Pitt’s ascending football program will be well-represented in two college football all-star games that will take place later this month and serve as a showcase for prospective NFL talent.

Three performers from the Panthers 10-3 squad will participate in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl.

Cornerback Aaron Berry and tight end Nate Byham will play in the East-West Shrine Game this Saturday in Orlando, Fla. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.

All-American Tight End Dorin Dickerson will participate in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Kickoff for the Senior Bowl is Saturday, January 30 at 4 p.m. The game will be televised by the NFL Network.

Berry, Byham and Dickerson were integral parts to Pitt’s solid 2009 season. Berry notched 31 tackles, 10 pass break-ups and an interception during his 2009 campaign. He was selected to the all-Big East squad for the second time in his career following this season.

Byham was also named all-Big East this year, also his second for his career. Although his 10 catches for 108 yards were not eye-popping statistically, he was a devastating blocker and helped provide the platform for Pitt’s conference-leading ground attack (180.3 yards rushing per game).

Dickerson emerged as a big-play threat in 2009. His 10 touchdown receptions set a new school record for scoring grabs in a season. The senior from Imperial, Pa. finished the year with 49 catches for 528 yards. He was named to the 25-player All-American Team selected by the Football Writers Association of America. Dickerson is the first Pitt tight end to earn All-American status since Mike Ditka did so in 1960. He was also a finalist for the John Mackey Award and named all-Big East this season.

The Panthers finished no. 15 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. Pitt ended their season with a dramatic 19-17 win over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Pitt senior tight end Dorin Dickerson has been named to the 25-player All-America Team selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

Dickerson is the first Pitt tight end to earn this prestigious designation since the legendary Mike Ditka was honored in 1960.

This is the third time in the past four years a Pitt player has been selected to the FWAA All-America Team.

Current NFL linebackers H.B. Blades (2006) and Scott McKillop (2008) were previously honored by the organization.

For more than six decades the FWAA has selected an All-America Team with the help of its members and an All-America Committee, which represents all the regions in the country. It is the second-longest continuously published All-America team in major college football, originating in 1944.

Dickerson, a native of Imperial, Pa., and graduate of West Allegheny High, was named an All-American after catching 45 passes for 508 yards (11.3 avg.) and 10 touchdowns.

His 10 TDs are a single-season record for a Pitt tight end.
Among the country’s tight ends, Dickerson’s 10 scores rank second. He caught at least one touchdown in seven different games this year, including a career-high three at Buffalo.

In addition to his All-America honor, Dickerson was a finalist for the 2009 John Mackey Award, annually presented to the country’s top tight end, and selected first-team All-Big East Conference.

“Coming out of West Allegheny, Dorin Dickerson could’ve played college football anywhere in the country,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He chose to stay home and build something special at the University of Pittsburgh. When our future players walk past his plaque on the Pitt All-America Wall, we can point to him as being not only an outstanding football player, but also as a person who was tremendously committed to both Pitt and Pittsburgh.”

“It is an incredible and humbling honor to be chosen an All-American by the Football Writers Association,” Dickerson said. “I am very fortunate to have great coaches and teammates who made this recognition possible. This is just as much their honor as it is mine.”

Dickerson and the Panthers are preparing for the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl. Pitt (9-3, 5-2 Big East) will play North Carolina (8-4, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) on December 26 in Charlotte, N.C. The game will be a national ESPN telecast at 4:30 p.m.

Pitt’s storied football tradition includes many players who have moved on and excelled in the National Football League. Performers such as Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett, Mike Ditka, Hugh Green and Bill Fralic dominated both on the Oakland campus and in the professional ranks.

The tradition is continuing in a big way this millennium. PittPanthersGameday.com will highlight each Panther alumnus on Mondays during the NFL season. Week two’s highlights included:

Darrelle Revis, New York Jets cornerback: Revis continued his stellar early 2009 season by shutting down another premium wide receiver. One week after stifling Houston’s Andre Johnson, Revis again displayed his coverage skills by limiting New England’s Randy Moss to 24 yards receiving on four receptions. Revis also contributed five tackles and one interception of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in New York’s 16-9 win at the Meadowlands.

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals receiver: Fitzgerald helped the Cards rebound after a disappointing season opening loss to San Francisco.  The current Madden ’10 video game cover boy hauled in a 22-yard scoring pass from Kurt Warner in Arizona’s 31-17 win over host Jacksonville. Fitzgerald finished with four catches for 34 yards in the win.

Gerald Hayes, Arizona Cardinals linebacker: Hayes was a stabilizing force in Arizona’s defense during their 31-17 win at Jacksonville. Hayes finished with three tackles and assisted the defense in holding the Jaguars to 92 yards rushing.

LaRod Stephens-Howling, Arizona Cardinals kick returner: The rookie finished with 14 yards rushing on two carries and added 25 yards worth of kick return yardage.

Shawntae Spencer, San Francisco 49ers cornerback: Spencer is fast becoming a force in San Francisco’s secondary. Spencer finished with two tackles in their 23-10 win over Seattle and helped hold the Seahawks to 224 yards passing.

Andy Lee, San Francisco 49ers punter: Lee kept Seattle’s offense pinned deep all day Sunday. The sixth-year punter averaged 40 yards per punt on six boots in Sunday’s 23-10 over the Seahawks.

LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles running back: Shady made things happen Sunday when he touched the ball in Philadelphia’s 48-22 loss to the New Orleans Saints. McCoy finished with 18 yards on three carries and added 37 yards receiving on four receptions.

• 1. 13 Dan Marino, Quarterback, 1979–1982
  2. 33 Tony Dorsett, Running Back, 1973–1976
  3. 42 Marshall Goldberg, Running Back, 1936–1938
  4. 65 Joe Schmidt, Linebacker, 1950–1952
  5. 73 Mark May, Offensive Tackle, 1977–1980
  6. 79 Bill Fralic, Offensive Tackle, 1981–1984
  7. 89 Mike Ditka, End, 1958–1960
  8. 99 Hugh Green, Defensive End, 1977–1980

Four former University of Pittsburgh players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dan Marino is the latest Pitt player to earn induction, officially receiving the honor on Aug. 7, 2005. Marino had a legendary 17-year career with the Miami Dolphins. An eight-time Pro Bowler, he retired after the 1999 season holding an incredible 25 NFL regular-season records and as the career leader in passing attempts (8,358), completions (4,967), yardage (61,361) and touchdowns (420). He was also one of the winningest quarterbacks in NFL history, earning 147 regular-season victories, one behind all-time leader John Elway.

Tony Dorsett was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. He left his professional mark as the NFL’s fifth-leading rusher behind Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith and Eric Dickerson. Dorsett has the distinction of being one of only two players in the history of football to win the Heisman Trophy, a collegiate national championship, a Super Bowl championship, and to be elected into the college and pro football halls of fame.

Mike Ditka was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. Ditka was an All-America tight end at Pitt in 1960, his senior season. Ditka’s pro football career included All-Pro honors. He also was a member of the Chicago Bears’ 1963 NFL Championship squad. Ditka worked as an assistant coach at Dallas for nine seasons, spent 11 seasons as the head coach of the Chicago Bears and three seasons as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Joe Schmidt, Pitt’s other inductee in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was an All-America linebacker at Pitt in 1952. He went on to spend 13 years with the Detroit Lions, and was a member of the Lions’ two NFL championship teams. He later coached the team for six seasons and led Detroit to its only playoff appearance of the 1970s. He was inducted in 1973.