Carson Long choked up. Honoring legendary Pitt coach Jock Sutherland means that much to him.
The kicker on Pitt's most recent national championship team in 1976, Long has spearheaded an effort led by former Pitt football lettermen to preserve the legacy of Sutherland, one of the sports pioneering and all-time greatest coaches.
"He was an amazing man," Long said Tuesday while standing in front of a mural of Sutherland on the wall of the Pitt football facility on the South Side. "The more I read about him, the more I am impressed."
A proud Pitt alumnus – Long was wearing his letterman's jacket at the Panthers' spring practice Tuesday – Long sought out to do research on Sutherland, a Pitt player from 1915-17 and coach from 1924-38 (he also coached the Steelers in 1946-47).
Today in #PGHSportsHistory , 1923: 1923Jock Sutherland hired as the Pitt's head coach, replacing Pop Warner. In 14 seasons, he'd lose 20 games and win nine consensus national championships. Following WWII, Sutherland took over as head coach and vice president of the Steelers. pic.twitter.com/ZKIwigMFMn
— Pittsburgh City Paper (@PGHCityPaper) January 18, 2018
But when Long went to visit Sutherland's resting place at the Homewood Cemetery, he was dismayed at what he saw.
"The gravesite was in terrible shape," Long said, "and it was forgotten.
"I had read from a list of famous coaches and sportswriters who when Dr. Sutherland died in 1948 said he would never be forgotten. And he was."
So Long made some calls to other Pitt alumni, got former Pitt coaches Johnny Majors and Jackie Sherrill and current coach Pat Narduzzi involved, and he decided to raise money to honor Sutherland.
Long said it will cost about $8,000 to restore Sutherland's gravesite, but he is hoping to help raise $75,000 as an endowment for its upkeep in perpetuity.
"We want to present this to the University of Pittsburgh as part of the Pitt experience," Long said. "Dr. Sutherland was a perfectionist. He shows us where we were, and by studying his life and what he did for the University of Pittsburgh, he shows us where we are and where we have to go form here to get where we want to go."
Long said the process of reaching out to Pitt alumni and college football historians is underway.
Wednesday will mark the 129th anniversary of Sutherland's birth.
Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.
