Lousaka Polite has been through the ups, downs and all-arounds during his five years at Pitt. He's seen good teams go bad and bad teams go good. He's seen stars fizzle and average players sizzle.
The redshirt senior fullback has pretty much seen it all ... except for a team like the 2003 Panthers.
"We're closer than we've ever been, we understand each other and we like being together," said Polite, one of four Pitt players from Woodland Hills High School. "We have a lot of older guys who've been here from the beginning, and I think we understand what to do now. We've fallen short at times, we've just missed winning close games. Now, we all understand what it takes, and we all want to do it together."
A three-year starter, Polite was part of a banner recruiting class in 1999 when coach Walt Harris lured defensive end Claude Harriott, linebacker Lewis Moore, offensive tackle Matt Morgan, quarterback Rod Rutherford, tight end Kris Wilson, left guard Dan LaCarte, wide receiver Chris Curd and NFL draftees Antonio Bryant, Gerald Hayes and Torrie Cox.
Those players built the foundation for a program that struggled mightily before their arrival, a program that went 23-47 the previous six seasons and 2-9 in 1998. Undaunted by a haunting past, the Class of '99 played a pivotal role in re-establishing Pitt football, leading the program to a 23-14 record the past three seasons including three consecutive bowl appearances and a 15-4 mark since midway through 2001.
Polite said he never doubted that things were moving in the right direction, but he still had some concerns.
"You can't really make predictions, so you never know anything for sure," Polite said. "But I did feel good about the type of talent we had; we just had to develop it. We said to each other from the day we got here that we're going to work hard and try to keep improving. Then, maybe one day, we'd have a chance to do some great things."
Polite and the rest of the Class of '99 get their final shot this season. Many believe this is the strongest Pitt team in years, particularly after a 9-4 season that produced a No. 18 national ranking and a 38-13 victory over Oregon State in the Insight Bowl.
With 15 starters back, including five all-Big East picks, Polite likes the Panthers' chances, but he's cautiously optimistic despite preseason rankings that place them at No. 10 by The Associated Press and No. 11 by the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll.
"The positive talk makes you feel good, but we know it doesn't matter if you don't win," Polite said. "We were through a 1-5 start two years ago when people were talking us up. The talk didn't get us anywhere. Our focus right now has to be Kent State (for the season opener). Nothing else matters except that game."
Polite's words weigh heavily at Pitt. He's one of the most respected members of the team and is a two-time captain as voted on by teammates. He takes a business-like approach and sets an example with they way he conducts himself.
An invitee to play in the East-West Shrine Game in January, Polite has made a major impact on Harris.
"He's given us everything's he's had since he walked in here," Harris said. "It rubs off on the other guys. When you look at how far this program's come, you can point to Lousaka Polite as being a big reason for it.
