Russ Grimm and Rickey Jackson Enter Pro Football Hall Of Fame

Former Pitt greats Rickey Jackson and Russ Grimm entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend. For coverage, check out my posts and updates over at SB Nation Pittsburgh.

Russ Grimm And Rickey Jackson Set To Enter Hall Of Fame

Former Pitt stars Russ Grimm and Rickey Jackson will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend. We'll be posting articles and covering the induction over at SB Nation Pittsburgh on the storystream.

Be sure to stop over and check it out.

Football Notes

Don't know about you, but I'd never heard of the Pittsburgh Minor Pro Football Hall of Fame. But Pitt announcer, Bill Hillgrove, will apparently be a part of it. Not for his work with the Panthers, but...the Ironmen?

Before Bill Hillgrove became the voice of Pitt basketball and football, long before he did play-by-play for Steelers games, he could be heard doing games for the Pittsburgh Ironmen -- a local semiprofessional football team -- in the mid-1960s.

A couple of writers at Rivals.com think Dion Lewis will lead the league in rushing.

You've heard of Linebacker U - What about Pitt as 'Superstar U?'

And there's news from the South Side about Big Ten expansion. Oh wait, no there's not.

Pitt Baseball Still on the Move

After going 2-1 last week, Pitt baseball is still on the move, climbing up to #20 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll just out yesterday. The team remains unranked in the ESPN/USA Today and Baseball America polls. The #20 ranking is the highest in school history.

Also in baseball-related stuff, head coach Joe Jordano is headed to the...wait for it...Erie Hall of Fame. He ranks second in school history with 359 wins and with another good season next year, could catch the all-time leader, Bobby Lewis, who has 402. As one of the top teams in the Big East, he could be up for his second conference Coach of the Year award this year. Like most, I don't follow the baseball program all that closely. Still, great to see the school really starting to excel in several sports.

Pitt's best player? That would be Joe Leonard.

And if you can believe it, ESPN actually runs a baseball version of Bracketology. Seriously. Pitt is projected to make the tournament in the regional with #1 overall seed Texas.

Former Panthers In The News

Pitt has a couple of former players, who will be in the Super Bowl - former safety Darnell Dinkins (now a TE with the Saints) and former standout LB Clint Session.

Both took decidedly different paths to get there.

While Session was a fourth-round draft pick, landed an NFL job right out of college, and is a big contributor as a starter for the Colts, Dinkins had a longer struggle breaking into the league:

So Dinkins married Shayla, his high school sweetheart, and they started a family. He didn't let pride keep him from providing for his wife and three children — Kayla, 10, Khalil, 7, and Kolin, 6 — so he worked odd jobs such as cleaning carpets and serving as a juvenile probation officer while lifting weights at midnight. Dinkins turned to his faith, leaning on advice from his big brother, Rob Thornton, and his pastors, the Rev. Neville and Connie Brooks, of Jubilee International Ministries in Plum.

Dinkins then got a break -

Finally, the semi-pro stint opened a door to the NFL for Dinkins, whose desire impressed a young offensive coordinator named Sean Payton at the New York Giants' training camp. Payton suggested Dinkins switch to tight end and play special teams, and the move earned him a roster spot.

He's since parlayed that opportunity into playing for the Giants, Ravens, and Browns before joining the Saints this year. I'd definitely recommend reading the entire article - he seems like an unbelievable guy.

On the career achievement level, Pitt also has two more inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the news that former Panthers Russ Grimm and Rickey Jackson both got in. This brings Pitt's total of Hall of Famers to six - good for a tie for 7th all-time among colleges. Pretty impressive.

Jackson apparently got the news from the media even before the HOF. And Grimm was another one of those guys who hung around on the ballot and finally got in.

I always figured Jackson would get in, but wasn't sure about Grimm. Jackson's 128 sacks were good enough for 10th all-time and those are quantifiable numbers easier to meausre than 'stats' you can put together for an offensive lineman. Congrats to both.

Next up could be Curtis Martin, who will get a look next year in his first year eligible, or Chris Doleman (finalist this year).

Shavonte Zellous Honored

Former Pitt guard Shavonte Zellous will be honored in the women's basketball Hall of Fame Ring of Honor Section:

The Ring of Honor is one of the most popular displays in the Hall. It provides not only a colorful backdrop to the Hall of Fame’s numerous archives, but it is also used to recognize the achievements of young basketball players.

Representatives for the Hall say the Ring of Honor acts as a means to fulfill their mission to “honor the past, celebrate the present and promote the future” of women’s basketball.

Currently there are over 100 jerseys hanging in the Ring of Honor, including high school and college All-Americans from the 2007-08 season and the 2007 WNBA All-Stars.

Pretty impressive for the WNBA First-Round draft pick - congrats to Shavonte.