I saw you guys [yinz? y'all?] discussed Chryst getting OC of the year recognition, but didn't see where you discussed the evaluation of him as a new head coach - so here it is:

Coaches by the Numbers.com: Pitt turns to Chryst for Salvation

(they just couldn't resist the corny title, pronunciation notwithstanding)

Quote:Pitt actually has had better average recruiting classes than Wisconsin since 2002. Pitt’s average recruting class is ranked 30.20 where Wisconsin’s average class is ranked 38.70. Will Chryst’s blue-collar attitude go over well in the Iron City? We think so.

I hope so. I don't have big expectations this year. My guess for the regular season record going into camp is 7-5.

I think overall the fan base is pleased to have Chryst as our head coach. It's my personal opinion that he should have been hired last year before Graham and even before Haywood. I believe Chryst was in the pool of candidates who interviewed for the job at least one of those times.

His approach to football and overall demeanor is likely to go over very well in Pittsburgh. It also appears that he plays nice with the Steelers which is a big deal here and Graham was a complete ass about.

(07-10-2012 10:53 AM)ndlutz Wrote:  His approach to football and overall demeanor is likely to go over very well in Pittsburgh. It also appears that he plays nice with the Steelers which is a big deal here and Graham was a complete ass about.

Is there a story there? Please share... I seem to have several weeks before football season starts.

There's definitely a story to be had. The long and short of it was that Graham is an ass and nobody could stand him and that he resented the Steelers. Chryst is much different.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/spor...am-224700/

There isn't much on Chryst except that he didn't follow in Graham's footsteps.

http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index...y-steelers

Graham was hated not only by the Steelers but also quite a few local HS coach's hated the man. TJ and other schools didn't show up to the 7 on 7's because of this. Its great that HCPC is also getting some water under the bridge in that regard as well.

CP, did you know this last year as well? I have no connections/serious inroads with the schools in the area. I was pumped about Graham, though :(.

(07-11-2012 05:17 AM)ndlutz Wrote:  CP, did you know this last year as well? I have no connections/serious inroads with the schools in the area. I was pumped about Graham, though :(.

Bill Cherpek(TJ) absolutely hated Graham. One of the reasons why Decicco ended up transferring from Pitt. I don't know the ins and outs of every single HC in WPA, but the majority wasn't a fan of Graham.

(07-11-2012 06:10 AM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  

(07-11-2012 05:17 AM)ndlutz Wrote:  CP, did you know this last year as well? I have no connections/serious inroads with the schools in the area. I was pumped about Graham, though :(.

Bill Cherpek(TJ) absolutely hated Graham. One of the reasons why Decicco ended up transferring from Pitt. I don't know the ins and outs of every single HC in WPA, but the majority wasn't a fan of Graham.

He transferred to Wisconsin too. Definitely could use him at Pitt now......

HokieMark, just to give you some insight, those aritcles were written by Ed Bouchett, the Steelers beat writer. He is very well connected with the Steelers.

Also, I know somebody that knows the owner of the Pittsburgh Steak Company on the Southside. This is where they held the "Todd Graham" show each Monday. Said that TG was a total jerk to the staff there. Owner siad he hated Graham. Ran outta the place as soon as the show was over without speaking to anyone.

Another good story, During some down time one day, Mike Tomlin walked over to a Pitt practice. Penni Graham cut Tomlin off (Yeah, thats right, she didn't know who Mike Tomlin was) and she told him "excuse me sir, but this is a closed practice". Tomlin said, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to see what high octane looked like".

Todd Graham definitely didn't win any friends in Pittsburgh.

I believe DiCicco's mother called The Fan and revealed some awful stories about him. I don't quite remember the content of them. I do seem to remember some Tomlin/Steelers bashing or how he hated college players who wanted to play in the NFL or something to that effect. It's been a long time and I just can't recall.

Rumor also has it that he called Pederson to ask for permission to talk with ASU which he was denied. He then wouldn't respond to calls from the AD's office so they sent someone to his house. Apparently, the Grahams wouldn't answer the door despite the fact that the Pitt employee knew they were in there. I believe this story also entails Penni Graham yelling at him from out of an upstairs window saying - 'Get the **** off our property' and I believe Todd saying he didn't have to talk to Pitt. Classy folks, those Grahams.

Todd eventually opened the front door and slammed it in the kid's face yelling "get off my porch".