Duquesne category, Page 5
After big numbers vs. Pitt, Duquesne WR Joey Isabella hopes to follow brother’s path to NFL career
It’s not like Duquesne wide receiver Joey Isabella took the Pitt Panthers by surprise. They were preparing for him on Saturday in advance of the 2025 season opener for both clubs. “They’ve got a great receiver in a guy named Joey Isabella,” Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi said during his opening...
First Call: Jets sign ex-Steelers LB; update on Najee Harris; Duquesne president wants hoops City Game back
Tuesday’s “First Call” brings us back from the Labor Day weekend with news about three linebackers who used to be Pittsburgh Steelers. There is an update on Najee Harris. The Pirates face two tough opponents back-to-back at PNC Park. And Duquesne’s president wants the Pitt basketball rivalry back after Saturday’s...
Eli Holstein throws career-high 4 TDs as Pitt steamrolls Duquesne in opener
Perfection eluded Pitt on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium in its season-opening thumping of Duquesne. Coach Pat Narduzzi likely will dial in on the Panthers’ slow offensive start, an ugly interception by Eli Holstein and some other miscellaneous mishaps when he reviews the game tape. But on the heels of a...
Historic rivalry returns as Pitt and Duquesne football clash for first time in 86 years
The last time Pitt and Duquesne faced off on the gridiron, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president, Pittsburgh’s steel mills boomed and the Germans had just started World War II. That was Oct. 21, 1939, when the Dukes managed a stunning 21-13 victory over the Panthers. Eighty-six years later, the local...
For Duquesne football, goals extend beyond highly anticipated opener vs. Pitt
If you’ve ever done the drive from New England to Pittsburgh, you know time has an uncanny way of slowing down. The minutes seem like hours. The hours feel like centuries. Regardless of which state you are departing, there really is no perfect route to take, and you are invariably...
Pitt, Duquesne size each other up before Saturday’s clash at Acrisure Stadium
Under normal circumstances, Pitt meeting Duquesne on the football field would instill in the Panthers a desire to enact some revenge, given they lost the last matchup. Conversely, Duquesne might look at things as a chance to stack up consecutive wins against their crosstown foe. But Saturday at Acrisure Stadium,...
Fox Chapel author details ‘The Rebirth and Rise of Duquesne University Football’
It was 1969 when a group of college-aged boys gathered in St. Martin’s Hall at Duquesne University to ignite a grassroots effort to return football to the Bluff. Fox Chapel resident Sam Costanzo helped draw up the game plan – and said it was sheer industriousness and passion that led...
Pitt players, coaches see added benefits of opening against Duquesne
The countdown clock in the Pitt practice facility hit exactly four days, zero minutes, zero seconds, just a few moments before linebacker Kyle Louis walked in for his interview session with local reporters on Tuesday. That’s all that remained before the Panthers’ long offseason ended and they would face Duquesne...
‘Weathered’ Duquesne football players balancing fun of playing at Acrisure Stadium with challenge of facing Pitt
Duquesne defensive lineman A.J. Ackerman remembers the first time we spoke about the topic. What’s the level of excitement surrounding the Dukes’ 2025 season opener at Acrisure Stadium against Pitt? “I think the last time you asked me that question, I gave you a much more muted answer,” Ackerman said....
Duquesne, Robert Morris ranked in top 3 in NEC preseason poll
Duquesne has earned at least a share of the Northeast Conference title the past two seasons and was picked Monday to again contend for the title. The Dukes were ranked second in the NEC football preseason coaches poll. They had two first-place votes. Robert Morris, which went 4-2 in the...
Duquesne men’s basketball finalizes nonconference schedule
The Duquesne men’s basketball team will play nine nonconference home games at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse during the 2025-26 season, according to the Dukes schedule that was released Tuesday. The Dukes also will play two games out west at Boise State (Dec. 10) and Nevada (Dec. 13), and their annual game...
Duquesne men’s basketball mourns James Fallon, who helped Dukes win 1955 NIT title
Duquesne athletics is morning James Fallon, who helped the Dukes men’s basketball team win the 1955 National Invitation Tournament title. Fallon died June 24, at age 94. A three-year letterwinner known as “Try Guy,” Fallon and the Dukes finished 22-4 in 1955, defeating No. 9 Dayton to win the NIT...
Plum grad Kaitlyn Killinger excited for fresh start with Duquesne women’s soccer
After two seasons with Pitt’s women’s soccer program, Plum grad Kaitlyn Killinger decided she needed a change of scenery. As it turned out, her scenery didn’t change much. Only the name on her uniform. Killinger made the short journey down Fifth Avenue to Duquesne, where she will spend her final...
Tim Benz: If the NCAA still wants to expand March Madness, at least fix one flaw along the way
It appears that the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournaments will not expand. For now. Thankfully. Although it does seem like just a matter of time before that happens. “The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in...
Duquesne hires former City League star as women’s basketball assistant coach
Pittsburgh native Michaela Porter has been added to the women’s basketball staff at Duquesne University, the school announced Thursday, her first time serving in an assistant’s role. She is the daughter of former Duquesne men’s coach and ex-Pitt star Darelle Porter, who led the Dukes for three seasons from 1998-2001....
Winding college career brings ‘Big’ John Hugley IV back to the ‘Burgh
A mountain of a man with an adoring smile emerged Tuesday from the summer basketball workout at Duquesne’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse and cheerfully greeted a curious onlooker. “Can I call you ‘Big John?’ ” the visitor inquired. To which John Hugley IV responded: “Sure can.” Wait, are we talking about...
Freeport grad helps Duquesne’s 1st-year acrobatics and tumbling team reach national rankings
Like any college freshman, Freeport grad Abby Eberle had to get accustomed to her new surroundings, schedule and academic expectations. She also had to juggle all of that with being a college athlete. But there was one other “new” factor that made Eberle’s first year of college unusual: She was...
Duquesne, Chartiers Valley standout Megan McConnell waived by Mercury after injury
The Phoenix Mercury waived Chartiers Valley and Duquesne product Megan McConnell on Thursday. McConnell, brother of Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, injured her knee just 13 minutes into her WNBA debut earlier this month. The WNBA team reportedly released a statement saying McConnell suffered a tibial plateau fracture in her...
Duquesne, Robert Morris add assistant coaches
The Duquesne men’s basketball program added a national champion to its coaching staff. Head coach Dru Joyce III announced Friday the hiring of Jordan Talley from 2025 national champion Florida as assistant coach. Talley has spent the past three seasons as player development assistant with the Gators, who were 76-33...
A ‘prahd’ Pittsburgh dad: T.J. McConnell’s father steals the show after being pulled into postgame interviewVideo
Chartiers Valley alum T.J. McConnell was one of the stars of Game 6 of the NBA Finals for the Indiana Pacers. But it was his father who stole the show during a postgame interview. McConnell scored 12 points off the bench. The one-time Duquesne Duke shot 6 of 12 from...
Atlantic 10 announces Duquesne’s 2025-26 conference opponents
The Atlantic 10 announced on Tuesday the conference pairings for the 2025-26 basketball season. Duquesne will face conference foes Dayton, Davidson, Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island twice during the season in a home-and-home series. As for teams Duquesne will face just once in conference play, home games are...
Former Duquesne star Megan McConnell injured during debut with WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury
Megan McConnell’s regular-season WNBA debut turned bittersweet Tuesday night. Hours after the Phoenix Mercury announced the former Duquesne star had signed a rest-of-season contract, she made her debut against the Minnesota Lynx. McConnell played 13 minutes and hit a 3-pointer in an 88-65 loss, finishing with three points, three assists,...
Duquesne lands commitment from 6-foot-9 Serbian wing
Duquesne coach Dru Joyce III added depth to his 2025-26 men’s basketball roster over the weekend when he received a commitment from 6-foot-9 Serbian wing Lazar Milosevic. He averaged 12.1 points and 4.6 rebounds for OKK Spars Sarajevo, which plays in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Milosevic announced his decision on Instagram,...
Duquesne adds 12th game to football schedule
The Duquesne football team will host New Haven on Sept. 27, the school announced Friday. The noon matchup at Rooney Field is the 12th game for the Dukes in the 2025 season. New Haven joined the Northeast Conference earlier his month and will begin a transition to Division I for...
Transfer portal roundup: Robert Morris lands forward from rival IU Indy
Robert Morris men’s basketball coach Andy Toole continued to rebuild his roster Monday after receiving a commitment from transfer DeSean Goode. Goode, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 7.8 points and 6.0 rebounds as a freshman at IU Indy last season. Let’s work #Committed pic.twitter.com/QAudXuKdb7— DeSean Goode ???? (@goode_desean) May 19, 2025...
