The Backyard Brawl Continues

Buddy Butler

12 months ago

This storied rivalry only gets better with time.

^{PHOTOGRAPHED BY DALE SPARKS. Courtesy of WVU Athletics.}

“The Backyard Brawl embodies the essence of college sports. A rivalry that withstood the test of time,” says WVU Broadcaster Tony Caridi. “It’s called a ‘brawl’ for a reason.”

Here are five reasons that this year’s playing of the Backyard Brawl a must-see event for all sports fans.

Familiarity The players and coaches know each other. With the campuses only 75 miles apart, a lot of the players were recruited by both universities. Many of the players played at the same high school or against each other at rival high schools.
Longevity The first Backyard Brawl was in 1895—yes, 1895! These teams played 104 times between 1895 and 2011. And in fact, the 1921 edition was the first football game ever broadcast on radio. That is a lot of history.
Winners WVU and Pitt have historically been winning programs and part of the national championship picture for years. ABC is broadcasting the game in prime-time, garnering more national exposure for both programs.
The Fans Let’s face it—we hate Pitt. Maybe even loathe. One of the basic maxims of being a Mountaineer is to hate Pitt. The mutual dislike for one another knows no bounds.
Revenge. Pitt took down the Mountaineers 38–31 in the 2022 return of the Backyard Brawl after a 10-year hiatus.