The growing importance of spring football makes athlete-sharing almost non-existent at Pitt, but it wasn't always that way.

Participating in two sports was no problem in the spring of 1995 for three football players who helped set a still-standing Pitt record in the 4x100 relay (40.04 seconds).

Anthony Dorsett, son of legendary Pitt Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, said he often went to spring football and track practices on the same day.

“I would take my pads off and change into track shoes,” he said.

Dorsett, who lives in Dallas, said coach Johnny Majors had no problem sharing athletes with the track team “as long as we were scoring points (in meets) and doing well.”

Dorsett was one of three football players on that record-setting relay team. Dietrich Jells was Pitt's leading pass catcher later that year, and Jay Jones was a four-year football letterman. The fourth member was Jerel Williams, who also ran hurdles.

Wide receiver Curtis Anderson ran track, too, and set a Pitt record in the pentathlon (3,795 points).

Majors also had no problem in the 1970s when world-class sprinter Willie Gault wanted to go to Tennessee — but only if he could run track and play football.

“I told coach Majors, if I come to Tennessee, I'm not playing football in the spring,” Gault told SECcountry.com. “True to his word, when I walked into his office, he said, ‘I'll see you in the fall.' ”

Dorsett said fatigue and time management never were problems.

“When you get involved in football and you get to college, you're able to compartmentalize, and you don't tire out quite as fast,” he said. “I feel like doing both made me a better athlete all-around.”

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said he has fielded only one request for permission to play another sport. Walk-on punter Nick Goldsmith, an all-state infielder in Illinois, wanted to try baseball.

Narduzzi said he told Goldsmith, “Go see if you can help Joe (Jordano, baseball coach).”

Goldsmith did work out with the baseball team, but he never earned a spot on the roster.

Narduzzi has seen athlete-sharing in two of his previous jobs.

Michigan State tight end Dion Sims, an all-state high school basketball player in Michigan, tried it — but only for a month, Narduzzi said. Good choice: Sims became a fourth-round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins.

Also, Cincinnati cornerback John Bowie played in a spring scrimmage in the morning and ran track in the afternoon, Narduzzi said.

In this age of athletic specialization, most football players are singularly focused.

“(Football coaches) are open to it,” Pitt track coach Alonzo Webb said, “but a lot of times with football players, they're trying to make sure they keep their spot on the roster.”

Webb, who said he saw Miami football players running indoor track this year, said it was not uncommon in the late 1970s and early '80s for Pitt football players to join the track team in the spring.

“We've talked about volleyball players being javelin throwers,” he said. “Ten years ago, I had a kid (a hurdler) who wanted to play soccer.”

Pitt junior hammer thrower Andin Fosam grew up in Robbinsville, N.J., trying softball, gymnastics, karate, basketball and cheerleading. But finding time to extend such versatility into college is difficult, especially for a successful thrower such as Fosam.

This year, she compiled the best indoor season of her career, earning a spot on the All-ACC second team with a fourth-place finish in the weight throw (19.24 meters) at the conference championship meet.

Then, at the CMU Invitational on Saturday, her 61.67-meter hammer throw (outdoors) set three all-time standards: Pitt, personal and Gesling Stadium. The previous Pitt record stood for 12 years.

Given that splitting time between sports is difficult in any era, Dorsett is proud of his versatility. But he was so busy participating in two sports, he didn't realize his relay team set a record.

Told the time was barely over 40 seconds, he said, “That ain't bad for football players.”

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.

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