HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University head football coach Doc Holliday knows about the University of Pittsburgh extremely well.
For the better majority of Holliday’s football career, Pitt was his biggest rival dating back to his days as a player and coach at West Virginia University. Pitt and WVU once had a long-running rivalry known as “The Backyard Brawl,” but the teams no longer meet.
Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick announced Tuesday that Marshall and Pitt had signed a home-and-home series for 2016 and 2020, giving Holliday the possibility of facing the team he’s had a ton of history with.
“The Backyard Brawl is now in Huntington,” Holliday said with a smile. “That’s a good thing, I guess. You have to give Mike Hamrick a lot of credit. We’re not going up to Pitt six times and them come here once. It’s home-and-home and it’s great for our fan base.”
The home-and-home series will start at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field — also home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers — on Oct. 1, 2016.
Pitt then comes to Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Sept. 26, 2020.
Tuesday’s announcement marks the second time in two months Hamrick was able to execute a home-and-home series with a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference…