Volume 56 |
ISSUE 19: May 17, 2024

Hillgrove, Groat first broadcasters in Pitt’s Athletics Hall of Fame

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

The Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame will enshrine 10 new members, including longtime basketball announcers Bill Hillgrove and Dick Groat, in its 2024 induction class.

Director of Athletics Heather Lyke announced the new class on May 9. They will be honored at the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner presented by PNC on Sept. 13, at the Petersen Events Center

“Our Hall of Fame classes annually showcase not only the greatest athletes in Pitt history but also the very best to ever compete in their respective sports," Lyke said. "These 10 honorees embody that same legendary excellence. This class features iconic performers representing six different sports and, for the first time ever, the field of broadcasting.”

Hillgrove and Groat are the first inductees into the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame who did not play or coach for the Panthers. 

The 2024 honorees are:

  • DeJuan Blair (Men's basketball, 2007-09)

  • Dick Groat (Broadcaster; posthumous). Radio broadcaster of Pitt basketball with Bill Hillgrove from 1979-2019. Groat — who played professional baseball for 15 years, including four years with the Pirates, and had a short stint with NBA’s Detroit Pistons — died in 2023.

  • Bill Hillgrove (Broadcaster). Hillgrove continues as radio announcer for Pitt basketball, which he has done since 1969, and football, which he started doing in 1970. He also was the play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1994 until he announced his retirement in February.

  • Amy Jackson (Women's swimming, 1978-82)

  • Brianna Kiesel (Women's basketball, 2011-15)

  • George McLaren (Football; posthumous, 1915-18)

  • Jamie Pelusi (Women's soccer, 2002-05)

  • Darrelle Revis (Football, 2004-06)

  • Al Romano (Football, 1973-76)

  • Steve Lewis (Track and Field coach; posthumous, 1984-2002)

The inductees will be introduced at Acrisure Stadium on Sept. 14, when the Panthers take on historic rival West Virginia. 

Nominations for the Hall of Fame were solicited from the general public. Candidates must be five years removed from their final year of collegiate competition and not currently be playing professional sports. 

The Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame selection committee then evaluates the candidate pool and provides a recommendation on the class to the director of athletics.

Read more about the class of 2024 on the Pitt Athletics website.