# 1963 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

The 1963 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. Led by ninth-year head coach John Michelosen, the Panthers were 9–1 and were fourth in the final AP poll, third in the coaches poll.
The Panthers did not play in a bowl game; their most recent postseason appearance was in 1956 and the next was in 1973.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 20 | at UCLA | | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | W 20–0 | 28,095 |
| September 28 | Washington | No. 10 | Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA | W 13–6 | 36,946 |
| October 5 | California | No. 9 | Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA | W 35–15 | 21,931 |
| October 19 | at West Virginia | No. 3 | Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl) | W 13–10 | 31,000 |
| October 26 | at No. 10 Navy | No. 3 | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD | L 12–24 | 30,231 |
| November 2 | Syracuse | No. 10 | Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA (rivalry) | W 35–27 | 44,217 |
| November 9 | at Notre Dame | No. 8 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | W 27–7 | 41,306 |
| November 16 | Army | No. 6 | Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA | W 28–0 | 47,947 |
| November 30 | at Miami (FL) | No. 5 | Miami Orange BowlMiami, FL | W 31–20 | 33,230 |
| December 7 | Penn State | No. 4 | Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA (rivalry) | W 22–21 | 52,349 |
| HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||
* Opener at UCLA was played on Friday night.
* Following the assassination of President Kennedy, the Penn State game was postponed two weeks to December 7.

## Game summaries
### At UCLA

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Bruins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA
* Date: September 20
* Game time: 11:15 PM EDT
* Game attendance: 28,095
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushes/yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Pittsburgh | Passing |
| Pittsburgh | Rushing |
| Pittsburgh | Receiving |
| UCLA | Passing |
| UCLA | Rushing |
| UCLA | Receiving |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Pittsburgh | UCLA |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 20 | 0 |

### Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Huskies | | | 0 |
| No. 10 Panthers | | | 0 |
at Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 1:30 PM EDT
* Game attendance: 36,946
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushes/yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Washington | Passing |
| Washington | Rushing |
| Washington | Receiving |
| Pittsburgh | Passing |
| Pittsburgh | Rushing |
| Pittsburgh | Receiving |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Washington | Pittsburgh |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 6 | 13 |

### California

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Golden Bears | | | 0 |
| No. 9 Panthers | | | 0 |
at Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA
* Date: October 5
* Game time: 1:30 PM EDT
* Game attendance: 21,931
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushes/yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| California | Passing |
| California | Rushing |
| California | Receiving |
| Pittsburgh | Passing |
| Pittsburgh | Rushing |
| Pittsburgh | Receiving |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | California | Pittsburgh |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 15 | 35 |

### At West Virginia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Panthers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 2:00 PM EDT
* Game attendance: 32,000
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushes/yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Pittsburgh | Passing |
| Pittsburgh | Rushing |
| Pittsburgh | Receiving |
| West Virginia | Passing |
| West Virginia | Rushing |
| West Virginia | Receiving |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Pittsburgh | West Virginia |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 13 | 10 |

### At #10 Navy
### Penn State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Nittany Lions | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| No. 4 Panthers | 0 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 22 |
at Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA
* Date: December 7
* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game attendance: 52,349
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushes/yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Penn State | Passing |
| Penn State | Rushing |
| Penn State | Receiving |
| Pittsburgh | Passing |
| Pittsburgh | Rushing |
| Pittsburgh | Receiving |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Penn State | Pittsburgh |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 21 | 22 |

## Team players drafted into the NFL

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Paul Martha | Defensive back | 1 | 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Ray Popp | Guard | 8 | 100 | New York Giants |
| Rick Leeson | Back | 10 | 130 | Washington Redskins |
| Paul Cercel | Center | 16 | 213 | Dallas Cowboys |
| Bryan Generalovich | End | 20 | 275 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Source

## Media
### Radio

| Flagship station | Play-by-play | Color commentator | Sideline reporter | Studio host |
| WWSW–AM 970 | | | | |