Mike Andra and John Mack got some coverage in the Pitt News for their concepts of an on-campus football stadium.

Of course, Pitt’s urban campus presents a number of space constraints. In order to make room for the large new complex, a number of properties in Panther Hollow between Joncaire and Boundary streets and Yarrow Way would need to be purchased. In addition, Mack said the Frick Fine Arts Building would need to be moved onto Schenley Plaza, and Mazeroski Field would be demolished, though he said the new stadium would also include a Pittsburgh Pirates museum.

The next area of concern for Mack and Andra is parking and transportation.

Mack said the plan includes the building of a multi-level parking garage that could hold between 1,200 and 1,500 vehicles. He also said that the Allegheny Valley Railroad could expand its commuter service operations and extend into Panther Hollow using the pre-existing railway.

In a project of this magnitude, cost is always a factor, and Mack and Andra readily admit this. They project that, in total, the project would cost $700 million, with all funding coming from alumni benefactors. They also projected that the new stadium would lead to about $47 million in revenue during its first year.

I can’t say I buy into the whole thing, but they now have the Pitt administration acknowledging their existence.

There was an article on another graduate assistant. He isn’t listed in the media guide so I didn’t notice the addition of Taylor Mehlhaff as a Special Teams Graduate Assistant.

Mehlhaff was a very, very good kicker for Wisconsin. Briefly got some time in the NFL before the Saints cut him before their Superbowl run.

“He was a guy that I admired and respected a lot when he was playing, just the mental toughness that he had,” Chryst said of Mehlhaff. “It’s great having him around. He’s a sharp guy, he brings good energy.”

“When [Chryst] found out I was looking to go somewhere, I think he was pretty excited to get me here,” Mehlhaff said. “I had a couple opportunities to go to some other places, and I felt good about this. With the group of guys that I know here, it’s more of a family-type feel. It’s a close-knit group.”

Now Mehlhaff is on the Pitt staff as a special teams graduate assistant. He is assisting in a variety of special teams areas, but his focus is on working directly with the kickers and punters. That’s particularly helpful for Pitt, since the Panthers will have two scholarship specialists on the roster this season in kicker Chris Blewitt and punter Ryan Winslow.

It’s a perfect role for Mehlhaff and one Pitt can benefit from.

“In a lot of places, that’s a neglected position, and Taylor has really, really good knowledge of the kicking part,” Chryst said.

The one thing missing from the story is that Mehlhaff’s brief time in New Orleans paid off in other ways. He is engaged to a former Saints Cheerleader (and 2012 Miss Louisiana, 4th runner-up).

I wanted to try to stay on top of links. Last thing I wanted was to keep tabs open for weeks or months and then find myself trying to shoehorn ancient pieces into a present day post. Naturally this post was in the draft section for nearly 2 weeks before I returned to it and re-worked it to shove out today.

The first day of practice revealed that Pitt has named the outside practice facility fields “Beano Cook Fields.” Something that was lauded by sports media all over twitter that day, because everyone in the media loved Beano Cook. Also this little tidbit:

When Beano died last year, he left sizable donations to Kiski Prep School and to Pittsburgh, his alma maters. Earlier this year, Kiski named its athletic fields after Beano. This week, Pitt named its practice fields for him. He would be embarrassed and thrilled.

Any time there is a preview of the ACC, Pitt lands somewhere in the 5th or 6th spot of the Coastal Division. Football Study Hall is no exception.

Pitt is not far enough behind the usual suspects in the Coastal to be dismissed as a darkhorse, but it’s done nothing in recent memory to recommend it as a serious contender, either.

Seems about right. Everytime I think about this team and the outlook I see a 6-6 record +/- 2 on the wins and losses.

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