt's next football coach, replacing Johnny Majors, who returns to the University of Tennessee.
1976 —Dorsett becomes the University of Pittsburgh's first Heisman Trophy winner.
1977 — A 24-3 Sugar Bowl victory over the Georgia Bulldogs gives the Panthers their first national crown in school history.Dorsett runs for 202 yards and QB Matt Cavanaugh passes for one score and runs for another on his way to MVP honors.
1979 — Freshman quarterback Dan Marino celebrates his 18th birthday by playing in his first collegiate game at Pitt Stadium.
1980 — Hugh Green wins the Lombardi Award and also becomes the first defensive player to win the Walter Camp Award
1980 — Offensive tackle Mark May is awarded the Outland Trophy.
1980 — The Panthers conclude their second consecutive 11-1 season with a 37-9 defeat of South Carolina in the Gator Bowl. Pitt ends the season ranked No. 2 in both wire service polls, and No. 1 in the first New York Times Poll.
1985 — Mike Gottfried is named Pitt's 29th head football coach, replacing Foge Fazio.
1991 — The Big East announces it will begin sponsoring football with eight schools. Boston College, Pittsburgh and Syracuse already are league regulars. Miami (Fla.), Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech and West Virginia are invited as football-only members.
1994 —Dorsett is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
1996 — New Director of Athletics Steve Pederson introduces a new football coach, Walt Harris, who had been an assistant coach at Ohio State.
1997 — Pitt unveils new colors, football uniforms and logo, replacing the script Pitt logo used since 1970.
1997 —Ditka (1958-60) has his No. 89 jersey retired
2004 — Alum Dave Wannstedt is hired to replace Harris, who resigned to take the head position at Stanford.
2005 — The Panthers to play in their first-ever BCS game against Utah.>dirk@desnews.com