YinzPitt

A sad day for most Pitt Alum as we’ve come to find out that a beloved coach with the University of Pittsburgh Foge Fazio has passed away.  He was 71 and lost his battle to Leukemia, per Bill Hargrove.  Fazio was head coach at his alma mater from 1982-1985, and is survived by his wife, Norma, and children Kristen and Vince.

Sal Sunseri, father of Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri had this to say about Fazio:

It’s not just a sad day for the university, it’s a sad day for the whole city…”

“Whenever I’d talk to (Fazio), he’d say: ‘I saw your boy today,’ ” Sunseri said. “That was part of the reason I felt so relaxed about Tino going to Pitt. I knew the same eyes that watched over me would be watching over him.”

Another former player had this to say about Fazio:

“He was a defensive genius,” said Emil Boures, a Pitt offensive lineman from 1978-82. “The players wanted to play for him, and that was key. … Even if (a player) didn’t turn out to be an All-American or a star, Foge still cared about the kid. He was pretty close with just about everybody who played for him. You can’t say that about a lot of people.”

Also, Bill Cherpak, now football coach at Thomas Jefferson High School had these kind words to say:

“He was like a friend of the family for life,” said Cherpak, a Steel Valley graduate who was recruited to Pitt by Fazio. “He was a Pittsburgh guy. You could tell.”

It’s not hard at all to tell that Foge touched a lot of people around the area and community.  Pitt basketball coach had heard the news after the traditional city game between Pitt and Duquesne:

“It was a bittersweet night for us,” Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon said. “Our team sends out condolences to the family. It was truly a tough day, but I’m sure he would be happy with the way we fought.”

I honestly feel that if I were to ever go, that many people said those nice things about me.  I think that’s probably the hardest thing in life, making an impact with the people around you and leaving nothing but the graces of your memories to effect someone.  Nobody knows Fazio better than Hargrove however.  As Hargrove and Fazio worked the past two seasons in the booth announcing Pitt games.  Fazio worked well, however re-signed after the Connecticut game this year.

Hargove was quoted as saying:

He was a Pitt guy through and through,” Hillgrove said. “Even when he was coaching at Notre Dame and the NFL, he always wanted to come home.”

“Foge used to joke about (being fired),” Hillgrove said. “It didn’t bother him. He’d say that he got three degrees from Pitt. He got his undergraduate degree. He got his graduate degree. And, when they fired him, they gave him the third degree. The guy had a great sense of humor.”

So here’s to a man beloved by all.  May Foge Fazio rest in peace.  Hopefully he’s up there smiling down at everyone.

Foge Fazio 1938 - 2009

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