Farewell to Foge

Pitt said goodbye to one of its former coaches in Foge Fazio on Wednesday after a battle with leukemia. Foge's greatest legacy may unfortunately be leading a potentially great 1982 team with nine NFL Draft picks to a disappointing 9-3 record.

He followed that up with another decent season, going 8-3, but it went all downhill after that. At least he was able to joke about his demise:

"Foge used to joke about (being fired)," Hillgrove said. "It didn't bother him. He'd say that he got three degrees from Pitt. He got his undergraduate degree. He got his graduate degree. And, when they fired him, they gave him the third degree. The guy had a great sense of humor."

But perhaps he should, and will, be remembered as a Pitt man through and through:

Fazio, who grew up in Coraopolis, Pa., in suburban Pittsburgh, was a former Pitt linebacker and center and was chosen as the team MVP in 1959. He was drafted by the AFL's Boston Patriots in 1960 but soon after moved into coaching. He spent nine seasons as a Pitt assistant, the final three as defensive coordinator, before being promoted to head coach in 1982, following three successive 11-1 seasons under Sherrill.

After several stints elsewhere, Foge stayed busy doing some consultant work and this year, he returned to join the Pitt radio broadcast for a brief time this year. Farewell, Foge.