.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Pitt first-year coach Pat Narduzzi was rewarded for leading the Panthers to their best season since 2010 on Thursday when he received a contract extension that will keep him at the school until 2021.
Narduzzi guided the Panthers to an 8-4 (6-2) record this season to place second in the ACC Coastal Division despite the fact he was without star running back James Conner, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 1.
“The University of Pittsburgh is an incredible place with incredible people,”Narduzzi said in his released statement. “My family and I plan to make Pittsburgh our home for a very long time and we’re glad the leadership at Pitt feels the same way. It is an honor to serve as Pitt’s head football coach and I’m continuously energized by what we can, and will, accomplish here.”
The deal tacks on two more years to his original contract and Pitt AD Scott Barnes said he was thrilled about the direction Narduzzi is taking Pitt football.
"Pat Narduzzi has adrenalized Pitt football on and off the field,” Barnes said in a released statement. “We are proud of what our program has accomplished this season. Moreover, we’re excited about what our student-athletes can continue to achieve–on the field, in the classroom and in the community–under Pat’s long-term leadership."
Pitt will play its final game of the season when it takes on No. 23 Navy (9-2) in the Military Bowl on Dec. 28. Should the Panthers top Navy, they will have their highest win total since 2009.
