Former Pitt head coach Paul Chryst wasn’t the only casualty of the Pitt football program Wednesday evening as Pitt announced that athletic director Steve Pederson has also been replaced.
Per the University, Vice Chancellor Dr. Randy Juhl has been named interim AD.
The firing ends Pederson’s second stint as the Pitt AD, a sting that began in 2007 and didn’t produce many positive results and now has the Panthers looking for their fifth head football coach since 2010. The football program has struggled to find stability after Dave Wannstedt was forced out at the end of the 2010 season.
Pitt chancellor Patrick Gallagher called it a mutual decision but one necessary for Pitt to move forward.
“Before beginning a robust national coaching search, Steve Pederson and I spoke this morning and we mutually agreed that this would be the appropriate time to make a change in athletic department leadership,” Gallagher said in a releaase.
As of now it is not known if Juhl will be in charge of hiring a new football coach or if he will fill the AD position first and let the new athletic director bring aboard his own coach. One thing that is for sure and that is the fact that Pitt will be starting over and Gallagher seems to mean business.
“With major decisions to be made about the future of football, I thought it was in the best interest of the University of Pittsburgh for Chancellor Gallagher to assemble his own team,” Pederson said in a statement. “I am a Pitt and City of Pittsburgh fan, and want what is best for everyone moving into the future.”
Current offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph named interim head coach of the football team and will coach the Panthers in the Armed Forces Bowl on January 2.
Chryst’s deal with Wisconsin is a three-year deal.
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